Being at mid-level in organisations is both a stage of opportunities and challenges. You end up in jobs after 8 to 10 years of work experience, which sometimes “happened” to you organically. Like you have fallen into a career path or industry, and followed it for some time. Or you have changed roles & businesses to diversify your experience. Whatever the path to mid-level, once you get there it becomes a spot where things simmer below the surface and get interesting for your career.
The reality at mid-level is that usually technical skills got you there. But they won’t take you to the next level. And nobody tells you this, or puts you on the path to figure it out in practical steps. I know this very well, because I remember plateauing in my corporate job in a large multinational company. I was good at my job, had some responsibilities, more work I could deal with, and was trying to get my hand at managing people. But I didn’t feel like I was progressing.
What happens then is that mid-level brings some pretty tangible frustrations. Both on your side of the fence, and on your employer’s side of the fence (sometimes unbeknownst to you). There are expectations to grow your career within the business a certain way. You wonder what is your own direction, and if it fits with the former. Your ways of thinking & operating are not generating incremental gains for you in terms of performance, productivity and overall appreciation.
So if this is you, I am laying down steps here you can take to get you (re)connected with your natural progression.
- First things first: start with building a vision of where you want to go. Often our minds stop at a short-term horizon and we don’t take the space and opportunity to look further ahead. These can be pretty big questions like where do you want to be in 2 and 5 years time. It does not have to be perfect, or certain or even clear. But you do need a sketch of the higher goal, so the path starts appearing.
- You need to uplevel your mindset by stretching it in new ways, because it has gotten comfortable in a certain way for a while. Typically the two mindset shifts that will get you onwards are curiosity and confidence. Start getting exposure to different tasks, sides or the business, learn new topics or skills. Try new things at work, and as you do expand sideways you will get an itch to glance upwards too. That’s when your confidence might shake a bit, and where you need to press ‘go’ with your mind. Lean out from where you are, even if it feels unknown, but with the certainty that you will be OK.
- You may have all the technical skills, but the next ingredient in your professional toolkit is a blend of management and leadership. This is a tricky transition which takes time as you are growing as an individual. You may not want this, but it is the reality once you hit mid-level. You can explore it and decide later if this career path isn’t for you. Start with empowering people in your team and at your level. This means delegating, recognising your zone of expertise (and its limits) and contributing to the level above you. In other words stop looking within the realm of your busy desk, make space on it by calling people in, and look up to what other bigger things are happening around you.
This may sound like a handful from where you are – I get it, because I didn’t have much of the above in place either when I was at mid-level. So the magic trick here is to surround yourself with the right people: those who understand and care for people development. Coaches, mentors, HR team members who will provide guidance whilst empowering you.
You don’t have to do it alone – you think you are meant to, but this is the time in your career where you need props the most. Because once you get to the next level, you will pay it back to younger team members. And you will continue growing incrementally in a way that feels more ongoing and steady. So embrace the transition that you are in, and remember that the journey is incredibly worthwhile.
