Early in my career, a boss encouraged me to leave a stable operations role for a position in sales. They noticed my natural persuasiveness in communication and approach to problems, skills they believed could translate into success in a completely different discipline.
It felt like a gamble. I was trading a steady income for compensation directly tied to performance and sales volume. And, I would be venturing into a role where I had no prior experience. But I ultimately took the leap, and that shift changed the entire trajectory of my career.
That experience taught me to embrace discomfort and trust in my capacity to grow. It also revealed something fundamental about sales: success doesn’t come from a single mold. Coming from an operations background, I spoke the language of operators, and that authenticity gave me instant credibility with the very people I was selling to.
That experience didn’t just redefine my career path; it reshaped how I lead. Today, I actively look for opportunities to help others pivot into roles they never would have considered on their own. With the right encouragement and adequate support, people can thrive in roles in which they have no prior experience.
Subscribe to the Daily newsletter.Fast Company’s trending stories delivered to you every day
Privacy Policy
|
Fast Company Newsletters
People want growth, but rarely make the first move
It’s tempting to keep strong performers exactly where they are. When someone excels in a specific function, moving them can feel like a loss, especially when resources are tight and hiring is competitive. But this mindset is shortsighted. Holding people in a specific track because they are performing well may feel efficient in the short term, but it can stagnate both the individual and the organization.
One of the most effective ways to help people reach their full potential is to create pathways to grow outside their current functions. This isn’t simply a leadership philosophy; it’s reflective of employee feedback. Overall, 42% of workers are interested in upskilling or looking for upskilling opportunities, according to a McKinsey report.
For most, myself included, pursuing a career pivot is rarely self-induced. People tend to stay where they are comfortable, and taking on a role that requires a new skill set can be daunting and fear-inducing.
That’s where leaders come in. Leaders have the power to soften that fear of the unknown. By showing belief in someone’s potential and backing it with support, they’re given the confidence to try something new. And more often than not, people rise to the occasion.
When I first joined Fintech, we needed a new marketing lead. The natural instinct might have been to hire someone from the outside with a textbook marketing background. But instead, I looked inward.
One of our operations team members had been with the company for several years. She had no formal marketing experience, but she understood our customers. She had a creative spark, strong communication skills, and a deep sense of ownership. I encouraged her to consider the role. Today, she’s not only a capable marketing lead, she’s also one of our strongest cross-functional thinkers, bridging the gap between product, ops, and customer success.
Making career pivots work
These kinds of internal transitions are entirely possible, but they require structure and attentiveness. Individuals with untapped potential who prioritize strong communication, think beyond their interests, go the extra mile, and take pride in their work are prime candidates. They often just need a nudge and someone to believe in their ability to succeed to take the leap.
But encouragement alone isn’t enough. Gaining buy-in from the team leader in the department where someone is transitioning is critical. Equally important is crafting a clear, detailed plan and communicating it transparently. Success must be defined in small, achievable milestones.
For someone new to sales, that might mean setting a daily target of reaching out to 10 prospects, recording those conversations, and reviewing them with a supervisor to refine their pitch and delivery. In product development, early wins might come from reconnecting with a previous team to discuss a few targeted changes that could have immediate impact.
advertisement
Sometimes, the milestone is simply exposure. Giving someone the opportunity to present to an internal group can be transformative—especially for younger professionals who may have had little experience speaking in front of others. It’s surprising how often that skill is underdeveloped, yet it’s so critical to career progression.
Early wins, no matter how minor, build confidence, and confidence is a powerful catalyst for long-term success.
Creating a safety net is also essential. Provide reassurance that if the move doesn’t work out, they still have a place within the company. People are far more willing to take risks when they know failure won’t lead to free fall.
Our operations lead was hesitant to pivot to marketing at first. Mentorship was central to making this transition successful. It began with short, focused 15-minute daily check-ins—just her and me—where we’d walk through her goals for the day and how she planned to approach them.
These conversations created structure, built momentum, and gave her a safe space to ask questions and reflect in real time. The key was setting goals that were both practical and confidence-building.
We set early milestones, which included attending management meetings and offering insights from an operations lens that marketing could amplify, collaborating with leadership to understand stakeholder expectations, and delivering a competitive analysis to leadership using her operational expertise to surface gaps and opportunities.
As her tactical foundation solidified, our daily meetings transitioned into weekly hourlong strategy sessions. She began to link execution with strategy, and that is where her operational background allowed her to gain trust in other departments. With a clear development plan, dedicated mentorship, and achievable early goals, she settled into the role and began to thrive.
The cost of growth vs. the cost of staying still
According to the World Economic Forum, employees will require new skills in the next five years, and six in 10 will require additional training before 2027. Companies that don’t build internal opportunities now risk falling behind, both in talent retention and capability-building.
Investing in people this way has always, in my experience, reaped a substantial return on investment. It rarely leads to loss. Both individuals and the company benefit: organizations that prioritize career development outpace others on key indicators of business success.
A former boss once shared an anecdote that’s stuck with me: A CFO asks the CEO, “What if we invest in training our people and they leave?” The CEO replies, “What if we don’t—and they stay?”
Too often, leaders get caught up in costs. What’s far riskier is underinvesting in your team and watching great talent walk out the door, or worse, watching them stay and disengage. The leaders of tomorrow won’t just be measured by their ability to drive results. They’ll be remembered for their ability to spot potential in unlikely places and to nurture it. Growth isn’t just about upward movement. Sometimes, it’s about having the courage to take on something new and the encouragement to try.