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How to get promoted from director to vice president

Climbing the corporate ladder can be tricky. If you’re a director hoping to get promoted to VP, here are 8 questions to consider.

How to get promoted from director to vice president

[Photo: PhotoAlto/Milena Boniek/Getty Images]

BY Mike Hofman7 minute read

We’ve all been there. Someone with less experience or less time at your company gets promoted before you, and you’re left wondering why. Or perhaps your boss hires someone from the outside to a role you had your eye on.

This can happen at every level of a company, but one of the hardest jumps to make is from director to vice president, and there’s a reason for that. “At the higher levels of organizational life, all of the leading players are technically skilled,” said Marshall Goldsmith in his best-selling book, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There. “Your people skills (or lack of them) become more pronounced the higher you go.” People skills aren’t just how well liked you are. They’re also about grace under pressure, how you problem solve and influence outcomes.

At the VP level, you need to be able to craft the strategy, lead the team, and deliver results—all while managing up, down, and around the management chain. I once had an executive coach suggest that at least 50% of your time in VP roles is spent managing politics and personalities, not delivering stellar outcomes.

Does the system sound daunting and a bit arbitrary? Sure. Does that mean you’ll never get a VP role? Of course not. Based on my own experiences climbing the corporate ladder and insight from others who’ve also been successful,  here’s eight questions to ask yourself as you seek that next promotion.  

What is the corporate culture?

At a time when I was questioning whether to stay at a company where progress looked limited, a friend wisely asked me: Quickly, tell me what gets people promoted there? And I blurted out, “longevity.” And in that moment, I knew. I’d only been there four years, and I likely wasn’t going to get the job I wanted unless I committed to many more. I decided to move on.

“What a VP is and the path to getting there varies from company to company,” says Scott Domann, chief people officer at Calm, the meditation app. “In some larger organizations, you may have to endure a longer process that others had to go through. In a startup environment, the path may be more direct,” depending on what makes sense for the business at that time.

What are the business priorities?

Sometimes, promotions have less to do with any individual and more to do with the business priorities at any given moment in time. Are you on a fast-growing team or one that is shrinking? If your group is seeing budget and staff reductions, it’s going to be harder to convince higher-ups that they should spend more on you or anyone else.

If growth priorities lie elsewhere, perhaps yours should, too. That doesn’t necessarily mean leaving, but you may want to explore roles viewed more central to business goals where your skills and experience are transferrable. This kind of flexibility in your thinking and career approach can reap enormous rewards long term as more companies value learning agility above time in a role.  

Has my responsibility expanded?

Often, people believe they should be promoted because they’ve done a great job. And while that’s important, salary and bonus are what you should see go up when you’ve delivered strong performance. Promotion is more about growth potential layered on top of performance. How far can we see this person go? Two levels? To the top? What responsibilities and experiences do they need to get there?

At Netflix, where it can be challenging to make the leap to VP, Kathryn Chen, now VP of product platform strategy and analysis, succeeded in doing so after acting on specific feedback. To get to the next level, she was told she needed to establish herself as a go-to person for higher-ups. “Do I cover a big area impactfully and influentially?” says Chen. And while it took her six and a half years to finally win that promotion, she felt her tenure as a director provided a deep understanding of the business and relationships in many different areas that increased her credibility.

What motivates me?

I’ve had the conversation with many friends: Would you rather have title or money? And at times, I have answered this question differently. Some people are more motivated by money and that’s fine. Others are seeking growth, advancement, or even power, and will leave money on the table if they can snag the title. Either way, it’s critical you know what’s driving your desire because it’s likely your boss already has an opinion about that, and you may be undermining your chances with certain behaviors or attitudes.

Sometimes, the two go hand in hand though. At an established company, a VP’s bonus and stock grant will typically be larger than a director’s. That can be challenging for companies who want to retain strong performers who aren’t ready for a promotion or perhaps never will be. Having candid conversations about runway and financial expectations is critical, so all parties understand the range of possibilities and can decide accordingly.

Do my trusted advisors think I’m ready?

Some people mistakenly think mentors and advisors should always agree with you, when quite the opposite is true. Pick people you trust to challenge your thinking, offer different perspectives, and objectively provide counsel. Ideally, you should seek out mentors in senior ranks where you currently work as well as people who’ve worked with you before. Conversations with them should not be pseudo-therapy sessions, but rather an opportunity to learn about the business or develop new skills.

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“The best advice I received is to seek out a variety of sponsors, mentors, advisors, and team members who are inspiring and will speak your name positively in rooms when you aren’t there to represent yourself as well as encourage you to fully realize your potential as a leader,” says Tiph Turpin, VP of global employee communications at Expedia Group. Particularly, she sought out people inside and outside her workplace who understood her goals as both a business leader and a mother of two small children.

Am I seeking honest, constructive feedback?

Often, when people get feedback, they default to defensiveness. In an annual review once, my manager said, “No one wants to talk after you do because they’re afraid they’ll sound stupid.” And my initial thought was, “How is that my problem?” (No, I didn’t say that out loud!) After thinking about that for a few days later, I realized it indeed was my problem, and I needed to change my behavior to allow others to speak first and build on their ideas instead of offering up my own thoughts right out of the gate. It was an important lesson.

Ask your manager if you can do a 360 review to get feedback or create your own by drafting five questions and sending them to people you trust to give you honest and actionable feedback. And do include the person who drives you totally crazy because you need to know what they’re thinking and potentially saying to others about you.

Am I being my best advocate?

This one is hard because it requires an objective assessment on your part and perhaps a strong dose of straight talk by that amazing team of advisors you’ve assembled. Domann from Calm says, “Everything in life is timing and tone. Self-awareness often is key in achieving that promotion. Be prepared to discuss your strengths and development areas, career goals, and welcome an open dialogue with your manager.”  

Often, that means taking on high-profile assignments and promoting your own successes, and this can be uncomfortable for some of us. Higher-ups, juggling busy schedules and lots of issues, aren’t always aware of individual achievements. You don’t need to be boastful or include every wonderful thing you believe you did. Focus on the big wins, how you worked with others to deliver it, and what you learned.  

Am I prepared to walk?

This question is last for a reason. Because it’s entirely possible you’ve done all of the above, and you’re still not being considered for a promotion. And that’s okay. There are always new opportunities out there, even in tricky economic times. If you feel truly ready for a bigger role and don’t see the potential where you currently work, you should start looking elsewhere. Because the unfortunate truth is, sometimes companies chase new hires more than they invest in developing their own people. It’s a wrong-headed approach, but it’s their baggage, not yours.


Anne Marie Squeo is founder and CEO of  Proof Point Communications, a boutique marketing and communications firm, and a Pulitzer Prize-winning business journalist. 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mike Hofman is Fast Company's executive editor. He writes about creativity, brand innovation, and how digital media is evolving, and his work has appeared in Fortune, Inc., and GQ More


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