To those who have gone just about as far as they think they can go in their careers, I have a piece of simple advice — think again.
Many get to the point in their professional life where a good salary and working conditions, a pleasant location and desirable expatriate lifestyle persuade them that they have fulfilled their potential.
At this point, with most ambitions realized, ambition gives way to a feeling of comfort and security, and thoughts of more career development are often banished from the mind.
Not everyone settles for what they’ve got in such circumstances, and career managers regularly come across individuals who believe they have the potential to achieve more, without knowing what. Recently, I was asked to come up with some alternatives for a marketing manager in this position.
Immediately, I identified the skills an experienced marketing manager will have in areas such as research and analysis, advertising, sales and promotions, product management, brand development, new product development, forecasting, pricing, packaging, planning, merchandising.
An individual’s capabilities are likely to have been fashioned by the type of work and complexity of the business they are involved with. Some who have developed their careers within large organizations will have built versatile business and management skills through exposure to a wide range of conditions and circumstances within their role as a marketing manager, and for them a general manager’s position would be a genuine possibility.
They already know their industry inside out, and will have developed an analytical ability, as well as effective strategic planning and people development skills, giving them some of the key requirements of a general manager who needs to handle complex issues, lead by example, overcome staff problems, and develop strong awareness in corporate image and identity, and government relations.
For business-driven individuals operating in marketing, or many other fields, a switch to business development could open up a whole new career path. By working as part of a senior management team, a lot of marketing managers will been exposed to many aspects of business development, such as the building of joint ventures or strategic alliances, and will have developed strong finance skills while establishing a strong business presence within the region for their employers.
Along the way they will have had responsibility for everything from ensuring product source to delivering to the consumer, and business development could be the new avenue they are looking for to give a new dimension to their career, and their lives.
For those who are particularly accomplished at managing relationships with customers and developing offers, Customer Relationship Management offers substantial new career potential.
CRM is essentially the managing of relationships with customers, and requires an ability to develop effective and often innovative strategies to create a competitive edge for the customer. It’s a very specialized area of customer management for individuals capable of forming close working partnerships with customers, understanding their needs, creating offers to meet their requirements, conducting research, developing strategic business plans and performance initiatives, and developing profitable solutions.
For the creative professional unattracted by the prospect of pursuing the commercial route further, or moving into general management, Corporate Communications is an alternative that would allow them to build on their interest in the brand association and shareholder value side of business.
Career managers meet many professionals who choose to deviate from their main path, and the more inventive marketing manager could benefit from joining a larger corporation in a role encompassing public relations, community affairs, corporate identity, shareholder relations, government relations and association relations.
Many of us, at some point in our life, think of starting up our own business, even if the prospect, at least initially, might appear daunting. Good marketing managers are blessed with many of the key skills required to go it alone, and make the most of their market research experience, and ability to influence consumers and develop realistic and attainable business targets.
Those who decide to pursue a change of direction in their career, whatever their current profession, will need a new set of skills to successfully negotiate their next move, to win financial support for a new enterprise, or to impress employers and negotiate the desired salary and benefits. These are all skills that can be learnt, and they can become skills for life. It’s never too late to change direction.
(Based in Dubai, David Thatcher, [email protected], is managing director of career management firm Bernard Haldane Associates in the Middle East.)
