Five Secrets to Set Yourself Up for Promotion

How To Take Ownership of Promotion?

Producing For Others – Part 5

You’d be surprised that the average person isn’t thinking promotion.  The average person only looks for their annual increase if that’s available and their weekly payday.  I had a friend who worked for me in the past. That means I was his boss and I remember praying for him as an employee (which I do for all those that I directly influence).  I recall God impressing upon me to speak to the employee regarding their annual merit increase. You see this employee wasn’t one who’d give it much thought. The thing is, the two people who had a role in whether or not this employee would receive an annual increase were the two of us.  Since I could directly impact his merit increase, we agreed to work together to get at least the minimum amount available based on performance. The point is this, why leave something on the table when you have direct control of it? This is what we call promotion; it’s not just a position or even increase in rate of pay, but an increase in a person’s value.

The Thought or Concept:
So the question is simple, how can we (one) better situate ourselves for promotion?  Now that we know what promotion is and have our mind on it. Let’s not leave anything on the table.  Let’s figure out how we can be the best in our field, job, role, or responsibility. The worse case scenario would be that your company doesn’t recognize the effort you’re giving and the value you’re providing.  In this case, you’ve gotten yourself more skills to offer the next company. You’ve increased your value and thusly can demand higher compensation. It’s just that simple, but it’s all in your hands. Let’s get to the how and I promise you, these thoughts aren’t “normal” practices.

The Practice:
These are five actions you can make to position yourself for growth and promotion:

1. Take advantage of your one-on-one conversations with your direct supervisor.
   While it’s natural to worry or stress-out about meeting with your supervisor, if you take my advice from this web-post, you’ll learn to enjoy it.  The reason we stress is only because we feel we’re under-performing to our supervisor’s expectations. When I fell into this category, do you know what I did?  I changed how the one-on-one conversations went. I prepared for them and got the necessary feedback to figure out the easiest way I could improve. Ask your supervisor for help before your supervisor recommends you need help.   Ask your supervisor, what you could work on and do better? How can you be a better help to meeting their needs? Ouch… I knew you weren’t ready for that. Now for the next action you can take to situate yourself for promotion.
2. Please only one person.
   Many people (I’ve seen time and time again) make this next mistake.  They try to please too many people in the workplace. The last person you should try to please are your coworkers.  The only person who has to be pleased with your work performance is the person who evaluates your performance. But what about the president of the company or your boss’s boss?  No. That’s the boss’s job. Your job is to perform to the expectations of the one who’s giving you your evaluation. When you do this life (work) becomes simple. There’s no confusion.
3. Don’t compare yourself against anyone else.
   Don’t play the comparison game.  Often when you compare yourself to others on the job, you’re comparing yourself to another ordinary person.  That gets you no further than ordinary. Instead compare yourself to yourself. In what ways, can you do the job you do better?  When you think of your own ways of doing what you do better, it’s easy to achieve this little extra that will set you apart and make you extra-ordinary in your position.
4. Research information on other companies and how your role, job, or responsibility is performed.
   This tip is good because it will help you get outside of how things have always been done.  Find others who do similar jobs so that you can learn, what corporations call, “best practices.”  You’re looking for better ways and techniques to do what you do. Also share your techniques with others, this will get you ready for leading a team of people to do what you already do.
5. Write it down, make it happen.
   Lastly, write it down and make it happen.  Keep a log, journal, or working documents of what you’re doing and how you’re improving.  Keep notes like you would a training guide. You see you’re getting ready for promotion and you need to build your mental muscles and let them know you’re not staying in this spot much longer.  Write everything you know down; it’s valuable to those who will do your job once you’re promoted.

Today is Friday!
When I share information like this I get excited.  No one has ever shared these tips with me. I picked them up along the way.  I know if you take hold of what I’m suggesting and put it into practice, I’ll see you become the best version of you, the world has yet to see.  Your promotion is on its way and it can’t be stopped.

Until next Friday, share this with anyone you know is talking about wanting to be promoted.  It’s their time and yours. Thanks for visiting Kerry A. Clark & Co.

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