Reaching the senior leadership team of an organisation takes years of hard work. It is little surprise then after all that effort that your career can plateau once you get there.

You spent so long aspiring to reach the C-level that when you reach your goal you feel like you’ve arrived and you start to neglect your professional development.

But whether you want to be CEO one day or you just want to be the best executive you can in your chosen field, you have to invest in yourself. Such are the challenges of modern business, C-level success – even survival – depends on constant improvement,

To help give you some ideas, we’ve pulled together 5 actionable tips on C-level career development:

1. Walking the talk

Perhaps the most obvious way C-level executives can help their career prospects is by getting results. By focussing on their department’s priorities and deliverables, they can show their fellow leaders and their boss the value they offer to the organisation.

For many C-level executives, especially women, the challenge of being seen to be successful is as difficult as actually hitting the targets in the first place.

This is sometimes dismissed as “playing politics” but learning how to promote yourself internally is vital to advancing your C-level career.

A recent report by Chief Executive Women (CEW) warned that differences in style threatened to undermine the prospects of women at the top of Australian businesses.

“The vast majority of senior promotion decisions are made by men, who are more likely to seek
people more like themselves than not,” the report said. “Women don’t typically fit the bill they work differently, behave differently and are less comfortable promoting their ability.”

78 per cent of women surveyed told CEW that they believed differences in style rather than competing priorities (family, work-life balance) were the main cause of there being fewer women in senior leadership positions.

Currently, there are only 12 women CEOs in the ASX200.

2. Contract and project roles

It’s easy to say you need to get results to advance your career. But sometimes there can be a big gap between what you’re doing now and what you want to do next.

One potential solution to this problem is to look for short-term, contract roles, part-time consulting opportunities or even unremunerated board positions.

While the last one in particular might not sound that appealing, the lack of a salary won’t matter if it helps you jump a couple of rungs on the career ladder.

If you’re prepared to work in a less secure arrangement or give up your free time, you will get access to opportunities that otherwise would go to more experienced, better-qualified colleagues.

Look out for these opportunities internally as well as outside your organisation. Sometimes when companies ask for volunteers for a special project or working group, it’s at least in part just a way to find out who’s got ambition and the potential for a bigger future role.

3. Trends and disruptive technology

There is an excellent chance for driven C-level executives to carve out expertise in new, disruptive technology.

A study by the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) revealed a big problem with low innovation and digital literacy levels in the country’s boardrooms.

Given the rapid pace of change caused by disruptive technology across all sectors of the economy, this is both a challenge and an opportunity.

C-level execs who want to show their value to their organisation and strengthen their case for future advancement, should commit themselves to studying relevant technological trends. By building their knowledge they become a resource for their fellow leaders and can help close the boardroom innovation gap.

4. The CEO skillset

Whether or not you see yourself as a CEO some day, identifying and developing CEO skills and behaviours can help your career development.

By studying current CEOs and looking at how they operate you can analyse and improve your own leadership skills. Often what makes a CEO successful are the subtle skills and behaviours around decision making and people management.

Even if you work closely with your own CEO, you should look to your professional network for more examples of how people at the top of organisations conduct themselves. This will allow you to take different lessons from different people and build your own, personalised CEO skillset.

5. Personal executive coaches and mentors

One thing that all Olympic Gold Medalists have is a coach. Or a coaching team. Reaching the top doesn’t mean you no longer need help.

Quite the opposite. A coach can help you – whether you’re an athlete or a senior executive – find new, higher levels of performance that drive long-term success.

Executive coaches are becoming increasingly common in Australia’s boardrooms. Faced with complex and uncertain trading environments, C-level leaders want external advice and guidance to help them develop new skills and learn different ways to approach problems.

According to the International Coach Federation (ICF), a professional association, the Australian coaching industry was worth $154 million in 2016. Greater awareness of the benefits of coaching is leading to growing demand for these services.

Salt & Shein have a long history of helping executives access career progression. We know what skills organisations need and how to connect. Contact us for a confidential conversation.