You’ve worked hard to reach the C-Suite. However, you can’t think of your current position as a career capstone. Rather, you need to regularly review your options and consider whether you should seek out a new C-Suite job.
While you never want to feel overly comfortable in any particular role, you need to be cautious as well. Attempting to find another C-Suite position can involve a complicated (and risky) process. As such, your first goal should be to accurately judge the value of your current situation. This will help you gauge whether it’s worth exploring other options.
But how do you do this effectively? How can you discern whether your current position gives your career room for the kind of growth you expect? To help answer those questions, here are four signs it is time to find a new C-Suite level job:
How to Tell That It Is Time for A New C-Suite Job
Your Company’s Performance Deteriorates
As an executive, your fortunes are tied to those of your company. This is often explicit in the forms of bonuses, profit sharing, and stock compensation plans. However, the connection goes beyond your immediate financial situation.
As you proceed through your career, future opportunities will be determined by the broader success of your firm. Think of it like the coach of a professional sports franchise. If the team doesn’t win, future jobs are hard to come by.
With that in mind, you have to stay aware of the overall performance of your firm. Is it an up-and-comer, ready to overwhelm the competition? Or have its best days already passed and you’re just looking to slow its descent into oblivion?
If you have doubts about the company’s future, it’s time to consider your options. Your company could fail through no fault of your own. You don’t want to be blamed for it.
You Can’t Fulfill Your Long-Term Goals
Once you reach the C-Suite, there aren’t many rungs left on the corporate ladder — none, if you’ve reached the level of CEO. At that point, it’s not a matter of whether you can climb much higher. Your career progression comes down to “do I need a taller ladder?”
Consider this potential scenario: you’ve become CFO of a large family-owned business, run by its founder. The current CEO has no intention of retiring any time soon and is eyeing his kid (now in junior high) as their eventual successor. Your goal to be CEO someday probably won’t happen within that organization.
Think about your ultimate professional goal. Does your current company give you the opportunity to achieve that objective? If the answer is “no,” it might be time to look for other options.
You Need a Change for Personal Reasons
Not everything is about maximizing your career. You have other concerns as well, family responsibilities, and personal dreams that you want to pursue. It’s important to think of your current C-Suite role in that context as well.
Imagine if your spouse got offered an amazing opportunity in a different city. Such an opportunity might force you to consider jumping to a new company, even though you are happy in your current role.
Relationships. Parents. Children. The city you live in. These all play a part in determining the best place for you to exert your ambition. You need to take them into account as you decide your career trajectory.
Office Politics Fills Too Much of Your Time
Some C-Suites resemble the early seasons of Game of Thrones. While the adrenaline of besting a corporate rival offers some appeal, these conflicts rarely fuel long-term success for the organization. Meanwhile, they add stress and tension to an already anxiety-riddled profession.
Unless office politics is your thing, you’re better off searching for a more team-oriented environment. If you find yourself more concerned about other executives around you rather than your outside competitors, it is likely time to seek out a better work environment.
Looking for Your Next Great Career Move?
If you’re ready for a new C-Suite job, turn to an executive recruiter to find the right fit. Top industry players, like Elby Professional Recruitment, can locate the ideal situation to maximize your career.
Contact Elby today to learn more.
