Why sideways moves are good for your career

career ladder
Up, down and around you go! Moving forward professionally doesn’t always mean being promoted. Join us as we explore the ups, downs and sideways moves that could help you get the most from your long term career plan. “Your career is a marathon, not a sprint,” says O2’s HR Director, Ann Pickering, echoing the sentiments of Sheryl Sandberg in her book Lean In: “It’s better to think in terms of a jungle gym than a ladder.” And research by HR solutions providers, the Adecco Group, indicates these aren’t just nice sentiments designed to make employees content with their lateral career moves; they’re hitting on “the reality of talent in tomorrow’s workplace”, whereby sideways moves are predicted to become essential for the future success of individuals and organisations as a whole.  

Saying goodbye to the ‘corporate ladder’

“The days of the autocratic leader are numbered,” responds the report to the question “what will ‘gen 2020’ (those born after 1997) expect from the workplace?” “So too is the concept of ‘moving up the corporate ladder’. Without hierarchies, employers will need to provide a ‘corporate lattice’ – and employees will have to become adept at moving sideways, undertaking short-term secondments and projects in order to progress their careers. Career development will also be achieved through job rotations and ‘job shadowing’ – an on-the-job form of mentoring. Sideways moves can lead to impactful change, as Kerry McGuire, the Vice President of New Business Ventures at multinational technology company ARM, discovered: “I made the decision – after a lot of heartfelt thinking – to step away from the hardware division of ARM and take up a similar position working with our software partners. It was a move that took me from the biggest part of the business to a much smaller corner. I was very conscious that external viewers might think it a strange, even controversial move. “I had been on a very clear upwards trajectory, and though I was enjoying it very much, I saw a greater possibility. I had a lot of difficult conversations in which I took care to explain that the decision was based on a firm belief that software was going to become increasingly relevant to the business. The advice I give to all the girls I mentor and meet through STEM events is to harness their passions, because whenever I’ve made a decision that had passion at its core, I’ve been rewarded in the long run; my move to software was one of the best decisions I ever made.” In her everywomanClub Voices of Experience video, Chief Operation Officer of FDM Group and everywoman in Technology award winner Sheila Flavell reveals her career path has also followed a less traditional curve. “Some people have one career with one company and they start at the bottom and work their way to the top, which is fantastic. I’ve had three careers and quite a few sideways moves. What that does is I gather experience in all different environments and that’s helped me be the person I am today.” Breadth at every step of your career can stand you in good stead for future jumpstarts. “With sideways moves you are growing a golf bag of experiences,” says everywoman Associate Nicky Moffat CBE. “A recruiter is likely to be far more interested in people who have breadth and depth rather than just depth. Furthermore, consolidation through sideways moves enhances the knowledge and capability base which, when a promotion is secured, gives a leader much wider experience upon which to draw.”  

Keeping up with life changes

The idea of a continual upwards career trajectory isn’t just out of touch with reality; it’s also at odds with individuals’ life changes. “After having children I realised that spending time with them while they were small was the most important thing to me. So I allowed my career to tick along nicely, and I chose roles which offered variety but weren’t necessarily promotions,” says Ann Pickering, now a board member at O2. “As my children got older, I started feeling able to take on more and there came a point where I was able to start motoring,” she says. Taking your foot off the gas for a while needn’t mean coming to a standstill, however, and Ann made sure she was laying the groundwork for later success. “I went out of my way to build strong networks across the organisation. I took opportunities which weren’t promotional, but were interesting or experimental; I put my hand up for things that fell outside of my remit. If you want to coast for a while, look for opportunities that will keep you networked. I’m not sure it was a conscious move at the time but the advice I give people now is create networks internally so that when you are looking for the next move, you can reach out.” In the everywomanNetwork workbook Career Planning, everywoman trainer Pippa Isbell cautions that breaking with the idea of a ladder in favour of a lattice approach, doesn’t mean you should relinquish control over your professional and personal development. While options should remain open, sideways moves can and should be planned for every bit as much as promotional opportunities.
  • First analyse the opportunities: “Work out what you really want to do. Keep this as wide as possible in the initial stages”.
  • Second, identify a goal. “Start with a broad statement and narrow it down using open questions to yourself: what, how, why, where, when, how?”
  • Next, explore options. At this stage spend time generating as many ideas as possible. By exploring many different scenarios, you may come up with a less obvious but better solution.
  • Finally, select the best option.
Broadening your skills need not always mean taking a sideways move. It might mean volunteering for stretch assignments. It could require making time for reading in a niche area to solidify your knowledge base. Or it might necessitate expanding your network so you’re connected with people who can advise you and help you along your meandering path. Don’t forget to share your ambitions and growth needs with the person best placed to help: the boss. Often we neglect to communicate our desires, presuming our line manager automatically understands our intentions. If you’re looking to expand your horizons, tell the boss to ensure you’re front of mind when opportunities arise.

everywomanTrends is an article series focusing on the newest thinking and popular discussions around all things related and of interest to women in business. If you have an idea for an everywomanTrend article you can get in touch with us at [email protected].

 

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