As someone who moved from individual contributor to senior manager I'd offer the following humble suggestions:
1) Engage with your manager. Explain your interest in the position you want and ask for their support. If you can't get their support; learn why and either outgrow it or find another manager that will support you. (Not all managers want to develop their team)
2) Ask about and seek to understand the challenges your manager is working against.
3) Internalize those challenges, the broader company goals and create your own personal plan to help achieve those things.
4) Do that plan; gain the support of your team members through influence. Recognize and celebrate their support.
4a) Become comfortable using influence and vision to influence others. Even as a manager, senior manager, or director, you rarely have the pure authority to achieve what you want. Even if you do, the team will chafe under that style. Success is influence; inspiring others to jump in and pull with you.
5) Measure your progress and get feedback. Even unfair or invalid feedback is valuable because its a perception that you can manage against and overcome.
6) Celebrate success. Evangelize and learn from your failures.
Comments
As someone who moved from individual contributor to senior manager I'd offer the following humble suggestions:
1) Engage with your manager. Explain your interest in the position you want and ask for their support. If you can't get their support; learn why and either outgrow it or find another manager that will support you. (Not all managers want to develop their team)
2) Ask about and seek to understand the challenges your manager is working against.
3) Internalize those challenges, the broader company goals and create your own personal plan to help achieve those things.
4) Do that plan; gain the support of your team members through influence. Recognize and celebrate their support.
4a) Become comfortable using influence and vision to influence others. Even as a manager, senior manager, or director, you rarely have the pure authority to achieve what you want. Even if you do, the team will chafe under that style. Success is influence; inspiring others to jump in and pull with you.
5) Measure your progress and get feedback. Even unfair or invalid feedback is valuable because its a perception that you can manage against and overcome.
6) Celebrate success. Evangelize and learn from your failures.
7) Ask for the job.