“You cannot find peace by running away from life.”–Oscar Wilde
Some of my clients feel stuck in their current roles and are anxiously waiting to get promoted to the next level to improve their station. Although promotions at early stages of a career are relatively easier to get, they still continue to hold the same expectation of promotion velocity as they did when they got started in their early professional life. The “pyramid” effect of organizational hierarchy—fewer and fewer openings as you move up in an organization—make it almost impossible for everyone aspiring to reach the top to achieve that objective.
As a part of the natural selection process for higher-level opportunities one key source of input is your boss’ view of what you need to work on to keep your promotion prospects vibrant. Most professionals focus on their performance objectives as they continue to seek for higher positions, but this alone is not enough as one crosses into executive ranks (Director and higher). To get into that circle of professionals inside your organization delivering—even exceeding—performance objectives is a sine quo non for even keeping your job, let alone for getting to the next level.
I have some clients who are eager to cross into the director ranks, but they are unable to see beyond delivering on their objectives to break into the executive ranks. They bemoan that they are not being appreciated for their work and that they are being held back for political reasons from further promotions. When this happens long enough they resign themselves to their fate and decide to change jobs with the hope of getting promoted in their new roles to the position they were seeking in their previous place of work. The problem with this strategy is that they face the same or similar limitations at their new job and get trapped in the same situation that caused them to run away from their previous job in the first place.
So, what is the solution to this oft-repeating career cycle?
Here is my guidance:
- Work with your boss to identify your leadership gaps and have a detailed discussion of expectations, goals, and development plans. This discussion must go beyond merely nailing down performance objectives to include your social skills, political savvy, and executive presence.
- Without getting defensive about your shortcomings listen carefully to what your boss expects from your behaviors as a worthy candidate for the next level of promotions.
- Observe carefully those who are already in the positions you aspire and learn from their behaviors how they carry themselves in various organizational situations. Become aware of your own limitations through this process and find avenues to overcome your limitations.
- Find a mentor and a coach (two different resources) to help you with your growth plan and work diligently to execute your development plan.
- Become aware of how you affect others around you (EQ) and find ways to improve your influencing skills by openly talking to them about what you need to improve to better your teaming skills. In leadership roles it is not merely enough to deliver on your objectives; you must learn how to build trust among those who work with you. This is a learned skill.
- Keep yourself marketing for the next-level job by having an updated résumé and LinkedIn Profile. Learn from the interviews where you come up short in your answers during the screening process. These are cues for knowing where you still have leadership gaps and where you need to grow. Such insights are waypoints in your growth plan that will allow you to keep your development on track.
- Periodically bring up the topic of your development progress with your boss and assess if you are able to meet or exceed their expectations on how you are handling your own growth. Make the required course corrections.
It is difficult to achieve your career goals by running away from growth opportunities with the false hope that in a new environment (new job) you would be seen as more valuable. It is more fruitful to work on yourself in a known environment, build momentum, and then look for available options to make a change.
Good luck!