Why a Sideways Move Could Be the Key to Getting to the C-suite—And Staying There

The higher you climb as a leader, the more it can feel like the only move worth making is upward. With each promotion, you’ve likely been handed more responsibility, more complexity, and more visibility. But, as you get closer to the C-suite, progression doesn’t always come from elevation. It can come from moving sideways too, whether that be a move to a different function, division, or geography.

Yet few emerging executives engage in this type of move. And it’s easy to see why it can feel like a risk. You may worry that stepping sideways signals stalled momentum, that it could be read as not being ready or not being chosen for the next step up.

What I tend to observe, though, is that the leaders who progress to the C-suite—and importantly succeed when in role—almost always have breadth in their background.

There’s a structural reason for this. So much of what matters in organizations today gets done across functions, not within them. The ability to lead across the enterprise—to build trust with people who don’t report to you, to see a challenge through the lens of finance, operations, and the customer at the same time—has become increasingly important at senior levels. And it can be difficult to develop that capability without having stood on different ground at some point.

Here I share some key benefits of a sideways move and how it can ready you for the next step in your leadership journey.

1. You will develop skills that set you apart at the top

One of the most significant benefits of a lateral move is what it does to the quality of your thinking. When you operate in a function or market you haven't led before, you are forced to solve problems without the instincts you've built up over years. You can't rely on pattern recognition. You have to listen more carefully, ask better questions, and construct your view from unfamiliar inputs. That process, repeated over the course of a role, fundamentally changes how you lead.

Our research shows, for example, that CEOs who had successfully integrated sustainability into their business strategy were three times more likely than a control group of global Fortune 500 CEOs to have worked on two or more continents, and twice as likely to have had significant career experience in two or more functions. The leaders we interviewed reported that this has furnished them with a broader, more rounded understand of their business and industry, as well as helped them hone their leadership skills.

Leaders who have worked across different parts of a business also develop an ability to see how decisions in one area ripple across others—how a commercial call affects operations, how a people decision affects customer experience. That kind of joined-up thinking is difficult to develop from within a single function, no matter how senior you become in it. And our research also demonstrated the importance of strategic thinking today: when we asked leaders what skills they consider most essential for facing the challenges ahead, strategic thinking came out on top—ahead of decision-making, change management, and innovation. A lateral move is one of the most direct ways to build this skill, because it puts you in situations where narrow thinking simply isn't an option.

2. You will build relationships that open doors at senior levels

When you move into a different part of the business, you're building relationships with people who have no preconceptions about you. You have to earn their trust through your work, your judgment, and how you show up when things are difficult.

The practical outcome is a network that carries real weight when it matters most. Succession conversations at senior levels are never decided on CVs alone. Decision-makers think about the leaders they've seen operate under pressure, in different contexts, with people who weren't already on their side.

If the only people who can speak to your leadership are those who've worked with you in one function, your profile can have a ceiling. A lateral move gives people across the business a reason to advocate for you—and at the C-suite level, that kind of broad sponsorship is often the difference between being considered and being appointed.

And those relationships don't stop being useful once you arrive. A C-suite role demands constant cross-functional navigation—influencing without authority, building coalitions, and moving quickly through unfamiliar territory. The network you built through a lateral move gives you a head start.

3. You will develop resilience that makes a C-suite role feel less daunting

Stepping into an unfamiliar role—where you don't yet have the answers, the relationships, or the instincts—is uncomfortable. But it is also one of the most valuable experiences you can have before reaching the C-suite. The reason is simple: you discover that you can do it. You find your footing in an environment where you weren't the expert, and you deliver.

The practical value of this shows up on day one of a C-suite role, and on many days after that. Senior leadership positions ask you to make consequential decisions with incomplete information, to lead people through situations you haven't encountered before, and to project confidence before you feel it.

Leaders who have only ever operated in environments where they were already established—where they knew the landscape, the people, and the unwritten rules—can find that adjustment jarring. Leaders who have rebuilt their credibility in an unfamiliar context tend to find it far more manageable. They know what it feels like to be new, and they know they can handle it.

This feels particularly relevant now. In an environment reshaped by AI and geopolitical uncertainty, the ability to absorb new contexts quickly and make sound decisions before you feel fully ready is increasingly valuable. That kind of adaptability tends to develop through experience—and a well-timed lateral move is one of the more direct ways to build it.

Authors

Miriam Capelli is a leadership advisor at Russell Reynolds Associates. She is based in Singapore.