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⏱️ Today, in 5 Minutes or Less 

In this newsletter, you will learn about the five key paths to position yourself for the top job in your field.

 🔎 Did You Know 

Ever wondered why some people seem to just fall into amazing jobs while you're spending hours on LinkedIn Easy Apply? It's not magic; it's networking, but probably not in the way you think. While it's easy to get caught up in the grind of crafting the perfect portfolio and resume, the real secret to landing a top-tier role often lies in who you know.

Data from Jobvite shows that referred candidates are 4 to 15 times more likely to be hired than those who apply cold. And for senior-level positions, that number is likely even higher. Why? Because a referral is a form of social proof. When someone at a company vouches for you, it gives hiring managers confidence. It also signals that you're a good cultural fit and that your expectations for the role are well-aligned, which dramatically reduces the risk of you bailing early.

So, how do you tap into getting referred to a top job?

👔 Cultivate Your "Loose Ties"

Don’t wait until you need a job to start networking, rather, adopt a strategy of intentional loose-tie outreach. The place to start your outreach is with people on the periphery, rather than people close to you.  According to sociologist Mark Granovetter in The Strength of Weak Ties, loose ties expose you to entirely new worlds. To cultivate loose ties, schedule a recurring time each month to check in with a few former colleagues or industry contacts with the intention to build a reciprocal relationship.

It was through a loose tie that I was connected with a recruiter at Sequoia Capital. A month later, I was hired to set up an international Design Team - this was exactly the role I was seeking at that time. 

Want to start cultivating your own network but feel overwhelmed by the thought of traditional networking events? I highly recommend Karen Wickre's book, Taking the Work out of Networking. She offers great advice on how to build what she calls a "brain trust" by sustaining the "loose touch habits” a couple of many she recommends are mentioned above.

🚚 Move from a Mature to a Growth Company 

While working at mature companies like Apple, Meta and Yahoo provided me with invaluable career experience, my path to an executive position and Chief Design Officer truly accelerated when I moved to a smaller, faster-paced growth stage startup. At a tech giant there is an abundance of top-tier talent which can create intense competition, making it challenging to get the hands-on leadership opportunities you need to grow. Startups and growth stage series A and B companies are often defined by their lean structures and rapid growth, offering a unique chance to quickly take on a wider range of responsibilities and gain direct exposure to executive-level decision-making. This kind of environment is a powerful catalyst, providing the experience and visibility required to fast-track your journey to the top.

🏛️ Start Your Own Company  

The phrase "everyone has a startup in them" perfectly captures the spirit of Silicon Valley. Rob Girling's journey is a masterclass in how to start your own company. 

After working at design giants like IDEO, Sony, Microsoft, and Apple, he decided to build something of his own. He co-founded Artefact, a Seattle-based design consultancy. He and the team built an application designed out of Artefact's own internal needs to get a "big picture" view of their projects and teams. They created a resource management application called 10,000ft. The application was acquired by Smartsheet in 2017. That acquisition ultimately became part of an $8.4 billion deal in 2024 by Blackstone and Vista Equity Partners. 

In my upcoming book, Leading by Design: The Insider's Playbook for Tech Leadership (due out in September 2025), I interview Rob, whose story offers a powerful lesson for aspiring creative leaders on how to turn a great idea into a thriving business.

🍴 Carve Out Your Specialist Niche

For many, the top job has always meant becoming a manager, but there's an alternative that allows you to lead without managing people: the Principal Designer, also known as Distinguished Designer, Fellow, Chief Design Architect, Staff Designer, or Lead Designer. This executive-level individual contributor (IC) role is for you if you want to drive strategy and vision while staying deeply connected to the craft of design and you lead through influence and deep expertise.

So, What Makes a Principal an Executive?

Principals operate at an executive level, focusing on the big picture to solve a company's most complex and ambiguous challenges. They often lead "tiger teams", groups assembled from across the organization to tackle problems that can't be solved through traditional methods. For example, after the Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election, I witnessed firsthand how a Principal-led team at Meta created a new industry standard for ad transparency. They designed products for Facebook to protect legitimate political discussion and address a critical, high-stakes problem.

🥂 Get Promoted From Within

Seek Out "Stretch" Opportunities

Look for projects that go beyond your current job description. Volunteer to lead a new initiative or take on a task that challenges you. By expanding your influence, you demonstrate that you're ready for more responsibility and can contribute to the company's success in ways that aren't tied to your current role.

For example, offer to present your team's work to senior leadership. This gives you visibility with key decision-makers and showcases both your team's accomplishments and your part in them. By connecting your work to broader business goals, you prove you're thinking strategically and have the capacity to influence others, essential functions of any leadership role.

Make Your Manager a Partner

Your manager should be your biggest advocate. Be upfront with them about your career goals and express your interest in a senior position. Ask for direct feedback on the skills you need to sharpen and how you can get more exposure to high-impact projects. When you make your manager a partner in your growth, you can strategically work toward a promotion with their support.

💥 The Short Of It

Landing a top job in leadership isn't just about crafting a perfect portfolio; it's about being strategic. Whether you're networking through "loose ties," moving to a startup company for accelerated experience, starting your own company to build your vision, carving out a specialist niche as a Principal Designer, or getting promoted from within by seeking out stretch opportunities and making your manager a partner, each path requires you to proactively demonstrate your leadership potential. The key is to stop waiting for opportunities to come to you and start creating them yourself.

That's it for this week!

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With ❤️ from Sally

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