Page 56 - James Caan - Get the Job you Really Want

company you are working in now. I had a situation recently
where somebody in one of my businesses approached me
and said, ‘Could I come and see you, because I’d like to have a
mentor within the organization?’ I met with him and he said,
‘I’m really happy in the company, and I feel that things are going

really well. But I’m looking ahead over the next three years and
beyond. What I want to know from you, James, is this: which
areas do you think I need to improve on in order to be recom-

mended at the next promotion?’
Again, I thought that was a great question. We spent some
time discussing the areas he could improve and focus on. One
of the things we agreed was that I would allow him to be an
observer of the managers in other departments and func-

tions. His motivation was that he was a sales director at the
time, but if he was ever going to become managing director
he would need to understand how all the other functions and

departments worked. He felt that he was always going to get
overlooked because he would seem one-dimensional. ‘In order
for me to have greater breadth,’ he said, ‘I want to understand
how the HR department works, how the finance department
works, and what their key issues are. It’s not that as manage-

ment I am going to have to do that, but I think I ought to know.’
I thought that was smart.
When people tell me, ‘I’m up for promotion and I’m going

to wait for something to happen,’ I wonder if that is the best
strategy. The message here is that you can be far more proactive
by asking yourself what you are achieving, and where you want
to be.

44 get the job you really want