I’m new to the company, and I’ve already had two project managers tell me they’ve been told they have “VP potential.” One has only been here three years. I’m trying to understand how anyone can be identified that early, and realistically, how many VP roles ExxonMobil even needs. Based on what I’ve read and with the current low CLS structure and retirements, it doesn’t seem possible.
18 replies (most recent on top)
@fj lol that guy whole day posting on LinkedIn.
You did not understand that the manager was playing around or just you are so stup… that you did not understand the game. Becareful if the manager tells you that you are a good asset for the company as well.
The major flaw to the system of assigning VP potential so early is the lack of an off ramp.
A HiPo can destroy everything he touches and Supervirors get phone calls forbidding them to mention the catastrophies in the ranking session.
The people that assign VP potential should systematically drop the id--ts instead of promoting them to do more damage.
@db Log. Director
I recommend being over 6 ft tall and having hair if you want a high CL.
@dq if you’re not VP by 46, it will never happen here.
Exxon gives you a potential the moment you walk through the door. Seems stupid to you? It's because it is! But, nevertheless, they continue to do it. But it rarely works out. Talk to any of the people that were heir apparents for the upstream job. Our development model was unable to build a president level successor so we ended up filling it externally. All of the stuff is just talk. But you'll see that lifers believe it, live it, and aren't smart enough to look around and see the truth
How old are these people when promoted to VP? my manager is 46 and keeps telling everyone he has VP potential
So when you say the “South” are you generalizing Texas ? Back to the post itself. Lots of classic egos at this place. He had 2 guys in the path told they were going as far as they could go and left. They thought they were Exec material. That’s a small club.
The D&S process guidance says that approximately 2% of employees should be assigned a potential of VP or higher. if there are 50k employees, there will probably be 1k assigned a VP potential, and most of them are probably early or mid-career, as potential tends to be lowered as you get older.
@bb bro promoted himself to CEO of Nothing, Inc. energy. LI in whole another world
if your immediate management thinks that you have executive presence , they may set your potential very early. The challenge is that there is a big bias in the company who has executive presence. White male mainly from South have higher chances. Also you see very few individuals with English as second language. They care how you look from outside rather than if you really know what you are doing.
They’re lying to you
The Dean of the University of North Carolina ExxonMobil Management Course that you will attend will tell you, "For every ExxonMobil employee that becomes a V.P., there are 3000 tombstones in the cemetery of employees that tried and failed to become a V.P."
The odds are not in your favor.
Go LinkedIn. My colleague called himself director. Kept posting like he is somebody. BTM max!
Self promotion. Be careful the ones that don’t make vp are consistently sabotaging their staff… let the hunger games begin…
Is his last name Woods?
Even if they are not bullsh-tting you, the chances of anyone realizing a VP potential is probably about 1%.