Nail 8 Basic Traits + Capitalize on a Key Secret of human nature….and you’ve got magic in a bottle.
The Formula for Magic in a Bottle
Ok – I’ve received lots of requests for advice on how to land that next big promotion at work. Whether you’re vying for a promotion within your existing company or interviewing with a new company for a bigger position, I’ve gotcha covered! Oh hey – if you’re interviewing, be sure to check out 6 smart tips to land the job!
Here’s the deal – it’s not necessarily the person with the most experience or aptitude who lands the promotion. If that were the case, there would be no need to interview. Hiring managers would simply choose the resume with the greatest experience and call it a day! Done! That’s not what happens. If promotions were based purely on talent and aptitude alone – believe me, there would be far more women in top-spot positions. Just sayin’.
Here’s the really good news! Getting ahead is far, far less complicated than people make it out to be. Think of it like Karate – where the student is able to chop through multiple boards of wood in a single, effortless chop vs hours of banging away at the boards only to end with sore hands and negligible results.
How does she do it? She does it by applying strategic technique and focused energy. She works smart. Using this same concept, I’m going to let you in on a secret that if you do it – it will change your life…… And it’s this:
Those who rise into higher-level positions, do 2 things that others do not:
#1 They Focus on the 8 Basic Traits
#2 They Leverage a Fundamental Human Need: The need to feel appreciated, recognized, important and valued.
Ultimately, will promoting you make her look good.
At the risk of over-simplifying, a manager’s decision to promote one person over another is most always traced back to one single root motivation: Will promoting you make her look good. This is that Fundamental Human Need to feel appreciated, valued and important – in action. Whether consciously or subconsciously – she considers whether her action will increase or decrease her value in the eyes of her superiors. Your job – is to make it clear that promoting you will benefit her. Make sense?
Understand this fundamental need – and you’ve unlocked the secret to getting most anything you want in life.
Remember – your manager’s success is measured in part, on her ability to identify, coach and promote good people who will benefit the organization. That is a large part of how she creates value and importance in the eyes of the company.
A manager with a history of hiring and promoting “duds” will rarely get promoted and may find herself out of a job. Why? Because she’s seen as ineffective. In part, she’s costing the company time, money and resources by promoting ineffective people who ultimately are either fired or leave. Turnover is very expensive both financially and morale wise. It’s just not good.
Effective leaders know how to:
+ Identify future leaders
+ Identify key talent that will benefit the company
+ Successfully coach these people into higher level spots within the organization.
Shift Your Perspective a Little
As you’re positioning for a promotion, understand that her driver (primary motivator) lies heavily in who is most apt to be successful in the new position and be checkmark in her “success” category. If you use this knowledge to guide your actions – you are way ahead of the game. Find ways to say either through words, actions or both…. “I will make you look like a Rockstar!”
Think of it like being a coach in the NFL or NBA. The most successful coaches are the ones who can recruit and groom key talent and build championship teams that win. The ones who cannot – find themselves out of a job. Same concept.
Here are 8 Traits You Need to Get Promoted
Be Proactive! Focus on strengthening weaker areas right away
#1 Dependable, Responsible, Reliable
In a nutshell – “Say what you’ll do, and do what you say.” Be on time….that means a few minutes early, meet or beat deadlines, follow-up and follow-through, follow the rules you agreed to. Get it done, even if that means forgoing something fun (responsibility). You know – things we learned in kindergarten 😉
#2 Think Strategically
Seek to demonstrate this in your current position
Strategic thinking. It is the most sought-after trait in future leaders. There are entire books devoted to strategic thinking – but let me give the down & dirty….. Think of a strategic thinker as the opposite of an impulsive decision-maker. You know, the ones who wake up one morning and implement huge changes without considering the ripple effect of consequences.
Strategic thinkers combine vision + a well-thought out action plan, broken down into clearly defined steps. They fully vet their strategy, looking around corners – thinking 10 steps ahead, asking critical questions about potential consequences and ramifications. They research, analyze and talk to others in order to establish a final plan. Then, they lead the charge in either implementing or gaining needed approval.
Strategic Thinkers Consider Pro’s & Con’s to Key Questions:
+ What is the Key Issue:
+ How does this Strategy solve the issue?
+ What does the Strategy look like? Map out the process in specifics.
+ How does this benefit the company short-term and long-term?
+ What affects would this have on other departments and how do we manage that?
+ What is the intended effect on our customers?
+ How could it negatively affect customers?
+ How do we manage negative customer effects, if the end result justifies the means?
You get the picture.
#3 Problem Solving. Find workable solutions to challenges.
This is the ability to trouble-shoot challenges on your own, without going to your boss every 2 minutes like a 3-year old. You know those people!! In other words, you can generally figure it out and apply solutions that are within your authority. For bigger issues, you bring it to the attention of your boss – and calmly lay out the issue, along with 2-3 proposed solutions for her to consider! This is key. A leader has to problem solve. Period.
#4 Handling conflict. Artfully disagree with peers and superiors
This can be tricky. Well, ok – it was tricky for me, lol. I’m not a sugar-coater. I’m making that into a word. On one hand it’s important to get along of course. On the other hand, when disagreements arise, and they will, you can’t be a doormat – rolling over and acquiescing just to keep the peace. The ability to clearly communicate your position, listen to the other side & either calmly hold your ground or hammer out a final compromise is leadership material. If you naturally have strong diplomacy skills – you’re way ahead!
#5 Respect the chain of command
Don’t be seen as a loose cannon
Going over your boss’ head says a “loose cannon with poor judgement and zero respect for the system.” Second – ummm, it sends the message that she doesn’t have control over her team and it’s going to tick her off (it devalues her in the eyes of her boss……that basic need to feel valued is threatened by your action!) Third – her superiors will immediately suspect you may go over their heads, which doesn’t bode well for you. Respect the chain of command. Exception: If you are having an HR issue with your boss, and you’ve exhausted all efforts to work it out – or it’s a sensitive issue, going to HR for guidance is perfectly within your rights & you should absolutely do so.
#6 Ambition and drive
Opportunities don’t happen solely between 8-5pm
Do you do what it takes to hit goals and be extraordinary, or do you pull a Fred Flintstone at 5pm every night, no matter what? There are those who only want to work their scheduled hours. That isn’t a knock – just an observation of the lay of the land. Leaders have a different mindset. They’re focused on the prize, not the clock. They’re focused on driving towards an objective and a goal vs. whether it’s Monday or Sunday. They’re usually the ones answering or initiating emails late or on weekends.
The definition of work-life-balance & what that looks like will vary between companies. Take queue from the leaders at your own company, using that as a guideline. I personally promoted those with a focus on the prize, not the clock. Why? Because opportunities don’t happen solely between 8am & 5pm. If we needed to put together a last-minute deal, and one of my managers was out the door by 5:01pm & radio silence until 8am the next morning, they couldn’t be depended upon.
#7 Dress and Conduct Yourself Like a Boss
Let her see a future leader
Dress for the job you want. It makes a difference. Your boss will naturally think about how you well you’ll represent the company. Some industries are more casual – take your queue from successful leaders in your organization. If they’re in suits, I’d follow suit – haha! If it’s super casual, that’s fine – but if you want to rise up, I’d suggest cute-business casual, not going-to-the-beach casual.
Conduct yourself like a boss. That means hold yourself like a professional. Extend your hand, introduce yourself, be fully prepared for meetings, follow-up and follow-through.
#8 Are your Values in Alignment with the Company
Is the company culture in alignment with who you are, what you stand for and what you value? Do you fit in comfortably with the rest of the team and organization? If not, it isn’t necessarily a negative thing. It’s just not the right fit for you. No one person is a good fit for every organization.
You want to work someplace where you generally like the people and feel comfortable with company values. That is where you’ll get the most traction and job satisfaction. Make your path easier, not harder!
Get 6 more tips to make you an Office Rockstar 😉
BE STRATEGIC. Work Smart. Focus on 2 areas: The 8 Traits + the Fundamental Human Need to feel important. These extremely powerful tools are the secret sauce to getting most anything you want in life. At a fundamental level – understanding the basic need people have to feel at some level, important, valued, recognized and successful in life is powerful!
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I laughed so hard at the Fred Flintstone comment….we ALL know those people that practically run out the door the second the clock strikes 4:30.
Thank you for this insightful post! Trait #1 and #6 really speak to me since I feel that those are my strengths. I also want to continue to focus on #3 and keep proposing solutions to show value wherever possible.
In terms of #7, my company has “dress for your day” and we can literally wear whatever we want. I kid you not – you will see a mix of sweatpants and suits in the building which is so strange in a corporate environment! Anyway, I always do business casual (on the dressier side) since that’s what my manager does and I also like to look nice 🙂 We all know you have impeccable style – when you were in corporate America, did you have any go to brands/designers that you particularly liked to wear?
Lol – I know, “yabba dabba doo” – slide down the brontosaurus tail, land in the Pedi-Car & he’s off! In terms of go-to brands, I wasn’t loyal to any one brand in particular, but rather focused on key pieces that worked best for my body, in neutral colors to mix and match. Then, added different blouses & scarfs to give those neutral pieces a totally different look. I bought FEWER pieces, investing in the best quality I could afford at the time, and really took care of my clothes. Those items lasted much longer AND I always looked and felt like a million bucks every time I wore them. You know how you can tell when a suit or jacket is just really poor quality? It doesn’t fall right and it doesn’t wear well.
I ALSO really shopped the sale racks for highest-quality, best price. If it was a size or two too large – that didn’t stop me. A really killer deal, plus a little money to have it tailored was something I did all the time ;-). I had a few REALLY expensive designer jackets for literally 1/16 of the price. My mama didn’t raise no fool 😉
Shoes are a big “tell.” Take care of them (keep in duster bags) have them resoled when needed & always polish out the scuffs (or take them to a local shoe-shine for a $10 shines) Worth its weight in gold. Last – be mindful of wearing OBVIOUS designer brands to work. Subtle quality is great – but waltzing into the office, branded from head to toe with huge logo’s all over your is a little distasteful, IMO. It reads frivolous instead of tasteful. When I could afford to buy as I pleased, I never flaunted it – especially at work. A jacket or sweater MAY have been a fancy designer brand – but aside from nice quality, no one would have known. Same with my handbags. They were in all honesty – designer brands I loved, but unless you were familiar with that kind of stuff – no one would have known. It just “looked polished” – but nothing more ;-).