Why Lateral Moves Could Be Your Fastest Path to the C-Suite was originally published on Ivy Exec.
When most people think about climbing the career ladder, they picture a straight path upward. But the truth is, career growth doesn’t always work like that. Lateral moves can become the most powerful stepping stones to the C-suite.
Making a move without a fancier title or a bigger paycheck may not look glamorous, but it sets you up for leadership success. Continue reading to learn why lateral moves can be your fastest path to high-level executive positions.
👉 You Build a Broader Skill Set
You might know how to run campaigns if you’re currently in marketing. Additionally, you could be a pro in analyzing customer behavior and managing creative teams. But how much do you know about operations or product development?
To become a great executive, you shouldn’t just be an expert in one area. You need to understand how different departments of a company work together.
By making a lateral move, you learn firsthand what it takes to succeed in a different position. The knowledge makes you more valuable to senior leaders. Besides, when you take diverse roles across the company, you see problems differently and often, more creatively.
👉 Lateral Moves Expand Your Network
Lateral career moves let you meet many teams and managers. You could also find mentors with a lot of expertise in particular niches. Once you connect to multiple people across the company, you’ll gain access to more opportunities.
When senior leadership starts looking for someone to lead a new initiative or step into a big promotion, they don’t just check resumes. They think about people they’ve seen in action and those who have built trust across departments.
By working laterally, you’ll learn who influences decisions and find ways to be closer to them. You can also align yourself with people who advocate for you when you’re not in the room. You might even land special projects because your coworkers know your track record.
Even if you leave the company after a few years, your professional network will stick with you. The reputation you build across departments will also follow you into your next role and beyond.
👉 They Help You Develop Leadership Skills Without the Title
A common misconception about leadership is that you need a title to lead. Some of the most influential people don’t have a fancy title after their name. They’re the ones who inspire their peers, bridge gaps between teams, and make things happen even without formal authority.
Lateral moves give you a chance to practice that type of leadership. When you enter a new department, you may not know the technical details as well as your colleagues. Still, you can lead by:
- Bringing a fresh perspective
- Spotting gaps and inefficiencies
- Fostering adaptability
- Encouraging diverse ideas
- Connecting people across departments
If you do such things, you’ll build influence in your workplace after a while. You’ll prove to others that they don’t necessarily need authority to make a positive impact. Once decision makers notice that you can lead even without the title, they are more likely to trust your abilities.
When you eventually land a big promotion, you’ll already know how to lead without relying on your title. The aspect makes you a more effective executive because people will follow you for your vision and credibility. They won’t just trust you because you’re in a higher position.
👉 You Learn the Language of the Business
Every department has its own language. Finance talks numbers, marketing focuses on customers, and IT talks systems. As an executive, you need to be fluent in all multiple languages.
Other employees will expect you to understand what they’re discussing when you walk into a meeting. They also expect you to know the priorities and pressures every team faces. Lateral moves give you the power to:
- Translate ideas from one department
- Spot disconnects between teams before they cause conflict.
- Appreciate the reasoning behind different decisions
- Build your credibility amongst different teams
If you understand the language of business across different departments, it becomes easier to connect the dots. You’ll realize why finance questions expenses the way they do.
Moreover, you’ll see why marketing pushes for more budget to reach new audiences. You’ll also be able to recognize why operations resist changes based on the risks on the ground. The ability to bridge perspectives ultimately makes you a great candidate for C-suite positions.
👉 Lateral Moves Make You Stand Out From the Competition
Promotions become more competitive the higher you climb. The available positions are fewer, and every candidate will try their best to stand out to recruiters. Most of them will already have the right skills and ambition, so what can you do to stand out?
Gaining a broad range of experience from lateral career moves will help you stick out from your peers.
A candidate who has worked in sales their entire career may be less prepared for a C-suite role than someone who’s worked in sales and operations. The second candidate can prove they understand the bigger picture, not just one part of the business.
If you’ve made lateral moves in your career, you demonstrate versatility. Decision makers will see that you’re intentionally preparing to lead at the highest level.
👉 They Build Resilience
The executive world is unpredictable because markets shift, and companies reorganize. To survive and thrive in that environment, you need resilience.
Lateral moves give you a safe way to build the skill. Every time you step into a new role at the same level, you adapt quickly. You figure out how to get up to speed in unfamiliar territory. You also gain confidence to deliver results as you learn on the job.
Recruiters notice such resilience and seek leaders who won’t succumb to pressure. They’re looking for candidates who can take on ambiguity and lead effectively.
By proving you can succeed in different environments, you’re showing you have what it takes to thrive in the unpredictability of the C-suite.
Prepare for the C-suite With Lateral Career Moves
Making lateral career moves instead of just focusing on the next big title allows you to sharpen your skills and expand your network.
Show that you’re a great leader even without the title and stand out from your competitors by gaining diverse experience. Prove you’re ready for the C-suite by building your resilience and taking better control of your path.
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