5 (actually a lot more) Ways to Get Promoted at Work - PowerPoint Presentation

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5 (actually a lot more) Ways to Get Promoted at Work

Jeff HadenLongwood University LinkedIn Influencers Week

How to Get Promoted: Longwood LinkedIn Influencers WeekSlide2

What You Won’t

DoHow to Get Promoted: Longwood LinkedIn Influencers Week

Be unethical or unprofessional

Play politics

Pursue an agenda very different from your organization’s

Try to win by making other people lose

“Hack” your way to successSlide3

What You Will

DoHow to Get Promoted: Longwood LinkedIn Influencers Week

Help other people succeed

Help your organization succeed

Enjoy success

through accomplishment and merit

Build a lasting network of meaningful connections

Go

home, every day, proud of yourself and what you’ve

done

Adapt to your org’s goals and culture… and still be

yourselfSlide4

Start With “Why?”

How to Get Promoted: Longwood LinkedIn Influencers Week

Here’s why you should want to get promoted:

Because you want more

responsibility, not authority

Because

you want to

help people, not direct people

Because

you want the

job

, not the

title

When those

your reasons...

you

succeed no matter how long it takes to get promoted.

Slide5

The Basics

How to Get Promoted: Longwood LinkedIn Influencers Week

You have to work harder

now

… not after you’re promoted

You have to work smarter

now

… not after you have greater freedom and latitude

You have to be willing to set yourself apart

You have to be willing to ignore criticism or peer pressure

And most of all

…

You must stay focused on your

goal.Slide6

1. Target Your Org’s Competitive Advantage

How to Get Promoted: Longwood LinkedIn Influencers Week

What is your organization’s underlying value proposition? That should be your focus: people who get promoted are people who help drive

meaningful

results.

Maybe it’s quality

Maybe it’s productivity

Maybe it’s sales, or operations, or customer outreach

… whatever it is, find ways to get involved, because that will get you noticed by the right people.

Of course that means you will have to do extra work... but you’ll also learn, and add tools to your skillset, and help drive results for your org.

RRDSlide7

2. Be Known for a Specific Skill

How to Get Promoted: Longwood LinkedIn Influencers Week

You can try to be the best at your job, but “best” is often subjective. Also pick an attribute that makes you “that” guy or gal:

Be the leader known for turning around struggling employees.

Be the supervisor who personally makes a few deliveries a week to check in with customers.

Be the manager who develops more people than anyone else.

Be known as the employee who responds quicker, acts faster, or always follows up.

.

Pick something you like – and that also adds value – and become the go-to person. You’ll stand out and build a reputation across your org.

intranetSlide8

3. Help Your Boss Reach His or Her Goals

How to Get Promoted: Longwood LinkedIn Influencers Week

“Managing up” implies shaping the information you provide, massaging data, being less than candid at times

… so don’t. To

stand out, help your boss achieve her targets.

Remember,

everyone

has a boss – even the CEO.

Your boss’s targets may be very different than you assume.

How will you find out? Ask. And then ask how you can help

… or better yet, come back later and offer specific, tangible ways you can help.

“Managing up” can come across as sneaky and even manipulative. Don’t be known for those qualities – be known as the person who helps others succeed. Slide9

4. Be First With a Purpose

How to Get Promoted: Longwood LinkedIn Influencers Week

Lots of people try to be the first one to arrive (or last to leave.) But what do they do with that time?

Instead of taking care of “stuff,” do something

visibly

beneficial to the org.

Take care of unresolved problems from the day before.

Make it easier for other employees to hit the ground running.

Chip away at an ongoing project others ignore.

Don't just be the one who turns on or off the lights – be the one who gets in early (or stays late in order to get things done.)

Work ethic will gain you visibility...

but work ethic with purpose and tangible outcomes will make you stand out.Slide10

5. Create Your Own Side Project

How to Get Promoted: Longwood LinkedIn Influencers Week

Don’t wait to be assigned a cool project. Create one of your own.

Pick something you like

But that also adds value to the organization

And will naturally gain you visibility

But most of all

…

do it on your own time

.

Excelling on an

assigned

project is expected. Excelling on your own side project helps you stand out – even if that project fails.

People instantly recognize when you truly care about the organization and truly care about learning. That always shines through – and will always take you far.

deltaSlide11

6. Focus on Offering Solutions

How to Get Promoted: Longwood LinkedIn Influencers Week

It’s easy to point out problems. Anyone can do that. (

Everyone

does that.)

Say you think a project has gone off the rails; instead of just pointing out its flaws so you can show everyone how smart you are, jump in and help fix it.

Everyone talks about problems. The people who actually help fix them are the people who stand out -- for all the right reasons.

Of course that means you will sometimes need to

…Slide12

7. Volunteer (wisely)

How to Get Promoted: Longwood LinkedIn Influencers Week

I know: whenever you raise your hand, you automatically have to do more.

Don’t see that as a negative. See it as an opportunity: to learn, to gain skills, to build new relationships, to impress

…

to do something more than you would otherwise been able to do.

(Plus the more you volunteer, the easier it is to sidestep tasks that don’t add value and won’t advance your career.)

Remember, success is based on action

… so the more

you volunteer, the more you get to act. Create your own opportunities. You’ll be seen as “can-do” – and get noticed.Slide13

8. Be a “Meeting Superstar”

How to Get Promoted: Longwood LinkedIn Influencers Week

I also know: you hate meetings. So do most people. (So do I.)

Use that to your advantage.

Be the most prepared person to walk in the room.

Be the most attentive person in the room.

Be the person who only speaks to add genuine value.

Be a person know for offering solutions, helping make decisions, creating plans

… be the person who makes meetings worthwhile.

See every meeting as an opportunity to shine – because it is.Slide14

9. Ask for the Job

How to Get Promoted: Longwood LinkedIn Influencers Week

You rarely get what you don’t ask for. So ask.

But don’t say, ”I want (that job.)”

Say, “I would love to do (that job.) I think I’m ready, but what you think matters a lot more.

If you were me

, what skills, experience, knowledge, etc. would you seek in order to become the perfect choice?”

But don’t just listen. Ask questions. Ask how, why, when

… but don’t be demanding. See the advice you get as steps you will take – and any developmental assistance you get as icing on the cake.

Always see it as your responsibiliy to be the best candidate – because it is.Slide15

10. Work Harder than Everyone Else

How to Get Promoted: Longwood LinkedIn Influencers Week

Nothing – nothing – is a substitute for hard work.

Look around: how many people are working as hard as they can? Very few.

There are many things you can’t control

… but you can always control what

you

do – and how hard you work.

The best way to stand out is to outwork everyone else: more focused, more efficient, more results-oriented.

It's also the easiest way to stand out, because you'll be the only one trying.Slide16

Still Not Convinced?

How to Get Promoted: Longwood LinkedIn Influencers Week

I’ve worked for big companies and small companies

… and I’ve never seen the person who truly deserved the promotion not get the promotion. I’ve seen lots of close calls go either way...

b

ut true excellence is always rewarded, especially over the long term.

You will not get promoted if you just do your job. You will not get promoted if you just meet expectations or just put in your time.

Your goal is to do everything you can to make sure you’re the only possible choice -- so think hard about what you’ve done to date, and think harder about what changes you’ll make starting now.

And don’t forget how much you’ll learn and

grow, and

how fulfilling that

will be

… and how everything you do will also set you up for the

following

promotion.

And one more thing

…Slide17

You May Not…

How to Get Promoted: Longwood LinkedIn Influencers Week

Have the same level of education, or

c

onnections, or

m

entors, or

e

xperience

…

But You Can Still Do These Things, Starting Now

Be early

Stay late

Display a great attitude

Display positive body language

Be energetic and enthusiastic

Say “yes!”

Be trainable and coachable

Ask for help

Offer to help

Volunteer

Be prepared

Do one extra thing

And Most of All: You Can Always Work Harder Than Everyone Else