Following your boss to his or her new company often leads to unforeseen risks and unrealized career potential.

Most financial pundits and advisors would insist that our greatest assets are our homes and investments.

I disagree.

Unless you are independently wealthy, your greatest financial asset is your career. Your career provides the income that enables you to have the home, the financial reserves and your life style.

To ensure your revenue stream, you must manage your career trajectory like an investment manager running a portfolio, and seek only those positions that will add value to your marketability and sense of fulfillment.

As a career mentor and coach I work mostly with mid-to-late career IT executives, many of whom are confronting their first job search since starting out. When questioning them about previous career transitions, I find that most of them changed jobs by following former bosses or colleagues. Knowing an insider and having a sponsor waiting for them reduced fear of the unknown and possible failure. But after digging deeper with them through our work together, I find that such career moves have often led to greater risks and unrealized career potential.

“A former boss, now in a new company, may not have the influence and sponsorship enjoyed previously.”


Outdated Career Strategy

Allowing others to determine your career trajectory is reminiscent of bygone days, when loyalty to company replaced loyalty to career. Executive careers were managed by company officials who gave less than fulfilling assignments in return for the hope of survival until retirement.

Following the boss is not much different, save for the lack of pension and gold watch. Many careers have thrived under such changes, but others have not. All too often, a former boss moves or hires someone into a position outside her or his expertise and career interest, simply to fulfill short-term goals. It is more about urgency, trust and competence than career fit.

Follow-the-Boss Can Be Career Limiting

For every professional who has achieved career success and fulfillment by following a former boss or colleague, there are many others who have hit plateaus or found themselves in “extended transition.” Here are the reasons this happens:

  • A former boss, now in a new company, may not have the influence and sponsorship enjoyed previously. Unknown pressures, possible diminished autonomy and decreased influence are passed downward.

  • If your boss’s reputation is damaged by a negative outcome, threatening their employment, she or he may sacrifice a “friend” for career self-preservation.

  • If a former boss - your only sponsor in a new company - leaves shortly after you arrive, your career is placed in jeopardy. Even if you have had the time to deliver some major contribution that increases your visibility, the impact of your achievement may be diminished if you are regarded as one of your former boss’s disciples.

  • More than one or two such career changes could impact your marketability. Hiring executives may perceive your passive job changes as a lack of self-confidence, indicating poor career planning.

To savvy hiring managers and HR executives, evidence of career control surrendered to follow a superior is detectable during interviews. These candidates showcase accomplishments from positions held early in their careers, rather than those from more recent ones, because they have moved away from using their primary skills and strengths. They then struggle to return to them.

It is up to the individual candidate to evaluate the opportunity, the company and the culture, to determine whether a former boss is offering genuine growth or seeking self-preservation. Some are distracted by flattery for past performance used to lure them to a new position. Others choose impulsively to accept job offers from former bosses, due primarily to the pressures of extended unemployment, unaware that such decisions may have greater risk and negative impacts.

How do we guard against the potential damage of such moves?

Career Damage Control

If you accept a position with a former supervisor or colleague, once on board you should learn the new company’s political and working cultures. It is imperative to establish a track record of your own that is visible to other key executives. Whenever possible, learn new skills and contribute to business transition and improvement initiatives that will enhance your personal marketability.

Regular reality checks are an essential component of self-directed career management for every executive. Every six months or so, review your recent work content, your relationships, cultural and top-level changes in the company, and potential external and internal threats and business reversals that may influence your employment. Keep your resume updated and ensure that it showcases your career accomplishments and their financial impact, and the business value you have created.

The ambiguity of our present business era demands that we manage our careers more proactively and deliberately. As an executive, you must be able to objectively articulate your value and the business impact of your unique blend of accomplishments, skills, abilities and passions. With a strong self-concept, an objective understanding of where you fit best, and a well-defined career track, you will be better prepared to assess all potential opportunities, and to pursue only those which align with your best interests.

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