Myth: “my work stands for itself…so I don’t need to do anything. They’ll recognize that I am promotion material.”
Getting the balance between being humble but still advocating for yourself is hard. It’s hard not to take it personally when you’re not promoted, and you expected it. It’s even harder if you see peers getting promoted. So how do you navigate this space?
I get asked the question of promotion a lot. A couple of things to keep in mind:
- When I get people in my office who are upset that they didn’t get promoted, the first question I ask is “Did you have a conversation with your manager?” Every single time, the answer is no. If you don’t have a conversation with your manager, the person who needs to be your advocate, to present you with a realistic perspective, and to help you develop and exhibit the behaviors necessary for promotion, it’s not going to happen. You must have the conversation with your manager. Period. You might not be happy with what they tell you, but at least you’ll know where you stand.
- The more you focus on it as an objective, the more it will evade your grasp. Nothing turns people off more than someone who actively pursues a promotion like he or she’s campaigning for office. Getting promoted is an outcome…it’s because the people senior to you recognize that you are operating at the more senior level. It’s not an activity to complete according to your master plan.
- If you’re not getting promoted, you’re probably not ready. I know this is hard for people to believe. I often get the “but Joe’s a VP, and he’s an idiot!” response. Is that really why you think you should be promoted? I have seen people get promoted too soon, and often it becomes apparent that they are not operating at their new level….and they usually leave the firm.
So how do senior people think about promotion? I can’t speak for everyone, but here’s what I use. I call it the 3 Ps: Performance, Platform, and Perception. So at the minimum, Performance is expected: not just at your current set of responsibilities…that’s a given. But now you’re starting to exhibit other skills which are getting attention: you take on more than you are responsible for, you always get the job done, you’re starting to get more. And you’re reliably coming through. You’re being viewed as a leader. Your peers respect you.
Next is Platform: this is about how big and influential your job scope is. If you’re great, but your responsibilities are small, it’s hard to get promoted. In general, line roles tend to be easier to justify: “He or she has a budget of $300MM, 900 people are in the organization” …that can be easy to justify as a VP job. In roles where you don’t have large numbers of people reporting to you, it’s harder. You have to have your function viewed as being as critical as the person who’s running the 900 person organization. It’s not impossible, but it can be more of a challenge. You can often expand your platform by taking on other functions or special projects with your boss’s support.
Lastly, is Perception. How do the senior members view you? Do they like you? Do they trust you? Can they see you as a peer? Sometimes what happens is: You’re great, but they don’t know who you are. If people don’t have a view on you, it’s unlikely you’re getting promoted. Speaking up in meetings, presenting in front of senior groups, volunteering for activities that have high visibility in the organization…all these things raise your profile. Make the effort to get out there.
Most importantly, stay focused on the work. Because if you do get promoted, the euphoria will last for a minute, only be replaced by the realization of what you’re now accountable for. You need to be ready.