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Factor 10: Your Seniority Level
Seniority reflects the scale and impact of your responsibilities, not just your title. From foundational roles to executive leadership, understanding your current level helps you set goals for development, decision-making influence, and career progression.
Evaluate your role’s scope to plan your growth trajectory.
What are the underlying realities of your seniority level?
Seniority is no longer just about hierarchy — it’s about impact, learning agility, and leadership mindset. People rise through the impact that they have, reputation they build, the mastery of soft skills for example confidence, communication, organisation and influence,, diversity of experience, and the ability to guide transformation.
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There's a need for leaders to balance authority with empowerment, as younger generations seek mentorship and inclusion rather than command-and-control leadership models.
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This prompt the questions about your level of hierarchical seniority, your leadership style (if you're a leader), your level of impact and influence regardless of your job title and scope for you to mentor or be mentored.
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Five aspects to consider include:
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Seniority takes the forms of: individual contributor, manager (in other words you have people working for you) and leader - being someone carrying a broader range of responsibility.
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If you're an individual contributor you need to be aware if you are a novice, or competent, or a role model - perhaps ready to move up a level.
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Similarly if you're a manager - are you managing a business as usual function or setting one up, transforming one and the person deciding on the strategy - of so the latter suggests you're in a leadership role.
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In some very large established companies, a manager can have two or three teams or layers reporting into them but with little or no authority to shape the direction of the business. Conversely, in a smaller business, someone with just 7 reports, may have complete autonomy, set the strategy, implement it and be responsible for the success or failure of the business, or business unit.
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Having a good reality of the nature of your seniority, can better place you for learning, continual improvement and personal growth.
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Experience – Length of service at employers and tenure in particular roles needs to be understood - someone promoted into a new role three months ago - who had not previously operated at that level - would in reality be a novice and not yet proven.
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Knowledge – advanced education, professional development and acquired knowledge through experience can often elevate individuals above others - given that they may be able to guide others or indeed strategy and change whether they're a leader or an individual contributor.
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Influence & Leadership – other factors shape other peoples perceptions of you, for example your emotional intelligence, how you may have mentored others, and cross-functional impact.​
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Decision-making power – think about the scope of your seniority in the context of your experience carrying authority to shape policies, budgets, strategy, and culture.
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The big thing here, is their leadership and or seniority level
And their ability to take it to the next level, and to the top
Check what else you've got.
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Possible pop up, Questions and Suggestions
What next?
Jot Down In Your Note Taking App
What observations do you have of your seniority level?
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What level of seniority have you developed?
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Scope and scale.
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Write down, factors such as you've been operating in a particular role for 8 years now - see yourself as the most accomplished member of the team.
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Or conversely, for a manager, that you've been managing 3-5 people over five year period - people you hired, you trained, you coached - write down the breadth of your experience.
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Similarly, if you're a leader - are you leading 20 or 200 people, have you done for for 5 months or 5 years. Have you written the business plan, carried a P&L etc
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Appreciate that seniority isn’t simply a matter of job title—it’s defined by the scope and impact of your role. Are you a novice building foundational skills, an experienced professional specializing in your field, or a first line manager guiding others?
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Perhaps you lead departments as a senior manager, or set organizational strategy as a director or CXO.
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Consider the scale of your responsibilities:
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Are you executing tasks, managing teams or budgets, or shaping the direction of an entire business? Your level is reflected in your decision-making authority, the challenges you address, and the influence you hold.
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Evaluate where you are on this spectrum and what the next step in your growth might look like. ​What observations can you make about your level of seniority?