Anonymous wrote:Thank you--- is it naive for me to hope that my VP's SVP would be nonchalant/supportive of getting rid of me so would be grateful to the SVP I am meeting for taking me off their hands? In that way, I thought it would be a win win for everybody. II is the part that is difficult given current funding climate.

I was told by my current VP in front of our bigger team (not just mine) that I am clueless about our business, bring no value,hopelessly tactical, not ready, would never have gotten the job if I wasnt an internal transfer(this last one was said as a joke, but it really stung). It's hard to explain the hostility. I agree I am not a perfect fit for the role but I also bring value, and probably could bring more value in a team that is welcoming of me. I covered maternity leaves even in business areas I had no prior knowledge of! I want to focus forward of course, and I dont expect the SVP to immediately plug and play me somewhere (although that is my hope!).

That is uncalled for, even if you were not adding value in his/her opinion, shouldn’t bring this in front of a team. Is this VP new to the company? Is it at a GSE? Complain to HR/ethics, they will put them in their place

Just posting to wish you the best of luck.I think it is very hard to get out of a stocky situation internally.

Im thinking I could reference the presentation I did 4 years ago and tie it to the work I am doing now? (is that too dated? The topic itself is still relevant now...)

Thank you--- is it naive for me to hope that my VP's SVP would be nonchalant/supportive of getting rid of me so would be grateful to the SVP I am meeting for taking me off their hands? In that way, I thought it would be a win win for everybody. II is the part that is difficult given current funding climate.

I was told by my current VP in front of our bigger team (not just mine) that I am clueless about our business, bring no value,hopelessly tactical, not ready, would never have gotten the job if I wasnt an internal transfer(this last one was said as a joke, but it really stung). It's hard to explain the hostility. I agree I am not a perfect fit for the role but I also bring value, and probably could bring more value in a team that is welcoming of me. I covered maternity leaves even in business areas I had no prior knowledge of! I want to focus forward of course, and I dont expect the SVP to immediately plug and play me somewhere (although that is my hope!).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:thanks much. I dont know much about SVP's priority because it's a different business function. i reached out on Thursday and she scheduled for Monday.

Between now and then, you should research like crazy. Don't try to become an expert in her area, but map out what you can offer to her business unit. Do you have a skill set that her business needs? Do you have communications skills (e.g., PowerPoint wizard)? Do you know AI, information technology, project management, etc...? At the very least, figure out what you can offer BEFORE you ask for help in resolving your problem. You are asking her to expend political capital, which is the most valuable commodity an executive has within a company. But remember, you will owe her big time if she chooses to help you (even if you have something she wants/needs).

Say I am a powerpoint wizard, do I flat out say that? Do I just probe what her priorities are this year? When we met for coffee four years ago, it was very casual-- just talking about my work and the area where I lived where she was visiting.

Can you explain a little bit more about political capital? I dont want her to do anything crazy, I was just hoping that there might be a need in her team that I could fill. My manager wants me out anyway so I thought it would be a win win for everyone involved

Despite some organizations moving away from it, PowerPoint is still the lifeblood for executives to put their best foot forward when presenting both UP (C-suite) and DOWN (rank-and-file). The key to a good executive PowerPoint for UP is "don't waste their time" while for DOWN is "don't bore them". Every slide matters in both contexts and a picture, graph, bar chart, etc... is often worth 1,000 words. You don't need to brag about your skills. Include it under a general discussion of your skill and value you offer.

Political capital refers to the trust, goodwill, and influence that an individual in an organization. It is often built up over many years of exemplary service and executives are loathe to part with it unless there is a significant benefit to them. In your situation, you are asking for two things: (i) relief from your current situation; and (ii) a new opportunity under the SVP. The former will require the SVP to cross a line into another SVP or VP's territory (which is usually a no-no), while the latter requires budget and a headcount for you to occupy. This is why you need to offer something valuable to the SVP to even get her to consider helping you.

Why not ask your former VP how to talk to the SVP? Does your new VP have a bad reputation in the company? What did he tell you that you can’t sleep?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:thanks much. I dont know much about SVP's priority because it's a different business function. i reached out on Thursday and she scheduled for Monday.

Between now and then, you should research like crazy. Don't try to become an expert in her area, but map out what you can offer to her business unit. Do you have a skill set that her business needs? Do you have communications skills (e.g., PowerPoint wizard)? Do you know AI, information technology, project management, etc...? At the very least, figure out what you can offer BEFORE you ask for help in resolving your problem. You are asking her to expend political capital, which is the most valuable commodity an executive has within a company. But remember, you will owe her big time if she chooses to help you (even if you have something she wants/needs).

Say I am a powerpoint wizard, do I flat out say that? Do I just probe what her priorities are this year? When we met for coffee four years ago, it was very casual-- just talking about my work and the area where I lived where she was visiting.

Can you explain a little bit more about political capital? I dont want her to do anything crazy, I was just hoping that there might be a need in her team that I could fill. My manager wants me out anyway so I thought it would be a win win for everyone involved

Anonymous wrote:thanks much. I dont know much about SVP's priority because it's a different business function. i reached out on Thursday and she scheduled for Monday.

Between now and then, you should research like crazy. Don't try to become an expert in her area, but map out what you can offer to her business unit. Do you have a skill set that her business needs? Do you have communications skills (e.g., PowerPoint wizard)? Do you know AI, information technology, project management, etc...? At the very least, figure out what you can offer BEFORE you ask for help in resolving your problem. You are asking her to expend political capital, which is the most valuable commodity an executive has within a company. But remember, you will owe her big time if she chooses to help you (even if you have something she wants/needs).

thanks much. I dont know much about SVP's priority because it's a different business function. i reached out on Thursday and she scheduled for Monday.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Bring your knee pads and make sure your hair is in a pony tail.

The SVP is a she.

Even better.

Anonymous wrote: Bring your knee pads and make sure your hair is in a pony tail.

The SVP is a she.

Bring your knee pads and make sure your hair is in a pony tail.

Anonymous wrote:Don't bring up any of the current situation as it will look like you are going over heads. Embrace the "fanboy" persona- you just love this persons work, you feel like you gel, and you want to get to know about their style more. That will morph naturally into being a candidate if any positions are available.

Corporate politics is often dictated by the person to whom you "hitch your wagon". I have seen many junior and mid-level employees "brought along" by high-performing people as they climb the corporate ladder.

First question (and likely the only one) you should ask yourself - What do you offer or bring to the SVP?

Law 13: Appeal to People’s Self-Interest, Never to Their Mercy

When you need help from someone in a position of power, don’t talk about your needs or something you did for them in the past. Instead, appeal to people’s self-interest, never to their mercy. They’ll be glad to help if they’ll get something important to them in return. In order to show how fulfilling your request benefits the other person, you need to understand what motivates her and what matters to her. Put yourself in the other person’s place, and see things as she would. Does she have ambitions or enemies you could help to address? Look for the ways you can help fulfill her needs or further her goals.

Also, and as the PP indicated, do NOT bring your current career problems to the SVP. She has enough of her own and doesn't need someone who could be a liability to her career. Not getting along with difficult people (who can make life difficult for the SVP) is never something to raise. Corporations are filled with difficult people, and those who want to climb the corporate ladder either find a way to deal with them or avoid them altogether.

Don't bring up any of the current situation as it will look like you are going over heads. Embrace the "fanboy" persona- you just love this persons work, you feel like you gel, and you want to get to know about their style more. That will morph naturally into being a candidate if any positions are available.

I am a senior director who has been with our company for more than 10
Years, promoted within. Last year, bad reorg has me reporting to a VP who has been pushing me out. The move to the new VP is a new title/role for me, so I am less than a year in role (10 months!). The past three months have been really bad at work, affecting my sleep, my weight, etc. I went on vacation and really kept being haunted by my VP's words. Ive been applying externally but nothing's landing. At the advice of my former VP who was laid off last year, I reached out to an SVP, not directly in the line of my current VP. My hope is that a role might open up in the SVP's line and I can transfer there.

Should I be direct about it?

Should I keep the hostility of my current mgr to myself and just spin the desire to join the SVP's functionline as really attractive?

Should I reveal that Im looking externally?

The SVP knows me by name, I have presented to her in the past which she praised, we also had a coffee meetup when she was in town four years ago when she was still just a VP. I sent her a congratulatory note when she got promoted to SVP and acknowledged my email.

Thank you!