The manager's career development: attending to today's responsibilities while preparing for tomorrow

Many managers experience a common organizational contradiction in terms of how their attention is focused. One may be primarily internally focused, meaning that it is the job at hand that commands the most attention, or one may be externally focused, primarily attentive to people and activities outside of the department or organization, meaning that it is the sources of reward and opportunity that command the most attention. Over the long run, the internally focused individual tends to develop more strongly as a manager, but the externally focused individual, by virtue of greater visibility, tends to attract more career advancement opportunity. For lasting growth and advancement, the manager requires both solid experience and opportunity, so that the individual can be neither a slave to the daily task nor an absentee manager. Rather, a sensible approach to career advancement requires a healthy balance of internal and external focus.