I pursued my VP role without fully understanding the job...After I got the job, I had to learn what it meant to do it well.
The common meme in many companies is that you do the job before you are promoted to the role. This is partly true, in that often you are surviving in the role and doing OK, then you move up.
Many of us leaders are caught in a bind — it is so hard to move up that you never want to admit that you are not sure what you are doing or delay a possible promotion.
But at the same time, as we move up we are getting into more complex roles that are further away from our core skills and education.
This happened to me. I rode a hot area of Amazon growth and my team grew from 12 people to 800+ in just a few years. I did not want someone hired over me, so I did everything I could to appear competent as the team grew.
I became a Vice President (VP) with no clear idea of how that role differed from a Director, except that it was bigger, with better pay.
Later, I moved to become Executive Vice President (EVP) of Commerce and Developers at Twitch, which Amazon acquired in 2014.
I had learned some executive skills on the job, but now I was the only other "L10," the Amazon level for a VP, in the company besides the founder, Emmett Shear. Together with his cofounders ("L8s," or Directors), we had to lead the growing business.
Emmett wisely suggested that I get an Executive Coach, which is how I met Sue Bethanis, Founder & CEO of Mariposa Leadership, Inc.
Sue worked with me to hone my executive leadership skills for several years. After that, we remained friends and colleagues, a relationship we maintained after I left Amazon and started helping people with their careers.
Many of you know of my successful class, Stuck at Senior Manager, aimed at helping people become Executives.
But what then?
How can you be a great executive?
Many Startup CEOs, CXOs, and larger company VPs/SVPs know that they have gaps in their skills. Imposter syndrome and the feeling of "faking it" are common.
To address the next career step, I am thrilled to share that Sue and I are collaborating on a new live online class, "Cracking the C-Suite: How to Get and Master Key Executive Roles."
Sue's history of coaching leaders of $10B+ businesses, multiple startup CEOs, and over 400 different executives complements my own seven years in these challenging roles at Twitch and Amazon.
This class is the next-level course. And is for both startup leaders suddenly responsible for unfamiliar functions and large company leaders seeking the top roles (e.g. Amazon and Google L10, Microsoft 70/80, and Meta D2+).
We'll cover the deep influence skills, long-term strategy, and strong executive presence needed in these jobs.
Stop wondering if you are about to miss something big and start feeling confident in your big role.
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Level Up is a newsletter from retired Amazon Vice President Ethan Evans that breaks down how he succeeded and how you can get to the next level.