Are you ready for a new challenge? Do you feel that you have outgrown your current role? Are you growing increasingly frustrated with a lack of progression? Are you ready for promotion and just need to get your manager on the same page?! Today we will discuss the tips and tricks to getting promoted quickly.
In my last post I discussed ‘How to have a Successful Conversation with your Boss‘. However before you speak to your employer about a potential promotion you should know that there are a number of important characteristics that your boss will look for in a future leader. As you get promoted and move up through the ranks you are moving towards senior leadership. In a leadership role it is not a ‘them and us’ mentality it is just ‘us’. So your boss will need to see that you are fully on the same page as them when it comes to the success of the business.
Here are the key characteristics that your boss will want to see in a future leader:
Reliability
Reliability is vital. If you cannot rely on someone, why on earth would you want to give them even more responsibility? Being reliable and dependable is essential to climbing the ladder.
Impeccable with your Word
Similar to reliability, your boss needs to know that when you say you will do something, you will do it. Always stay true to your word and only ever agree to, or promise things when you know for a fact that you can deliver. Do not over promise! When we over promise the focus may unfortunately shift to the items that we have not delivered on and not the long list that has been delivered.
Deadlines
Every business involves working to deadlines in some shape or form. Showing that you can not only meet, but excel at managing deadlines is a key ingredient for promotion because it will be the every day life of a senior leader.
Look the Part
If you want to be seen as a leader, you should look a leader. Believe it or not, how you look and act is a projection of the business itself. So if you want to get promoted your boss will want to see a professional looking representative.
Act Interested
There is nothing more frustrating when you are hard at work than watching someone hang back in their seat, play with their phone, slouch, fidget or just look completely disinterested. If you look like you don’t want to be there why would your boss even consider having you promoted?
Own It
There is nothing that I admire more than someone that takes full ownership of their work. Own up to mistakes. Never blame others for something that you played a part in and never try to patch up problems. If you are going to be part of the leadership team, openness and honesty will be critical to your role and to wider business success.
Maturity
Stop all ranting and moaning! Your boss is not a therapist. If you are moaning and calling out every tiny grievance in your job, why would your boss want to work with you even closer? Everyone is doing the best that they can and constant ranting and raving is seen as you having a go at their leadership. Use your energy constructively. Stop focusing on the problems and try to be part of the solutions!
Care about Others
Business is people. If you want to succeed in any type of business you need to be a good people person. People need to like you and want to work with you and for you. If you are going to be a leader, you will be transitioning to a role of leading some of the people who are now your peers. This will be significantly smoother if they like and respect you. Leadership is a verb not a noun. Take time each day to check in on your team members and genuinely care about them. Be a proper team player, have other peoples backs and take time to really connect with them.
Stop Gossiping
Stop all gossiping. If someone is saying it to you, they are saying it about you. Your boss will have no time or patience for listening to gossip. They are fully focused on the running of their business and listening to you gossip will not only make you look untrustworthy, it will be seen as a waste of their valuable time and energy.
Don’t make Excuses
Unless there is a case of genuine emergency, do not make excuses. Everyone has lots of things going on in their personal lives and we are all trying to balance multiple plates. But at the end of the day we are paid to do a job and we need to get the job done. Don’t make excuses. Don’t over promise and always own up if something is delayed.
Embrace Change
Whether you believe it or not, no changes are ever made for the sake of it! Any changes that senior leadership make is aimed at greater business success which filters down to greater personal success for everyone in the business. It is hard enough for your boss to implement and embrace change themselves without you standing in the way. People will always remember how you made them feel, so don’t be their roadblock!
Work Smarter not Harder
Many people think that working around the clock is a sure fire away of getting promoted and I can promise you that it is not. In my experience the most successful people are the ones that work smarter not harder. In my next post we will examine 10 Ways to Work Smarter, not Harder including examining that tasks you should be taking on in order to be considered for promotion.
Be Visible
If you are a super employee that ticks all of the above boxes, that is great. But in order to get promoted you will still need to be visible to senior leadership. Don’t let others take credit for your successes. Make sure that you are getting proper face time with your boss so that they are aware of your significant efforts. But on the same hand do not engage in the child like behaviour of running to them to show them every small task that you do!
Play the Game
Of course in any large organisation there will also be a certain level of company politics that you will need to be able to navigate and overcome in order to succeed. Later in the series we will learn how to overcome and master the Game of Politics!
If you have found this post useful I would love to hear from you. Please continue to follow this Free Career Series in order to equip yourself with the tools and techniques that you need to get from where you are now to where you want to be.
Note
All views are my own. This career series is purposely designed to follow a certain order so if you are just tuning into this series be sure to head back to the start to catch up on the tools and techniques used so far.
What do you think?