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Are you really
promotion material?

Fill in this short survey to find out:

  • 1. Have you requested a promotion in the last year?
  • 2. Have you ever been rejected for a promotion?
  • 3. Have you ever been offered a promotion?
  • 4. Has a co-worker at the same level ever been promoted instead of you?
  • 5. Has there ever been a position you applied for and didn’t get?
  • 6. Are you hesitant about asking for a promotion for fear of your boss’s response?
  • 7. Have you ever left an organization because you were passed up for promotion there?
  • 8. Do you know if your work environment values you and your work?
  • 9. Do you think that you deserve a promotion?
  • 10. Do you promote your work and yourself at work?
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** Please answer all questions **

Does it Matter What Your Co Workers Think of You?

Do you really know what your co-workers think about you? And do you care?

If you work in a competitive environment it can be difficult to understand that your chances of promotion are affected by how others see you. You may feel resentment towards your co-workers, and may not want to know what they think of you.

You may think a certain way about yourself. You may see yourself as hardworking, industrious, even tempered and resourceful. You are probably proud of the results you have achieved. However, it is important that you begin to recognize the gap between how you see yourself and how others see you.

If you want to achieve tempting career advancements you are going to have to find out what your co-workers think about you, but you are then going to use this information to your advantage.

Once you know you then have to ensure that you begin to manage how others perceive you. This means each and every aspect of your working life. It includes your talents, your accomplishments, and your chances of succeeding in your next job. These are key factors affecting career development.

 

How Can You Find Out What Others Think About You?

When seeking feedback from others some managers focus too heavily on negative aspects. Instead, you should ask what others see as your strengths. You’ll probably be surprised to hear how exceptional these strengths are and how valued they are in the company.

Choose a few co-workers and a senior manager and begin to tally the information you receive. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

 

Make a list of:

.My strengths as I see them

.Who I have consulted

.Their perceptions of my strengths

.Whether this perception is new to me?

Is there anything that you see as a strength that wasn’t brought up?

Understanding what others have not identified as something you think you’re especially good at is a great way to ensure you can be better prepared for a promotion. Ask the people you spoke to if they recognize these strengths? Did they forget to mention them or, more importantly, don’t they know about them because you haven’t showcased them well enough?

Now make a list of the values your company has. What values do they reward with promotions and bonuses? What qualities to others promoted over you have that you don’t? Doing this kind of research will give you a laser-like focus on what you need to know to achieve a promotion.

You now know what’s valued at your organization and what skills you need to develop.

Surprisingly, most managers aiming for promotion don’t follow these simple steps, leading to a failure rate of a staggering 70%

This failure wasn’t due to them lacking in something. They had similar, and in some cases, better education, experiences, and talents than those who got the promotion. However, they failed to utilize them properly.

Let’s make sure you are not one of them.

 

In Conclusion

Understand that while believing in yourself is important, it isn’t the whole picture. Don’t simply believe that what others think about you isn’t important either. If you do you will lose touch with the way you’re perceived by others. Once you understand that, work on actively influencing others’ perception, and making sure that they see you as the next best person for that promotion.

 

And always remember,

Great managers are made. Not born.

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Don’t Just Dream It – Getting Your Next Promotion

It’s easy sometimes to just drift off, stare out of the office window and dream of your next promotion. We’ve all done it at some time, and continued to wonder how we might achieve our goals.


After all, you need to put a strategy into place to overcome your career advancement solutions. Just dreaming about it isn’t going to make it happen. You know that. I know that. And, everyone watching you daydreaming about it knows it too.


Don’t give in to your daydreams of getting that promotion you really want. Instead, make it happen in exactly the way you want. 


Regardless of what goals we set ourselves there will always be hurdles which need to be overcome before dreams can become realized. These hurdles may seem larger on some days than on others. They may even seem impassable, but they are not.


When outlining your career advancement solutions it is important to create realistic, smaller goals for yourself to achieve. These might be short-term and manageable at first. They may even seem a bit off track, and you might not see how they fit into your dream of being promoted. Just stay with me for now, though.


What if you could turn your daydreams into reality? What if you could see your dreams being realized in the future? What if you were so well prepared for that next promotion you simply eased your way into it?


Here’s what you should do:

Your dream job isn’t going to simply be offered to you. If it was, you’d have it already. You are going to have to make some sacrifices to achieve your goals.

So, what is it that you are ready to sacrifice? You will have to give up some of your free time and social outings. This might mean putting off playing golf or basketball with your friends on the weekend. You may have to curb traveling to visit relatives at special times of the year. You may even have to put aside time after work each night. 

Now, decide what your “dream job” is going to be. Don’t settle for second best either. To ensure that know exactly what you are aiming for be as specific as possible. Write down the job title, name or type of company, what kind of office you might have, and your salary. 
Set a date and imagine yourself sitting at the desk of your dream job looking at the calendar with that date on it. Setting a particular date will force you to act sooner rather than later.

Create a list of skills and experiences you will need to achieve your dream job. Look at the person who has the job or one similar. Note down what skills they have, and what kind of work ethic they have. Work hard towards re-skilling or doing extra courses after work. And, also work on your attitude right now so you will be ready to take on your next promotion.

Each and every day imagine yourself doing the job. What will you wear? How will others look at you? What will your desk look like? (Think plants, pens, notebooks, etc.) What kind of car will you drive? Most importantly, write down how you are going to feel when you have got this promotion. How will it affect you and change your life for the better?

Now this is the most important part. Read the last section at least twice a day. Read it out loud in a strong and determined voice. Add to your description if you think of something new.
Life is full of disappointments so don’t worry if you suffer setbacks. All champions do, and you are not different to them. What you need to do is see setbacks as learning tools that will make you stronger and help you hone your approach even better.
Working through each of these points means that you are taking an active part in achieving your dream job. Don’t stay behind with the pack by just wishing that you would be promoted. Make it happen. 
 

And always remember: 

Great managers are made. Not born.

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Take Charge of Preparing Yourself for Your Next Career Opportunity

Do you feel that many tempting career advancements have passed you by? It’s frustrating to see one person after another getting ahead of you. You work hard and you are dedicated to your company. In fact, there are many that might agree with you when you cry, “I deserved that promotion!”
But, it just didn’t happen.
So, what are you going to do about it now? Blame someone else? Quit and try to start again in another company? 
No one else is really responsible for your career except you. Next time there is a tempting career advancement opportunity make sure you are the one who is first in line for the job.

After all, no one else is going to do it for you, least of all your colleagues who may be running against you.

Don’t leave your next career advancement opportunity to the last minute. Preparation is the key to being truly ready. It will give you an edge your competitors aren’t going to have, and put you at the forefront of being the best candidate for the position.

 

How are you perceived by others?

 

If you are seen as the office clown or the no-hoper who can’t be relied on to do their job properly then it makes sense that you aren’t going to be considered seriously for that next promotion.
We all have strengths and weaknesses, but it is how others perceive them that counts in this situation. If you want your boss and colleagues to take you seriously you may have to look at your track record.
Change the way others see you in the workforce and you’ll soon find that your career opportunities will look a whole lot clearer.


What are the qualifications and experience needed for that next opportunity?


Do some research and find out what qualifications and skill sets are needed for the position you have in mind. Tick off the ones you have, and find out how you can attain the others. 
Do it now even if it means having to give up your free time. Having those qualifications will stand you in a much better position, and it also shows that you are able to take the initiative and improve yourself – this is always a winner with any employer, and it will look great on your resume.


What was positive about the performance of the last person who held this job?


Find out as much as you can about the person who used to hold the position you are interested in. Were they always on time or did they arrive at the office before everyone else? Did they always follow through and keep their promises? Did they get amazing results and were loved by their team?
Now, these attributes don’t come by chance. They come by hard work and dedication. So why not start practicing them today and you will be better prepared when the position is finally yours. 


What are the formal and informal expectations of the position?


Now, we could write a whole article on this topic alone. Formal and informal expectations are often the quoted as the difference between what is expected to get the job done, and going beyond it. It’s also those extra things that individuals can bring to the table like great networking skills or a wider knowledge of the industry.
It is worth researching this by finding out what the person who held the position brought to the table. As well, look at other managers you admire – what formal skills do they have, and what informal ones add those extra bonuses?
When preparing yourself for your next promotion remember that research can take many paths. You can do research at your desk by searching through the company website or learning more from websites like this one. This is known as secondary research.

Primary research will require you to speak to others and informally interview them. You will have to be able to listen to what others tell you even if it seems harsh, and then take it on board. You will also need to face some hard truths and accept that you have a lot of work ahead of you.

Remember that the more serious you are about your information gathering and “gap analysis,” the better positioned you’ll be for your interview. Don’t sell yourself short by taking shortcuts. You deserve that promotion and you have the skills to prepare yourself for it now.

And always remember:

Great managers are made. Not born. 

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The Habits You Need to Get Promoted

Welcome to the fourth part of my series dealing with the failures of internal promotion along the corporate development career path. More often than not, companies are unable to promote their own employees, which not only derails employee motivation but also causes companies to invest valuable resources in senior recruitment from the outside.

 

I’ve addressed this unfortunate situation in three other posts, which you might want to have a look at before reading on:

 

Why Managers Lack Empowerment for Promotion. 

Why Imitation Won't Get You Promoted.

Why Winning Habits Might Need to be Changed.

 


In this post, I’ll address another perspective of this “lose-lose” situation, showing how to turn a corporate development career path into a “win-win”. But first, I’ll recap a bit about what I call dominant habits. As I explained in my last post, dominant habits are a double-edged sword. They often help junior employees quickly climb to middle management but block them from moving any further. So what dominant habits really do in the long run is prevent middle managers from fulfilling their potential. 

 

Let’s take a practical example. If you’re over 35, you probably remember planning a road trip by consulting either paper or online maps ahead of time and then saving them as a reference during the trip. To follow the map, you needed to keep your eyes open for landmarks, changes in terrain, etc. In short, you were developing your sense of direction. Now let’s look at younger drivers, who might use a GPS to drive from one end of town to the other. While they could very well have the potential to develop a sense of direction, their dominant habit of firing up their GPS everytime they get into the car has actually suffocated their potential for developing this sense of direction. But what would happen if they traveled for an extended period of time without 100% GPS coverage? You’ve got it - they’d employ less of their dominant habit (GPS), making room for their potential habit (sense of direction) to flourish. The same happens when climbing the corporate ladder. Certain dominant habits must give way to potential ones so that they can develop.

 

The unfortunate thing is that most organizations and middle managers have failed to realize how crucial developing potential habits is. So middle managers automatically carry on reacting the same way to situations, while organizations are unsure of how to empower their middle managers for promotion. 

 

What needs to happen instead is for middle managers to identify their dominant habits and then to rein them in. In this way, their potential habits, the crucial missing link to promotion, will finally come to life and bloom, allowing managers to achieve their career dreams. 

 

To learn more about this exciting and rewarding process, please visit my Executive Mirror Program.

 

And always remember: 

Great managers are made. Not born.

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Why Winning Habits Might Need to be Changed

This post is the third in a series looking at the quandary talented managers and their organizations find themselves in when it’s time fill a senior position. To recap from my last two posts, managers spend a tremendous amount of effort and time trying to learn how to be a senior manager, while the company often foots the bill. In the end, when the company wants to promote the manager, they find that the manager just isn’t ready - leading to frustration on both sides. For more details, have a look at my previous two posts:

 

 Why Managers Lack Empowerment for Promotion. 

Why Imitation Won't Get You Promoted. 

 

The reason why this occurs has taken me many years to unravel, as it’s so counterintuitive and is often integrally related to how to measure success at work. After all, an organization provides its top managers with time and resources to develop skills...the manager diligently follows through and...no results? 

 

What usually happens is that the organization blames the manager for not investing enough effort in acquiring the right skills and the manager blames the organization for the sudden cold shoulder...each side absolutely sure of its own narrative in terms of how to measure success at work. 

 

Looking from the outside, it’s clear that neither side is really correct. Most managers would not intentionally sabotage their career by not taking advantage of resources made available to them in order to advance. And companies are not cruel monsters that don’t want to promote their own employees.


So it’s not a lack of goodwill from the organization or insufficient effort from the manager. Instead, it all started a long time ago, when the manager first started out as a junior employee. At the beginning of their career, the junior employee was already identified as a rising star. They worked hard, produced results, and became a key talent in the organization. Soon, they were promoted to middle management and continued to succeed.  But then, as new promotion opportunities came and went, frustration began to set in both from the middle manager and from the organization, who didn’t understand how this high flyer seemed to have come in for a sudden landing.

 

When very successful managers succeed at the beginning of their career, they naturally begin to rely on the behaviors that have gotten them to where they are. Such behaviors turn into habits - even unconscious, automatic habits - what I call dominant habits. Through middle management, these dominant habits continue to lead to success, eliciting praise from the organization. It seems like a win-win, right? Only up to a point - what I call the breaking point. 

 

The breaking point occurs when a middle manager’s habits no longer serve them well. The more senior a middle manager wishes to climb, the more the requirements for such roles change. And in most cases, these requirements differ greatly from the middle manager’s dominant habits. Often, the middle manager is unaware of this difference and so carries on with the dominant habits that have served them so well until now. 

 

For example, let’s say that one of the core strengths of a certain middle manager is her ability to develop and carry out complex processes that require absolute precision. While this might have led to her success as a middle manager charged with adhering to quality standards, at the senior level, this might not be true. In fact, her dominant habit could cause her to slow down company-wide decision-making processes, causing the organization to miss out on valuable strategic opportunities. 


If such a middle manager is unaware that her dominant habit of requiring absolute precision all of the time is, in reality, damaging, then her chances for future promotions will be slim. So at this point, two factors are actually preventing her from being promoted:

1.    Lack of awareness of her dominant habit
2.    Difficulty in reducing her dominant habit

 

This case is so common, yet it never seems to be handled correctly. What often happens is that the organization sends the middle manager to courses, where their dominant habits are unfortunately once again given center stage. In fact, the middle manager is praised for these habits. The middle manager then returns from the course, feeling empowered, but just the opposite occurs, and they are eventually deemed unsuitable for promotion. 

 

So what can a middle manager do with regard to their dominant habits? In my next post, I’ll introduce what I call potential habits and their crucial role in preparing middle managers for promotion. 

 

And always remember: 

Great managers are made. Not born.

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Why Imitation Won't Get You Promoted

In my previous post “Why Managers Lack Empowerment for Promotion,” I addressed the very disturbing fact that so many talented managers find themselves unable to get promoted. At the same time, organizations are frustrated by the fact that they are expending valuable resources recruiting managers from the outside, rather than promoting one of their own - not one of the favored career advancement solutions. 

In this post, I will focus on what I call the Imitation Approach, in which managers believe they can reach success by transforming themselves into someone else - one of the popular career advancement solutions. In today’s world, the Imitation Approach has gained a great deal of traction. This seems to be for two reasons (quoting from the famous 1990s song, Mr. Vain):

1.    We know what we want (or who we think we want to be).
2.    We want it now.

These two simple statements are currently fueling entire self-improvement industries, including beauty, diet, medicine, and of course, career management. They promise to bring us exactly what we want  - and as instantly as possible. An offer no one can refuse. But here’s a weird fact: There’s a direct correlation between the rise in so-called career management solutions and the number of managers who don’t get promoted. Sounds like it should be the reverse, right?

The reason why it’s not the reverse is that we are supporting an industry that is actually offering the impossible - transforming ourselves into someone else. But when we try to become someone else, the best job we can do is to imitate them. Any kind of imitation - even the best imitation possible - will result in only one thing: imitation. It won’t result in becoming someone else. So when we aim to be someone else by imitating them, we’re just setting ourselves up for failure.

This isn’t to say we should give up on improving ourselves. I’ll go even further by saying that looking up to someone else and learning from them is a productive way to develop ourselves. However, when the goal is to become someone else, which is impossible, then you’ll never reach it, resulting in both disappointment and frustration. Not only that, your organization will view you as having failed.

So why is it that we want to become someone else?

1.    When things don’t go our way, we begin to lose faith in ourselves. Rather than strengthening our belief that we can and will get promoted, we quickly dispose of who we are and try to imitate a magical model who will lead us to our goals.

2.    We are anxious for instant results and believe that taking on another persona is a viable shortcut to success.

These two main drivers in today’s career management industry continue to spread the mistaken belief that we can transform ourselves into someone else. There’s no doubt that if the Imitation Approach really worked, we would be witnessing increases in promotions, but we’re seeing just the opposite. 

Therefore, I recommend that instead of relying on the Imitation Approach, consider what I call Inside Out Management (IOM). IOM shifts the focus to who you already are and what you already have - truly empowering you to fulfil your career dreams. For more on IOM, have a look at my Executive Mirror Program.

 
And always remember: 

Great managers are made. Not born.

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Why Promoting from Within is So Difficult

Throughout the last 35 years, I’ve focused much of my research on what I call the double tragedy taking place in organizations. On one hand, there are so many talented managers getting stuck in their career without any promotion in sight. This essentially subverts the career goals of a manager. On the other hand, organizations are investing a plethora of resources to develop their managers. Yet, when it’s time to fill a senior position, these organizations unhappily find themselves recruiting from the outside, rather than promoting one of their own.

 

Like all double tragedies, these two are interlinked, feeding on each other, and resulting in significant damage for the organization. As for the managers, their being stuck causes them to lose their motivation - so essential for the career goals of a manager. This inevitably affects those around them as well. They lose faith in their organization, in which they had entrusted their career path. For the organization, there’s a major let down as well, after having invested so many resources in developing the manager - but apparently to no avail. I’ve seen this scenario play out repeatedly over the last few decades, each side expressing their disappointment with this tragic outcome.

 

Here’s what I usually hear from the manager:

Manager: “I’ve been making a huge effort for so long - even evenings and weekends - volunteering to take on extra responsibilities - and I’m not even counting all of the courses and reading I’ve done. I just don’t understand how they haven’t promoted me. It’s really frustrating.” 

 

And here’s a typical conversation with the organization:

Organization: “There wasn’t a course that we didn’t send him to - and the hours upon hours of feedback...he never took any initiative to improve.” 

 

Me: “What was done when the organization didn’t see any changes?”

 

Organization: “Well, from time to time, we would see the beginning of some kind of change, which pleased us...but this was generally short lived. What’s really frustrating is that after investing so much in him, we still have to recruit from outside the organization.”   

In both cases, it always ends with the same question: “Etika, have you ever heard of anything so ridiculous?” 

 

Yes, I surely have seen my fair share of these situations and here’s what I’ve learned:

 

1.    In general, our tendency is to try to turn ourselves into something we’re not - instead of improving on who we are. This is what I call the Imitation Approach of so-called ideal people or characteristics. But unfortunately, this approach doesn’t work. Imitation will always remain imitation. What’s more, imitation will never last very long - and soon enough, our real selves will inevitably resurface. Of course, this leads to deep frustration, as we’ve spent so much time and energy perfecting our Imitation Approach. Even worse, our company has generally footed the bill, thinking that the Imitation Approach would transform you into a “new and improved” you, which it didn’t - and won’t.

 

2.     Many young managers segway through their entry level positions, straight to middle management, based on a set of behaviors they’ve developed - behaviors that have actually become automatic habits. However, at some point, these habits betray the middle manager, as a different set of behaviors is usually needed for more senior positions. The problem is that if a middle manager’s automatic habits aren’t tamed, they’ll prevent the development of crucial innate behaviors - ruining any chances of future promotion. 


As I mentioned before, this is the first in a series of posts about empowering managers. The next three posts will expand on each of the reasons I’ve mentioned here - and how to deal with them. 

 

And always remember: 

Great managers are made. Not born.

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What To Do After You Didn’t Get That Promotion

When you’ve worked so hard and have your career goals of a manager set in stone, it can be devastating when you are rejected for a promotion. This can be even worse when you have been rejected over and over again.

While you can’t change what has happened it is important that over the next few weeks and months you don’t compromise and ruin your next chance. After all, the career goals of a manager never run smooth, and may take a variety of paths.

It’s important to keep in mind that rejection may not mean what you think it does. Perhaps you aren’t as ready as you think you are. Rather than get angry and frustrated with your boss or disappointed in yourself it is necessary to dig deeper to find out what the rejection really means.

There are many things you can do to ensure that the next promotion is a shoe-in, but in the meantime make sure you follow these pointers.

 

Stay In Control

Don’t assume that your boss and others in senior positions have got it in for you. This will lead to ill feelings and situations where you might lose control.

Understandably you may feel angry when you first hear the news that you didn’t get the promotion. However, storming out of your boss’s office, and slamming the door behind you isn’t going to help you. Making a scene that embarrasses your boss, and also makes you look foolish will only damage your career advancement chances.

Instead, calm down by taking a walk or getting yourself a coffee. Don’t rant or rave to anyone. Try to put yourself in your boss’s shoes. Did they offer you some advice or pointers that you need to take on board? Do you know of any areas where you need to improve? Perhaps you just aren’t ready.

Taking action based on reason, not emotion is the best way to stay in control and ensure you are ready for that next promotion.

 

Be Honest but Reasonable When You Hear the News

When you are told you didn’t get the promotion you are going to go through a whole range of feelings. These may go from shock, to disappointment, frustration and even anger.

This is normal and to be expected, especially if you have worked hard towards preparing yourself for the interview. Your boss may be expecting you to lash out, too, so it is a good idea to be calm, but honest.

Tell them that you are shocked and disappointed. But, also remind your boss that you have well defined career advancement goals and that you are going to ensure that you won’t be overlooked next time.

Your boss might be feeling uncomfortable and you may not get a straight and truly honest response. As well, they might be focused on introducing the person who did get the job, and may not have time for you.

Now might not be the time to ask for advice, so make an appointment with your boss in a week or two to discuss how you can prove you’re really ready for that next promotion.

 

Congratulate and Applaud the Person Who Did Get the Job

While this might seem like a bitter pill to swallow, being generous and even kind is the best approach.

Let’s face it, no one likes a bad loser. It just isn’t a good look.

Your boss will be looking to you to see if you are really promotion material, and if you are bad mouthing the successful candidate it will only confirm to your boss that indeed you weren’t the right person and you have a long way to go before you are.

 

Find Out Why You Didn’t Get the Promotion

When you do have the next meeting with your boss approach your boss in a calm and controlled manner and ask them why you didn’t get the promotion. Listen carefully and take notes if you have to. Don’t get into an argument with your boss by disagreeing with what they are saying.

Instead, act on what you were told.

Ask for specifics on how you can improve your skills or what you need to do to demonstrate you can handle more responsibilities. Being proactive, however, will make your boss think more positively about your career advancement in the future, and if you take on board and improve you will be in a much better position next time.

Develop a plan for becoming a better candidate for the promotion and then determine when you could reasonably try again.

 

And always remember:

Great managers are made. Not born.

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Are You Too Good At Your Job To Get a Promotion ?

Are you stuck in that unenviable position of being so good at your job that your boss doesn’t want to lose you?

You’ve worked hard to get where you are now, and you do your best most of the time. In truth, you go above and beyond your pay scale to prove to your seniors that you are worthy of a promotion.

Sadly, you never get one.

 

Frustrating isn’t it?

When you are reviewing your career goals of a manager it is important that you take into account that you may be too good at what you are doing. It’s a hard call because you want to move up, and advance your career. And, to prove to your seniors that you are worthy of a promotion you have worked very hard. Regardless, your boss, on the other hand, has other ideas. 

So how can you realize your career goals of a manager despite a boss who doesn’t want to let you go?

What you have to understand is that your boss has become not only dependent upon you, but over dependent too. From the beginning you have worked hard to show how well qualified you are in your current position. You did everything you were asked, and more. However, in time you began to take over tasks that were your boss’s responsibility. 

The end result is that now you are as good as your boss if not better. Your boss knows this and has become so dependent upon you, they are not going to let you go in a hurry.

This situation is much more common than you might think. It is important to remember, however, not to become angry or frustrated. Instead, take control of the situation and make things happen the way you want them to

Remember that every person has the right to advancement and happiness. Deep down your boss knows this, and if handled correctly, you will be able to convince them of this fact. 

 

Meet with Your Boss

Go to your boss and explain how you are feeling. Don’t be confrontational or blame your boss for your situation. This will only make them defensive and you’ll get nowhere. Instead, begin an open discussion by making it clear that while you are unhappy with your current position a promotion may be beneficial for you and your boss.

If you have been following my posts you will already know how important it is to keep a file of your successes. If you haven’t started doing this, then start today. When meeting with your boss remind them of what you have already achieved for the company. Why you do deserve the credit, make sure you explain to your boss that they provided you with the training and the opportunities to achieve these goals. 

Ask for positive feedback and take it on board. Express your confusion over not being promoted and openly declare that you want to advance your career within your particular company.

Talk about timeframes too. Don’t leave things hanging. Set a date in the future by which time you would expect to be promoted, and share this with your boss. 

 

Share Your Knowledge and Skills with Others

It’s important that you share your knowledge and skills with the rest of your team. Don’t hold on to what you know because it gives you greater job security. The fact that no one else knows as much as you do about your job could be one factor that is holding you back from promotion. It also adds to your boss’s dependency upon you.

This could be done by demonstrating to someone else how the processes work. You could also create a step-by-step guide and share this with others too. This will allow you time to take a vacation when needed, as well.

Make it clear to your boss that there are at least two people who can do your job well. Also, make it clear that you want to be promoted, and have the leadership skills to do the job well.

 

Prepare to Look for Another Position in Another Company

This might not be what you want to face just right now, but if your boss isn’t willing to replace you, you might have to start looking to advance your career in another company.

You can take your years of experience and incorporate them into a solid resume that will impress a potential new boss, and help you get a higher salary or a better title at another company.
Being good at your job can be a liability, which is sad. But, if you begin preparing for the position you really want early on, you'll better your chances at moving up. As well, be aware that sometimes you may have to jump to another company altogether in order to find the career opportunities you're seeking.
If you do move on and learn from your mistakes. Make sure you don’t become so indispensable that you can’t move up, and work towards advancing your career every step of the way.
Good luck!

 

And always remember: 

Great managers are made. Not born.

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6 Things To Do When Your Boss Thinks You’re Just Not Promotional Material

Getting promoted is not easy, even for those who have all the right credentials, skills and prospects, and are looking for career advancement solutions. There are so many competing factors involved that can go against even the most well-suited candidate.
Did you know that one third of middle managers looking to be promoted never realize their dreams? 
The timing could be wrong or their boss might not be ready for them to leave mid-project, for example. Also, many people aren’t ready. That’s the simple truth. They just don’t have what it takes to be senior management material. They lack the skills and experience to be a true leader.

However, there is another reason – their boss doesn’t think they are promotion material.
If you feel this might be you there are things you can do to discover your career advancement solutions. 
Let’s take a look.


1. Dress Like the Job is Already Yours

Tomorrow morning get up early and take a good, hard look at your wardrobe. Is that shirt, trousers or shoes looking tired? Are your skirts and dresses a little worn?
Nothing says, “I’m not promotion material” like scuffed shoes or a crinkled shirt. 
Think seriously about how you are presenting yourself in meetings and at office events, not just how you look each day. Are your clothes sending the right message? Are they saying, “I am promotion material”, “I am confident and ready for the challenge!”?
If not you are not sure how to improve your look grab a few business magazines and look at what the people in them are wearing. As well, is there someone at work you look up to? What do they wear each day? Dress like the job is already yours and you’ll feel more confident. This is bound to impress your boss.


2. Keep a Record of Your Achievements 

Start a running tally of your achievements. This doesn’t have to be only those big projects you were a part of, but small things as well. Consider your sales numbers, project results, and begin to gather client feedback.
Make a sheet which you can use each day to mark down your accomplishments. As well, send an email to your boss highlighting them at the end of each project. This will serve to remind them of your skills, and help you keep track of them too.

 

3. Pay Attention to Who Gets Promoted

Start taking note of who gets promoted in your company. This doesn’t just mean in your team, but in the entire company. Make notes about the type of person who gets promoted, and see if you can find a pattern.
Do they stay back later than anyone else? Do they go beyond the sales records every time? What do they wear? Are they always on time for meetings, and are they super organized?
This might take time, but eventually you’ll get a clear picture of what you need to do be better at your job, and make sure you are promotion material.
If you can’t see a pattern, that doesn’t matter. At least you are beginning to build a better picture of the sort of person your company promotes, and then it’s just a matter of making sure next time that’s you.


4. Look for Ways to Help Out

Look for opportunities to offer extra help in your company. This doesn’t mean staying back late and doing extra work, you should be doing that already.
What you might find are areas where you have experiences that go beyond your normal job role. Does your company have a charity that they need help fundraising for? Is there a social committee looking for new and interesting ideas for functions? What about the company newsletter or social media presence? Are there ways you could contribute to these?
As well as being seen to be more helpful, you’ll gain skills and meet more people in your company. This is going to raise your profile and get your name mentioned more, and your boss is going to hear a lot more about you.


5. Make Your Promotion Goals Known

Without being too pushy, make sure that your boss knows that you are ready to be promoted. Perhaps the reason they don’t think you are promotion material is because they simply don’t know how much you want it.
During reviews mention that your goal is to grow within the company, and ask for your boss’ advice on what you can be doing now to eventually be ready for the next level. 
Find others who have been at the company for some time, and ask what their career journey was like. You may gain valuable insight and advice that’ll help you along the way.


6. Upgrade Your Skills and Get Re-Trained

Are the skills you have now a little out of date? Study what is required to be a senior manager and if you don’t have the skills do some courses, and get them. Ask to go to industry conferences, as well. 
Find out how to write great press releases or how to manage multiple teams at one. As well, doing management training courses or social media courses is a great way to show just how much you are prepared to do to be a valuable member of your company.
Any type of course you do will come in handy when you’re ready to move up to that next level.
Whether your boss thinks you are ready to be promoted or not is out of your hands. However, there are many things you can do to ensure that you are ready and make sure they know it too!
Good luck!

 

And always remember:

Great managers are made. Not born.

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