Timing Is Everything: The Most Underrated Career Skill

Timing Is Everything – Career Growth and Leadership Readiness

We often talk about what role we want next and where we want our careers to go. Less often do we talk about when. Yet timing—more than talent, ambition, or even opportunity—is often the deciding factor in long-term career success.

I’ve seen great people stall because they moved too early. I’ve also seen high performers get passed over because they waited too long. In a career, timing isn’t luck. It’s a skill—one that requires self-awareness, patience, and courage.

There are two sides to career timing that matter most: developing yourself to be truly ready and knowing when it’s time to leave your current role for the next opportunity.

Timing Starts With Preparation, Not Opportunity

Many people believe readiness happens after they get the role. In reality, readiness must come first.

The best leaders I’ve worked with didn’t wait for a title to develop the skills required for the next level. They built capability early—sometimes quietly—long before a role opened up. They asked better questions, took on broader problems, and learned how decisions were made above their pay grade.

Timing favors the prepared, not the impatient.

If you want to move into a larger role, ask yourself:

• Am I already operating at the next level in how I think, communicate, and make decisions?

• Do senior leaders trust me with ambiguity, not just execution?

• Have I built relationships beyond my immediate team or function?

Development is about stretching before the promotion, not scrambling after it. When opportunity arrives—and it always does for those who are ready—you don’t want to be learning the basics in real time. You want leaders saying, “They’ve already been doing this.”

That’s timing done right.

The Danger of Moving Too Early

Ambition is healthy. Impatience is costly.

Leaving a role too early—before you’ve fully absorbed its lessons—can limit your long-term ceiling. Every role has a “harvest period,” a phase where the real learning and credibility compound. If you exit before that point, you may get the title you want but miss the foundation you need.

Signs you may be moving too early:

• You haven’t yet delivered a full cycle of results.

• You still rely heavily on others to solve unfamiliar problems.

• You want the role more for status than for responsibility.

Early moves can create shallow experience. Over time, shallow experience shows.

Sometimes the right timing means staying longer than your ego prefers, because mastery—not speed—is what unlocks the next level.

Knowing When It’s Time to Leave

On the other end of the spectrum is staying too long.

Loyalty, comfort, and fear can quietly sabotage growth. When you’ve outgrown a role, the risk shifts. Staying no longer builds strength—it erodes momentum.

You may be ready to move on if:

• Your learning curve has flattened despite added effort.

• You’re no longer challenged by the problems you’re solving.

• Your values or direction no longer align with where the organization is going.

Leaving at the right time isn’t about dissatisfaction; it’s about trajectory. The goal isn’t to escape something—it’s to step into something that demands more of you.

Importantly, timing your exit doesn’t mean burning bridges or acting abruptly. It means being intentional, transparent, and prepared. Strong transitions protect your reputation and expand your network. Poorly timed exits shrink both.

Promotions Are About Readiness, Not Vacancy

Many people wait for a role to open before deciding whether they’re ready. High performers reverse the equation.

They prepare as if the role already exists.

When leaders evaluate candidates for promotion, they aren’t just looking at performance—they’re assessing risk. Promoting someone before they’re ready creates organizational drag. Promoting someone who’s already operating at that level creates momentum.

The best career timing happens when opportunity meets undeniable readiness.

That’s why development, visibility, and results must move in parallel. Timing isn’t just when you raise your hand—it’s what others already believe about your capability when you do.

Timing Is a Long Game

Careers aren’t won in a single move. They’re built through a series of well-timed decisions—some aggressive, some patient, all intentional.

If you remember nothing else, remember this:

• Develop early

• Stay long enough to master

• Leave when growth—not comfort—demands it

Timing won’t always feel perfect in the moment. But when you look back, the right moves usually make sense in hindsight.

In a career, timing is everything—but timing favors those who prepare, reflect, and act with purpose.

Just tell me the next move.