When is the right time to move to a new role? Another way of asking this question is how long must one serve in a leadership role before seeking a higher position?

The higher you are in the hierarchy of the organization, the more important it is to serve a sufficient amount of time and demonstrate a solid track record of institutional commitment, accomplishments, and productivity. As you seek a new role, you must be able to speak with confidence and as a full-fledged member of your existing organization, proudly highlighting your significant contributions to institutional vision, mission, values, culture, initiatives, and strategic priorities. This can only be gained by working hard for your organization and for an appropriate length of time. Four (4) to six (6) years is a good duration. Less than three (3) years is a bad idea. The process of searching and applying for, and accepting a new role may in and of itself take several months and up to a year. Therefore, exploring and applying in your third (3^rd) year may not be too bad, although we prefer this to be done in the fourth (4^th) year.

As with everything else that you do, pursue a new role with integrity, honesty, and transparency. Most importantly, make sure that you have thought it through carefully and are making the move for all the right personal, family, and professional reasons. Also make sure your boss knows you are looking. Surprising your boss is never a good idea. A good boss will be disappointed you did not seek their counsel and support. A bad boss is likely to sabotage your chances of moving to a new role.

Finally, as you prepare to move to a new role, be sure you have done your best to document your decisions, policies, protocols, and processes. This will ensure business continuity and organizational effectiveness for your existing role.