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Your Extraordinary Career:
I'm Ready for My Promotion Now
Your Extraordinary Career features proven success strategies and advice for recent graduates and young professionals from William J. "Bill" White, who draws upon a successful corporate career, including as Chairman and CEO of a New York Stock Exchange-traded company. Bill is now Professor at the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science at Northwestern University, and author of the career book for young professionals, From Day One: CEO Advice to Launch an Extraordinary Career.
Q: I've been at my current job for about a year and I'm ready for a promotion. How do I let my boss know?
A: Not by asking for a promotion! If you honestly believe that you have mastered your current job and you're ready for more, then ask your boss to become involved in a wider scope of responsibilities. For example, you may want to learn what processes or procedures come before your job or that follow your area of involvement. The important point is to demonstrate that you are eager to learn more. Your boss will get the message. In the meantime, you will benefit from important knowledge and experience-and you'll be working more closely with a wider circle of individuals. This will all be valuable when it is time for your next promotion.
When will that be? As they say, time will tell-and your commitment to make a bigger and more important contribution will speak volumes about your role as a real team player. Promotions are driven by a need faced by the organization. When that opening occurs you want to be the one who has the qualifications to make the contribution they seek.
Consider the advice from a high-achieving CEO of a leading financial services company. Back in the days when he was starting his career, he said he never thought about his next job or promotion. He focused on what he had to do in his current job. Making the best possible contribution today was a surefire way of getting the next job when the time was right. Considering he ended up as chairman of the company, it seems his strategy worked.
What happens if you've been bugging your boss for a promotion? Let's say it's gotten to the point that the last time you went into his office he said, "I know, I know. You want a promotion." He didn't sound like he was kidding, either.
The first step is to face up to the fact that you've given your boss the impression that you are motivated greatly (if not solely) by the prospect of your next job and a bigger salary. (You're not alone. In its annual survey of college freshman, UCLA found that nearly three-quarters of those surveyed thought it was essential or very important to be "very well-off financially.") It will take some time for you to change that perception.
The only way to promote a more positive, team orientation is for your actions to speak louder than what your words have been. That means focusing on the contribution you are making in your current job, making sure that what you're doing is aligned with your boss' objectives, looking around your department for more work to do, and actively seeking ways in which you can assist others.
Your future conversations with your boss must be centered on what you're doing and your eagerness to do and learn more in the context of your current job. You might say to your boss, "What else can I do here?" Or, "I'm interested in learning more about such-and-such." Be prepared, however, that your boss may think that you're still singing the same song, just with a slightly different melody. If you are truly focused on contribution, in time you'll prove your sincerity.
Bosses and managers know that bright, eager, and ambitious people want to be promoted. In fact, developing young professionals like you is part of their job. Promotions are made based on performance and the ability to contribute more. So keep your focus on your current job, make it all that you can, and let your performance speak louder than your requests to get ahead.
Got a question? Email Bill White at bill@fromdayone.com.
You can also receive Bill White's monthly "Your Extraordinary Career" column free via e-mail each month. To subscribe, click here.
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