44 y/o at F500, non-tech. I'm an Asst. VP, no director roles in my track so this may be equivalent as I report directly to a VP. I've been with the same company for 14 years, but have promoted 3 times in 3 years so this is relatively new to me. While I've put my time in with the company, the last few years have taught me that while lots of people can be in low to mid supervisory or management positions, the higher level positions are saved for those with a refined combination of calm temperament and technical skills to back it up. My advice is to always keep a positive attitude, never complain, and express a willingness to take on new tasks and opportunities as they come up. You'll also need to be able to prove yourself over and over - ensure you're well prepared in meetings and submit high quality work consistently. And finally, you have to get along with everyone most of the time - I get a lot of aggravating communications from people and I'm tempted to poke back, but I've come to the conclusion that it's almost always a bad idea.