I'm someone who actually enjoys reading about business. I have a friend who tells me it's the sign of a boring personality to do so, but having grown up in a family business I really do find it fascinating to read about how others see business and most fascinating when someone makes a point that transcends the business world.
Peter Drucker was certainly one of those people capable of that kind of insight. I have one of his books, "The Daily Drucker", which is a daily burst of thinking collected from many of his books including, The Effective Executive, Managing for Results, Adventures of a Bystander and Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Much like Joel Spolsky I find that Drucker's ideas are far from industry specific. In particular today I read the April 23rd entry (I rarely read the actual entry of the day, I just skim the book now and then) The Crucial Promotions. The key point is this:
"The crucial promotion is into the group from which tomorrow's top people will have to be selected."
He goes on to say that this point is critical because in many organizations up to that point there are quite a few candidates to choose from however, after that point there will be very few because you just don't have as many who have the experience and preparation necessary.
From a career perspective he makes another point that I see a lot. Many candidates will feel that their early career promotions we're critical to them or even some of their last such as a move into a CEO role. However, the reality is that the moves into the group where you are considered "tomorrow's leaders" is really the most crucial. And you should be looking out for that move. Without it you'll always be in that large group of candidates who can be tapped for the plum roles but may never actually make it.
Drucker has his own Action Point for each entry, but I'd like to write my own. If you have recently been promoted ask yourself: "Am I in the group from which tomorrow's top people will be chosen?".
Remember this might not be an actual group on the org chart, but if you are savvy about the makeup of your organization you'll be able to see whether or not you're in the succession plan. If the answer is "Yes", then give yourself a pat on the back, if "No" then you might want to reevaluate what you want. If you're not sure if you're in the group, then you need to do some research on the backgrounds of those above you, knowing how they got there might provide a good road map for you.
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