How to Get the Corner Office

Many compete to make it into the upper echelon of management. But the paths to leadership can be unclear. Based on an analysis of hundreds of millions of careers, we can see which jobs are most likely to be promoted into senior management.

Roles in Marketing, Legal and Investment Management used to have the highest chances of promotion into senior management. More recently, however, Operations Managers, Client Services and IT Project Managers appear to have a greater chance. This is reflective of the growth of SaaS companies, and the decline in importance of more traditional business functions.

With IT Project Managers on the rise, a question emerges of whether technical skills are necessary to achieve senior management positions. While the majority of senior managers in the Tech industry indeed have technical skills — top management in other industries, like Law and Communications, are less tech-savvy.

More generally, the most common skills of senior managers across industries are Management, Strategy and Planning skills, paired with the respective domain expertise.

Key Takeaways:

• Consistent with the growth of software products and attention to customer service, IT Project Managers and Client Service Managers see an upward trend on their path to senior management.
• Most senior managers in the Tech Industry have technical skills, while Law has the least tech-savvy senior managers.
• Top management not only knows Management, Leadership and Strategy, but also needs to possess domain expertise of their respective industry.