20 ways to get promoted in the tech industry

Pity the poor, ambitious IT professional. With technology more important to the bottom line than ever, you'd think there'd be career opportunities up the wazoo
3/21/2007 2:32:00 PM By: Dan Tynan

But the suits don't really understand what you do for a living. And they hold the keys to the executive washroom. So, while you're down in the server closet saving the company's bacon on a daily basis, these guys are upstairs in the corner offices with the nice view.
It doesn't have to be that way. And it won't be, if you assemble a solid strategy for advancing your career.

We spoke with CEOs and CIOs, honchos and headhunters on what it takes to climb the corporate ladder in this increasingly techcentric world. Compiled here are our top 20 rules for creating and capitalizing on career opportunities.

1. Think business first, technology second

"There is no such thing as an 'IT project.' There are only business projects with an IT component," says June Drewry, CIO of Chubb Corp., a US$48 billion insurance group based in Warren, N.J.

It's the cardinal rule of career success: If you want to move up the corporate ladder, you must think like a businessperson first and a technologist second, says Ray Howell, senior director of applications development at Sapphire Technologies, an IT staffing company.

"The thing that helped me most early on was figuring out that I needed to see IT projects from the business side of things," Howell says. "In meetings where we'd talk about tech projects, I was able to step into the shoes of the finance and sales guys and see the problem from their eyes, which helped me find solutions faster. My supervisors recognized this, which is how I moved up quickly."

"Employees who understand the link between technology and its impact on the business are in incredibly high demand right now," notes Paul Taylor, regional vice president at Hudson, a staffing and talent management company. "Those skills will definitely not go unnoticed when it comes time for promotions."

2. Raise the bar ... and leave it there

Naturally, those who go beyond the call of duty are most likely to ascend the fastest. But like it or not, you must excel regularly, not in fits and starts.

"Consistent overachievement is the fastest way to get recognized," says Brendan Courtney, senior vice president at Spherion, a $2 billion recruiting and staffing company. "That means being able to multitask and accomplish things even when you're busy, or demonstrating leadership skills that go beyond what you were hired to do."

"The more responsibility you take on, the more indispensable you become," adds Carly Drum, managing director of Drum Associates, an executive search company in New York. "The more you 'burst your box' -- or hit the limit of what you can deliver -- the more people need to be hired beneath you. And when people get hired beneath you, you get promoted."

The key here is to make sure you can deliver the goods before saying yes to new responsibilities.

3. Hold your nose and raise your hand

One way to do more is to volunteer for projects nobody else wants and then excel at them. Sunil Misra says his first big break came as a 24-year-old software engineer, when he volunteered to lead the night shift that was testing his company's document management/CAD software.

"This got me noticed by senior management," says Misra, who is now vice president of consulting services at Getronics, an information and communication technology services company based in Amsterdam. "It also got me exposed to a completely different set of folks -- end-user testers -- which I would normally not have had a chance to work with at that point in my career. Right after this, I was asked to take on project management for the release of our next product suite."

But there's a big caveat, Misra adds. "If you volunteer to do something, you need to make sure it gets done. I have seen lots of folks volunteering for stuff but never actually completing it."

4. Don't pass the buck

Take on enough new projects and eventually one will blow up in your face. When it does, it's better to take the hit than it is to point the finger, says Jack Ford, CEO of Charette, a distributor of wide-format imaging equipment.

"I'm looking for people who are not only willing to take on projects but also to take responsibility for them when things go badly," Ford says. "In the IT world, if a project is not succeeding or isn't on schedule, it's easy to say it's because operations or sales or outside suppliers aren't cooperating. But it's better to say, 'I understand this project isn't getting done, but here's what we're going to do to get back up to speed.'"

5. Be a lone voice in the wilderness

Bosses promote leaders. An important aspect of leadership is having strong opinions and knowing how to express them, regardless of whose toes might get stepped on, says Mark Stevens, CEO of global marketing company MSCO and author of "Your Management Sucks: Why You Have to Declare War on Yourself and Your Business."

"Many people fear if they express their true opinions they'll be held back, but in most cases the converse is true," Stevens says. "You won't get ahead by soft-soaping and saying, 'What a lovely pair of shoes you're wearing.' You inspire people to follow you by standing up for principle and going against the grain. Be willing to take the first bullets."

"I actually like people to disagree with me," Ford says. "It forces me to rethink what I believe we should do." But no matter what the message is, it's all in the delivery, Ford adds. "By saying things like, 'I see what you're saying, but what about this approach?' you're not directly criticizing a senior person, you're just asking them to consider other options."

6. Back down gracefully

You muster your courage, stand up in a meeting, and tactfully tell the boss his idea sucks. But they go ahead and do it anyway. Now what?

Pouting is not an option. Unless you're willing to quit on the spot, you've got to deal with the ramifications of that decision -- and be prepared for the worst, if necessary.

"There are times when the company is following a path you think is deadly, and you may have to bet your job that they're wrong and you're right," Chubb's Drewry says. "But when the decision is made and it doesn't go your way, you need to get onboard and figure out how to mitigate the risk from that decision as much as possible."

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