Why must a candidate be prepared to accept a high-level mid-level position if pursuing a senior role has resulted in slow progress?

It gets the candidate immediately into the new organization, on payroll, and positioned to look internally for advancement much sooner.

Inflexibility regarding role or compensation can be a major self-imposed bottleneck when speed is the primary objective. The text suggests that accepting a slightly less-than-perfect initial role can be a strategic acceleration tactic. If the search for the perfect senior title is slow, taking a high-level mid-level position at a strong company facilitates immediate entry into the organization and onto their payroll. This strategy provides an internal pathway for advancement within six to twelve months, which is often a much faster trajectory than waiting indefinitely for the ideal senior opening to materialize externally.