6 Years Or You’re Stuck???
I’m WAAAY Overdue….
Philadelphia, PA, September 12, 2005—By the sixth year in the middle-management level, most companies in the United States have already decided whether a middle manager has senior-level potential or has become a “career” middle manager, according to a new study from Management Recruiters International, Inc. (MRI), the world’s largest search and recruitment organization. In the United Kingdom, however, the timeframe is even more accelerated, as the study revealed that most middle managers have only four years to advance to the senior level. The study, which interviewed 200 Human Resource directors or senior executives in the United States and 200 Human Resource directors or senior executives in the United Kingdom, also determined that “career” middle managers are seen as critical to the success of the company.
On average, a middle manager remains in the same position for 6.3 years before being promoted to senior management in the U.S.; while in the U.K., middle managers will spend an average of 4.7 years at that level before being promoted. However, in both countries, if these employees do not make the jump to senior management within that same time period, most surveyed companies said they would be considered “career” middle managers. The study also found that after six years in middle management, in both the U.S. and U.K., the opportunities for advancement to the senior level are greatly reduced. Therefore, middle managers who aspire to senior positions must carefully evaluate their career choices at this time, including the possibility of moving on to a new company, to determine how to best meet their goals.