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#YourCareer : How To Promote Your Career When You Work From Home. Great Read for All!

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Now that most professionals are working from home, being remote should not be a disadvantage come promotion time. That said, you still need to manage your career to be promotion-worthy and to manage your brand to get noticed. With everyone working remotely – including your boss, helpful mentors and supporters, senior leaders you don’t know as well – you need a strategy to proactively get and stay top-of-mind with the decision-makers and influencers of promotion decisions.

Here are seven ways you can proactively promote your career even when you work from home:

1 – Check in frequently

The cliché, “out of sight, out of mind”, could very well apply to the relationship between you and your manager. You may have had a great relationship when you worked in close proximity, and you still may have a great relationship, but you’re only going to know for sure if you check in. If you have a regular cadence for checking in, make sure it’s frequent enough now that you are both remote.

Your manager may not know how to manage remotely. Communicating with and collaborating with a dispersed team is different than managing a team all in one place, and your manager may not realize this. In addition, the pandemic, slowing economy and volatile political landscape add additional challenges, so even if your manager is fine with the remote curveball, there are plenty of other distractions. If you want to stay top-of-mind, you’ll need to check in more frequently than before.

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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2 – Report your results

Many companies are trying to contain or even reduce costs, so leaders are questioning every resource – including their employee count. It is critical that your contributions are clear and well-known. Do not assume your manager knows everything you’re working on – hence checking in more frequently. In addition, regularly report your results.

Your report can be a simple email to summarize what you have accomplished for the week, or it could be an update on the status of each of your projects. Better yet, ask your manager what format and frequency they would prefer. If they say they don’t need a report, send one anyway as a summary email at the end of each week. At the very least, you’ll have a written account for your next performance review.

3 – Align with company priorities – which may have changed

Getting results makes you productive. Getting results that matter to senior leadership makes you indispensable. Make sure your work aligns with company priorities, and re-confirm with your manager what the priorities are because they may have changed. Some projects may no longer have budget, while some may leapfrog to the top of the list because the new market conditions make them more relevant.

Being flexible is critical during unpredictable and changing times. Your day-to-day responsibilities may look very different. You may be asked to take on additional work or what feels like a whole new role. By aligning where the urgent work is, you stay busy where the need is greatest and hopefully where senior leaders are watching closely.

4 – Pay attention to possible next steps

With roles and responsibilities shifting, what next steps are available and ideal also shifts. If you had a promotion strategy mapped out pre-pandemic, check with your mentor and/ or your manager to see if that is still a viable plan. If company strategy veers away from an area that you were interested in, that may not be the best move right now. On the other hand, if the company is making new moves in response to the pandemic, slowing economy or other market conditions, these could present opportunities you hadn’t considered before.

5 – Stay upbeat

Unpredictable times are anxious times, and your manager and their manager are not insulated from the anxiety. If you are grounded and upbeat, that adds value, as you can be a stabilizing force on the team. It also enhances your executive presence since you exude confidence.

This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t surface problems or speak up if you have a different idea or point of view. However, make sure that you surface problems by offering solutions, not just complaining about what’s wrong. Offer a different idea or point of view, but always give the contributor of the initial idea (especially if it’s your manager) a graceful exit to agree with you and not seem wrong.

6 – Nurture your connections outside your immediate group

Your manager and immediate department are not the only decision-makers or influencers in promotions. While everyone works remotely, you won’t have opportunities to bump into people on the floor, in the elevator or at lunch. You will have to make a concerted effort to nurture connections outside your immediate group.

This includes taking an inventory of who you already know but need to reconnect with and who you don’t already know and need introductions. You’ll have to proactively schedule time to talk. You may need your manager, mentor or colleagues to make an introduction for you. If your company has continued town halls or other company-wide events virtually, take advantage of those opportunities to virtually bump into people you would otherwise not reach.

7 – Nurture your connections outside your company

Your current employer is only one place to promote your career. Given the market uncertainty, the most proactive promotion plan should include options outside your current employer. Prioritize connecting with your broader network outside your company, so that you hear about what is available elsewhere. At the very least, you’ll have a better understanding of how other companies are handling the current market challenges, and this may give you ideas even if you stay where you are.

As you focus on what you can do, don’t forget the company’s part

When are promotion decisions made? Who are the decision-makers? What backgrounds and track records typically get promoted for what types of roles? Even as you focus on what you can do to improve your prospects, don’t forget that your company has a promotion process in place. You need to know what that is and work within that system to make sure you focus on the right things with the right people at the right time.

Author: Caroline Ceniza-Levine  Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website or some of my other work here.

Get my free checklist, 25 Career Mistakes Even Smart Professionals Make, on SixFigureStart.com — insider tips that come from 20+ years in recruiting, evaluating

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Forbes.com | June 6, 2020

The Two(2) Things Your Boss Must Do To Set You Up For Success. A Must Read !

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Years ago, back when I was teaching high school and college students, one of my mentors told me that the teacher made the difference in the classroom. She told me that instructors had to own the success and failure of their students. I agreed, and now—after years of hiring and supervising staff and leading teams—I help executives and supervisors understand that they make the difference in their organizations. They make all the difference (for success and failure) with their teams and employees.

It is the responsibility of your supervisor—the person you call your boss—to set the stage for organizational and operational success and create an environment for you and your colleagues to do your best work. Supervisors are the difference between success and failure, between high morale and low, between engagement and apathy and between a thriving culture and a toxic one.

Every supervisor—the good and the bad—impacts organizational, operational, team and employee success, but the worst ones have a negative impact because they fail to prioritize their employees’ needs. However, if you work for a supervisor who consistently does these two things, you are being set up for success and will likely have a great work experience.

Your boss must define what success looks like.

Supervisors who don’t distinguish high performers may very well end up rewarding the poor ones, and this is a key factor in toxic organizations.

If your boss doesn’t define what success looks like, he is doing way more than undermining overall organizational success. He is indeed sabotaging your ability to succeed as a contributing member of the team and, quite possibly, setting you up to fail. Defining success is a key responsibility for effective supervisors, and when they can’t or won’t define it, you can bet your bottom dollar they aren’t going to work to help you achieve it either.

Why it’s critically important for effective supervisors to define success:

Today In: Leadership
  • When success is defined, it can also be recognized and rewarded. But when it isn’t defined, you can put in all kinds of work and produce major deliverables and still not be adequately recognized or rewarded for your high performance.
  • When success is defined, employees understand how to become high performers. They become more engaged in goal accomplishment and better able to position themselves for a promotion and secure merit bonuses and raises.
  • When success is defined, it’s a sign that the organization likely has a transparent performance management program that it takes seriously, and it’s also a good sign that due diligence is taken to ensure employees understand the performance process and receive effective coaching throughout the entire year.
  • When success is defined, a culture of accountability—as opposed to a culture of toxicity—can be created because there is less chaos about roles and expectations, and there is less confusion about performance expectations.
  • When success is defined, it forces or prompts a review of the overall organizational or operational strategy to ensure alignment between performance expectations and strategy. Also, more attention gets paid to position descriptions to eliminate discrepancies that could lead to conflicts with goal achievement or create ambiguity among various roles.

If your boss doesn’t define what success looks like, he really can’t set proper standards for performance or accountability. As a result, everyone’s performance—the high and low performers—just ends up getting treated equally. Employee morale decreases, and over time, the culture could become toxic as well.

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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Your boss must provide resources and remove obstacles.

Supervisors who can’t be bothered to prioritize their employees’ needs should never expect their employees to prioritize the organization’s needs.

If your boss doesn’t provide the resources you need to effectively do your job, he is undermining your ability to succeed. And, if he doesn’t remove obstacles that impede performance, he hinders trust and makes it difficult for employees to thrive. Next to the need to define success, supervisors have an absolute responsibility to listen—and respond—to employee needs. It is the supervisor’s job to leverage his influence and leadership on behalf of employee success. If employees don’t have the resources they need to perform at high levels, the organization will suffer, and everyone will eventually feel it.

Why it’s critically important for effective supervisors to provide resources and remove obstacles.

  • When resources are provided and obstacles are removed, employees have what they need to do their jobs well and deliver meaningful results. Also, workplace obstacles are minimized or eliminated. Obstacles such as conflicting policies that impede the customer experience get modified or removed. Obstacles such as broken communication flow, process redundancies, duplication of effort and procedural gaps get dealt with.
  • When resources are provided and obstacles are removed, employees can focus on making themselves, their team members, their bosses and their organizations look good instead of fighting to be heard or spending unnecessary time complaining about what’s getting in their way.
  • When resources are provided and obstacles are removed, employees feel heard, appreciated, respected and valued. As a result, they become truly engaged on what matters to their bosses. This leads to organizational leaders getting more input and deeper levels of investment from employees.
  • When resources are provided and obstacles are removed, employees are free to use their talents to think, experiment, create and innovate in a way that will elevate operations and help to achieve strategic goals. Change management efforts and disruption issues have less of a negative impact on organizational performance and profits.
  • When resources are provided and obstacles are removed, supervisors with a tendency to micromanage employees feel less of a need to do so. Instead, they can focus more on the big picture. They can become better leaders and better change agents because they realize they can actually get out of the way and allow their employees to confidently shine.

If your boss doesn’t take the time to understand what resources you need and which obstacles are in your way, he is not making you a priority. Surely, as a consequence, you might start to question whether you need to make him a priority either.

Key takeaways

For supervisors

If your goal is be an effective leader and create a high-performance culture of accountability and trust, it is critically important that you define success, provide resources, remove obstacles and then get out of the way and let employees do their best work.

You can give the best office and holiday parties, but fail to do these things, and it won’t really matter. You can provide your employees with the best work schedules, but fail to do these things, and it won’t really matter. You can pay employees great salaries, and still it won’t really matter if you neglect to prioritize these things.

For employees

If your supervisor won’t make defining success a priority, he is showing you that you aren’t a priority. If you work for a boss who doesn’t provide clear performance expectations and a definitive understanding for what success looks like, he is setting you up to fail. If your boss consistently neglects to ask about what resources you need to do your job or what obstacles may be in your way, you might want to run like hell before he sets you up to fail.

One of the worst things you can do is just stay on the job hoping that your work product meets with your supervisor’s goals. That hope will quickly turn to disappointment after you have given all you can only to receive poor performance reviews, get overlooked for raises and promotions or find yourself treated no better than any poor performer who does half the work as you do for twice the pay.

Author:  Terina Allen Contributor  Careers   I cover careers, professional advancement and leadership development.

 

Forbes.com | December 12, 2019

 

#CareerAdvice : #JobPromotion – Passed Over for a Promotion? Your Next Steps. The Do’s & Don’ts.

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Nobody likes being passed over for a promotion, but it can be a defining moment in a career. Individuals willing to stay put and strengthen their skills often find that such rejection can lead to bigger and better things, several leadership specialists say.

​Few people avoid this common setback. Fred Hassan, a former chief executive of ​ Schering-Plough Corp. and Pharmacia Corp., was rejected for a senior corporate strategy job at ​another pharma company early in his career.

Mr. Hassan says he kept his cool and instead accepted a less prestigious promotion that required him to relocate. It’s important “to carefully evaluate options outside that department or even outside the company,” he says.

It is tempting to quit after losing out on a plum job. Since November 2014, executives at big businesses such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. , PfizerInc., Procter & Gamble Co. and Abercrombie & Fitch Co., have walked away after failing to win a top executive role. Tom Staggs, Walt DisneyCo.’s second in command, decided to step down this spring after learning he wasn’t likely to succeed CEO Robert Iger.

For most of us, it’s smarter to stay on, experts say.

RELATED READING

“A promotion turndown initially feels like the end of your career, but could propel you further if you take time to reflect,’’ said Heather Vough, an assistant management professor at University of Cincinnati’s business school. She recommends using the rejection to​ review career goals and decide whether you still yearn to fill the position.

​Ms. Vough​ co-authored a recent paper about finding success after denied promotions. One tip for explaining a rejection to others: come up with a “growth-based” narrative that attributes the setback to internal and controllable causes, such as inexperience, organizational politics or budgetary issues.

Employers are often willing to help. Amid a stronger economy, more companies are giving frank feedback to runners-up because they “realize they need to do a better job of retaining their top performers,’’ says John Beeson, author of “The Unwritten Rules: The Six Skills You Need to Get Promoted to the Executive Level.”

In turn, those denied a promotion should “show a mature desire to learn from the experience,’’ advises Mr. Beeson, who has an executive-development consultancy. Don’t ask why you didn’t get the job. Instead, ask what specific things you could do to be a strong candidate for a similar job in the future, he says.

TO RECOVER FROM A DENIED PROMOTION

Do: 

  • 1. Review your career goals.
  • 2. Ask your boss how to become a stronger candidate in the future.
  • 3. Expand your leadership skills and critical work experiences.
  • 4. Find ways to showcase your talents inside and outside the workplace.

Don’t:

  • 1. Lose your cool and act angry
  • 2. Ask why you didn’t get the desired job.
  • 3. Hesitate to put your hand up again for a promotion.
  • 4. Stay with your current employer if you’ve been passed over several times.

Kenneth Miller, a vice president of the diabetes-care unit at Becton, Dickinson & Co., told his boss that he felt honored to have been a contender for world-wide president of his unit after the Franklin Lakes, N.J., medical-technology company picked another executive for that post in the fall of 2013.

The winner had stronger operational capabilities than Mr. Miller, the unit’s exiting president told him, adding that if he continued to develop, he would someday land the role. Becton arranged leadership training for Mr. Miller and retained Mr. Beeson as his executive coach.

During the yearlong training program, Mr. Miller says he discovered that “I could be tough on standards and tenderhearted with people.” Mr. Beeson taught the Becton executive how to delegate responsibility better.

Mr. Miller enhanced his operational acumen by managing his unit’s financial forecasting and budget-setting process. He soon became a vice president of a larger unit. In February 2015, he rejoined the diabetes-care business as president.

“I had grown a lot over the past year and a half,” Mr. Miller recalls. “I was much better prepared than in 2013.”

Other executives flourish after the denial of a promotion because they conceal their bruised ego and find smart ways to showcase their talents. “Make yourself mandatory for your company,’’ suggests Alexandre Wentzo, a French-born executive.

 

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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Several years ago, Mr. Wentzo was running operations in France for Casewise Ltd., a small British software vendor. When the CEO departed in late 2009, the executive chairman of the firm took command temporarily.

Mr. Wentzo expected the chairman would choose a global chief operating officer. Instead, he named Mr. Wentzo and an American new hire as regional COOs, launching a horse race for the top job. “The best guy will win,” the chairman told the two.

Mr. Wentzo says he felt somewhat offended that he wasn’t selected for a global role. “I was thinking, ‘Why? Am I not good enough?’ ” He nevertheless pretended to support his boss’s decision, while aiming to prove “I was better than the other guy.”

Mr. Wentzo thrived in his new job. Financial results for Europe, one of his regions, beat internal growth targets and overtook those for the U.S. within six months, he says. Casewise fired his American counterpart and in 2012 elevated Mr. Wentzo to chief executive, Mr. Wentzo says.

At General Electric Co., an ambitious executive used a different strategy after a promotion turndown, involving associates at a variety of levels to help improve her leadership abilities.

Show a mature desire to learn from the experience.

The GE vice president had pursued a senior vice presidency within her unit during summer 2011. “One of her identified strengths was her aggressiveness,’’ recalls Adam Holton, who then was human-resources manager for the unit. (He now is chief human resources officer at CHS Inc., the biggest U.S. farmer cooperative.)

“She drove her people too hard,’’ Mr. Holton says​ of the executive, who did not want her name used in this article. The promotion went to a male peer whom managers viewed as a more inclusive leader. The woman immediately asked Mr. Holton how she should change. He advised her to build more trust among her subordinates. In response, she prepared a detailed developmental plan that she regularly reviewed with Mr. Holton and her boss.

The GE executive finally became a senior vice president in July 2012. And in October 2014, she landed a fresh senior spot with even bigger responsibilities.

Write to Joann S. Lublin at joann.lublin@wsj.com

Appeared in the April 20, 2016, print edition as ‘Passed Over for a Promotion? Here Are Next Steps.’

 

WSJ.com | Joann S. Lublin

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#CareerAdvice : #YourCareer -Passed over for a #Promotion ? Here’s How to Recover…Your First Reaction Might Be to Get your #Resume Ready, but Quitting isn’t Necessarily Best Option.

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Finding out you’ve been passed over for a promotion can come with a host of emotions, from anger to resentment to feeling unappreciated. Yes, it stings.

But while your first reaction to being passed over may be to fire off your resume and show your boss what they missed out on, doing so may mean you’ll miss out on an opportunity to use this setback to your advantage.

DEAL WITH YOUR EMOTIONS

Resist the urge to act right away and take some time to reflect and cool down. Jacinta Jimenez, psychologist and head of coaching at BetterUp, says giving your emotions space is the best way to ensure you don’t react in a way that can harm you down the road. “Taking a moment to sit with yourself, your feelings, your reactions can allow you to approach the situation from a much more centered place,” she says.

Related: The Harsh Truth Of Being Promoted You Probably Didn’t Think About

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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GET OUT OF THE VICTIM MINDSET

It’s normal to feel disappointed, but staying in this place of feeling rejected can cause many unhelpful thoughts to enter your mind. You may start to wonder whether you’re good enough. After all, if your manager couldn’t see your value, maybe they are right and you aren’t deserving of the promotion. As you can see, this train of thought can lead to a bad place very quickly.

Get control over your mind by taking inventory of your thoughts and ask yourself if your they’re driven by an emotional reaction or whether they are based in fact. “When we’re feeling the sting of rejection, we aren’t always able to see things clearly,” says Jimenez. This is why it’s even more important to take some time to reflect and not react right away, giving yourself time to get out of this victim mind-set and move toward action.

ASK FOR FEEDBACK

Instead of feeding yourself stories about why you were passed over, the best approach to find out why you didn’t get the job is to be direct and ask for feedback, while being mindful to maintain your professionalism. Keep the feedback directed toward you, and not about the person who was hired for the position you desired. “Be careful not to say something like ‘why did you give someone else that promotion instead of me?,” says Jimenez.

Related: How to deal with these 4 types of changes at work

Instead, simply convey your desire to grow within the company and request specific feedback about why you weren’t offered the position so you can set yourself up for future opportunities. “Ultimately, you want to know what your boss’s reasoning for the decision was, in terms that matter to you, not about why the other person who got the promotion was better than you,” says Jimenez.

SET UP THE FUTURE

Use the feedback you receive to prepare for the next opportunity. Ask whether there was something more you could have done in order to receive the promotion you were seeking? Take the opportunity to do those things, perhaps getting involved in special projects or taking a course to improve your skill set and set yourself up for the opportunity for a promotion down the line, whether at your current company or elsewhere.

Related: Should you ever accept a promotion without a raise?

GET CLARITY AND FOCUS ON YOUR WHY

Rather than viewing the situation as a setback, look at it as an opportunity to focus on your “why” and set future goals. Ask what it is that is driving you toward your desired outcome? What is your purpose and your values? Are the steps you’re taking in line with those things? “If you are growing and learning and living close to your values and purpose all along the way, any outcome you experience will, at least in some ways, feel more worthwhile–even if it is not your ideal outcome,” says Jimenez. Take this time to re-evaluate and perhaps adjust your goals if they are no longer in line with your deeper why.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lisa Evans is a freelance writer from Toronto who covers topics related to mental and physical health. She strives to help readers make small changes to their daily habits that have a profound and lasting impact on their productivity and overall job satisfaction.

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FastCompany.com | August 28, 2018

 

#CareerAdvice -How to Know when a Seemingly Great Opportunity isn’t Right for You…It might seem Logical to say Yes to a #Promotion or a #NewJob . But if it Doesn’t Align with your Long-Term Goal, it Might Not Be the Right Opportunity.

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Your boss announced that the company is promoting you, which comes with an impressive new title and a big jump in salary. You accept without thinking about it, because it would be stupid to turn down a promotion, right?

THINK ABOUT HOW IT RELATES TO YOUR END GOAL

Whether you’re offered a promotion or a new job, you should ask yourself the following questions, says Stacey Gordon, career strategist and founder & CEO of diversity and inclusion consultancy Rework Work:

  • What’s the goal?
  • What’s the end result?
  • What am I expecting to achieve out of it?
  • What are the next steps?

Gordon tells Fast Company that it’s important to figure out what your short-term, mid-term, and long-term opportunities would be in this new role. “Sometimes the long-term opportunity is not immediately apparent,” she points out. “Am I going to get access to more resources? Am I going to get access to more influential people in power? Is this going to increase my salary?”

At times, a promotion means an increase in workload and not much else. For example, if your goal is to get into a leadership position, but the promotion provides next to no opportunities to show off your managerial chops, you might think twice about taking it on, and instead focus on picking up projects where you can demonstrate your people skills.

Related: How to stand out on your first day of a new job

 

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DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE GOING FOR THE OPPORTUNITY

There are instances when a promotion or new job offer comes out of the blue, but in most cases, you would have had to put yourself in the running before you received an offer. Gordon stresses that during this process, you should start to identify warning signs. “By the time you get to the job offer, you should have already uncovered red flags and then extricate yourself from the end.” Some questions worth asking include, “Is this a revolving door position? How long has somebody been in this role? What’s the manager like in this role? What’s the trajectory in the organization and how does your role fit within that? These are questions that are very difficult to get answers to once you have a job offer,” Gordon says.

When it comes to identifying red flags regarding a promotion, Gordon says it’s a bad sign when you’re being “shoehorned into that role because they can’t find [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][anybody] else to fill it.” In that situation, Gordon says, you might find that not only will you have to do that new role, you might end up still doing your current work on top of it.

Related: Should you ever accept a promotion without a raise? 

SEEK ADVICE FROM THOSE WITH DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES

Some people might be more likely to give you bad advice than others, but Gordon recommends that it is still important for you to listen to them. For example, say there is a disgruntled employee who insist that it’s the most toxic environment ever. You don’t want to completely dismiss what they have to say, urges Gordon.

The key, according to Gordon, is to weigh that employee’s perspectives against the perspective of others–whether it’s people in different departments, former employees, and people at different levels of the org chart. After all, “People are people, people have bad days,” Gordon says. “Somebody might tell you awful stuff about an organization, and you have to be able to take that with a grain of salt.”

Related: These are the signs that your boss wants to give you a promotion

IF YOU FIND YOURSELF SAYING I “SHOULD” DO THIS, ASK YOURSELF WHY?

Sometimes your gut is telling you not to take something, but the voice in your head tells you otherwise, telling you that you “should” take that promotion because it would be stupid not to.

Your gut is not perfect at making decisions, but as licensed therapist Melody Wilding told Liz Funk in a previous Fast Company article, your gut is the “collection of all your subconscious experiences.” Therefore, you should at least be aware of what it’s trying to tell you, and dig deep to identify why it’s trying to tell you that. Is your ego dominating your thought process? Do you feel the need to gain external validation?

Gordon tells Fast Company, “If you hear that ‘should’ come out of your mouth, you should think about what’s driving you. Identify that external pressure that you’re feeling and think about how to deal with that.” At the end of the day, you have to experience and live with the decision you make. So before you say yes to an opportunity, make sure that you know how it will impact your life going forward–and you’re happy (or at least at peace) with the answer.

Anisa is the Assistant Editor for Fast Company’s Leadership section. She covers everything from personal development, entrepreneurship and the future of work.

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FastCompany.com | August 13, 2018 | BY ANISA PURBASARI HORTON 4 MINUTE READ

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Your #Career : 3 Signs It’s Time To Ask Your #Boss For That #Promotion …The Timing of your Ask is as Important as How you Ask. Here’s a Checklist to Know if the Moment is Ripe.

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You already know why you want a promotion: It will confirm what you’ve already accomplished in your role, validate your work and work ethic, and open paths for bigger and better projects. Ideally, it’ll also mean more pay.

But there’s a difference between wanting a promotion and being ready for it. In order to put your best foot forward with your manager, you need to be confident that the time is right. How can you ensure you’re not jumping the gun?

This three-part checklist can help you identify when you’re ready to make the most compelling pitch you possibly can.

1. YOU’VE BEEN DOING THE JOB YOU WANT TO BE PROMOTED TO FOR SIX MONTHS

This means you’ve been taking on more than what’s expected of your current role or level and performing well in that new scope. If you’re not sure where you stand, it’s a good time to have a check-in with your manager about her expectations for the level you’re hoping to reach, and the types of projects and impact you eventually want to make in a more senior role.

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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2. YOUR WORK HAS HAD A VISIBLE IMPACT ON THE BUSINESS

It goes without saying that you should be making an impact at the team level, that’s part and parcel of your job. But the strongest cases for moving up a level at work rest on the contributions you make to projects that have a measurable impact on the business.

Looking at the work you’ve done in the past six months, identify the impact you’ve made for your team as well as for the business. That impact can be measurable (think revenue impact) or fuzzier (strategic impact)–so long as it’s visible and provable. For example, what part did you play to make sure that your team (and the company) met their sales target for the year? Did you propose a new idea to the higher-ups that they turned into company policy? To make your case, outline not just the business impact your work has driven, but also the alternate paths the team or company might have gone down without your work.

If you’re struggling to identify how your work fits into big-picture company goals, you might need to postpone your promotion request and instead work with your manager on a strategy to make your work more impactful.

3. YOU’VE MADE PROGRESS ON PREVIOUSLY IDENTIFIED DEVELOPMENT AREAS

If you’ve been in your role for at least six months, you should have gotten feedback by now on what you can to do improve. (If you haven’t, you should drop everything and ask for feedback now.) Have you made progress in the development areas your manager raised to you? Are some of these areas prerequisites for getting to the next level? If you’re excelling in them, it’s a great sign that now’s the time to make your case for a promotion.

Nodded your head to all these scenarios? You’re almost ready. Before approaching your manager, make sure you’ve gathered comprehensive documentation of your progress and performance. This should include specifics. Come armed with plenty of examples of how you’ve exceeded expectations, the measurable impact you’ve had on the business, and the progress you’ve made in the last six months.

At the same time, you’ll want to keep an open mind: Your manager will inevitably have a different perspective on your performance, impact, and progress. So take the time to compare notes in good faith and respectfully advocate for yourself. If you disagree, don’t be afraid to push back politely with concrete examples of your progress. By the end of the conversation, you and your boss should be able to arrive at a game plan you both feel comfortable with.

And yes, that may mean accepting a “not yet” to your promotion request. But you’ve at least laid out a reasonable timetable for getting to the next level.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ximena Vengoechea is a design researcher, writer, and illustrator whose work on personal and professional development has been published in Inc., Newsweek, and HuffPost. She currently manages a team of researchers at Pinterest, in addition to leading a company-wide mentorship program.

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FastCompany.com | March 16, 2018 | BY XIMENA VENGOECHEA 3 MINUTE READ

Your #Career : Do These 8 Things If You Missed Out On A #Promotion This Year…It Takes More than Just Being Good at your #Job .

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Getting a promotion takes more than just doing your job well. To move up the ladder to the next step of your career, you have to prove to decision makers and leadership that you are ready and deserving enough to take on more responsibility. This takes consistently working your best, staying dedicated to your work, and much more.

If you’re sick of being passed up for promotions, check out these eight habits of employees that get promoted. Make small changes as necessary if you’re ready to take the next step in your career.

1. SET AND COMMUNICATE CAREER GOALS

Before the start of the year, sit down with your boss to set and discuss your professional career goals. Be open about where you see yourself in six months or a year. A good boss will help you achieve these goals by giving you opportunities to grow and provide support to keep you on track.

“In many cases, he or she truly does want to see you achieve your goals. As a manager myself, I constantly ask my employees, ‘Where do you see yourself in five years?’ because if there’s a way I can help them along, I’ll do it. Whether that means putting in a good word for them in a different department at my current company or assigning them special projects that will help them build new skill sets for a different role, I want to help,” says Katie Douthwaite Wolf, a contributor at The Muse.

The key, says Wolf, is to avoid announcing plans to “jump ship or that you want to take over your boss’s position.” Instead, think bigger and broader and come ready to discuss the ways you think your boss can help.

Related: Emotional Intelligence Is The Real Secret To Getting Promoted Faster 

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2. ALWAYS BE A TEAM PLAYER

Employers don’t like it when employees are focused on “I” rather than “we.” They want team players who are committed to helping the greater good of the team, which ultimately benefits the company:

“A good employee volunteers his or her efforts before even being asked. They volunteer for more tasks and responsibility, and not just because of immediate reward,” according to the article, “How to be Promotable.” “This type of employees simply goes above and beyond and will be the first thought of when promotions are being decided.”

3. MAKE YOURSELF INDISPENSABLE

How can you make yourself an indispensable member of your team? One way is to become the go-to person for something specific, like designing dynamic sales decks to dealing with challenging customers. People in positions like this are not only sought after by coworkers, but also seen by leadership because they naturally stand out as someone people are always looking for.

Related: Your Five-Month Guide To Getting A Promotion

4. KEEP LEARNING

Show your boss that you’re committed to continuously improving and developing your skills by finding learning opportunities, both within the office and outside of it. This doesn’t mean you need to get your master’s or PhD, unless that’s relevant to your job. Instead, enroll in one webinar each month, use your own money to attend conferences, or ask to be put on projects outside of your department. This shows that you’re serious about your career, and aren’t waiting for someone else to get you where you want to go.

5. DOCUMENT YOUR SUCCESS

When asking for a promotion, leadership is going to want to know what kind of value you bring to the business. Rather trying to think back at all you’ve accomplished, build a “working” portfolio throughout the year. After you’ve completed an important project or performed a record sales month, document it. When noting your successes, focus on the most important details:

“Keep a record of everything you do that enhances the company’s bottom line, that puts the company or your department in a good light, that is creative and innovative, and that shows your loyalty and commitment to the organization,” says Randall S. Hansen, PhD.

This tracking shows that you’ve been successful and improved the company, and are invested in the work you’re doing.

Related: How To Land A Promotion Without Going To The Office

6. DON’T BE AFRAID TO TAKE CHARGE

Do you display passion, trustworthiness, decisiveness, and confidence? Possessing these types of leadership skills is essential for getting promoted. After all, the first step in being a leader is acting like one. Don’t get involved in office politics or develop bad habits, like being late or missing deadlines. Leaders need to be great role models for the employees they manage and work with, and without these skills, it will be hard to get a management promotion.

7. NETWORK WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE

Take advantage of every networking opportunity you have, even if it’s a small get together with new coworkers at lunch. Networking with others within your organization will allow you to get to know the people who can provide support now and in the future. It’s also a chance to promote yourself and your skills as well. You can reap similar benefits by getting involved with groups in your organization, like those who help plan events or keep the office stocked.

8. BE AN ENGAGED EMPLOYEE

Being engaged goes beyond paying attention or taking notes in meetings–both of which are also important. It means being an active member of your organization, attending every optional “Lunch and Learn,” or coming up with new ideas for sharing successes in the workplace. This shows your commitment to the company and the success of your coworkers.

Getting promoted is not an easy task–it takes time, learning, and dedication to yourself and the business. Successfully manage your own career path by using these eight tips–you might just get that promotion you’ve been hoping for.

A version of this article originally appeared on Glassdoor and is adapted with permission. 

Your #Career : The Do’s & Don’ts of Asking for a #Promotion …We’ve Compiled the Ultimate Guide to Asking for a Promotion in a Great One Minute Read!

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You work hard. You’d like to see your efforts rewarded. In an ideal world, your superiors would recognize your talent and offer you a promotion. But advancing is rarely that easy. We’ve compiled the ultimate guide to asking for a promotion.

Read on if climbing the career ladder is in your sights!

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Positioning Yourself for a Promotion

  • Do decide on a timeline. Asking for a promotion shouldn’t be an impulsive decision. Planning will allow you to make sure you’re at the peak of your performance and have your results well documented before you broach the topic.
  • Don’t think a promotion will fix everything. Is a promotion really what you need in order to get where you want to be with your career? A promotion won’t make you happier if you’re not enjoying your current company and position.
  • Do analyze your current performance. Are you doing outstanding work? If you’re not meeting and regularly exceeding expectations, you’ll need to step it up in order to get on management’s radar. It also never hurts to volunteer for special projects.
  • Don’t toot your own horn. Sure, you want to be noticed, but it’s important not to come across as arrogant. Do your best to show that you’re confident, not cocky.
  • Do consider the timing. Is your company in a strong financial position? Is the climate generally positive? If not, it might not be the best time to jockey for a better position.
  • Don’t disregard your manager’s goals. Before you ask for a promotion, you should know what your manager’s team objectives are and have a clear idea of how your contributions are helping to knock those goals out of the park.
  • Do keep notes and gather statistics. In the months leading up to when you plan to ask for a promotion, make note of concrete accomplishments. If your job is one that uses analytics, compile statistics to show your successes — numbers talk!
  • Don’t forget to do your homework. Know the skills the position you’re aiming for requires. Make sure you’re prepared to demonstrate how your skills and accomplishments are a good match for the job.
  • Do plant a seed and get feedback.

Let your boss know that you’re interested in moving up in the future. Let them know where you’re at today, and how you see yourself evolving to fill a new role in the future. Have a concrete action plan and ask for feedback on it.

 

GlassDoor.com |   | Posted by 

Your #Career : Six Steps To Get Promoted This Year…This is your Guide to Fast Track your Career in 2018.

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It’s a brand new year, and you’ve decided that it’s time to kick your career into high gear. Whether you’re gunning for a promotion or simply want to improve your performance, these six steps can move closer to your goal.

CHECK YOUR DIRECTION

Before you commit to moving forward on your current career path, take a moment to review where you are. How do you feel about your work? Are you happy?  It’s harder to be successful in an area for which you don’t feel passion or a sense of purpose, says New York City-based career counselor and executive coach Roy Cohen, author of The Wall Street Professional’s Survival Guide.

“No matter what advice we give ourselves, if we really don’t enjoy the work itself, these tips and tricks won’t necessarily work for the long term. They won’t have staying power,” he says.

 

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BUILD YOUR PLAN

A career plan includes your short-term (three- to six-month), medium-term (six months to several-year), and long-term (five- to 10-year) goals, as well as a list of tasks or actions you’ll need to complete to achieve them, says Cheryl E. Palmer, owner of Colesville, Maryland-based career coaching firm Call to Career. Looking at where you want to be 5 or 10 years from now can be overwhelming, she says. But when you think about what you can accomplish in the next three to six months, it becomes easier to visualize and accomplish, and builds the foundation and direction for more long-term achievements, she says.

“They all tie together but it helps to break them down like that, so that you actually know what it is you’re trying to accomplish and within which time frame,” Palmer says.

Angelina Darrisaw, founder of The C-Suite Coach, a New York career coaching firm, advocates planning quarter by quarter. When you build your plan that way, you can see the natural progression, but it also shines a light on what needs to happen for your plan to be fulfilled, she says.

“You start to make a list [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][and see] what am I missing, are there any gaps in relationships I might need to have, and stakeholders at work that I might need to be engaging and developing a relationship with. Maybe there are some credentials that I’m lacking, and I need to see if my company has some training that I can take advantage of or tuition reimbursement programs that I can leverage to fill in those gaps,” she says.

UNDERSTAND–AND ENGAGE–SPONSORS AND MENTORS

Finding someone who can give you advice and help you move your career forward can be invaluable–but those two roles are often misunderstood, says Kim Powell, principal with Chicago-based leadership and change management consulting firm ghSMART and co-author of The CEO Next Door: The 4 Behaviors That Transform Ordinary People Into World Class Leaders. A mentor is someone who can give you advice and act as a sounding board with the added benefit of experience. A sponsor is someone who is in a position to take action on your behalf, she says.

In research findings detailed in her book, Powell says she looked at “sprinters”–people who got to the C-suite faster than average. Roughly half had sponsors. “They worked with these individuals thoughtfully. They shared aspirations, not problems. They linked to what was relevant to the sponsor. They made requests easy to fulfill, and most importantly, they followed through relentlessly. Meaning, they’re very reliable. So the sponsor made an introduction or did something for them. They didn’t let that ball drop,” she says.

Mentors, on the other hand, can give you guidance and add an objective, experienced voice to help you make decisions. When looking for a mentor, be sure to choose someone who can devote the time you need, Cohen advises. Even well-intentioned mentors who are too busy may not be effective.

LOOK FOR RESOURCES YOU ALREADY HAVE

Depending on the culture of your company and what you hope to achieve, Darrisaw says it may be a good idea to share your goals with your manager to help you advance your career. “For the most part, most managers do want to see their people succeed and do well and achieve what it is that makes them happy,” she says. “They’re able to look at where you are with a different perspective and can be very helpful in engaging with you in filling out those gaps that you might have. So, making sure that they’re aware of what it is that you want so they can help present opportunities to you.

Palmer adds that it might be time to become more of a “joiner.” If you’re part of a larger organization, look for committees, projects, or task forces you can get involved with. If you’re part of a smaller organization, look for ways to take on new responsibilities and make a difference. She shares one caveat, though: Be sure you’re working in areas that matter to the company and will move you toward your goals. It’s easy to find ways to be busy that either aren’t aligned with what the leadership values or that won’t develop skills or visibility you need. So, choose these added efforts wisely.

LEARN HOW TO SHOWCASE–WITHOUT SHOWBOATING

In order to be considered for promotions or other advancement, it’s important that leaders know your abilities and accomplishments. But, being braggadocios isn’t the way to win. “We call it the self-interest torpedo. If you come across as trying to self-promote, it can be a torpedo from a career perspective. So, the trick around building visibility is really around how you go about doing it,” she says.

Finding the right sponsors who will toot your horn for you helps, she says. In addition, if it’s possible to be thoughtful about the boss you have, choose someone who is generous about sharing credit. Building a reputation for being reliable and for following through was also common among the fast-track CEOs she and her team studied. With the right approach, you can let people know your contributions without overselling yourself.

RALLY SUPPORT AT HOME

One area that rising professionals often overlook is support at home, Cohen says. Putting in more time at the office or being more focused on your career may mean that a partner or family members need to make sacrifices. Discuss these potential changes and be sure that the people in your life understand or work out compromises for work/life balance. Resistance or conflict at home or within your support system can be distracting and drain energy that you could be devoting to your goals.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gwen Moran writes about business, money and assorted other topics for leading publications and web sites. She was named a Small Business Influencer Awards Top 100 Champion in 2015, 2014, and 2012 and is the co-author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Business Plans (Alpha, 2010), and several other books.

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FastCompany.com | January 5, 2018

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Your #Career : These Eight Phrases Are Killing Your Chance for a Promotion… Sorry, But I Honestly just Think you Should Read This.

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Words matter more than you might think, especially if you are one of the 43% of employees who works remotely. If coworkers or your manager can’t see your body language, they have to rely solely on conversations you have over email or the phone, and certain phrases could cost you a promotion, says Crystal Barnett, senior human resource specialist for Insperity, an HR service provider for small to medium-sized organizations.

“While most of us manage to avoid making comments that result in a punishable offense, some common phrases can hurt your chances for advancement in the long run,” she says. “You have to choose words carefully to get your point across without being negative or self serving.”

Here are eight words and phrases that can derail your career if they’re uttered at the wrong place or time:

1. “HONESTLY …”

Starting a sentence with the word “honestly” when speaking about others can come off as an attack, and it’s one of the easiest ways to damage your career, says Barnett. “Telling a trusted boss how one truly feels is expected and encouraged at many companies,” she says. “However, in some organizations, giving an unvarnished assessment can be dangerous if done without careful consideration beforehand.”

Using the word “honestly” before offering a critique of another team member’s work in a public setting, for example, can damage your relationship. It can also create the impression that you’re willing to promote yourself by attacking others.

“Only use ‘honestly’ when it applies to you,” says Barnett.

 

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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2. “I THINK”

When you use the phrase “I think,” you immediately lose credibility, says Barnett. “‘I know’ or ‘Based on my experience my recommendation would be’ are much stronger,” she says. “In our world if you don’t know you lose credibility. It can demonstrate your weakness in certain environments.”

3. “I”

Taking credit for your work can be like walking a fine line of what’s appropriate. Instead, always defer to the team when sharing your success, says Barnett.

“It’s better to see ‘I’ in context of we,” she says. “For example, ‘I was part of a team that accomplished this.’ You can use ‘I’ and give yourself credit for being part of team, but touting yourself alone comes across as being arrogant and most companies don’t find that appealing.”

4. “YEAH, BUT…”

If you’re given an instruction or request from a supervisor or manager that leaves you with questions or concerns, starting your response with “Yeah, but” could come off as being combative.

“Asking clarifying questions or proactively identifying issues is not a bad thing,” says Barnett. “However, doing so in a negative-sounding way suggests an unwillingness to follow instruction or, worse yet, a challenge to a leader’s authority.”

Avoid the phrase altogether. If you need to revise the request, start by saying, “I understand your point of view. Let me provide you with another perspective of what we can accomplish,” suggests Barnett.

“This shows that you’re open to listening and you want to following instructions,” she says. “Offering different perspective is a much better way to get that out.”

5. “JUST”

“Just” can be a loaded word in some contexts, says Barnett. “For example, if a manager says to an employee ‘I just want you to finish those reports before the end of the week,’ the comment sounds highly negative on the receiving end,” she says. “It’s a filler word that diminishes your confidence and the importance of the message.”

A better approach might be to say “Be sure to get me those reports by the end of the week,” which is clear and direct.

6. “YES”

Saying “yes” to a request from your supervisor is usually looked at as being a good thing, but it could cause you to stretch yourself too thin, says Barnett. “You can’t produce quality work if you’re saying ‘yes’ all of the time,” she says. “The danger of burnout should always be considered before you answer.”

Instead of saying “no,” answer with “We can do this. Let’s make a list of priorities and see where it can go.” “This way you share responsibility of where the task goes in order of completion so you don’t feel like everything is a burning priority,” says Barnett.

7. “SORRY”

Transparency goes a long way, but simply saying “sorry” isn’t enough, says Barnett. This is particularly important when speaking with someone who has authority.

“You need to follow ‘sorry’ with an offer of a solution,” she says. “For example, ‘I dropped the ball, but here’s what I’ll do to fix it’ is much better than just saying, ‘I dropped the ball.’”

8. “THAT’S NOT MY JOB”

Passing the buck in today’s work environment can be extremely toxic, especially if you’re working with customers or clients. If you receive a request that’s outside your scope, wheelhouse, or expertise, connect the person with someone who can help.

“Say, ‘I have a colleague who knows about this. I’ll get in touch with them,’” suggests Barnett. “It shows that you have confidence,” she says. “You’ve let them know you don’t have an immediate answer, but you’re not leaving them hanging.”

 

FastCompany.com | January 3, 2018 | Stephanie Vozza