How To Get A Promotion – Secrets Revealed!

How To Get A Promotion

Ever wonder how your company’s President or senior decision makers decide on who to promote? Well, I’m going to reveal it to you today.
 
...It doesn’t have anything to do with how many additional hours you put in.
 
...It has no relation to how many lunch breaks you skip.
 
...And your late night email response rate has absolutely no bearing on the decision.
 
It’s all about HOW you show up!

Senior executive leaders are listening carefully to those reporting to them and are observing who gets acknowledged most frequently – and yes, HR partners are also providing them with insights regarding HOW people situations have been dealt with. 

​Senior Execs are always on the lookout for future leaders who can make a positive impact.
 
Of course the unique keys to being promotable may differ slightly from one organization to the next, but there are many elements that senior teams everywhere look at to determine who stands out above the rest.
 
So, how do you get noticed in a sea of people? Let me share a few HR secrets for how to demonstrate YOU are the one to watch:

1. Be Accountable
Can you say accountability three times?!!!  The promotion-worthy never shirk responsibility or pass the buck – they jump right out in front, even when they don’t own the root of the issue.

If there is a problem, step up and demonstrate ownership. Executives promote people they can always count on to resolve issues so they don’t have to.
 
2. Coach People to Execute
To be seen as a strong promotable resource you want to be able to show that you can help your people stretch to deliver.

To do this you need to know your people well and understand their strengths. Give them courage to take on assignments that really play to their strengths and then set expectations for them to deliver results. A great book to raise your game on delivery is Larry Bossidy's Execution: Discipline of Getting Things Done.  
 
3. Focus On 'How' Not 'What' You Do
Senior executives look for people who are socially dynamic, who can adapt appropriately to different social situations; they have strong capabilities in understanding and perceiving the emotions of others – they are not JUST a high performer!

If you’re relying on your exceptional performance to get you that promotion, now’s the time to take things to the next level. Focus on cultivating and developing emotional aptitude to guide your thinking and behaviour and then practice managing or adjusting your emotions in the workplace, according to the situation. Be more empathetic.
 
To develop and hone your emotional quotient/emotional intelligence, you must focus on the ‘HOW’, not the ‘What’. Watch this video with Daniel Goldman explaining EQ to further develop your own knowledge of emotional intelligence!
 
4. Take Initiative
Always be on the lookout for big hairy problems to take on – and then get tagged to be the one to find the solution! 

Presidents and senior executive leaders are just waiting to hear about the great people they have in their team who can put out the fires, stop the chatter of the troops and calm issues with stakeholders.
 
5. Embrace Tough Stuff
Reorganizations, performance issues, difficult stakeholders, angry staff, ticked off customers – these are the things that make everyone’s corporate life miserable.

Most people shy away from conflict and acrimonious bitter disputes, but to stand out you’ll want to get really good at walking towards the nastiness to sort it out. When you are seen as someone who can be tossed the baton and make the pain go away, you are sure to be noticed by the senior team.
 
6. Lead In The ‘White Space’
On an organizational chart there are lines that join people – that is the hierarchy. Those with highest potential manage all the white space in between – they realize that processes cross boundaries and they ensure the processes they own flow smoothly through the organization.  Here is a great article from PMI that describes how to work cross functionally,  worthy of a look.

​People who lead in the white space are collaborative, curious to understand the impact of their teams work on all other stakeholders, and people who take ownership of their own processes – they activate others to work together. Top executives love to hear about people who calm the discord and noise in the system, turning the complicated into something simple.
 
7.  Excel In The Grey
All companies, big and small, have some level of ambiguity. Those who can lead people through turbulent times and excel in spite of having all of the details are rock stars. Senior leaders gravitate to promoting those who don’t have to have all the answers before moving forward. 
 
If you’re keen to be noticed and would value feedback and support from an outside source call me today.  Dots Leadership Solutions offers customized offerings that can help you tap into your own potential and help guide you to that sought after role!

Summary How To Get Promoted

1. Be Accountable - make sure the buck stops with you
2. Coach People to Deliver - help your team stretch and develop, not overwork them
3. Focus On 'How' Not 'What' You Do - to move up you need high EQ, develop your empathy
4. Take Initiative - be the one who puts out the fires, finds the solutions
5. Embrace the Tough Stuff - tackle the hardest tasks, be the one who makes takes pain away
6. Lead in the White Space - cross-collaborate with other teams, build bridges
7. Excel in the Grey - lead through ambiguity, turbulent times or leading during change