By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
EP 3064 That impressive executive job offer might be hiding a critical red flag. Spot this subtle but significant warning sign and what it truly means for your executive trajectory.
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Alright, let’s jump right in. If you’re an ambitious professional, you’re climbing that ladder, you’re aiming for an executive role, you need to hear this. We’re about to pull back the curtain on a critical detail in your job offer that could literally make or break your entire career move.
So just imagine for a second, you did it. You landed the opportunity. It looks absolutely spectacular, the pay is amazing, it’s everything you’ve been working for.
But what if there’s something lurking in the fine print, something that’s actually designed to make you fail? So yeah, let’s talk about this deceptive dream offer. On the surface, it looks perfect. But there’s this one single element that people overlook all the time.
And it can turn this amazing opportunity into a total nightmare. Okay, here it is the single biggest red flag you have to look for vague or completely unmeasurable performance metrics in your compensation package. Seriously, this is not some minor detail you can just figure out later.
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This is a massive flashing warning sign right in your face. And the stakes here, they’re incredibly high. We’re not talking about a little misunderstanding over a bonus.
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No. Overlooking this can completely derail your career. It can tank your long term earnings, and it can literally make it impossible for you to succeed in the job you were hired to do.
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So that brings us right to what we can call the vague metrics trap. Let’s really break down why this is so, so dangerous for you and your career. You know how it is.
At the executive level, this is the entire game, your value, your bonus, your reputation. It’s all tied to your performance. You live and you die by the results you deliver.
It’s really as simple as that, which of course brings up the million dollar question. What happens when the very results you’re being judged on are a complete mystery, right? You can’t win a game if you don’t even know where the goalposts are. It’s the exact same thing with your career.
So this is what you’ve got to hunt for. Are there clear, hard revenue targets, specific growth KPIs, you know, key performance indicators? Are there defined milestones for that big transformation project you’re supposed to be leading? If that stuff is missing, you’re flying completely blind. And without those hard numbers, you’re left totally exposed.
Your success is no longer based on objective facts and data. Instead, it’s based on subjective evaluations, somebody’s opinion, maybe their mood that day, or shifting political winds in the company. You’re stuck in a position where you never, ever know if you’re actually winning.
And this, this is the ultimate danger. That vague contract, it’s not just an oversight. It can be used against you.
It gives the company the power to literally weaponize your deal, throw it right back in your face and just say, you failed. And it doesn’t matter how hard you worked or what you actually got done. Okay, that was the bad news, the scary part.
But listen, here’s the good news. You are not powerless in this situation, not at all. So let’s pivot to the solution.
There’s a clear, proactive way to defuse this trap and take back control. You really have a choice here between two very different paths. The trap, that leads to vague goals, subjective reviews, and just massive career risk.
But the solution, that leads to defined goals, objective measures of success, and you having real control over your career. The choice is kind of obvious, right? So here’s your playbook, your four-step plan. Step one, you propose a collaboration.
Don’t make it a fight. Frame it as, hey, let’s partner up to define what success looks like for everybody. Step two, define those benchmarks together.
Work with the CEO, the board, the investors. This is so important, especially in a turnaround or a startup where things might be fuzzy. Step three, and this part is absolutely non-negotiable, get the agreement in writing.
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And finally, step four, put a clock on it. Agree that you’ll nail down these benchmarks together within your first 90 days in the job. You have to think of these steps as your insurance policy, because if you don’t do them, you’re basically giving the company all the power, and that includes the ability to just hang you out to dry whenever it’s convenient for them.
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All right, let’s wrap this all up and really hammer this home so you can secure your own success. It all boils down to two really simple but really powerful ideas. First, burn this equation into your brain.
Vague goals do not mean flexibility. Nope. Vague goals equal a weaponized deal.
It’s a setup that puts all the risk squarely on your shoulders. And on the flip side, this is what you should be fighting for. Clear, defined goals, they’re not just about a contract.
They are the foundation of a true partnership for success, where everybody’s on the same page, working toward the same measurable finish line. So, I’ll just leave you with this one last thought. Take a hard look at your current deal, or the next one that comes across your desk, and ask yourself this powerful question.
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Is this a contract that’s built for our mutual success, or is it really just a license that allows them to say, I failed? The answer could define the entire next chapter of your career.
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ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER
People hire Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter to provide No BS Career Advice globally because he makes many things in peoples’ careers easier. Those things can involve job search,
hiring more effectively, managing and leading better, career transition, as well as advice about resolving workplace issues. He was the host and now produces “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with over 3000 episodes.
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