#167 | How to get promoted at work

September 19, 2022

Episode Summary:

 

In this week’s episode, we share our advice on how to get promoted at work. Preparing and positioning yourself for a promotion can be a difficult situation to navigate, but we share tactical and specific advice for how you can be successful in working towards a promotion. These are both tricky situations to navigate, but we share tactical and specific advice for how you can be successful at both of these. We have 30+ combined years of experience in Corporate America, and we share what we’ve personally learned and experienced, and we hope it can help others on their career path. 

 

Episode Notes:

 

We talk a lot about saving money, as that’s a key way to grow your wealth, improve your finances, and reach financial independence. The other way to do these things is to increase your salary through a promotion, asking for a raise, and just being indispensable at your job! This week we’re talking about getting a promotion, and next week we’ll talk about asking for a raise. We’ve learned a lot over the years, and here’s our biggest career advice to all of our listeners:

 

How to get promoted:

  • First, let’s start with what it’s not about. It’s not about being the best software engineer, analyst, or project manager. And it’s not about how long you’ve been doing some job. It’s about if you can inspire, influence people, execute, think strategically, execute a vision, simplify a complex message, and manage pressure and stress.  Are you compassionate?  Will people follow you? It’s truly the old adage, “what got you here won’t get you there.”
  • Understand that it’s as much about timing as it is about you. The right role needs to open up at the right time.
  • Leverage your current role to show you have these leadership competencies for the next role. Do your current role differently, pick up new projects or work cross-functionally to show your capabilities for the next level.
  • Find different roles and gain diverse experience. Depending on company culture, you might have to take multiple laterals before even being considered for a promotion.
  • Leadership roles involve tons of decision-making, recommendations, and influence. And to persuade people, you can’t just tell them what to do, you need to understand where they are coming from, be able to speak their language (perhaps literally), and simplify complex topics to make others understand them. Give people options, pros and cons, and let them come to the same decision you’ve come to. 
  • Be a strong public speaker. Speak powerfully and prolifically. If you’re quiet and shy, you are unlikely to be considered for larger leadership roles. This takes practice and focus, it doesn’t come naturally to some of the best speakers out there!
  • Build your relationships and network.  
  • Find leaders who inspire you, and learn from them!
  • Define your personal brand and make every interaction bring it to life!
  • Lastly, remember that it really comes down to one person: the hiring manager. It’s their decision, and promoting you will need to help them be more successful.  Remember your job is always in service to someone, no matter what level you are; maintain a service mindset and lack of an ego, and that can make you incredibly successful in your career.  

 

Also, it’s okay not to want to get promoted. Not everyone wants more responsibility or accountability. It is okay to want to focus on being the best you can be at your job and leave it at that. 

 

Top 3 Takeaways:

  1. It takes hard work to be successful.  
  2. It takes EQ as much as IQ, and you must lean into the softer skills, often more than the hard skills.  
  3. As you succeed in your career, the money will come, and you need to be prepared to handle it responsibly.  

 

Show References:

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