Clients often approach me when they realize that their momentum in the current role is tanking or that they see problem areas because of how the team is not providing the best environment for their ongoing success. Often, too, it is the new manager, who creates an environment that throttles team members’ growth through micromanagement and other vulgarities. Some are tempted to leave the company, but are often held back by its optics (short stints on the résumé), penalty they have to pay by leaving the unvested equity behind, or by having to deal with the daunting task of outside job hunting. For career growth, if the company offers other positions internally, it is often a good idea to consider moving to a work group where there is the right action, good growth environment, and for getting experience in an area that may be of interest to you for your future. The great benefit of an internal transfer is that you can openly explore many details about the new role and the person who manages that work group, something that is much more difficult to assess when you are an outsider to your prospect company. For both sides, such a transfer affords ample opportunities to check each other out. But, before making a move to a new work group there are few factors worth considering to making sure that the move benefits your career strategically and not just transactionally. By transactional benefit I mean, as an example, finding a clement manager, who lets their team members do what they want (within limits) without providing leadership guidance for their growth. If someone is leaving their current work group because their boss is a micromanager this may become a major—and tempting—factor in their decision, but in the long-term this is not a good career choice. So, when clients come to me seeking internal transfer I ask them to consider the following three “M” factors as paramount in their transfer equation before they decide to move internally. They are not in any particular order: Momentum: Momentum of a work group refers to the importance of their work to the company’s future. If a work group is engaged in the core activity of your company or division then it is likely that it has the attention of top management, resources for growth, and exciting work challenges to keep that momentum going. Such work groups also offer diversity of opportunities that keep popping up, allowing you to shift from one priority to the next as things change. If you thrive is such a dynamic environment and are willing to take on new challenges to contribute to further the success of such a group then this is an important factor in your decision to move to this group. Yet another important factor such work groups can offer is their risk tolerance. If you have felt stifled in your current work because you did not have the freedom to take on “risky” initiatives and were held back despite your confidence in their success, then such a work group can offer you the environment (intrapreneurship) for you to experience that dimension. Manager: Finding a good boss as your next manager is a difficult task in today’s corporate environment (not much different from it was yesterday!). Studies after studies during the past 50+ years have repeatedly shown that nearly 80% of the managers are dysfunctional in some ways. Of course, there is a continuum of dysfunctionality in this poo—from mildly aberrant to highly tyrannical managers. When making an internal transfer such exploration is easy to make by talking to the managers’ current and ex direct reports and peers. Finding a good manager as your next boss is particularly important if the main reason you’re looking for a change is because you cannot stand your current one. Because of this 80% “rule,” the probability that your next manager is even worse is high! So, invest your time and do the due diligence even after interviewing with your new boss. If you find any reason to suspect that there many be problems due to their management style have a final round of discussion about their management style and ask some specific and pointed questions in a non-offensive way before making your final decision. Marketability: Always look for how your next stint in the new group is going to translate in your ability to land yourself in the job market in the next few years. If the area of work that you’ll be engaged in is in great demand in the emerging job market then you have made the right career choice to keep your momentum in check. So, before you move to the new group do some market research and see if the jobs posted for the next level of your promotion are on the rise in your chosen area of pursuit. This way you will be easily marketable if you decide to leave in a few years and go to another company. Now that you know what to look for in your next internal transfer you can look around and see if the opportunities available within your company are ripe ones for you to make a change. Good luck!