The ‘general management’ category of leaders was highly sought after in days gone by; but in the cut and thrust of our economy and a stubbornly difficult trading environment, the trend is for organisations to seek and promote candidates that are both experts with deep experience and skills in their specific discipline and who are exemplary people and business leaders. The days of the generalist have, in some instances and for the time being, been replaced with those that ‘do’ as well as lead.
It’s a tough and competitive world out there for senior managers who are looking for the next step in their career right now, particularly for those in general management positions. In the current employment climate and economic cycle the harsh reality is that there are more candidates in the market than roles at this level.
These ‘once were leaders’ often find they need to reinvent themselves
These types of managers who have been retrenched often find making a transition to a new role a significant challenge in this environment. For some, atrophy of their discipline expertise has been a by-product of the general management focus in the later years of their career where these skills were not required; and for others it may simply have been a result of not being deliberate about targeted professional leadership development and maintaining currency in their area of specialisation. Either way, the impacts are the same and can be quite distressing and demotivating for those impacted. It can affect their sense of worth, overall self esteem and foster a lingering feeling of uselessness, confusion and lack of direction. This in turn, can result in a temporary paralysis of spirit and energy in applying what it takes to move towards the next step in their career.
These ‘once were leaders’ often find they need to reinvent themselves and, in doing so, reignite or rediscover the passion that drove their career to achieve general / senior management roles in the first place. The challenge for individuals who find themselves in this predicament is to now demonstrate the value they can bring to an organisation and reassert and recalibrate their leadership capability to align with today’s dynamic workplace. For some this may require returning to formal education to update/learn new skills and for others carefully matching and marketing their skills and experience in the language of what’s now in demand in the market now or both. What is certain though is that persistence, a positive attitude and the application of creative and agile thinking, void of judgement, will provide relief during the ‘dark days’ of perceived rejection.
It’s up to us and only us to create the opportunities and realities of our own futures