This article is not intended for anyone with a sense of entitlement who thinks their company owes them a promotion. I’ve been there. As a young graduate I used to feel I’d done enough that surely my promotion on a plate was ready. At times I perhaps had a point, but mostly I was living in delusion land! No, this is for you if you’re ready to earn your place and put in the effort to make it happen. If you don’t get a promotion when you’ve give it your all, it may well be time to move on.
Identify, are you promotion ready?
You’re ready for your next challenge, you’re yearning to be recognised as the rising star and rewarded with the prize promotion. First things first, you need to take a good hard look at yourself and those around you and identify whether you’re the right person to get a promotion. We’re back to this reality bit! What have you achieved that sets you apart? What do you do day to day that others aren’t to support the team? How have you improved your organisation? Watching the best of your peers, what are they doing?
Put your Plan for How I’m Going to Get a Promotion into Place
Don’t despair if you realise you haven’t been on the right track, but it’s worth recognising your campaign might take a little longer than you’d hoped.
I’m going to share some tips that will help you fast track your plans:
Have a 1:1 with your manager.
If they don’t do them, set one up. Tell them you want to be considered for a promotion and ask what you’d need to do to make it happen. This will give you exactly what you need. You’ll understand their perception of you. You’ll learn what they expect of you. You can formulate a plan of action together. And if they can’t see it happening, you’ll know it’s time to move on!
Identify a business challenge that’s hurting your company and tell your boss that you’re going to solve it!
This shows you have strong business awareness, are a strategic thinker, and have a problem solving attitude. Of course, you have to deliver the goods too! What might you be able to achieve within 90 days? Go do it.
Be part of what makes the team great!
When you’re a team player who makes it a better place for everyone, you’ll make it a better place for yourself AND stand out. What can you do? Be helpful to others. Do things to create a team atmosphere; organise a social, set up a charity event, start bake off Friday, etc. Highlight others’ achievements and give positive feedback. Get creative, there’s lots you can do.
Identify the issues that bug your manager most and come up with solutions!
How obvious is that? Yet most of us are so stuck in our own worlds that we don’t take the time to understand. Instead we rely on our internal crystal balls to try and predict what others are thinking. Here’s a novel solution: listen and ask! Keep your ears open for clues. And ask questions… ‘I was wondering, what’s giving you the biggest headache right now’ or something similar.
Identify a way of communicating your achievements that isn’t a lesson in brown nosing.
If you have a regular 1:1 it’s easy. If not, what’s stopping you from asking for a regular meeting. Or could you send a weekly/ monthly update by email? Or identify how you can get airtime in your team meeting. Here’s a little conversational way of dropping it in:
You know how….insert issue
Well what I’ve done is….insert solution
So that you can….insert benefit and result
The simple fact is, you can wait to be noticed. Or you can do the right things to get you noticed. This isn’t about just doing your job, it’s about what more can you do? If you’re already doing more, then how are you highlighting it?
If you’re serious about positioning yourself to get a promotion, then check out my personal brand makeover programme. I work with women who want to take their visibility to another level. If you’re ready to get noticed, be taken seriously, and take your confidence to another level then this is for you!
