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There are many factors affecting the career development of most managers. They desperately want a promotion and to advance their career. They get invited to job interviews, so they can be given the chance to showcase their career. They prepare for the interview just like they swatted for exams, but they miss a crucial aspect of their career which impedes their likelihood of promotion over and over again.
Does this scenario sound familiar? Are you unknowingly sabotaging any possibility of promotion by ignoring relevant factors affecting the career development of managers?
It is not uncommon during job interviews for the interview committee to have doubts regarding your ability to be an effective executive manager. They may recognize that you are great in your current position as a medium-level manager, but they can’t envision you being able to step up to the next level.
So, why is this?
After all you prepared your resume, dusted off your best suit, and even practiced your well-rehearsed canned responses over and over again. You decided how best to approach the interview and gave it your best shot, and it wasn’t good enough.
Does that mean there is something wrong with them? Did they miss those important points that clearly show just how much you are suited to the position? This is highly unlikely. The truth is you just didn’t cut the grade because you failed to utilize your shortcomings.
We all have shortcomings; those things we aren’t as good at as we would like to be. They might seem insignificant to you, and not important, but ignoring them is just not going to make them go away. As well, you might not even be aware of them, but the senior managers interviewing you often see them clearly.
Take Ownership And Strive To Be Relevant
Taking ownership of your shortcomings is a big step towards ensuring you are ready to advance your career. It may be painful for some people, but it is absolutely crucial if you are going to utilize them.
If you ignore your shortcomings gaps will appear in your interview. These gaps will become more and more noticeable to those interviewing you, and they will be waiting for you to address them.
Own your shortcomings and address them in the interview because it is your only chance to do so. Openly talk about them and lay them out on the table. Don’t wait for the interviewees to bring them up, instead wait for the chance to tell them what faults you have experienced in the workplace.
Now, this is not an opportunity to make excuses and approach your shortcomings with a cavalier attitude, not at all. Instead, you need to demonstrate why these shortcomings are relevant.
And, why are they relevant? Because you own them, and you have worked to diminish them. You are not sweeping them under the carpet, but are opening up the opportunity to explore them and make them relevant.
What the interviewees are looking for is someone who can step up and lead. Let’s face it; that is what senior managers do very well. They don’t sit back and ignore areas or skills that are lacking and expect everyone to assume they can do their job.
Preparing for the Job Interview
If you are applying for a job externally it is important that you understand fully what the company is looking for. You are not the only person they are interviewing; some people will come from outside, and others from inside the company. Your job is to demonstrate that you are the most important person for this position, and that you have what it takes to handle the promotion on offer.
Here are 3 tips to ensuring that you are fully prepared for your next job interview:
Firstly, find out other qualities do the internal candidates lack? There must be a reason why the company has decided to reach out to other people. Look at the job description in detail, and analyze the job itself thoroughly to find out what the other candidates are lacking. Once you have an idea about this, make sure that you demonstrate that you have the necessary skills to fit the bill.
Secondly, find out what areas the company could do better in, and find out what challenges it may be facing. Demonstrate how well you can help the company overcome them and be more successful. Discussing these aspects in your interview will show how hiring you will benefit the company.
Thirdly, make sure that your pitch is uniquely suited to the needs of the company, and to the expectations of the hiring committee. Demonstrate that you are familiar with the company; that you understand what the company needs to succeed, and that you are the perfect person for to ensure that it happens.
And always remember:
You may be sitting at your desk now and wondering how you can further your corporate development career path. You might even be surrounded by colleagues who seem to be doing everything right; they get the rewards, the bonuses, and the promotions you long for.
So, what can you do? Should you copy them and become like them?
While it is tempting to try to be like someone you admire, and to desire what they have you should never try to be anything you are not. This would only make you unhappy and you may end up looking foolish.
Instead, learn how to analyze the people who are successful in your company, and in your industry, and your corporate development career path will certainly become more focused and clearer.
First, Understand What Value You Have
Before you set out to make changes to how you work, firstly make sure you understand the value of your work, and how it contributes positively to the company’s outcomes.
Build your credibility, and extend your influence in the position you hold at the moment, by creating a file of your accomplishments. Detail how they benefited the company. These will help you prove how good you are at your job when it comes to asking for a promotion.
Make a List of Prized Qualities
Take a look around your company and make a list of the people who have been promoted.
Make a list of the qualities each person possessed that ensured they got the promotion. You may note qualities like never being late for work, showing initiative, or sharing their ideas with their team.
Do you notice any of the qualities overlapping? Do these people share some things or many things in common?
Now, you don’t want to copy these people or try to be them, but you may need to take on board these qualities and change the way you approach your work.
Get a Mentor
A mentor is someone who has more experience, and who can offer you practical and honest advice. The role of any mentor is to walk alongside their ‘student’ (that’s you); not to lead them by walking ahead, or push them by walking behind.
If you find someone who will mentor you make sure you are ready to listen to their ideas, and take on board their suggestions. Now, these suggestions might sound like criticisms, and perhaps they are, but it is important to focus on them.
What can you do instead? Now, add those attributes to the prized qualities you noted in others, and shape your corporate career path in the direction you would like it to go.
Create a Plan of Success
Nothing ever succeeds without a plan. Don’t say you are going to be reach your desired promotion in one year, and leave it at that.
Create a long term plan that has a whole raft of smaller goals incorporated into it. This may involve setting down achievable smaller goals that can be reached in shorter time frames.
Remember: Your plan should involve analyzing what successful people are doing, and incorporating these into your daily routine. It should also involve regular meetings with a mentor.
Most importantly, your plan should involve how you are going to become the person you need to be to get that promotion, and create the career path you want.
And always remember:
One of the most daunting things many people face when they are considering the career goals of a manager is whether they should change their career.
Taking a risk is scary, and can lead to failure. This is one of the main reasons contributing to managers being stuck, and not being able to change their careers. It can also be a self-fulfilling goal where you think you are going to failure, and you do.
The reasons why you might be ready for a change are many. Your career goals of a manager may have shifted, and you no longer feel fulfilled or happy. You may be bored or feel underutilized. You may also feel undervalued and unappreciated.
Whatever the reason, a change may just be the thing to bring about vitality and purpose to your life, but how can you deal with the fear of failure? Let’s face it, change is another word for challenge, and challenges make our lives difficult and, in many respects, unstable.
Across the world, one important factor that stops managers from changing their careers is a fear of failure. But, what if you changed your mindset, and looked at change as an invitation to do something new and exciting?
A change in career brings about new learning experiences. It offers new opportunities to evolve as a person, but also as a professional. You will see a side of yourself that you may need to change, and also one you can be proud of too.
If you look at the change as something new and exciting, you’ll find you are no longer feeling so afraid.
The best way to succeed at change is to work on your strengths. Don’t try to copy or imitate anyone else; this will only make you look silly and you then you are sure to fail. Instead, use your strengths to build your confidence, and better prepare yourself for the changes ahead.
Look beyond the surface strengths, and dig deeper. Sure, you are great at setting up an Excel document, and tracking inventory, for example, but what strengths made these practical things happen?
Are you curious, and has this led to you finding out how to do interesting things that others haven’t heard of before?
Are you determined and show great perseverance? Do you have what it takes to fulfil the new role?
If you are not sure find out what is required to do the work well, and learn what it is you need to do. Perhaps you need to learn new practical skills or perhaps you need to find the qualities that others have who have succeeded.
Knowing exactly what you want will help you set clear goals. Now, when I say ‘exactly’ I mean it.
Make a note of every detail and create a vision of what this new career will be like. What will your office look like? Where will it be positioned in the building? What will you wear? How will you get to work?
You may believe that these details might not matter, but when you have a very clear idea of what you want, it gives you a greater sense of purpose and an exact path.
Now, you may not end up on the exact path you envisioned, but you are flexible and reasonable in your expectations.
You can overcome this sense of failure and alter the way you look at change so that it is exciting and appealing. You are confident in your own strengths, and know the areas you have to work on.
And always remember:
The answer managers, like you, give when completing career development survey questions is that they have no idea what their boss is thinking. This is understandably frustrating and disempowering.
You want to do well and get noticed. After all, you have a career path promotion you deserve and want to make happen. Do you feel you are being overlooked? Do you want to be promoted because you know you are good enough and you know that you can handle the workload? Career development survey questions which managers, like you, have completed attest to these desires, but they are loaded with self-doubt.
Imagine how different your career would be if you knew what your boss was really thinking? Think about it for a second. If you did know you could make the changes needed to ensure you were quickly promoted, and your career would be on the trajectory you have always wanted.
But, how do you find out what your boss is really thinking?
One way to get someone to open up to you is to build a relationship with them based on trust. This means that you have to act in a trustworthy manner at all times whether your boss is in the room or not.
You can’t go around gossiping about your boss behind their back, then expect them not to find out. You need to build a solid relationship in and away from the workplace. The more time you invest in this relationship the more successful you will be.
Now, getting to know your boss is one thing, but it is not going to get you a promotion on its own. You need to do your job really well and in a timely manner.
If you are asked to do something – do it! Do it as quickly as you can, and as well as you can. Don’t sit back and decide you’ll do it when you are ready. And, certainly don’t waste time. If the boss wants it, get it done, fast.
The worst thing that can happen is your boss having to repeat the same request, and you having to explain why it hasn’t been done.
One of the things that many managers don’t do is ask. If you want to know about something ask. If you want to know what your boss has planned for you, ask.
Now, it is easier said than done and there are some important points you need to take into consideration:
1. Get the timing right. Don’t ask your boss just before the working day ends or at the end of a meeting. Make sure you make an appointment.
2. Be upfront, frank and honest. Ask, “What plans do you have for me?”
3. Whatever their answer, make sure you thank them and you are polite. Never argue with your boss.
4. Before you leave, ask them three things that you can do to get promoted. What skills does your boss think you need? What areas do you need to improve? Is there something about your personality or work ethics which are holding you back? Whatever the response is, make sure you make effective changes immediately.
And always remember:
If you are a manager and you are constantly frustrated with the lack of progress your career path is taking, then perhaps it is time you forgot the tips and advice you’ve been using.
If you are looking to manage your career put those tips aside and stop blaming yourself.
In truth, there are many factors affecting career development, some of which are out of your control. The reason that managers, like you, are not progressing up the corporate ladder as they wished is because some career advice simply doesn’t fit them as individuals.
Even worse, when you fail to follow this ill-fitting advice, you don’t blame it, instead you blame yourself.
So, what do you do then? Some managers look for more advice and this leads to a vicious cycle where your inability to progress results in failure after failure.
Get the Right Mindset
What you need is a mindset that will help you manage your career like a business. Take a look at the trends that are shaping your industry and niche. Pay attention to what the experts are saying about these trends, and future trends too.
You also need to be honest with yourself and identify your strengths, and decide whether these are marketable. Take a step back and look at the company you are working for. What skills do you have to acquire to become more valuable to yourself and your future employers? Go out and get those skills and make learning a part of your day.
The next step is to map the path to where you want to go in your career out on a large sheet of paper or create a flow diagram on your computer. Create smaller goals within these larger ones. Smaller goals are much more achievable and as you attain them celebrate your success. This will give you a renewed energy to work hard and achieve your long term goals.
Make Sure You Are Seen
Maintaining visibility is key to being noticed and subsequently promoted. Make sure your good work and successes are noticed. You don’t need to blow your own trumpet each day; that is only going to get you tagged as a braggart. Instead, build a solid team around you and make sure your work is so good that your team, and your work itself speaks for you.
Always Have a Plan B
Having a fallback plan or a “Plan B” is crucial to your success. Why? If you are too focused on Plan A – your dream goal, and it doesn’t happen quite like you would have hoped, then you will be disappointed and may give up.
We can’t control anything or everything around us. Things happen that can disrupt our plans which are unforeseen and random. It just makes sense to have a Plan B which is well thought out and planned in detail.
Without a fallback plan you may find when things go wrong the shock, stress and anger may push you into making choices which are not good for your long-term career.
A Plan B is a practical safety net that provides you with viable options and gives you clarity and direction when things go awry.
And always remember:
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:
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