The employees in an organization strive hard to boost their careers. The annual increment or a yearly bonus may not be enough. An improvement in the status comes with a promotion. As you move a rank higher, people acknowledge the same and you begin to command respect. You cannot expect the promotion letter to drop in your lap on its own. You have to work strategically to get promoted. Here are a few steps that will help you move in the right direction.
Smart working: A lot of people work hard to achieve the results. But besides hard work you have to be smart enough to accomplish tasks in time. As you grow higher in the organization you may be required to do multitasking and show your efficiency. It is quite likely that you will be overloaded with work, but with a little planning you can start finishing the assigned jobs one by one. Do not waste time in gossips and worthless meetings. As a rule do not leave a job unfinished and start up a new one. It is a bit tough but once you fall into an organized rhythm you will begin to see the results.
Add skills: Whether it is an internal training or an external one, try to work on it with your HR department in a bid to get certified. If you are not able to add skills while working in the organization try for getting some online skill-up programs. You can work on these in the evenings or on weekends. However, do ensure that these externally acquired skills supplement your career growth. An added or acquired skill is an ace up the sleeve in the contest for promotion.
People-centric approach: While working in an organization it will be possible to grow only to a certain level if you have an individualistic style of working. As you move up, it will be noticed that how you gel with your colleagues. Success in cross-functional teams and getting your work done through other departments would assume significance. In short, it will start reflecting your leadership skills.
Taking up a project: Besides your key result areas, you are also required to take up a project commensurate with your standing in the organization. People take the KRAs and the project as a burden. You have to link the KRAs effectively with the goals of the organization and the project is envisaged to bring benefits for the organization. The project is something which you do out of the ordinary. For example, you are a production person, but you will secure orders for the company from a new customer. Thus, you supplement your production job with a project in marketing.
The journey for securing a promotion is not easy and you have to concentrate on these value-added activities in order to achieve it. Promotion is not something that you ask for, but earn it in the long run. With a promotion, the expectations from the individual do increase, but with a higher stature, he is able to delegate work to his growing team of subordinates. The administrative skills start coming in handy as you move up the promotion ladder.
I specially like the point on people centric approach. At a senior level you need the people to back you up in case you want to put forth your point in meetings and other discussions. Once you achieve it moving up the company ladder is not difficult.
I really love the four steps.
I always participate in a big project going on my organization. This not only helps me in acquiring knowledge but also improves my skills of working with people. Maybe in the future I will be able to take up the project on my own.
You are absolutely right. A recent promotion has made a lot of difference in my stature in the company. Also it has brought financial gains to the tune of 32% in my salary. I am going to target a promotion every 3rd year in my company.
My skill improvement played a major role in my promotion this year. I took two online courses which were of three months duration each and gave me certificates on completion. I was able to take the company sponsorship for an evening course which I attended in a nearby place. Based on these three qualifications I was able to participate and take responsibility in higher level projects. The article here has brought out this fact clearly. it is a good input for all those who are seeking promotions.
I have seen people fail miserably as they grow vertically in the company. The main reason is their inability to do multitasking. They are not able to exercise administrative control in order to get work done. This is a skill which one must acquire as one grows in an organization.
I worked very hard, did projects and met most of my targets in the year. I was very hopeful and even my colleagues told me that I would surely get a promotion but I did not get it. The next year I just maintained a normal routine and made average achievements and got the promotion. I was surprised. I asked my super boss and he told me that in the last year the financial condition of the company was a bit tricky and they were cutting costs everywhere. They had taken note of my achievements and when the financials turned better this year I was given the promotion. Sometimes the external environment also plays a part in this process but one should always keep up the effort to perform better.
I fully agree with your statements
I believe that ,a fair amount of goodwill need to be earned alongwith cool mind,bbs and social/moral supportive functions.If this add to your working abilities,promotion is sure.
I fully agree that in today’s environment smart working is much better than hard working. When I discussed this matter with colleagues they said: even a donkey does hard work. How true! You have to make it known and your effort has to be recognized if you want that you are appreciated and rewarded. That is the way to get a promotion.
You have touched on the very important aspects of working towards a promotion. Skills, people management, and ability to multitask really become significant as you grow higher. Doing a special project and adding value is equally important. Kudos for highlighting the right aspects.
Thanks for the article. I just realized that I was only doing the hard work and not possessing the ingredients that are really required to get promoted. I will start working on them right away and may be get promoted in the next assessment.
Good Material I liked it
Quite justified. The employee working in line with Organisations gwowth with integrity in terms of monitary & time and is goal oriented completely shall definitely reach the the top in a reasonable time else he/she is at a place not the best for him