* What you can do to overcome the obstacles you'll encounter as you climb the corporate ladder
If you have executive aspirations, be prepared for the obstacles you’ll encounter on your way up the ladder. Career services company Lee Hecht Harrison says that along the way, managers must learn and hone the principles of good leadership to succeed.
“Leadership is a learned skill and it takes time,” says Leonard Posey, senior vice president and general manager of Lee Hecht Harrison’s Parsippany, N.J. office. “One should not try to simply learn it on the fly after being promoted.”
With that in mind, Lee Hecht Harrison outlines the following impediments to landing a top-level position and what you can do to overcome these obstacles:
* Often people will be promoted because they have great technical skills, but that doesn’t make them good managers. Coaching or mentoring can help you build the people skills required for this role.
* You’ve got the degree, but not leadership experience. Volunteer in the community or with a professional organization to help prepare you for an executive position.
* You don’t have enough visibility in your organization. Boost your profile by being proactive, such as taking on new projects and volunteering for task forces and committees that are visible to senior management.
* Focusing on the paycheck but not the big picture. Reward the successes of your team members in addition to concentrating on your own compensation.
