Know-How Exchange : Career/Training

Why specifically a VP and not the president? Since you're in a large company, have you talked to your manager or your HR department to learn the paths that you can take to achieve your goals within your existing company? Do you need more training or experience? How can you prove that you're the right person to be a leader? Have you been able to lead groups of people within your jobs as well as outside of work? Why or why not?

Saurabh,
Unlikie Jay, I dont believe the answer to advancement comes via your manager or HR person. Instead it comes via a carefully planned strategy on your part. If you are an IT professional with 4 years of experience and giant ambition - then you are probably more of a threat to the normal people within the structure of your company than somebody they want to mentor.

You need to begin developing a map of how you get to VP. I believe building a strong mentoring relationship is critical. I am not refering to the "formal" mentoring programs many companies set up. Instead I am thinking of a mentoring system you build for yourself. Where you create allies around the yourself who help you move forward.

Message me via my profile and I will provide you some other information. I have a couple of things to say that are not for boards like this.

Getting to the top: The giant entrepreneurs cover all extremes from malovent "management by terror" dictators with extraordinary criminal energy to munificent "manage by love" candidates for sainthood. They also cover the academic extremes from having struggled to finish high school to patent holding PhDs. However the majority of them share two traits: They can lead, and they have had a significant dose of luck (right place/ right time) along the way.

An MBA and PhD don´t hurt, but they are not the criterion for making it to the top. Political and leadership skills -- the ability to acquire power -- are. My first and most important recommendation is to get a mentor -- a senior executive who takes a personal interest in you, a real heavyweight who has "been there and done that." You can´t access such an individual by going to him "hat in hand." Cogitate on how you can "first, provide value" to him, and don´t forget the "to her" option either.

Although you can´t learn leaderhship just by reading about it, a book which is good for any manager´s intellectual development is "The 48 Laws of Power" by John Greene. He writes the law, then gives two examples, one of its bringing results, and another of how ignoring it led to catastrophe. The examples are a fascinating array of historical figures ranging from Chinese emperors of yesteryear to U.S. confidence tricksters of modern times. It is a serious 500 page work.

Networking also counts enormously as you climb the corporate ladder. A short (airplane read) book full of common sense suggestions is Jeffrey Gitomer´s Little Black Book of Connections. Both it and the power book have multiple reviews on Amazon.com where you can have a closer look at them.

A final comment is that if you stall out, get passed over for a key promotion, consider jumping ship. Given your reservations about getting an MBA at all, I think you would become frustrated at any program less demanding than one of the absolute best. Furthermore, the return on invesment -- the costs are heavy -- is a whole lot more attractive at M.I.T. or Stanford (and Havard, Wharton, a couple of others) than at lesser schools.

The oldest candidate in my program was a 42 year old PhD who had been a research scientist at Exon. There he had been unable to switch into management. Upon completing his MBA, he was offered a CEO position at a small "wildcat" oil firm, and this with no management experience! He more than tripled his previous salary. Sure, he is an exception, got lucky, but the "going back to school" option is legitmately viable well into your 30s.

At the end of an elite program, most graduates receive multiple job offers. Furthermore, think about the process: the companies come to you to interview you. When was the last time a manager, even a high level one, was receiving a dozen interviewers in his office to consider him for a job with their companies? It is a whole lot better to have companies "hunt" you, than for you to be "hunting" them.

Regards, JH

You didn't mention education. Do you have appropriate education? In many companies I have seen, MBAs would not be required. But some form of bachelor's degree would be expected - I've seen few people who where VPs that didn't have a college degree.

I would look at job openings for VP and see what they have been requiring (and not just for your firm).

Then also try to meet and do informational interviews with people who are or have been VPs to find out what career path they followed. You likely will find that the paths people actually had to get to VP and what you see in job postings are different - both are possible routes.