Let us think of a very common business scenario.
Imagine that you work on a good sized company. You are reporting to the CEO. You have several functional and departmental managers and heads reporting to you. You are the key holder of the overview of your teams. Υou are safeguarding the operational excellence of your area of responsibility.
You have a departmental budget allocated, which you follow up on a regular basis. You are a member of senior teams of people that hold a large breath of responsibility. You do have P&L responsibility and you simply need the authorization of the CEO to proceed with implementing your decisions.
You have several years of experience in your line of business. You have climbed the ranks. You are highly, well paid, with a double digit salary and perks.
Does this make you a #CLevel?
Well, #No is the answer
It sounds like you are in a #SeniorLevel position rather than a C-level role. But let’s break it down! 💡
𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿-𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗲:
✅𝗗𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Your involvement in daily tasks and operations is a hallmark of Senior Level responsibilities.
✅𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀: Managing a departmental budget and reporting on budget vs. actual performance is typical for senior-level managers.
✅𝗧𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀: Participation in tactical teams suggests a focus on execution rather than high-level strategy.
✅𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲: Reporting to the CEO is common for senior-level employees, especially in mid-sized companies and having several direct reports as managers is also very common.
✅𝗖𝗘𝗢 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Needing the CEO’s authorization to implement decisions indicates that you do not have the ultimate decision-making authority, which is a hallmark of C-level roles.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗖-𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗲:
✅𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁: C-level executives focus on long-term strategy and high-level decision-making that impacts the entire organization.
✅𝗣&𝗟 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: While you have P&L responsibility for your sector, C-level executives typically have overarching P&L accountability for the entire company.
✅𝗨𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆: C-level roles come with the authority to make final decisions on major issues, beyond just observing and reporting.
While your role is crucial and highly valued, the focus on daily operations and departmental management aligns more with senior-level responsibilities.
#CLevel executives are more detached from day-to-day tasks and are primarily concerned with the #StrategicDirection and overall health of the company.
Would you like to explore how to transition from a senior to a C-level role or any other career aspect?
