I'm one month into my F100 FLDP, and thing that I immediately noticed is that out of the 40-50 finance people at my location, the majority of them are only one promotion above entry level, though the average age of these "Financial Analyst II's" is mid 30's. The average age of the managers (with 5-10 reports) is mid 40's. It seems like you get the promotion from FA I to FA II after a year or two, and that is where most people stop for a while. So my question is this: What do you have to do to be the guy who climbs steadily into upper management? How can you avoid being a FA II or SFA for ten years? I'd love to get some insight from anyone who has either outpaced the "slow and steady" route themselves, or anyone who has seen it done and has ideas as to how. Thanks!
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Hi Dan, I see this challenge you are talking about and it's great you are looking at how to address this now - rather than wait for it to become and issue for you. I think playing politics is important. Make sure the right people know you and respect you - remember all careers involve an element of people and interaction. If you are really struggling for an in with the senior managers don't dismiss the importance of getting to know some of the managers or older staff who have only a little bit of influence. Although these people can sometimes be the softer /nice guys - if they see hunger in younger employees they can be a source of momentum when it comes to promotion.
Be willing to move. I've found most people "stuck" at an SFA level to be happy with their position and income, so they never seek advancement.
You've gotta be willing to take on new challenges and often times find those new challenges with other companies.
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