Promotions go to people who let their bosses know why they should be considered above all others. Photo: iResearchNet.
While many people are unhappy with the idea of blowing their own trumpet, Roberta Matuson says what she terms ‘’strategic bragging’’ is an effective way to get yourself noticed and promoted in the workplace.
Be honest: How long have you been thinking it’s your turn for a promotion and what exactly have you done to move your candidacy forward?
A recent article in Business Insider stated that self-promotion is one of the primary ways organisations select managers.
Employees who want a bigger title and more responsibility need to express their interest in moving up the corporate ladder and do the requisite lobbying to clinch the role.
The louder you are about your ambitions, the more likely you are to realise them.
Here’s the thing. It’s not enough to think about a promotion. There are several steps you need to take to make this happen. Here are three.
First, you have to make it known you’re interested in moving up. Yes, I know, it would be lovely if your boss tapped you on the shoulder and told you they thought you were due for a promotion. In reality, that rarely happens.
The promotions go to those people who let the boss know they are interested in taking on more responsibility. These people also let their bosses know why they should be considered above all others.
That’s why the second thing you have to do is engage in self-promotion.
Right about now, many of you are thinking: ”Nope. Not going to do that. I hate people who do that.” Most likely the people you really hate are the ones who passed right by you and took the promotion you felt was yours.
I’m not advocating you be obnoxious. What I am saying is that every now and then, you need to remind your boss of the value you’re adding to your section or department.
You must keep your boss informed about the new skills you’ve acquired and how those skills will be an asset to the organisation as you move ahead.
I call this strategic bragging, which I talk about in detail in my latest book, Suddenly in Charge.
This is where you weave in stories about some of your accomplishments that most people are not familiar with. You do so in a way that makes you a person of interest.
Third, you must invest in yourself. Organisations have limited resources these days and if you’re lucky, they may send you to a $99 one-day seminar at the local Holiday Inn. If those really amounted to a lot, you’d have tons of well-qualified people ready to move into their next positions.
The most successful people I know took ownership of their own career development. They went to their boss with a plan and asked for their boss’s input. They also asked for support.
If they were turned down, and some were, they made it a point to find the resources themselves so they could move forward. Why? Because they knew they were ultimately responsible for advancing their careers.
As you think about the next step in your career, do a bit less thinking and take a lot more action. Do so, and it won’t be long before you’re the recipient of that promotion you’ve been dreaming about.
Roberta Matuson is president of Matuson Consulting, which helps Fortune 500 companies and high-growth businesses create exceptional workplaces leading to extraordinary results. She can be contacted at [email protected]. This article first appeared on Roberta’s blogsite.
