How to Go After That Promotion

The Me-Suite host, Donna Peters, shares practical advice on getting that promotion you want.

We all know the phrase, "if a tree falls in the forest, and no one was there to hear it, does it make a sound?" There's a similar concept when it comes to getting a promotion. People often grouse that they were passed over for promotion because they didn't know the right people. They weren't in the club. I am absolutely sure this does happen and encourage a different mindset, a proactive mindset of what are you going to do about it.

Back to the forest analogy: be the canopy in the sun, not the understory down in the shade on the forest floor. I challenge us to think that getting promoted is not a popularity contest. It's a sunshine contest. If you're all that, then there should be light on you. People should be aware of you and people should be able to tell your story. Have people versed enough to tell your story takes work.

And as you move into 2021 with your own personal career goals, think about who in the forest needs to know. Who are you? What have you done, can do, want to do? And what do you expect to happen this performance year? Create a stakeholder management plan and hold yourself accountable for getting in front of the people who need to know you exist and need to know the highlights of your value story, your personal brand, what people think and feel when they hear your name. And how is that relevant to the future of the business that you're in. Teach people how to talk about you when you're not in the room.

Now, you may not be in control of being in the club. You may not even want to be in the club. You are however in control of shining a light on who you are and the value you bring and the career goals that you have for yourself. So build your stakeholder management plan to achieve your 2021 career goals, and act on that plan.

No one will care about your career more than you do. If you did amazing things in the forest, and there was no one there to see you because you were down in the understory, how amazing were you? It will feel awkward for some of you to promote yourself, to toot your horn no doubt. But is the alternative really in your best interest? There is nothing to lose here except time to promotion.

To get that promotion be in the canopy, not down in the understory. Step into the sunshine. Shine the light on yourself. And if you just got promoted, remember to nurture the next generation in the understory.