In the business school part of my life, I spend a lot of time coaching executive MBA students and others going through executive education programmes.

There’s something that comes up frequently in our conversations. They think that the new qualification alone, or even the practical experience that leadership development necessarily facilitates, is going to get them to the next level.

But that’s missing a key point. If people aren’t well-versed in career development at senior levels then they might not be able to take full advantage of the new knowledge and skills they’re learning on their programmes.

And it’s a misunderstanding I see everywhere.

Savvy talent development professionals understand the value in helping people navigate their career through coaching or other learning interventions. And the rest don’t understand that it’s a vital piece of the puzzle.

Management and leadership training is essential to skill people up for more challenging roles - career development is essential to help them take these learnings to the next level.

The thing is, the rules change as you move up. The skills that got you to senior management aren’t necessarily the ones that will get you to executive leadership.

An Executive MBA student shared with me recently that he felt frustrated about having all of this new learning and ways of thinking about his company but he stayed stuck and frustrated in an operational role, albeit a senior one, having no idea how to move into a position that would do justice to his new growth. He’s fortunate that his business school has career development coaching to help him through this.

But other organisations who invest time and money into their high performing talent often miss this key element.

At executive level, career development isn’t about climbing a ladder anymore. It’s about navigating a complex web of relationships, reputation, and strategic positioning.

But nobody teaches you how to:

• Build executive presence that opens doors and positions people for senior roles
• Develop the kind of network that includes people who make C-suite appointment decisions
• Articulate your leadership value beyond your current functional expertise
• Position yourself for roles that might not even exist yet

These aren’t skills you pick up by accident. They need to be developed as deliberately as any other leadership capability.

When you can manage your own career development strategically, you’re showing exactly the capabilities that boards and senior leadership teams are looking for.

You’re proving you can think beyond your current role and take ownership of outcomes that matter.

My upcoming book, The Core Career Dials, speaks to exactly this challenge.

I’ve also developed a programme for people who’ve been through leadership and executive education. It’s a facilitated, reflective, action-focused learning space to help them truly show the ROI of their learning. It starts in November for individuals and organisations who understand the importance of career development.

If you want me to create something more tailored for your organisation, whether that’s coaching or facilitated learning experiences, just reply to this email or book a call with me.

I’m toddling off to Spain and Portugal soon to invest some time into moving the needle on my Wellbeing Dial, to ready myself for the book launch in September. I have to say, writing a book is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done and I really need this break!

See you soon,

Sarah

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