The journey from junior to senior management is a strategic ascent that requires more than just exceptional performance. It’s about evolving your approach as you climb the corporate ladder.

For a smart junior-level employee, achieving success involves maintaining a balance of 80% performance and 20% relationship management. This relationship management includes engaging with managers, the manager’s manager, and peers. However, reaching and excelling in middle management requires more than just this.

How can you add value to the teams?

Please picture this. As a frontline sales representative you must sell to perform. As a frontline sales manager, (say an Area Sales Manager), you must help your team perform and sell. When you are promoted to manage the managers, (say a regional sales manager), you are far removed from the point of action. The value your team is seeking is the support with marketing material, advertisement budgets, allocation of the right products that sell in their market. To provide this support one must build relationships with the marketing team, finance team, and the supply chain team.

Therefore, at the middle management level, maintaining your position and excelling in your role requires not only managing relationships with your direct superiors but also with cross-functional stakeholders. As you progress to middle management, the game changes:

-Shift to 60% performance and 40% stakeholder management
-Expand your influence across departments and organizational levels
-Develop a broader perspective on the business as a whole

What should middle managers do to be promoted to senior management?

They must continue to perform. That is necessary but not sufficient. Who are the people who will decide that a regional manager is ready to be promoted to a national sales head role in our example? Typically, the Chief Sales Officer, the functional head, the Chief Marketing Officer, head of the function that works closely with the sales team, and the HR business partner or the CHRO.

Therefore Middle-level employees must manage their relationship with:

-Their managers and the functional CXO: Understand their expectations and work towards meeting and exceeding them.
-Heads of Adjacent Function: Collaborate with leaders from different departments to showcase your ability to work cross-functionally.
-HR: Build a good rapport with HR business partner and if possible, with the CHRO. In several organizations, they play a significant role in the promotion process.

What should the middle managers do to build relationships with these people?

They must:

-Increase Visibility: Stay visible by taking on challenging projects and roles.
-Showcase Achievements: Regularly update your superiors and stakeholders about your progress and achievements.
-Reinforce Perception: Consistently demonstrate your capabilities and potential for promotion.
-Seek Feedback: Proactively seek feedback and use it to improve.
-Implement Feedback: Show how you have implemented feedback and the positive results it has brought.

If you get your performance, relationship, visibility, and perception right you are on your path to success.

Please let me know how did you move from middle management to senior management? Or how are you planning to do so? Please write in the comment box and let us learn together.