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Are you struggling to get the recognition and promotion you deserve? Are you struggling to tick all those career goals of a manager boxes that you know you should?
Sure, you are good at your job, and you probably enjoy the challenges it offers, but if you are honest there is something missing. You really want a promotion, and the recognition that entails, but perhaps you are just too good in your current position to be taken out of it.
Here are 5 ways you can up-skill, get that promotion you deserve, still be a valued employee of your company, and ensure that all your career goals of a manager are fulfilled.
You don’t want to go around blowing your own trumpet. It doesn’t bode well, and can be misconstrued as bragging.
Rather, let the quality of your work speak for you. The results you achieve should demonstrate your skills and suitability for senior positions. Letting your work speak for you is a skill which requires some practice.
As well, creating a supportive team and developing their skills so that they shout about you, requires time and a certain approach. If you are not sure, research the best approach to team building, and celebrate and encourage everyone’s success.
Dreaming about being a senior manager or executive is one thing, gaining that position is another entirely different thing.
What skills are required to fulfil this position and be a great success in it? Do you fully understand them? And most importantly, how can you acquire them?
You may have to undertake extra study online or look at self-development courses? Anything you do will further enhance your skills and better prepare you not only to take on a new role, but to be a great success at it too.
Your position is backed up and supports a whole host of other areas within your organization. The best way to show your bosses how interested you are in it, is to learn how the rest of company works.
Don’t be afraid of stepping out of your comfort zone. Be brave and ask questions of other managers and support staff. By demonstrating how keen you are in the workings of the rest of the company, you are clearly showing your suitability for a senior position.
No man or woman is an island, the old saying goes. If you have the determination and the focus to get that promotion you deserve, then you’ll need to build a network support system around you.
This can be down by employing coaches, mentors and sponsors. These can come from within your company or from without – it doesn’t matter.
These people should have your back and help you gain the valuable skills you need to get a promotion. They may offer you skills and ideas, but they should also challenge you too, so expect some constructive criticism, be brave and grow.
Demonstrate how good you would be in that senior position you are long for by being a valuable leader right now.
Showcase your great talents by sharing your knowledge and training others in your department to higher standards.
Prove that you understand how important human capital is to your company, and how you have the skills to bring out the best in all employees under and on an equal footing to you.
Putting these 5 tips into practice right now will guarantee you are noticed by your seniors. They will begin to rely on you and trust you more. This will lead to you be included in important decision making meetings, and to your eventual promotion – you know the one you deserve.
And always remember:
Do you get that sickening feeling deep in your gut when the alarm goes off every morning? Do you wish you could pull the covers over your head, and not go into work?
Is your corporate development career path going nowhere?
If you are unhappy with your job, you like many others, may have a similar experience day after day. When you tell others how much you hate your job do they say, “Well, just quit?”
But there is something deep inside you that is stopping you from leaving and you don’t know how to overcome it?
Is “The Better the Devil You Know Than the Devil You Don’t” attitude ruining your corporate development career path?
Change is scary, right?
There are so many “what ifs” to take into account:
What if I’m not really that good at my job?
What if I can’t find another job?
What if I lose my job security?
What if I lose my job stability?
Is the sheer overwhelming lack of security really damaging your career prospects? If any of these questions have resonated with you, then the answer is “yes”.
Courage in the Face of Fear
Changing jobs always carries some degree of risk for every person. However, what is required is courage in the face of fear. You need to stop second-guessing yourself, embrace a new opportunity, and create a career path which is challenging, yes, but worthwhile on so many other levels.
How Do You Know If You Are Ready for Change?
Sit and close your eyes and imagine where you are now, in the same job at the same firm, for the next two, three or even five years. How do you feel?
Do you feel dread and anxiety?
Are you excited about what your future offers? No?
Are there other projects or areas that pique your interest and leave you with a sense of wanting?
Are you bored? Do you lack drive and ambition? Does your current organization have the growth, learning, and new opportunities for employees that you can take advantage of?
Are you unsure where to go to next or what to do?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions then you are ready for the change.
How Can You Best Prepare for a Career Change?
It is difficult to jump and make the change, but you can and should do it. You will need to put some things into place to protect yourself, and ensure you are prepared for a new job.
Believe in yourself.
Make sure you have savings to cover the extra expenses of changing jobs.
Make sure your health insurance is current and flexible.
Be prepared to learn new routines and procedures.
Be prepared to banish all of those fears that are currently holding you back.
And, gather your courage to embrace your new life.
Our fear of uncertainty paralyzes us, preventing us from being able to pursue other career avenues. Your career is your destiny, and your choice. Why would you stay in a place where you are unappreciated and your talents not recognized?
Banish that “Better the Devil You Know Attitude”, and instead create a career you will be proud of.
And always remember:
Like all career-focused managers, one thing you are proactive about is creating new ideas. This will lead to the improvement of the company where you work. Furthermore, you want to do exceptionally well, and have your ideas advance your career and get the promotions you deserve.
After all, there is no better way to become a rising star than to generate new concepts which advance your company. However, you want to get the credit you deserve, and you need to understand what career goals for managers entail, so you can best use them to your advantage.
Your boss is going to take your ideas and present them to their seniors, this is how the structure of nearly all organizations work. What you don’t want is for your ideas to become your boss’, and for their to receive the credit that should be yours. This situation happens a lot, but is often not taken on board when considering what your career goals for managers are. However, this doesn’t mean you should sit back and let it happen. There are things you can do to your advantage and have your ideas heard and seen, and still get the credit you deserve.
Here are some tips to make sure your boss doesn’t steal your ideas:
Share Your Ideas With Your Workmates and Colleagues.
Before going to your boss, share your idea with your colleagues. Whether it is over coffee in the lunchroom or during a meeting, make sure that more people know what you have come up with.
If you are concerned that they may promote your idea as theirs only tell them part of the idea. If you withhold certain aspects, the idea will not be able to be shared fully until you are ready.
Write Down Everything
Keep a journal and diarize everything that you are doing, and even thinking. Many creative people have an “ideas diary” or “light bulb journal”. This is the place where you jot down your thoughts and ideas about anything and everything related to your workplace. The key to making this work is to date each entry.
This way anything and everything you think up will be recorded and is proof you were the first person to think of it.
As well as keeping track of your first spark of imagination and your ideas, you should create a system of files on your computer, which record your conversations and emails you share with your boss. This way you can prove that the concept is yours with a legitimate paper trail. Diarize these too, to further prove each idea is yours.
Speak Up And Be Honest
Perhaps your boss doesn’t realize what they are doing. Take your boss out for lunch or join them for coffee, and make your concerns clear. If you are nervous, jot down your thoughts before so they are clearer in your head. That way you will be able to verbalize them better.
Rather than confront your boss, and be adversarial, take your approach from a more moderate stance. Consider that they might not be aware of your feelings. They also might not be aware of what they are doing.
However, if you believe that your boss is acting to their own advantage, then take special note of the above steps and protect yourself.
Whatever their motives, why not suggest a shared approach with your boss? That way you will get the credit for your ideas, and your boss will get the credit for encouraging and supporting someone who is a real benefit to the organization – you.
Are You Coming Across as Overly Clever?
Are you threatening your boss inadvertently?
Some people are naturally outgoing and love to share, and if you are one of these people you may be seen as a threat by your boss.
They may not appreciate your outgoing personality or your ability to come up with new and exciting ideas.
Don’t tone yourself down; that would be ingenuous to your true self. You are the rising star in your company and have a right to pave the way to your own career.
Instead, keep a proper paper trail, share your ideas with your colleagues, be open and honest, and most importantly, true to yourself.
And always remember:
Getting rejected for promotion is probably the biggest let down a middle manager can experience, especially after putting in so much hard work. After the initial shock of rejection, you’re probably asking what you could’ve done differently one of the major factors affecting career development.
Not getting promoted can be the result of many factors, some you can control and others you can’t. Even if the decision is completely out of your hands, there are still three major factors affecting career development you can take into consideration.
Many middle managers think that their boss is planning on promoting them. You’ve come to this conclusion because you always meet your deadlines, exceed expectations, and demonstrate professionalism. It would seem the logical course of action to promote you. But don’t forget that these are all YOUR assumptions, not your boss’s. Your boss has many other things on their plate and your promotion is not necessarily their first priority. Rather than dilly-dallying around with the subject of your promotion, make it clear to your boss that you plan to stay and advance at your current organization. Restate this at different opportunities, whether at annual assessments, project meetings, or even informal chats. You don’t want to get to a point where your boss claims they never knew about your career aspirations.
Today’s organizations are much more than producing or delivering a product or service. They are living, breathing social ecosystems. Many organizations have in-house dining rooms and gyms. They throw celebrations and hold team-building seminars. They sponsor events and organize volunteering projects. Even if you “work to live” and don’t “live to work,” you want to make sure that your coworkers and managers see you as an active part of your organization’s social side. After all, if everybody else is having lunch with other managers, showing their fun side at a party, or demonstrating their empathy at a charity event - and you’re not, then who do you think will be chosen when promotion time comes around? Remember, senior managers are expected to serve as role models in all organizational aspects, not just productivity.
Your organization isn’t going to write your resume for you; it’s up to you to keep track of your accomplishments so that when the time comes, you’ll be able to position and brand yourself for promotion. Make sure that you understand what’s needed for your next promotion and what gaps need to be filled. Work on closing in on these gaps, whether it’s through improved performance, learning something new, or even shadowing an expert. The point is that you keep a careful record of your improvements, making sure that decision makers are aware of them along the way. Putting yourself in the spotlight, so to speak, will provide the evidence needed to decision makers that you both have come a long way and are able to climb even higher.
Your next promotion is obviously not completely in your hands. In fact, it’s mostly in others’ hands. But if you follow the three strategies above, you’ll hopefully be able to influence these hands in your favor.
And always remember:
Deep down inside, you know it’s high time you were promoted. You feel it in your head, your heart, and your bank account. And somehow you know that if you don’t get promoted soon, you probably won’t get another chance - derailed from your corporate development career path. But here you are still waiting for your organization to come to the same conclusion. After all, with all of the hard work you’ve done, offering you a promotion would be the right thing to do. So you wait and wait...and wait.
Based on over three decades of experience, you’ll probably keep waiting...while your coworkers bypass you one by one along your lonely corporate development career path.
If you’re ready now, then it’s time to stop waiting and to start acting.
So here’s the question: what is the best way to ask for a promotion?
First, you should know that asking for a promotion is not a matter of semantics. It’s not about whether you frame it as a direct question, a suggestion, or even a hint. It’s more about being very clear. And it’s also a process.
In your mind, plan out three to five meetings you’ll have with your boss. These meetings should be spread out over as much time as possible, but of course this depends on how urgent the promotion is for you.
In the first meeting, you want to let your boss know that you are an ambitious player and that you see yourself growing within the organization. This will help put your boss in the mindset of viewing you as a long-term investment - someone they should train, assess, and pay attention to.
The next two to four meetings should be a mixture of formal and informal encounters. No matter what the subject is, you need to reiterate to your boss that you would like to advance within the organization. Ensure that each “hint” includes your boss’s feedback in terms of steps you should take to make this happen. This process helps commit your boss to your eventual promotion, as they become an active partner in turning it into reality.
These first four meetings are what I like to call “laying the groundwork,” as they help to build the solid foundation on which you’ll eventually ask for a promotion.
The fifth meeting should include a direct request for a promotion. By this time, your boss and you have been working together in order to arrive at this moment. As such, granting or recommending you for promotion seems like the natural thing to do - because of your joint commitment so far.
Obviously, this process seems easier said than done. Planning out the series of meeting is one thing; actually carrying them out is another. Yes, you need the courage to bring up a subject that might make you feel uncomfortable. And yes, you need the courage to face a possible rejection. But consider the alternative - waiting around isn’t going to get you anywhere. So don’t let too much time pass. Begin planning your journey towards the corner office today.
And always remember:
Thank you!
We’re wrapping up 2017 with so many subscribers from different industries...and we have YOU to thank for it!
Looking forward to continued success together in 2018!
Etika
And always remember:
The end of the year is a wonderful time to reflect on our lives, including how we feel about our career. While in my usual posts, I try to provide actionable advice, in this holiday season post, my advice is to sit back and relax. In a relaxed state, your mind has time to absorb everything you’ve experienced throughout the year, allowing you for some mindful reflection.
Here are some things many middle managers reflect about around this time of year:
1. What’s your overall goal for your career? Can you express it in one sentence?
2. Are you satisfied with your work-life balance? Are you enjoying both?
3. What kind of opportunities outside of work might help you become a more well-rounded person?
4. What could you do to help others?
These are just examples of questions to consider. I think that you get the idea - concentrate on both the big picture and thinking a little bit outside the box. So grab a mug of something warm, sit back, and reflect.
Wishing you a very happy holiday season.
Etika
When you finally become a middle manager, you’re proud of yourself for having made it past the entry-level pack. You are no longer considered a newbie in your field and you have earned recognition and respect by being promoted - important career goals of a manager. As you eagerly and professionally carry out your role as a middle manager, you begin looking forward to that next promotion. But based on over 35 years of experience helping middle managers navigate their career, the first thing I want to say to you is “beware.” Beware of signs that might not only signal a stagnated career as a middle manager - but worse - the end of one. Here are some red flags middle managers should look out for, as they often mean that a pink slip is in the making - definitely not one of the career goals of a manager.
This positive, optimistic noun phrase is actually a euphemism for “we’re not happy with you.” Yes, it’s usually framed within a very constructive conversation about the one or two points that need to be improved in the next quarter, but it’s actually evidence that can and will be used against you when you are let go. If you are faced with a performance improvement plan, of course, you must comply with it. However, recognize it for what it is: the beginning of a goodbye.
All middle managers are requested to work hard - that’s what you’re there for. But if you find yourself being asked to meet superhuman deadlines or mobilizing uncooperative teams, you might be being set up for failure. After all, it would be hard to fire you if your performance was stellar, right? So to make sure your organization has a case, you’ll be asked to meet impossible targets. Remember, as a middle manager, you don’t want to shy away from a challenge, but if the job seems impossible, it probably is.
Do you have a fear of flying and yet you’ve been asked to fly to a customer in Europe? Are you a family person and yet you’ve been given a project that will keep you busy 24/7 for the next quarter? Have you been asked to relocate to in the middle of a school year? In most normal circumstances, asking to pass on these requests would be normal. But if an organization is trying to poke holes in your otherwise excellent record, it may resort to asking you to do things it knows you won’t.
Have you received a ton of emails lately, documenting every move you’ve made - often in a critical tone? Are you wondering what the big deal is about a report that might have exceeded company-standard length or that a submission was an hour late? These are classic cases of building evidence so as to trash your performance record. Your organization might not have any “real” proof that you’re not up to par, so it’s begun nitpicking its way through your workday...all in the name of building up a case against you.
I know that these items seem unbelievable and that you’re probably wondering what kinds of organizations would stoop so low. I don’t have a single answer for this, but organizations that either are in trouble or changing the fundamental way they do business are prime candidates for such behavior. For example, if an organization is in financial dire straits, they need to jettison as much as possible in order to stay alive. Perhaps they’ve been given instructions from the board of directors that 20% of the workforce must be cut. In the other situation, a company has decided to change its strategy and your department or function is no longer the center of activity. In this case, you’re being whittled off, little by little, until you’re not part of the company’s activities.
Middle managers, beware. You are often the first layer to be sliced off when organizations decide to downsize, for whatever reason. The best thing you can do is stay alert for signs of impending dismissal and prepare yourself for the day after, making sure that the next organization you work for brings you one step closer to the corner office.
And always remember:
The end of the year is approaching and with it comes the time to take stock in your career. In fact, many organizations actually ask employees to evaluate where they are and where they see themselves headed. Don’t wait for your boss to ask you - go ahead and begin now. It will give you the opportunity to figure out what gaps you need to fill so that you can pursue your next promotion. Remember that as a middle manager, no one is going to hand you new skillsets on a silver platter for you to put on your resume for internal promotion. It’s all up to you. While there are many ways of taking stock of your skills, I prefer a very simple one based two categories: “what I have” and “what I need”. Both of these are important, as they will shed light both on how you can already differentiate yourselves from others as well as what you need to fill in the gap so that you can stay in the race.
Before delving into the “what I have” v. “what I need” analysis, it’s important that your answers are truthful and reflect reality. Many of us have the tendency to see things as we wish they were - rather than as they really are. Therefore, my advice is to check your analysis with a trusted colleague or two. They will let you know if you really have what you think you have and will provide insight into what you need so that you can succeed next year - and be proud of your resume for internal promotion.
The “what I have” category is based on your current competencies and how these might help you in the future. Here are some categories to consider:
What talents do you have that come naturally? Are you good with numbers? Organizing projects? Expressing yourself verbally? What about talents that you’ve developed over your career? Use of technology? Time management? How might these talents be in demand as your particular organization and industry develop?
How wide is your network? Does it reach beyond your particular department? Can you call on others to help you in a bind? Would key players recommend you if a promotion opportunity came along? How might your current network be maintained and expanded as your organization pursues new opportunities in the market?
What is your track record when it comes to meeting commitments? Observing ethical guidelines? Demonstrating loyalty? Would others see you as an upstanding worker when it comes to these issues? As your organization goes, how could your character play an important part in receiving the recognition you deserve?
After you are satisfied with the accuracy of “what I have,” it’s time to flip the coin to “what I need.” Here are some categories to think about:
Are there some skills you’re missing? For example, if you’re in marketing, are you fully up-to-date regarding social networking platforms? What about soft skills, such as public speaking? Perhaps you need to enroll in a class or two. Surely there are some skills that will be needed as your organization enters new waters.
We all face fear, but are there any fears you have that might be holding you back from that next promotion? When was the last time you volunteered to give a presentation to a senior manager or to accompany an important visitor? Do cold sales calls make you chill? Competition among middle managers is fierce and your fear could be holding you back from staying in the game.
Work habits
Everyone has to work on work habits, whether it’s managing their time well, giving precise instructions to subordinates, or leaving personal issues outside of the organization. We usually have a good idea of our work habit issues, as others have probably given us some signals. The problem here is that lack of professional work habits will keep you away from promotion opportunities, no matter how well your organization is doing.
Now that you have a good idea of “what I have” and “what I need,” it’s time to do two things. As far as “what I have,” make sure you can express these clearly and concisely, both in spoken and written forms, so that the next time you’re asked “why you,” when a promotion opportunity comes along, you won’t hesitate for a second. Regarding “what I need,” it’s time to make a plan. Take three items from this list and prioritize them from most important to least. Then, decide how you are going to fill in the gaps. It might be through a class, a wise mentor, an online seminar, or a good management book. Whatever it is, make sure these items don’t show up on your list this time next year.
And always remember:
Any middle manager will admit they have some weaknesses that might be keeping them from getting promoted. If you’ve been a middle manager for more than a few years, you’ve seen your share of co-workers getting promoted ahead of you - and deep down inside, you’ve probably understood why they were promoted and not you. This isn’t to say that all promotions are granted fairly. In fact, in over 35 years of assisting middle managers achieve their career dreams, I’ve seen quite a few undeserved promotions. But these aren’t the cases I want to address here. Today’s post is about dealing with the weaknesses you have that you feel might be preventing you from being promoted - one of the major factors affecting career development.
The first step in dealing with your weaknesses is to identify them. For example, while you might think that your biggest weakness is time management, it might not be perceived as such by your work environment. In fact, you may be surprised to learn that it’s not your (lack of) time management but the way you seem to initiate project after project without following through. And all of this time, you’ve been seeing this entrepreneurial spirit as one of your biggest advantages. So before you begin attacking your weaknesses, find out what they are from your environment's point of view. This is important to know, as it’s your company’s perception of you that will determine how far you go - one of the most important factors affecting career development.
Once you know your weaknesses, try to find out a core skill that you can acquire to improve the weakness. For example, if you’re seen as not thorough enough, then perhaps ask others to let you know when you’re getting off track. Such gentle reminders will help you stay on a manageable number of projects at one time, rather than skipping around, as you might be doing now.
If you’re struggling with a weakness, perhaps there’s something hidden within the weakness that you’re actually really good at. So if you’re known to jump around a lot, then perhaps it’s your creativity that’s triggering this. Creativity is an extremely valued skill in organizations and is generally unable to be learned. So instead of beating yourself for not following through with ideas, highlight the fact that you’re really good at generating them - offering added value to your organization.
And speaking of strengths, you don’t want to ignore them while trying to improve your weaknesses. Remember that you’ve gotten to where you are because of your strengths, so you want to continue nurturing and developing them. Oftentimes when you work on your strengths, you’re able to overshadow some of your weaknesses. This doesn’t mean that you should ignore your weaknesses - just don’t begin defining yourself according to them.
Trying to implement my advice can seem like a daunting task. Any way that you look at it, it’s really all about developing new habits. No new habit can be taken in one bit and successfully implemented. When you try to bite off more than you can chew, you’ll find yourself right where you began in no time. Instead, with each change you try to implement, take baby steps and build up the habit bit by bit. A new habit that’s been given a solid foundation is much more likely to survive than a habit that’s landed on you - and crushed you - out of nowhere.
If you take building good habits as a long-term project, your work environment will notice a significant change in you - and you’ll be on your way to the corner office sooner than you think.
And always remember:
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