That said, in some specific circumstances, when you're the right-hand of the C-levels, it may pay off. But you have to marry the technical expertise with executive skills to move up, so they can see you as "one of them" and justify above market salary and/or promotions.
Ask HN: Do you have to move out to move up?
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Re: Ask HN: Do you have to move out to move up?
#12Suggest tech focused projects that might serve the companies unmet needs. Sales & Marketing might need a dashboard to asses the customer pipeline. The CFO might need a tool to monitor energy usage & costs. Volunteer to help, you'll get known as the brains who figures stuff out.
Re: Ask HN: Do you have to move out to move up?
#13I think you have to take a brutally honest assessment of how important technology is to your company. By important, I mean, is technology a frequent consideration in C-level decisionmaking? Is technology directly, or at least closely, tied to revenue? Who is your boss, and to whom does he or she report? What about that person's boss? Where does your group fit into the org structure? These are the indicators that matt…
Ultimately it boils down more to people than positions or market. Do management perceive any ideas you have about tech projects that could improve the company's efficiency or sales as a sign you're a rising star or that they haven't given you enough instructions on how you should be spending your time?
Re: Ask HN: Do you have to move out to move up?
#14I think you have to take a brutally honest assessment of how important technology is to your company. By important, I mean, is technology a frequent consideration in C-level decisionmaking? Is technology directly, or at least closely, tied to revenue? Who is your boss, and to whom does he or she report? What about that person's boss? Where does your group fit into the org structure? These are the indicators that matt…
Where tech isn't integral to what the company produces it usually can nevertheless significantly boost areas that usually are: "operations" or "marketing". The person who introduces the system that gets customers from Google to the right regional sales rep and can produce neat little charts to prove it works is the sort of person that gets consulted on strategic marketing and sales operations decisions even at the so…
You'll have to consider and navigate all of these things. While these are good skills to have in any role, technical or non-technical, they are especially crucial at a company where you're removed from the core line of business. If you're in a technical role at a non-technical company, you need to be an especially strong presenter and "internal salesman" of ideas. Don't assume that because you brought an idea forward, it'll be adopted straight away -- or that when it is adopted, you'll be credited.
I'm not saying this out of cynicism per se. I've seen technical people thrive, and even kick ass, in leadership roles at non-technical companies. At the same time, I know that those people are an exception and not a rule. What tends to make them exceptional are their political skills. Corporate America likes, but does not necessarily reward, a workhorse. But it loves, and handsomely rewards, a "Big Idea" person. It's hard to be the Big Ideas guy unless you can hook your ideas into the KPIs your company cares the most about.