Hi everyone, I've recently come to realize that there are a lot of aspects of executive leadership that I like. I know it's very stressful but I think I have some of the base skills. Other than being fairly technical, I've done a bunch of role switches (between dev and other) that require managing multiple programs. Multiple FAANG under my belt and am pretty well-rounded. I've also consulted with startups and helped with hiring, organizational design, etc. I feel like a lot of people have similar goals, so I'm not unique here. Having said that, I really want to be practical about how I get there, because sitting around at the same companies and waiting for promo after promo is not going to do very much. A lot of the mentorship I've been getting has mostly been like "how to get to principal", or "how to get to SDM/EM", but when I'm in my 40s, I don't want to be resigned to those roles. I recognize that some of how you get there is perception related, and I've worked on that to a degree. I've done speaking events and extended mentorship to others, plus I have other projects. I know there's also an education/network aspect that is developed via an MBA from a good school (I'm debating doing this but I guess we'll see if I can even get in). My main issue is that I have no idea how to find mentors who will either help me get there, or at least give me the hard truth that it might be too lofty for me. I don't want to wait for the next step up in my career to find someone. My challenge is also that I will be leaving Amazon shortly and going to a much smaller company where the folks won't be all that much more senior than I am. Thus, an ideal mentor would probably have to be found outside the company. What do I do here? Has anyone else done this? Am I just being silly? All of this may not pan out in the end, but I want to give it a fair shot. If it helps, despite my username's reference to the great Viking warrior Ubbe Ragnarsson, son of Ragnar Lothbrok, I am actually a minority, so I'm wondering if there are minority executive mentorship programs I don't know about. Many of the ones I've seen are for mid-level.
My best mentor was at a smaller company where they spent ALOT on hiring exceptional executives. Because the company was smaller - I had more interactions and working relationships with executives that I would not have had access to at a multinational conglomerate. If I was you - I’d find the best executive or the executive that most closest aligns to your goals and work to build that relationship to the point of a formal mentorship. Smaller companies = more people in multiple roles = more exposure = more opportunity.
Right place at right time is only thing that matters. Having said, Stanford has an executive training problem.
I'm assuming you meant program, but what are the pros of this vs an MBA? After looking it up, I can see a few - looks cheaper and seems like there's a higher focus on networking vs coursework. Just curious what your thoughts are here.
I don't think the exec training program is that useful. Know a bunch of folks that did it - without much change to career trajectory.
LinkedIn has a feature where you can seek Mentorship from members who opt into being mentors. Find someone whose profile you admire and reach out to them?
Follow