Let’s begin at the beginning. You get a new job. You are introduced to your colleagues and leadership. You are ambitious, driven and you don’t want just a job, you want a career. You have a career strategy in place but you are not sure yet how it can work out in this new environment that you are in now.
First thing to do, that will truly help you decide if you want to be promoted in the first place, is to:
Look at the company’s leadership. Your Manager, their Manager, CEOs etc, depending on the hierarchy.
Are they the kind of people you aspire to become? Do you want to live the professional life that they live? And perhaps even private?
Do they posses the behaviours, attitudes, knowledge and values, that you want to have and live by?
How do they treat people lower in the hierarchy?
Do you think that you would ‘fit in’ once up-there?
If you are serious about your career, and your answer is ‘No’ to the above questions, then you should consider that perhaps you are in the wrong environment. If you can, don’t stay for too long – move on.
However, if your answer is ‘Yes’ and you do get overlooked for a promotion, consider the following:
1. Competition: Is the person who got the job a better match for the role and the company, and why?
2. Executive Presence: Do you posses the Necessary Qualities (click here to learn more):
- Subject matter expertise
- Communications skills
- Gravitas – are you taken seriously.
3. Networking: Do you network with the right people?
4. Politics: Do you really understand what else is important to get promoted within the company?
Lastly, perhaps you are indeed the right person for the promotion, but you still got overlooked – which leads to my last point (5):
“If you are crucial for the company’s success, and are still overlooked for a promotion, then it’s time to consider different options.”
Becoming aware of where and why you should be working at a certain company and position, is an essential step in creating your career strategy.
Do you need guidance in creating your own career strategy?
You can book directly here, or get in touch for a prior phone call at welcome@standoutjane.com.
Image: Alamy, Demi Moore, A Few Good Men, 1992.