The Career Trap and how to double your salary

You've hit the income ceiling. The title says "Director" or "Manager." Your salary is solid. But you're not the person running the show. You're the person making sure the show runs smoothly. And that's a very different thing.

The worst part? Nobody sees it coming until you're living it. One day, you realise you've been optimising the same role for five years. Your peer in a different industry or company is now the CFO.

It's a structural problem. Most finance organisations have a 3-to-5-year plateau built into the career ladder. You get good at your job. You become invaluable. So they keep you there. The system works against you the better you perform.

But here's what nobody tells you: that trap is optional.

The Three Escape Routes (And Why Most Finance Leaders Pick the Wrong One)

Route 1: Own Your Market Position Before You Own a Title

CFOs and senior finance leaders who break through the ceiling do one thing differently: they stop waiting for a promotion and start positioning for it.

This doesn't mean updating your LinkedIn profile. It means reframing your entire professional narrative—today, in your current role.

What this looks like in practice:

Stop describing what you do. Start describing what you deliver. Instead of "I manage the close process and oversee reporting," the narrative becomes "I engineered a forecast model that reduced forecast error by 40%, directly improving working capital management and cash flow visibility for board-level decision-making."

That's not about being promotional. That's about being accurate. You already do this work. You've just never positioned it in a way that catches the attention of CFOs, board members, or recruiters.

Create one LinkedIn case study every quarter. Not articles about finance trends. Not reshares of industry content. A real story about a business problem you solved, the methodology you used, and the measurable impact. One authentic post resonates more than a hundred generic shares. Boards and executive search firms actively scan these. You become visible to the right people.

Build a network of strategic peers—other finance leaders, CFOs, and industry figures you genuinely respect. Real relationships. Join an executive forum or finance-focused community where senior talent congregates, and show up consistently. These networks create opportunity gravity. A referral from a peer beats a hundred job applications.

Route 2: Develop the Capabilities That Command CFO-Level Compensation

Finance professionals who successfully leap into the C-suite share a pattern: they weren't waiting to become CFO. They were already doing CFO-level work.

The market pays for specific capabilities. CFO pay premiums don't go to people who manage accounting. They go to people who shape business strategy, drive P&L performance, and influence board-level decisions.

Build AI and advanced analytics expertise. This is no longer optional. Finance teams that leverage predictive analytics for forecasting, scenario planning, and operational optimisation are dramatically outperforming traditional finance functions. Learn it. Apply it. Document a real win—a forecasting model that changed decision-making, a working capital optimisation that freed up millions in cash, an automated reporting system that redirected your team's time to strategy.

Lead a strategic, entrepreneurial initiative. The finance leaders getting promoted to CFO aren't just excellent at their functional roles. They've led something that required business ownership. This could be a new revenue stream, a cost transformation program, an M&A integration, or an internal venture. The specific project matters less than what it demonstrates: you can think like a business operator, not just a financial steward. Document the economics, the decisions you made, and the measurable business impact.

Master executive presence and boardroom communication. Many excellent finance professionals never advance because they can't command a room or communicate with the confidence of a C-suite peer. A structured executive program designed specifically for finance leaders accelerates your development in strategic thinking, executive communication, and cross-functional influence. More importantly, it provides a peer network of other rising finance leaders—many of whom will become your professional ecosystem.

Route 3: Change the Game Entirely—Move Into an Environment That Rewards Your Strengths

Sometimes the fastest path to the top isn't climbing higher in your current context. It's moving to a different mountain.

Your current organisation likely has a defined structure. Finance isn't the revenue driver. There's a glass ceiling for how much influence finance can have. You're optimising a system, not building one. And that limits your upside.

Move to a growth-stage or high-momentum industry. Organisations that are scaling, consolidating, or operating in high-growth sectors place finance in a fundamentally different position. Move from traditional manufacturing into industrial software. Move from a utility into renewable energy. Move from a traditional corporate structure into a scaled startup. In these environments, senior finance talent is scarce and valued. Your compensation, scope, and career velocity all accelerate.

Explore geographic arbitrage. Certain markets have dramatically higher demand for senior finance talent and significantly more competitive compensation structures. Emerging markets in Southeast Asia, certain tech hubs, or rapidly expanding corporate centres offer senior finance professionals options that don't exist in their home markets. Build strategic relationships in your target geography before you move. The network opens doors before you ever arrive.

Consider a strategic lateral move into a higher-impact finance discipline. If you've spent your career in accounting or controllership, a move into FP&A, commercial finance, or corporate strategy positions you closer to decision-making and executive leadership. These roles naturally progress to CFO.

The Real Play: Stack Them

The finance leaders who land the CFO role—or equivalent impact and compensation—don't rely on one of these approaches. They layer them strategically over time.

Start with positioning. Reframe your narrative. Build visibility. Create network relationships. This takes 6-12 months and costs nothing but your attention. You'll likely see an internal opportunity or an external interest emerge.

Simultaneously, build capability. Start your AI certification. Lead a strategic project. Join an executive program or CFO network. Dedicate 10-15 hours per month to capability development. This compounds over 18-24 months.

Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. That could be an internal promotion, a compelling external opportunity, or a strategic move into a higher-growth sector or role. The positioning and capability you've built dramatically increase your chances of success.

The Question Isn't "When Will I Get Promoted?" It's "What Do I Need to Do?"

Most mid-career finance leaders have the technical capability to reach the C-suite. What they lack is a clear roadmap. They don't know which moves to make first. They don't know how to position their work so the right people see it. They underestimate what capability gaps are holding them back. And they miss opportunities because they're not actively creating visibility.

This is precisely where an expert career mentor for finance leaders makes the difference.

A strategic coach who specialises in CFO and senior finance careers can accelerate your trajectory by 2-3 years. They help you identify the highest-impact positioning moves. They guide you toward capability development that actually moves the needle in your market. And they dramatically increase the odds that your next role is the one you actually want.