Career Trajectory
Updated: Mar 4, 2021
Build a career map for every new employee on their first day of work to set a clear path for growth and success.
There's one question I can guarantee that everyone reading this has either asked or been asked in an interview. I've never seen the relevance asking this question during the interview process. It only comes into relevance if and when a job offer is made and accepted. If you haven't guessed it yet, I'll tell you. "Where do you see yourself in 3-5 years?"
First Day on the Job
“Where do you see yourself in 5 years is a terrible interview question. However, it should be the first question asked to every employee on their first day”
Each employee should sit with their direct manager and a senior executive on their first day. Depending on the size and stage of that company, that senior executive should be the CEO. Together they chart out a course to where the employee wants to be in 5 years. A Jr Success Manager wants to be the CCO, should be music to the ears of the CEO. So build a plan to make that a reality, and it will set a clear path to future success.
Here's why...
Clear Success Criteria to Achieve.
The stops along the journey from Jr Success Manager to CCO are easy to demarcate. Jr Success Manager to Sr Success Manager to Team Lead to Manager to VP to CCO (aka the promised land). The steps and timelines between each stop must be clearly defined and refined starting from day one. The success criteria from Jr to Sr Success Manager may look something like this:
☑️ Close $100,000 in up-sell business
☑️ Maintain a 85% positive NPS rating with clients
☑️ Ensure less than 15% churn rate
☑️ Successfully onboard 10 new clients
Promotion & Compensation Updates
“Be original, show off your style, and tell your story.”
By setting clear objectives and timelines, title change and compensation conversations will be simple. They probably shouldn't even need to happen. At the 6 month mark if the employee checked off the needed boxes 💥 promotion and raise happens automatically.
The Promised Land
Assuming the employee has consistently passed each step ⛳on their course they've reached that 5 year mark. Their performance reviews were spot on (I hate performance reviews. Read here on how to do them right) they should have arrived at the gates to the Promised Land. The Promised Land either being promoted to CCO at your company, or you've given them all the skills, training and leadership abilities they need to land that CCO job at another company. If you're shaking your head and thinking what I just said is ridiculous, it's not. You are! Your main job as a leader is to make your team successful. Be it at home or elsewhere.
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