Last few questions got a good conversation going, though of adding this here. Maybe filks can add from their experience as well to help younger ones figure out their out of this career mess. Everybody deserves being treated with dignity and respect and is owed professional development.
Sponsored hi-pos are Senior Executive potential i.e 38+ — for these people picked by sponsors or nepotism tylically, all assignments are pre decided and they are given highest preference to ‘key roles’ to gather ‘key experiences’. Supervisor has no say, DM has no say. There is a COED..exec development committee above all, who are hidden in shadows and you never see them, who take care of these special people. Is it fair? Not for the most part, but a few bright individuals do make this list. You know wothin 3 years of joining the company and you must be a campus hire or atleast Exxon bred. These mostly American, Australian or English men.
Next group is 34+ or Executives such as VPs for EMTEC, Managers of businesses, regions , LCMs of important countries like Guyana. Senior S&D has some say, but discipline managers supervisors are still non consequential to these roles. These are mostly American, Australian or Canadian women.
An exec typically picks his own and then pulls them up, hence you’ll say YES men and women all the time who absolutely hate people who report to them and wag their tails like a dog for those they report to.
These two group form the core reason of Exxon’s toxic work culture.
Next group is 31-34, the Chiefs, Development Managers, Senior commercial advisors, Dev Planning managers etc. These are surpirsingly smart people, for the most part, who were too smart for their own good, hence couldn’t make it further. They are also the fodder for eventual lower ranking in higher rank groups, but ehy have made peace with it and defibitely enough money to not care anymore. S&D has control on this category.
Now you come to 29 and below. 28-29 are still second line managers, or principals or maybe some senior principals, asset managers, S&D managers. This is the highest a normal employee can imagine getting to. Lot of dirty politics and selling yourself regularly can get you here but no further. Pay is decent, but jobs are super stressful.
Everything below these CLs is random assignments and lies to your face in IDP. There is no plan for you, no strategy, you are not even close to being as special as you think you are in your head.