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You’ve done all of the right things and followed all of the right steps. You walked out of the interview confidently, absolutely sure that the promotion was yours - after all who else would they choose? And then the blow comes. Your boss lets you know that while they really appreciate your hard work and dedication, someone else has been given the promotion. Is this the time to throw in the towel? Leave the company? I suggest holding your horses and considering the following:
Most people don’t realize how important it is to acknowledge your feelings. Without processing this kind of let down, you won’t be equipped to move on to other career advancement solutions - either at your present job or if you decide to apply for a role elsewhere. Until you can face your disappointment as an honest, legitimate emotion, it will be very difficult for you to concentrate your energies on that next promotion or job opportunity.
Many middle managers take rejections personally. Unless you really do have a personal issue with your boss (in which case you would’ve known that a promotion was unlikely), the reason for the rejection is probably beyond your control. Indeed, you’ve performed well and are well-respected by your colleagues - very key to promoting any career advancement solutions. But perhaps there are other reasons you don’t know about that were taken into consideration.
Just because you don’t know the reason you were rejected doesn’t mean that the situation is completely out of your hands. Once you’ve regained your poise, it’s time to schedule a meeting with your boss to find out the specific reasons you were rejected. You’ll be surprised to find out that there are concrete steps you can take towards your next promotion while at the same time improving your own competencies. An added bonus will be that your boss will see how serious you are about the next promotion opportunity and that you’re willing to do what it takes to achieve it.
While the grapevine isn’t always the most reliable form of information, doing a bit of asking around might help you complete the picture in terms of the reasons behind your rejection. Are you possibly perceived differently by others than what you think? Is there some kind of hidden quality you haven’t recognized in the person who did get the promotion? Finding these things out will help you map the interpersonal skills you’ll want to improve on as you work towards the next promotion.
Getting rejected for a promotion is a very huge let down. The question is if you are willing to put in the effort to prevent it from happening again. While my advice above is targeted towards middle managers who want to remain at their current company, they are applicable to those who might decide to leave their current role and apply for positions at other companies. Whichever path you choose, I wish you luck and success.
And always remember:
Great managers are made. Not born.
For most middle managers, the most pressing question along your corporate development career path is whether you’re really executive management material. This isn’t surprising at all, because as you climb the career ladder, you’ve been noticing how narrow the pyramid seems to be getting so quickly. You’re seeing middle managers who have either been in the same position for years or who’ve been shuffled around from one middle management role to another. And their destiny seems to be sealed. But is yours?
The first step in answering this question is to check with yourself - are you really ready for a promotion. So I suggest you take my short survey, entitled: Are you really promotion material? Based on your responses, you’ll receive a short report to help you assess your current situation and plan your next career move along your corporate development career path. If you’ve determined you’re ready for your next promotion, read on...
While I can’t promise you a concrete path towards promotion, my 35 years of helping middle managers achieve their career dreams have helped me identify a few common steps to follow:
There aren’t any shortcuts to achieving a promotion. To be recognized as promotion material, you have to consistently make sure you deliver results. While your performance doesn’t always have to outdo your colleagues, consistency is the key. A consistently well-performing middle manager is usually considered a good bet in the corporate world. It shows that you can take on challenges, manage with others, are motivated, and are poised for taking on even more responsibility.
While my last point emphasized excelling at your current role, when looking for potential candidates for promotion, decisionmakers will undoubtedly try to identify those middle managers who seem to have developed a wider, whole company perspective. This doesn’t mean that you have to take on the responsibilities of the CEO, but it does mean that you have to begin considering the challenges and opportunities facing your company as a whole - not just your department. So take the time to reach out to other departments in your company in order to gain a good understanding of your company from a wider perspective.
At the end of the day, the success of an organization lies in its people. An organization can develop the best solution for the most pressing challenges, but without an excellent team standing behind the solution, it's likely to remain in R&D - hidden from the world. As a middle manager vying for promotion, it’s important that you get to know a wide variety of professionals in your department so that when the time comes, you will be known and respected as a well-informed, approachable senior manager. While today’s workday can be hectic, perhaps set lunch appointments or quick after-work drinks with employees from other departments - and start learning what makes your organization special.
SWOT analyses are usually reserved for analyzing companies or rolling out new products and services. But this shouldn’t prevent you from pinpointing your current strengths and weaknesses as well as your potential opportunities and threats. Knowing this information will help you figure out what you need to preserve and what you need to develop now and in the future. This will ensure that you keep your competencies in tact, relevant, and ready for challenges
And finally,
There’s no magic mix when vying for a promotion. However, following the steps above will certainly help you along the way as you move towards the coveted corner office.
And always remember:
Great managers are made. Not born.
Every year the world over, annual performance (aka “feedback,” “assessment,” or ”appraisal”) reviews take place. In many organizations, reviews are a formal affair, while in others they are more casual.
What’s for sure is that over the last two decades or so, annual performance reviews have developed into both an art and a science, with companies pouring in their confidence, training and budgets into the process.
So it’s no wonder that stakeholders all around - executive managers, middle managers, and employees - take annual reviews seriously - so seriously that organizations tend to suffer from a pretty nasty case of the jitters during review season.
Performance reviews usually involve two “players.” On one hand are the obvious “targets” of the review - you. You’re the one being appraised by your direct supervisor. So it’s understandable that you might experience anxiety, as being reviewed can feel like stepping onto a shooting range with all guns pointed directly at you. But what many people don’t realize is that reviews can be just as stressful for those handing out our decrees. Realizing that every word supervisors utter is going to be scrutinized and analyzed by us, they have the almost impossible task of providing a year’s worth of appraisal within the framework of an oftentimes strict format.
So because of this built-in tension on all fronts, the actual meeting can actually be a paralyzing experience. The supervisor, on one hand, is tiptoeing along, while you might be trying to figure out the subtext behind each of the their statements. The result is a rather stilted encounter that both of you want to get over with as quickly as possible.
The question is if this is the way it has to be. Can this lemon of a meeting somehow be turned into lemonade? Can it actually help pave your corporate development career path? My answer is yes. Absolutely. Here’s how:
Take a fresh look at what an annual performance review is all about. Yes, it’s the time for your supervisor to appraise what you’ve been doing the past year. But it’s also a huge opportunity for you to get involved so that you can advance your own career. So reframe the review from a halting monologue by your supervisor to a meaningful dialogue between the both of you.
I’ve addressed the paralysis that can occur during annual performance reviews. Your job is to make sure you don’t fall victim. So be proactive. Don’t just nod your head in a comatic trance as your boss imparts words of wisdom. Speak up. Ask questions. Urge your boss to explore topics you see as important to you career. Of course, being proactive requires careful preparation, which I’ll be addressing in a later post.
Your annual performance review is too important to dismiss as just something you have to endure. It’s natural that you (and your supervisor) might feel out of your comfort zones, but it should not stop you from taking advantage of this important meeting as a key opportunity for your corporate development career path.
Future posts will be addressing specific techniques for helping you navigate your annual performance review so that you can move one more step towards your next promotion.
Good luck!
And always remember:
Great managers are made. Not born.
When looking at your corporate development career path, it’s important to closely exam performance reviews. Their significance can be seen through the generous funneling of resources allocated to ensure their success. Though many mid-level managers see being the object of review as appealing as a visit to the dentist, I want you to view it as an excellent opportunity to advance your career. But you have to prepare in advance. Here are some classic examples of goals for employees in performance reviews that should help you along the way:
Treat your performance review as you would any other professional project in which you’d expect tangible deliverables. After a performance review, you should expect deliverables to include both information you want your boss to know (e.g., Am I up for promotion? When?) as well as information you want from your boss (e.g., I’m not happy with the pace of my career, compensation package, etc.).
This one gets a little hairy, but if you stick with me, it’ll be worth it. You know that if you’re looking to get promoted, you’ll have to actually say it at some point during your annual performance review. You might even practice a key phrase, such as, “I feel it’s time for me to get promoted”. And during the review, you might even muster up the courage to actually say it...and then you’ll let out a sigh of relief because you did it without breaking out into a terrible sweat. But this whole scenario doesn’t seem right, does it? You’re right. And this is why you have to strive towards formulating two messages: one above the line and the other below the line.
Just like in marketing, an above the line message would be an explicit statement, such as requesting a promotion within a certain period of time, for example, two years. But a below the line message requires a bit more skill. Let’s say you’ve decided that if you don’t get a promotion within two years, you’ll leave the company. If you were to state this as an above the line message, you’d find yourself offered a cardboard box before you finished the sentence. However, to strengthen your original above the line message, it would still be beneficial to let your boss understand your seriousness about your two year limit. I’ll cover how to do deliver this below the line in the next step.
The best way to explain how to formulate a below the line message is by giving an example. Taking the scenario in Goal 2, you might mention to your boss that so far, you’ve made sure to get promoted about every four years and that in two more years, you’ll have been in this current position for four years already. Your boss isn’t stupid. They’ll know exactly what you mean. And at the same time, you won’t have seemed disrespectful or unappreciative. So now let’s return to your above the line message.
As I’ve described above, you’ve managed to get that fateful phrase out of your mouth and now you’re finally relieved. Good job, but you’ve only done (really less than) half the job. Don’t worry, you don’t have to repeat what you’ve just said. Your boss heard it. But now it’s up to you to make sure they act on what you’ve said. This can be done simply with a follow up phrase as simple as, “What do you think about this”. Something this short will force your boss to relate to what you’ve said and provide you with an answer - even if it’s tentative. Without this little follow-up, your career goals remain in the air with no one taking any responsibility. So don’t look down - look up...and ask.
Conclusion
I hope you’ve understood the great potential annual performance reviews can have for you. With the right kind of goals and preparation, a review with your boss can bring you a few steps closer towards your corner office.
Good luck!
And always remember:
Great managers are made. Not born.
The information you can get during your annual performance review is extremely important for your career. Most reviews begin with a general snapshot of your performance from the previous year. But you can get a lot closer towards your tempting career advancement out of an annual review, especially if your goal is find out how close you are to that next promotion.
But let’s face it. Most of us enjoy annual reviews as much as after school detention. We feel so uncomfortable that even if we’re given sound career advice we might decide to follow, the negativity we feel usually prevents us from taking real steps. In fact, while 89% of us leave reviews determined to make a significant change, only about 30% actually do anything about it. The other 11%? They claim that what was said in the review has little to do with them.
So what’s causing all of this review angst and what can be done about it? Read on.
Not in a higher power - in your boss. For whatever reason, you just can’t bring yourself to believe what your boss is telling you. Maybe they’ve been lax with the truth in the past or maybe there’s just something you can’t put your finger on. Whatever it might be, the result is that you approach your annual performance review with low energy and little motivation to learn anything.
So here’s what you have to do:
Plan a research agenda by first gathering as much information as possible that’s relevant to your next promotion and then preparing a list of questions. When your boss has finished the review, begin asking your questions and don’t let up until you have satisfactory answers. This, in effect, will turn the tables and provide you with an active role in the review, rather than just a victim of someone you don’t trust.
The quality of the annual performance review is due partly to the process itself and partly to your boss (discussed above). If you feel that the review isn’t hitting the points you expected, then you’re likely to lose faith in it right away. Add to this that your boss might be feeling the same way and therefore is trying to run through it as quickly as possible. Needless to say, there’s not much quality that can result from any of this.
So here’s what you have to do:
Come with questions. Lots of them - especially ones that require more complex conversation. In this way, you upgrade the review process from something very shallow to a meaningful experience. And if the review goes overtime, schedule a follow-up session to continue talking - off the books, so to speak. It’s in your interest to find out as many avenues for improvement as possible, so that you can stay on the promotion track towards tempting career advancement.
Sometimes, it seems as if your annual performance review has been watered down to a script your boss is obligated to read to you. It’s no surprise that we often walk away from such situations, wondering just how much thought was put into the process.
So here’s what you have to do:
Don’t let your boss get away with reciting your review and then moving on to the next person. Ask for a rewind - a review of the most important points. This will urge your boss to prioritize the points - so that you’ll understand which ones should be dealt with immediately. In this way, your boss has provided you with input and you can then form an action plan to address it.
It can be hard to put what you’ve learned into practice - and therefore sometimes you just might not want to hear it at all. Getting so much information and trying to somehow practically apply it can be an overwhelming experience for everyone. And the more time that passes, the less the chances you’ll actually be able to apply anything you’ve learned.
So here’s what you have to do:
Don’t take it upon yourself to make sweeping changes. When you try to bite off more than you can chew, you choke. Instead, try to break down the changes into manageable baby steps - steps that you can monitor and add to when you feel comfortable. After six months or so, check in with yourself to see if you’ve made progress and adjust accordingly.
An annual performance review, for many reasons, is not a day at the beach. By understanding what you’re uncomfortable with, you can begin to help shape it to meet your own needs - and progress one step further towards your corner office.
Good luck!
And always remember:
Great managers are made. Not born.
Another annual performance review has come to an end. And once again, you’ve managed to make it out alive. Good job.
But what’s next? What should you do with the information you’ve just gotten? You could be like 73% of all mid-level managers and just go about the rest of your day...week...month...and year.
Or you could take advantage of this yearly opportunity to significantly increase your chances for promotion - one of the greatest examples of goals for employees in performance reviews.
The insight you can gain from your annual performance review can be invaluable. It can translate into an action plan to put you at the top. But unfortunately, most people miss out on the important insights and end up remaining exactly where they started.
So the question of the day...or the year…is: how can you gain the insights needed for getting your next promotion?
Before moving on, I want to dispel some myths. Many of you are probably thinking that information from an annual review couldn’t be nearly as important for promotion as, for example, raw talent or good ol’ elbow grease. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. If this is your viewpoint, then you’re promising yourself a nice, soft landing into the very same position you’re in right now.
You want proof? Check out how most people experience their annual review:
They listen intently during the review.
They interpret what they’ve heard according to what they want to hear.
They make conclusions based on their interpretation.
They make decisions based on these conclusions.
They form a game plan based on these decisions.
They play out the game plan.
So as you’ve surely realized, there’s a direct link between your interpretation of events and the action you eventually take. This is all fine if your interpretations lead to your next promotion. But what happens if you misinterpret what you’ve heard? You’ve got it - disaster.
I’ll give you an example. Let’s say a boss tells an employee that they’ve got the potential needed to get a promotion and that to make it happen, the boss provides them with solid examples of goals for employees in performance reviews. For example, the boss might mention carrying on producing the same quality of work, demonstrating abilities, and making the same time investment made so far.
Believe it or not, this kind of statement can be interpreted in at least four different ways:
1. I’m well-appreciated and I’ve got a lot of potential, so I should just keep doing as I’m doing.
2. I should continue doing the same things that prompted my boss to say what they said.
3. I should try to do even more of what I’ve been doing so far.
4. I should do most of what I’ve been doing so far - and possibly increase some of what I’ve been doing.
You can probably guess what the major mistake here is: trying to form a game plan on just some of the information required!
So where does the other information come from, you’re asking? From you, the employee! Now let’s rewind to the beginning of this post.
Well done for getting through your annual performance review. Maybe it would be a good idea to go to lunch or to step outside for a little fresh air.
Now, after feeling refreshed, visualize the promotion you’d like to have in the upcoming year and follow these four critical steps:
List the skill sets or accomplishments needed to get this promotion.
Make a table that compares this list with the feedback you received in your annual performance review.
Using the table, make operative decisions to prepare yourself for your next promotion. For example, you might need to:
continue doing what you’ve done so far;
add new skill sets;
modify some behaviors.
Based on your operative decisions, formulate an action plan. And most importantly, ensure to check in with yourself at least every three months to see how you’re progressing.
Diligently following these steps will help turn your annual performance review into a promotion action plan - and place you among the 27% who will succeed.
Good luck!
And always remember:
Great managers are made. Not born.
Should you go for a promotion even if you don’t have a chance? This is a question that many middle managers ask - especially after having missed out on previous opportunities and of course one of the most important factors affecting career development. All middle managers know the dangers of not getting promoted - eternal Middledom - and therefore you should consider things carefully before deciding you don’t have a chance.
My 35 years of experience have taught me that the number one reason middle managers give up before reaching the promotion starting line is fear - especially fear of what others will think if you are rejected yet again. How will you face your co-workers? Your subordinates? Your superiors? Can you afford to lose face?
There are so many unanswered questions and unsolved variables that you might decide that eternal Middledom is preferable than putting yourself out there and coming home empty handed.
This post is dedicated to you, who might be hesitating about applying for a promotion which you think you don’t have a chance for. But I’d like to share a few thoughts before you throw in the towel and give up on one of the essential factors affecting career development.
Who’s the first person you should consult with about a promotion opportunity? Your boss? Your colleagues? Your significant other? No, no, and no. The first person is you. You and nobody else but you can decide whether to give yourself a chance.
Fortunately, over the years, I have conducted extensive research on answering this very question and can offer you two practical tools. The first one will help you find out if you’re ready for promotion, while the second one gives you the main reasons why many middle managers are rejected, even though they shouldn’t have been.
Armed with this valuable information, my guess is that you’ll realize that it’s worth giving yourself a fighting chance. I say “fighting” because there are some things out there that will require some fight on your part.
Background noise is the distracting bits of information whose job it is to move you away from reality and into anxiety. For example, you might hear a snippet of conversation in which a co-worker mentions that you’re not qualified for a promotion. If you’re insecure, you might take them seriously. But if you’re secure, you’ll tune them out as an annoying distraction. And why should this be treated as a distraction? Because you really don’t know under which circumstances it was said or
what the motivation was for saying it - or if it was just a repetition of what someone else had said. Or maybe the noise is that promoting someone like you is “just not done” in your organization. My point here is that information taken out of context is just as reliable as fake news.
But what happens when someone approaches you and tells you directly that you’ve got no chance? Here, both the context and message are very clear. But can you really tell why there’s an urgent call for your doomed failure? Unless you’re a mind reader, you can’t. But what you can rely on is that the same thing will probably be repeated to others, including those who might be deciding on your promotion. So, unlike the unreliable background noise, take this direct hit seriously and do the following: listen carefully to what they have to say and be ready to combat it if needed - completely doable with the tools I’ve mentioned above.
When someone tells you that your chances for promotion are slim, you think that they’re probably trying to prepare you for the worst - sort of like a protective parent. While this might be true, a protective parent could actually be causing more damage than what you think. Just by hearing that someone else doesn’t believe you can make it can reduce your belief in yourself - and unfortunately lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy.
So beware of the so-called protective parent. If the message gets to you that you don’t have a chance, my advice is to turn the situation into a challenge - and show everyone around that you’re going to give it your all to win. Remember, you’ve already done your homework and know you have what it takes to get the job - so you have every right to compete with others.
The only person who can decide if you have a chance for that next promotion is you. While there will be folks out there who might think otherwise and want to commit you to Middledom, the ball is in your court.
And don’t forget the most important lesson: putting up a fight against perceived odds will show everyone - and more importantly yourself - that you are indeed management material - ready to take on even the toughest challenges as you head towards the corner office.
And always remember:
Great managers are made. Not born.
Originally posted on the Noomii Career Blog.
How many times have you felt that with just a little more time, a little more patience, a little more staying power, a little more improvement, you’ll get that promotion. But as time passes, there’s still no promotion in sight - and you begin to wonder what all of this perseverance is about and what might be the real factors affecting career development. Finally, without even noticing how you got there, you’ve arrived at Stuckdom.
Thousands of middle managers ask the same question, year after year: How could I have possibly known that I’d end up stuck? This post is focuses on this very important question. My hope is that for those of you slipping towards Stuckdom, I can help you turn things around, putting you on the path to promotion.
Like many things in our lives, finding out if you’re headed towards Stuckdom can be as straightforward as reading the writing on the wall - one of the most crucial factors affecting career development. Though writing on the wall usually appears relatively early on, most of us tend to ignore it and its importance. To help you become more aware of the writing on the wall, here are some of the most known signs of approaching Stuckdom, divided into the most common kinds of situations:
No doubt that not being considered for promotion can signal a preliminary warning that something’s up. But if you’ve experienced any of the situations below, it’s the writing on the wall.
1. Your boss won’t obligate to any promotion now or in the future.
2. You can’t get any information out of you boss regarding why you aren’t getting promoted. Instead, you’re told to wait patiently.
3. You’ve already been rejected for promotion twice for the same reason.
Being passed over for promotion by either a co-worker or an outside hire should be seen as a warning. But here’s the writing on the wall:
1. The co-worker is all around less qualified than you. And the rest of the company doesn’t seem to understand why the other person got the job instead of you.
2. The outside hire has less relevant experience than you.
Your annual performance review is a good time to find out any plans for promotion your boss might have in store for you. During the review, some things are said on record, while others are said off record. Pay attention to the possible off record situations below - these are writing on the wall.
1. Even though your boss knows you’re patiently waiting for a promotion, nothing is mentioned about it in your review.
2. Even though you specifically ask about your chances for promotion, the answers you get are vague, such as “just give it some time” or “what’s the rush?”
You might feel as if you’re starting to be left out of things - getting less updates, being asked less for your opinion - which can serve as a warning. Here’s the writing on the wall:
1. In the name of efficiency and time management, you’re asked not to attend meetings you’ve actively participated in until now.
2. You’re not updated regarding some important developments and when you ask your boss about it, they act very surprised and say that it just couldn’t be. This will probably repeat itself in different formats.
When looking back on our career, we’ve all noticed some of these situations and have thought of them as out of place. The question is why we might not have identified them as writing on the wall. The answer is pretty clear; we simply chose not to. The hard part is that if we’d chosen to see the writing on the wall, we would’ve had to deal with it, which is really frightening. But the truth is that at the end of the day, we still have to face it anyway. So why not take action while you can - and avoid the slippery slope to Stuckdom?
Remember, the earlier you see the writing on the wall, the quicker you’ll be able to take action - and take charge of your own career.
Good luck!
And always remember:
Great managers are made. Not born.
Originally posted on the Noomii Career Blog.
So you’ve just heard about a promotion opportunity - whether it’s a new position in your company or the current holder is leaving for whatever reason. You haven’t been offered the job and aren’t sure if you will be. Should you wait for an offer or should you take some sort of action?
This is one of the most important factors affecting career development, so it’s no wonder that it’s is a common dilemma for many middle managers. On one hand, you really want to be promoted and know you deserve it. On the other, since you haven’t been offered anything, maybe your organization thinks differently. And as each day passes, things become increasingly hard to swallow as you begin wondering why you haven’t been offered the job. Anger and frustration build up, even with feelings of being personally offended by your boss! And all of this without even knowing why they’re not promoting you.
So you begin asking yourself. Why haven’t I been approached? Why am I not good enough? Why is someone else being given the job? The “whys” don’t stop. And you’re soon on the fast track to complete hopelessness, which can be one of the negative factors affecting career development.
So “whying” doesn’t help. This is the time to stop dwelling on the “whys” of others and concentrate on yourself - and the active role you need to play in getting that promotion.
The first thing you need to do is check your facts. Find out if there’s really an opening. Maybe it’s just a rumor and all of this hopelessness is wasted energy. However, if there’s really an opportunity out there, check when it’s supposed to become available and if there are already candidates lined up. As soon as you’ve gotten this basic information, you’ve have two possible paths to follow for approaching your boss: directly or indirectly. I’ll explain both below. Afterwards, you’ll need to choose the one that seems best for you at this time.
The advantage of approaching your boss directly is that it puts your desire for promotion right on the table. If your boss hasn’t considered you before, they can no longer ignore that you would like that promotion. But it’s not just about storming into their office one day and confronting them. Before you approach your boss, you have to do your homework, which means building a sound case for your promotion. Doing so will prompt your boss to think long and hard before dismissing your candidacy. On the other hand, if your boss tells you that you’re not going to be considered, this is the time to ask why. Listen carefully, as this is super valuable information that will help you make your own career decisions from now on. I want to repeat what I said about preparation. Do your homework and be ready to state your case with hard facts.
The advantage of approaching your boss indirectly is that you might simply feel more comfortable than possibly challenging them head on.
One way of approaching your boss indirectly involves getting your message across through others. The important thing to remember here is that the “others” must be the right people. Otherwise, your message could be misrelated or even worse, sabotaged.
Another option for approaching your boss indirectly is by broaching the subject of promotion from a very general point of view. Without revealing that you know about a possible opening, inform your boss that you’re interested in a promotion and ask what they think about this. For example, ask if they think it’s right for you at this time. This kind of open talk is important for two reasons. 1. It plants the seeds of your promotion ambitions in your boss’s head. 2. It gives you insight into how your boss views your career path in general, without the added “baggage” of negotiating a specific promotion.
Whether you decide on Path #1 or #2, don’t ever give up on pursuing the promotion you want, just because it hasn’t been offered. True, while not being offered a job can be disheartening, there’s probably a myriad of reasons, which you’ll probably never know. So concentrate on what you can do and take action yourself.
Good luck!
If you have any questions about this post, I’d love to hear from you.
And always remember:
Great managers are made. Not born.
Most of you will agree. There’s nothing more disappointing than getting passed up for promotion and veered off your corporate development pat.
But can you do anything about it?
This is the central question that millions of managers worldwide are pondering daily - especially given that only about 30% of managers vying for promotion actually realize their dream.
In this post, I’ll explain provide career advancement solutions by showing how to deal with a boss who thinks that you’re not promotion material. First of all, I’ll dispel some myths that might be going through your head.
It’s not fate.
You can do something about it.
Now I’m going to present two possible scenarios:
Your boss thinks that you might be promotion material, but they think you’ve still got work to do.
Your boss thinks that you’re just not promotional material.
Though both scenarios might leave you pretty hopeless, they are entirely different when it comes to career advancement solutions. I’ll be addressing the first one in this post and the second one in my next post.
Here’s something typical you might hear from your boss...as they let you know you’re not going to get promoted.
“Martin, you’ve really progressed a lot and everyone is noticing the improvement in your work - not to mention the tremendous time and energy you’ve invested. So I’m sure you’ll be a leading candidate the next time around. I have so much faith in you that I’ll personally help you bridge those small gaps that need to be bridged before your next promotion.”
Ugh. Martin’s boss has burst his balloon - elegantly, but still...POP.
What did his boss mean by bridging gaps? Are these gaps so significant that you can’t be promoted NOW? How frustrating!
Now let’s look at this from the boss’s point-of-view. Remember that the boss is noticing things from his or her perspective. They might be real or imaginary - but as far as the boss is concerned, they exist. I’ve seen this hundreds of times and have even dubbed it the “virtual gap” - the difference between how you might perceive yourself and how others think you should be.
Let’s begin with how you can avoid such an unpleasant scenario. As I’ve written in previous posts, your boss must know, very clearly from day one, that you are aiming for a promotion one day. So a year before you want to be promoted, sit down with your boss and say something like this:
“In about a year, I would like to be considered for promotion and I would very much appreciate finding out, from your perspective, what competencies I would need to develop in order to do so. Also, it would be helpful to know the areas where I need to improve.”
Hopefully, your boss will be receptive to such initiative, so your next step would be to ask your boss how you can receive help in building the competencies and making the necessary improvements. This step is designed to create a kind of partnership between the two of you in positioning you for a promotion. To formalize things, it would be a good idea to construct an informal mentoring program with your boss so that they become committed to this process. Ready my case study about Lisa, who used this strategy to advance her career.
Six months into the process, take out that original list of competencies and areas of improvement to gain their perspective on your progress so that you’ll know which gaps still have to be bridged.
Then, three months further down the road, set a meeting with your boss so that you can try to understand his or her perspective regarding a possible promotion. Knowing this ahead of time will prevent a future let-down and will also allow for an open discussion regarding how to proceed, with or without your boss’s blessing.
Following this process, while not always easy, will keep you in the driver’s seat when it comes to achieving your next promotion. It’s all up to you...and nobody else.
Good luck!
And always remember:
Great managers are made. Not born.
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