Self-advocacy leads to greater professional opportunities, higher pay and expedited growth.
So reports a recent working paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research, which elucidates the benefits of communicating career dreams early and often. This aspirational brand of self-promotion is something Hot Topic PMO Manager Victoria Tristan has experienced firsthand.
“My previous managers knew my passion was to be in management — I talked to them about it consistently — and they really empowered me to make business decisions,” Tristan told Built In LA.
Edmunds Client Success Manager Christina Vail shared a similar experience, noting that self-advocacy doesn’t end once one has made the leap from individual contributor to leadership.
“Remember that you earned the role with your unique qualities,” she said. “Continue being yourself and adding your personal flare to leadership.”
As both Vail and Tristan’s experiences prove, professional development isn’t an individual endeavor. Rather, it is a community effort — one that can be paid forward ad infinitum.
“Remember the people who helped you get into the role you’re in,” Tristan said. “Play that supporting role for others.”
Built In sat down with Tristan and Vail to learn more about the challenges of supporting their own team of individual contributors — and how they’ve continued their upward growth.
Hot Topic strives to be a destination for pop culture and music merchandise — providing positive customer experiences for fans through three brands: Hot Topic, BoxLunch and Her Universe.
Describe your growth journey from individual contributor to manager. How did Hot Topic help you grow into this position? What resources did you use to develop the necessary skills?
My previous managers knew where my career path was headed — so they really encouraged me to make both financial and personal decisions that would benefit the projects.
I was always interested in taking on more responsibilities, and they were always helpful in showing me those ways. I sat in on interviews, reviewed project statuses and helped develop critical reporting strategies that we continue to use today. Having that support team really helped me thrive and encouraged me to apply for the position I currently have. They were always there to support the courses I wanted to take to expand my knowledge — and made sure I was always at the forefront of important business decisions.
What is the biggest challenge of transitioning into management, and how are you overcoming that challenge?
Trying to prioritize my team’s workload on top of managing our resources' time. Coming out of the pandemic, we run a very lean organization, yet we still have a lot of large initiatives we need to power through. Making sure my team of project managers understands that I feel their resource constraints and how that’s impacting them — while being sympathetic to our resources who are over-extended — has been a huge challenge.
We’re developing ways of being more cognizant of our timing, our planning and our resource availability, bringing in the right people to help at the right time and being more diligent about our communication. I want to make sure that my team knows they can come to me. I know I can work with my leadership team to express these concerns to increase our productivity and to keep our timelines on track.
What advice do you have for individual contributors who have recently been promoted to a management role or hope to be in the future?
It can be one of the most challenging and rewarding opportunities you’ll ever encounter. Your biggest successes shouldn’t be your own. Seeing your own team doing well and getting promoted speaks more about you than you’ll ever know.
Your biggest successes shouldn’t be your own. Seeing your own team doing well and getting promoted speaks volumes.”
Driven by its mission of making car buying easier, Edmunds innovates ways to empower and support car shoppers.
Describe your growth journey from individual contributor to manager. How did Edmunds help you grow into this position? What resources did you use to develop the necessary skills?
I began my career at Edmunds in 2015 as a dealer success specialist and now manage a team of seven dealer success specialists.
At Edmunds, there are few barriers — communicating across the organization feels safe and encouraged. This open-door policy has given me the opportunity to participate in cross-functional projects, gain exposure to different teams and learn from a diverse group of leaders.
This environment allowed me to craft a growth path based on what I liked, what I didn’t like and where I excelled. When I started my career, I honestly was not sure what my long-term plans would be, but I knew I wanted to make an impact at Edmunds and take on greater responsibility.
I have also had the pleasure of working alongside wonderful managers and mentors. They’ve helped build up my confidence and prepare me for the next step — while recognizing my unique strengths and helping me hone my skills. They’ve also provided critical feedback that’s helped me improve. I feel fortunate to build relationships where people care enough to invest time in my growth and see me succeed.
What is the biggest challenge of transitioning into management?
A big challenge has been balancing the needs of my own workload while making sure that each member of my team feels supported and able to succeed. I’ve overcome this by communicating closely and transparently with my team.
For example, if I need to meet a project deadline, I will designate time for deep focus and will communicate that timeframe to my team. That being said, I am always available to assist with urgent requests — and my team knows to indicate that their outreach is a high priority so that I can shift my attention.
What advice do you have for individual contributors who have recently been promoted to a management role or hope to be in the future?
Be open to all opportunities. Seek out unique projects that are different from your day-to-day to build a varied skill set. One of the expectations of a manager is to balance the needs of the business with the needs of the people. Having an understanding of all sides of the business really helps with that.
Be open to all opportunities. Seek out unique projects that are different from your day-to-day to build a varied skill set.”
I would also take the initiative to create an individual development plan at least once a year that includes a list of at least three strengths and competencies, three areas for improvement and three goals outlining a development area, action and timeframe. Hold yourself accountable to these goals. Make sure your communication is aligned with other managers within the department as well as business goals.
Finally, take the advice of veteran managers — it will be invaluable.
