My Path to the C-suite in 13 years
Career momentum is important when it comes to breaking through to the C-suite. There's many potential paths there, and the key is to not get stuck.
(Teddy the Corgi; South Lake Tahoe)
Everyone’s path to the executive level is unique. The Fastest or Best path depends on what is right for your skillset, values and circumstances. In terms of timing, I’ve seen it take as little as 8 years, or as long as 30+ years, with many detours along the way. Many, of course, never make it to the C-suite. There does need to be some momentum in the ascent to executive, so the average is roughly 10-15 years for super high achievers, and 15-20 years on average.
Here’s my own career path to the C-suite
Business Analyst with McKinsey and Company (2 years)
Corporate Strategy at Cisco Systems (1 year)
MBA at Harvard Business School; co-founding my own failed startup (1 year)
PM —> PM Manager —> Head of Product for Pro at Thumbtack (5 years)
IC —> PM lead at Instagram / Meta; Had 2 kids (4 years)
Chief Product Officer —> CPTO at Fuzzy Pet Health (1 year, Series C, $88M raised, team of 120 across EPD)
From Analyst to HBS was a “typical path”. I tried the entrepreneurship option but didn’t love it enough to stick it out 10 years. At Thumbtack, I hit a ceiling after 5 years (really 4 years, but I stayed an extra year to see through an important project to the company) and had to move on. It was a good time to get an official “level” at Meta and start a family. I realized after a few years at Meta that I was not cut out for big companies and didn’t want to put in the type of work required to grow through the ranks there, and hence left for a CPO role at Fuzzy. I loved my role at Fuzzy until the company shut down due to unforeseen circumstances. At that point, I felt tapped out on the “achievement” spectrum, and so a few months ago I went into career coaching (www.yuezhao.coach) full time!
Overall, I think I could’ve shaved a year off my leveling at Thumbtack, left a year earlier for 11 years but otherwise this is on the faster end of the spectrum. There’s the skill and the luck component. I believe I got lucky with landing at Thumbtack, which after the Sequoia investment saw rapid growth of 30X from series A to series D, with my sponsorship and mentorship while at Meta, and a crazy good hiring market when I was exiting Meta.
Example Paths to Consider
Let’s look at some examples of paths to executive level:
Manage at a high growth startup: Entry level role at a Brand Name company (3-4 years) —> early-stage startup as a mid-level manager (2-7 years) —> promoted to VP or C-level as the company experiences hyper-growth (3-4 years)
Cofound your own company: Hold on to your C-level position as the company grows or sell it to a bigger company and land an executive role at the parent company (~10 years average from founding to exits)
From Consulting to Industry: Analyst —> Associate Partner or Partner (average 8 years) —> Transition to Director or VP in Industry (2-4 years) —> promotion to C-suite
From Tier 1 brand-name company to smaller startup: Entry level at Brand Name company (2-3 years) —> promotion to Senior then Manager (4-5 years) —> promotion to Director (3-5 years) —> VP or C-level role at a smaller company in the same industry.
If you’re a mom or planning to be one, you may need to add another 12-24 months for each kid to your timeline. The motherhood penalty is unfortunately the current reality. The most competitive and high stakes parts of rising to the top coincides with prime child-bearing years for women. There’s some truth to the theory that the best determinant of whether a woman makes it to the C-suite is whether her partner will take on caring for the child. My recommendation is to try and time your maternity leaves right after a step-change in responsibility. This ensures that you don’t lose precious momentum when going on leave, and you can start “afresh” in a higher level role when you return.
Maintaining momentum
As I mentioned prior, in the vast majority of cases, it takes a certain amount of momentum to breakthrough to the executive level. This is because if you are doing well at a company, building trust, and growing your influence, it tends to form a positive, virtuous cycle of upward trajectory. If you’re doing well, then you’re more likely to be chosen for a critical project. If you do well at the critical project, you’re more likely to be known as a high performer at the company. This leads to additional opportunities with more responsibility, and inevitably a promotion. Someone who is promoted quickly through the ranks or have a track record at high performing companies will gather more attention and influence, which then allows that person to take on responsibility even faster. And so, it’s important to proactively manage your career and avoid losing momentum where possible. This includes:
Career coaches are great resources to help keep you focused on the right path. They are the only people who are 100 percent invested in your career growth. That is their job. They remind you to invest in yourself. They help keep you on track and help you determine which skills you need to work on next. And if they’ve worked in the same industry as you, they can help you with negotiations, developing a particular skill, or networking. I’ve had multiple fantastic career coaches in my career, and I would not be where I am today without them.
When to switch paths
The easy answer is “when you are stuck”. When you no longer see your career progressing. But…how do you know you’re stuck? Perhaps you manager promises you a promotion in 6 more month. Perhaps the startup’s trajectory will turn around with a big customer win next quarter.
In general, if you’re shooting for executive roles, take risks to get there and err on the side of moving on. Because momentum is so important, it rarely pays off to “hold on” for another 6-12 months. In fact, sometimes, taking what might feel like a step backward can lead to an entirely new set of opportunities and a new trajectory.
Here’s some signals that it may be time to move on:
You don’t have the support or trust of key leadership or sponsors within the organization
You’ve been waiting for a promotion for more than 6 months with no clear path
The startup has not grown more than 20% in revenue in the last year.
Relationships and reputations are important. If you are leaving your team, and it is not because of a negative experience, make sure you work with your manager to ensure there’s a smooth transition and you don’t leave your team in a bad place. This may mean staying a bit longer than you’d prefer to wrap up projects and help hire your replacement, then thanking your sponsors and mentors and keeping the door open for future collaborations.
So often, keeping in touch with past colleagues, managers, and mentors pays dividends down the road. I have seen many examples where an aspiring executive may leave a company for a better opportunity at the time and return to it a few years down the line in a more senior or executive position.