Are You Ready for Leadership?

To learn more about Musa Tariq's online education course, click here.

LONDON, United Kingdom — "Don't underestimate the power of a leader," says Musa Tariq, head of marketing at Airbnb and BoF's Build Your Dream Career course expert. "As you continue your journey, you have milestones to reach. So, you need to think about what it takes to become a manager."

In a recent McKinsey & Co survey, over 70 percent of more than 64,000 employees surveyed said they wanted to be promoted. However, less than 50 percent said their manager provides the resources that they need to succeed.

"Part of career growth is very dependent on the managers and leadership you have. It's important to find people who teach, who can be your coach," says Tariq, who was appointed to the C-Suite at Ford Motor Company as chief brand officer before the age of 35, following senior leadership roles at Burberry, Nike and Apple. "Having clarity and purpose in your job, knowing that you're reaching a destination, will provide you with a path and it will give your managers and bosses an example, or an expectation, that you have from your career."

Indeed, changing employee demographics — and their impending characteristics — are disrupting the once linear career path. By 2020, millennials and Gen-Zs will account for the largest portion of the working population, and these employees place a far greater emphasis on career development opportunities than previous generations, according to BoF’s survey of over 10,000 students in 2017. Yet, this focus on professional development is somewhat hindered by millennials staying on average within a job for a maximum of three years, according to professional services company KPMG’s Meet the Millennials 2017 survey.

“The ideal path might not be perfect. So, there are opportunities to pivot. Look at in the eyes of that employer. What is it that they're looking for from you at that point in their career? What are the qualities that are needed? Is it leadership skills? Is it time and experience? At every single stage, those qualities will differ,” says Tariq.

“If you're in the right role and you know that you’ve got to be there for a couple of years, that's great. Hopefully, you're committed to that role and you have job satisfaction because you're on the right course. If you find yourself in a role that isn't quite getting you there, then there's an opportunity to either have a conversation with your manager or stopping and think about a new role that gets you closer.”

Here are the most exciting managerial opportunities available on BoF Careers:

SEO Manager, Farfetch — London, United Kingdom

Junior Email Marketing Manager, Zalando — Berlin, Germany

Project Manager Outlet EMEA, Calvin Klein — Amsterdam, Netherlands

Manager in Training (Mandarin Speaker), Louis Vuitton — London, United Kingdom

Visual Merchandising Manager, Coach — New York, United States

Luxury Manager, The RealReal — Florida, United States

Social Media Manager, Macy's — New York, United States

HR Manager South East Asia, Valentino — Singapore