Just not there yet

We are not all blessed with a great manager who encourages our every career move. Additionally, many of us have experienced disappointment in our career journey when we have been counting on promotion, only to be told we are “just not promotion ready”. “You are just not there yet”.

This cycle can continue if everything is left to chance. So how do we take control of our destiny and get ourselves promotion ready?

If you have visited my website, followed me online or have been one of my valued clients, you will know that I believe everything in life comes down to our relationships. The relationship we have with ourselves and how we interact with others.

From over 20 years of leading teams and working closely on their personal development, here are some of my top tips for progression.

It’s not only What you know it’s Who you know

Building relationships is most important in the workplace. If we look at when we join a new job or new team, what is it we all want to do? Fit in, be a part of the wider group. This comes easy to some of the more extroverted among us however, introverts have a lot to offer, especially in terms of their listening skills and intuitive abilities.

No matter how outgoing we are, fitting in is not about agreeing to everything others say and do. Fitting in is about you accepting your team, colleagues and stakeholders at a place where they are at and them accepting you. From this point, everything can be discussed.

Sounds easy right? We are all human with our own experiences that have shaped us. Most of the conflicts that I deal with in the workplace are usually born out of tunnel vision, of only being able to see their view of the world. When we can communicate more effectively, at a level that warrants a promotion, we can see both sides of the coin.

Putting in time with the individuals that you will engage with the most is crucial. Allowing some time at meetings, having dedicated coffee breaks or some lunches early on is vital to get to know and understand your colleagues and key stakeholders. Regular interaction will start to build trust. When you show any interest in your colleagues, they often replicate this behaviour and are more likely to engage positively.

Know what you are good at

It takes maturity to look at ourselves and recognise our strengths and where we may fall short. For example, we may be overachieving in our role however it could be perceived as delivering at all costs. We may be great within our team and our manager loves us but ultimately, we need to be focused more on service and delivery. It is a combination of all that makes us more rounded.

When you get to this point in your career development and you know you want to progress, it is often looking at how others behave within the workplace that you can learn the most. It is not about copying exactly what they did. It is about understanding their path, how they operate every day and what habits have they built in to ensure continued success. Sometimes it requires only a few tweaks to our routines that allow us to shine more, for example, focusing our priorities and moving away from being the pleaser will show huge dividends. Overall, it is the effective management of all stakeholders that are crucial to building your relations and reputation in the workplace.

Look at your personality 

I referred earlier to extroverts and introverts concerning building rapport with others. Often, we hear these terms referred to more in our personal lives or social settings however our personality types are 100% valid within the work setting and can be a major factor in progressing within our careers.

Various tools can measure our profiles which can give great insights into our preferences and personal tendencies. Some of my work involves profiling clients or teams through the My Everything DiSC tool. To date,  it has provided huge insights for personal growth among my colleagues and clients. Having this profile allows us to take a deeper look inside our world which in turn will deepen our understanding of self and others.

In my experience, when profiles are shared in a safe and trusting team, they can dramatically change the team dynamics, culture and how everyone works together. Quite quickly the results show a far more collaborative workforce.

Don’t be afraid to show your fun side

Throughout my career, I have never been afraid to show my fun side. I insist on this as part of any team that I lead. Again, this may be something we save for our friends and loved ones. We spend so much of our time at work and with colleagues so it is very important to enjoy that company. If we are all business, all of the time, we often miss out on the enjoyable relationships we can make at work.

Apart from having fun, showing your fun or funny side can have the following positive effects:

• Helps colleagues and stakeholders to like you.
  • If they like you, they talk about you. The more you are talked about, the more you get noticed!
    • It can be a wonderful stress reliever.
      • It is very hard to stay stressed out when you are laughing! I always remind any team that we are not carrying out brain surgery! This quickly gets everything in perspective.
      • Makes us feel more approachable.
        • Building rapport. When you build rapport, you can quickly build trust.

Don’t forget the soft skills

Often, despite all our best efforts to network, learning to know about ourselves and showing our best sides we still don’t hit the mark. From my experience, the best team to have around me are those who work equally hard on developing their softer skills and understand the importance of the key competencies required to progress.

To help others understand what the core competencies are that most employers and managers will appreciate and notice, I have created the ADVANCE model:

Accountability

This is often overlooked in a team that is showing up and taking ownership however when a lack of accountability is missing from even a few within the team, it can cause great unease. Getting to know all aspects of your role is required.

The old saying practice makes perfect is very apt here. For us to take full responsibility for our work, we must feel confident. Break down all aspects of your role and set goals for bridging any gaps that you have.

Work with colleagues and your manager to identify these gaps and focus all of your efforts to close them. When we want to show we are ready for promotion, this is one of the key competencies that will allow us to shine and show our managers how capable and reliable we are.

Direction & Decision

D is for Direction and Decision Making. I couldn’t decide which was more important, so I left them both in. Learning to take direction can be difficult for some. If you are fighting against it because you feel you have a better way of doing things that you need to find a way to get this across. If you want to move up, you must be seen as someone who can take company goals and deliver on them yourself or direct others to. The more you can follow the direction the more obvious it will be to your manager, their manager etc. Equally important is the ability to decide. No one wants to promote someone unable to decide the best direction to take. The easiest way to perfect this is to practice the following steps:

• Determine the end solution
• Define the problem
• Weigh up the risks
• Know the final decision maker
• Identify a solution
• Listen to your gut. That gut feeling is often overlooked however, intuitively, you can decide!

Visible

Getting visible means getting noticed. Visibility rarely happens by doing nothing. People are noticed when they continually show up, they are present, and they demonstrate how they care about their job. They are not going through the motions. Additionally, getting visible means speaking up. Listening is a wonderful asset however to get noticed you must speak up at meetings, ask questions where you are unsure and offer updates where you know. Volunteering your services outside of your current role is also a great way to raise your visibility. Put your name forward for committees or forums to show your versatility and how easy you are to work with. Volunteering is a sure fast way of showing that you are committed to your future at the company. Watch out for volunteering for something that you are not interested in, it will soon show!

It is best to volunteer in areas where you know you can add value and shine.

Agile

Having supported Technology teams on the HR side for over two decades, I am no stranger to agile methodologies at work. It was not until recent years and especially since a lot have been working remotely, that I have witnessed the benefit of guiding teams towards an agile framework. Outside of software and product development, the agile mindset is very sought after as it can respond to a changing environment and enable us to work faster and smarter.

1. Self organise
2. Have clear individual AND team goals
3. Talk about blockers and progress to each other at regular intervals.

Nice

Very simple, be nice. There is a cliché that refers to “no one nice gets to the top”, I disagree. This is not about being nice for the sake of it, being the “agreeable” one and getting the reputation of being a pushover. Far from it, on any of the teams that I led, I wanted to work with nice colleagues, so I treated them nice. I showed up, I listened first, talked later. I showed interest by remembering important details. I still managed to get promoted to the senior position of HR Director. It is nice to be nice. Depending on the culture of your company or team this may not be immediately possible, small changes can make all the difference. Consistency is key, practicing being nice might be necessary at the start.

Creativity

Being creative in the workplace does not have to rest with our marketing and design colleagues. Creativity is the ability to come up with original and innovative ideas. It is taking the time to consider what is needed, to think independently, to have the courage to raise alternative solutions and to have the belief in your ability to deliver on these.

Energy

Every leader and business owner wants high energy, infectious team member around them to raise the performance bar, increase results and make the environment more fun.

They are natural communicators, eager and display good judgement

If you are naturally not inclined this way, I recommend looking at your self-care routine as your starting point. Often when we focus on our health and wellbeing, it raises our energy and our drive.

High energy colleagues stand out as they naturally foster and build teamwork. They instil confidence in their coworkers the energise all who are around them.  All leaders will notice these individuals and will most definitely stand out for promotion.

Overall, getting the promotion you deserve requires your input, focus and full energy.

Get help to get promotion ready

I have over 20 years of experience managing and leading teams with a clear focus on personal development and career progression. I would love to work with you, supporting you on your career path and ambitions.

Please connect with me here or complete the form here for a FREE consultation.