Good C-Levels are able to leverage companies’ operational levels to strategic levels for their performance and prominence. Their productivity will be directly related to the satisfaction of being in an environment that motivates, engages, and challenges them to go beyond – which makes many decide to seek companies where these characteristics are not offered.
When deciding to change jobs, certain points must be taken into consideration to ensure an effective transition. With that in mind, basic requirements arise that need to support this change to enhance the chances of success in this decision. See below:
#1 Professional self-reflection: every C-Level has a vast professional background built throughout their journey. Many of these experiences may have been truly valuable, but others not so much. All these passages need to be analyzed and taken as a point of reference, in a self-reflection that questions which contexts were positive and should be valued in future opportunities, as well as the negatives they do not wish to encounter again.
#2 Life stage: executive positions tend to require medium to long-term deadlines and responsibilities, which should be considered based on this professional’s stage in life. If this talent has young children, for example, they may have more difficulties balancing their tasks and being close to their family at this stage. Before looking outward, this analysis needs to be directed internally at a personal level, in order to understand what type of routine / career flexibility their life stage allows.
#3 Company Scenario: different corporate agendas and scenarios will require different efforts from a C-Level. It’s important to conduct a thorough analysis of due diligence on the business, assessing its financial health, corporate governance, culture, trust relationship with the company’s board, possible crises it has gone through, how it positioned itself on those occasions, and how resilient it is within threat and opportunity scenarios. The corporate past could tell a lot about its future, and having these conversations with those on the inside could weigh heavily on a move.
#4 Compensation and Benefits Package: this item aligns with the professional’s life stage. This is because if the compensation is not so attractive in their view and in line with their short and long-term goals, benefit options will be evaluated to see if they will meet their needs – as there are countless alternatives that can be offered to add to this package, such as long-term incentives, participation bonuses, among others.
Assuming the points covered and after all these reflections, C-Levels must weigh whether the proposal at hand will lead them to achieve their professional expectations and ambitions, regardless of the current stage they are in.
In the end, this will always be an individual choice. Risks will always exist and will be present in this journey, but they can be mitigated through integration in the environment with colleagues, stakeholders, and other partners, so that you can continue to evolve to your next journey.
