It's a Struggle - MAC069

Advancing your position or getting promoted at work can sometimes feel like a struggle.  If you are feeling stuck and wondering why you aren't advancing, this week's episode will help you understand the key misconception that most people face and learn some strategies you can put in place to get past it.

As we go through childhood, we are often told that through hard work, we can be successful.  While this is true in large part, just by working hard and being good at your job is not always enough to get promoted.  Early in your career, when advancement is focused on learning and growing, competence can lead to a promotion.  But, once you advance beyond the junior phase, you may find yourself stalled no matter how much you increase your skills.

The biggest factor that is holding you back could be visibility.  When the organization is deciding on who is promoted and who is not, the leaders need to know who you are and what value you have provided to the team.

If you are unsure if you have a visibility problem, consider the following:

• Does your boss just know the status of the project, or does your boss also know what you contributed to the project?
• How often are your projects mentioned in the wider organization?
• Do you have a relationship with your boss' peers and leaders?

If you can't answer yes to each one of those questions, any struggles you experience when it comes to advancement can be traced back to the lack of visibility.  When promotion discussions are held, it's a lot easier for your boss to justify the promotion to their peers when you are visible.

When it comes to visibility, everything starts with actually performing your duties.  But, after that, you have to sell yourself.  Most people are uncomfortable with self-promotion because it can feel awkward or like you are bragging, but if you want to progress, you will need to get past those feelings.  It's not about bragging as much as it is about factually stating your accomplishments and the value that they provide.  Review Episode 018 - Selling Yourself (https://www.managingacareer.com/18) and Episode 044 - Reporting Status (https://www.managingacareer.com/44) for insights into how best to communicate your value to various management levels.

One way to ensure that your status does not come across as being braggadocious is to communicate it regularly.  If you send status focused on larger items either irregularly or only when asking for a promotion, it will appear to be insincere.  Instead send a weekly status to your boss and communicate progress on assignments of all sizes.  Once per month or once per quarter, include a recap where you highlight the larger items that were reported on previous status reports.

Beyond just reporting status, you need to make yourself known to other teams throughout your organization.    Part of being known is creating a Personal Brand as covered in Episode 043 (https://www.managingacareer.com/43).  But you must also engage with those other teams.  Organize cross-team sessions where you share ideas and techniques.  Participate in departmental social events.  And, through it all, build your brand.

The last thing you need to do in order to build visibility is to build relationships with your manager's peers such that you find an advocate or sponsor.  When you've identified someone that will support you, meet with them regularly and talk about how the work that you are doing aligns with their goals and how you can help them.  When your manager elevates your name as a promotion candidate, your sponsor will add their support increasing the chances that your promotion will be approved.

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