Employee Insights Volume 18: How to work on a promotion!
Is your career where you thought it would be? When you started, what was the end goal you had in mind? As professionals, we have the challenge of keeping one eye on daily excellence while not letting go of your pursuit for your own goals and professional ambitions. There may be times when we fall into routines and for months or years on end and dare we say it? “Comfortable!?” No judgment here, we’ve all been there. But that’s not you, am I right? So, if you’re ready to get out of the work blues and put some petal to the metal, this ones for you!
Companies are looking for value. When company’s say they are building a team, they don’t mean a building full of people that get along. What they are looking for, is a group of professionals that can successfully perform their duties with a high degree of accuracy, quality, and communication in conjunction with other departments. Sounds like a mouthful; but in simpler terms, sounds like the LA DODGERS TO ME! Every championship team, in this case, successful companies are always looking for individuals who add value in terms of delivering consistent, strong performances, exemplifying company values, and holding a high standard of excellence. So how do we ger there? This Masterclass Monday delivers 4 practices you can apply to get to that step in your career.
Set goals with your manager
Let it be known!
Don’t expect, much less assume that others will care as much about your success and growth as you should. Whether you are new to the company, or a seasoned vet, at your next Employee Review, or Weekly Check In, ask about growth opportunities available in the near future or what the career path could look like in your department and business sector. Set dates for Check ins to review your progression as well as your next performance review. Be sure to ask about actionable items you can take to improve your day-to-day performance and areas you can improve in to make you more efficient. Success is about separating yourself from the rest and making yourself the best option or that company when an opportunity arises.Be a student/ get a mentor
In the pursuit of the next level in your career or any successful endeavor, you’ll find there is going to be some sort of gap between where you are, and where you want to be, whether it’s a technical, or social skill. It is important you go out of your way and identify someone whom you respect and has the results you are looking for, fruit on the tree as they say. Let them know you would like to learn from them and seek their perspective on things. This is not asking for permission, rather, the mindset, and principles on how this person makes decisions that consistently deliver good results. Don’t, “reinvent the wheel”, “there is nothing new under the sun”, just two fancy ways of saying, whatever you’re going through, many others have already gone through and have done very well! Use it to your advantage and stand on the shoulders of giants. These people have tremendous amounts of wealth in information and many people are very receptive to trying to help someone looking to grow. Focus on learning what systems they have used to leverage themselves and how you can incorporate into your day to day. If you can’t immediately find someone in person, start with books in that relevant field as well as podcasts and even influencers online. There are so many resources and people to learn from in the information age so be intentional with what social media you subscribe to!
Ask for feedback
Part of developing your career and being able to shape it as you see best is about being self-aware. Your focus should be staying in the zone as much as possible while setting aside some time to ask for feedback. We all have weak spots, and that is the case for everybody out there. Sometimes those weaknesses can improve, sometimes not so much when it’s even more important to be self-aware of those. It can even be a bit difficult asking for feedback for many reasons but for the sake of your long-term goals, step outside your comfort zone and ask someone who has the level of success you hope to emulate. They know what the standard of excellence looks like and can help you see what you are still missing to get there. Ask about what habits and mindsets previous predecessors had that made them top performers. Remember, there is no growth in the comfort zone. Ask for feedback on your technique, performance, leadership, communication, delivery, or any metric relevant to your profession. These helpful insights might open your eyes to things you might not have known about yourself that you can tweak to save you more time, energy, and money.
Ask for opportunities to do the job
If you are truly serious about your future, you also have to be a “no excuses” type of person. You know that all you can control is your thoughts, words, and actions. The rest is not up to you so its in your best interest to prepare yourself in skill so when opportunities arise, they don’t pass you by. There is also that “Act your wage” mentality floating around out there that won’t do you any good. Opportunities are attracted and if you have that transactional mentality, you’ll miss every opportunity that requires availability and willingness. Express your interest in wanting to take time to practice more challenging tasks even if that means staying late or coming early. Try to get in as many hours of practice as possible. Its better to say, you’ve actually done the job than saying you deserve it because you’ve been there for X amount of time.
Recruiting, Staffing, payroll, and even a little career advice. FLAG is committed to your success before, during, or after any job! Whether your working or not, we always have something valuable to share with you and the community, pass it along!