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Want to get promoted? Being successful in the corporate world isn’t rocket science (unless you work for NASA), but it is hard work.
Assuming you meet the minimum criteria of delivering what you are hired to do–and it is the minimum for success–the below 5 tips will help you stand out, become a superstar employee, and get promoted.
How to Get Promoted
1. Learn to Ask for Forgiveness, not Permission
The first thing I was told by my manager when I left college and entered the corporate world was that it’s better to ask for forgiveness than to wait around for permission.
The idea is simple–take action. You are hired to fill a certain role, and it is your job to do what is best for the company. You may will make mistakes, but any manager (and company) worth working for will recognize your potential and help you become a better employee that continues to take action.
You can make an omelette without cracking a few eggs, but it’s going to be a terrible omelette full of shells. Be willing take a risk and prove you’re ready to take action and responsibility.
2. Think Like Your Manager
A regular employee does only the work assigned to him. The promoted employee anticipates what is needed and does it.
How do you anticipate what will be needed? Think like your manager. Put yourself in her position and think about what you would want from a direct report–”What would make your life easier? What would help you excel in your job?”
Now do those things, because you are that direct report.
3. Do the Work Above You
What’s the easiest way to prove you’re ready for promotion? Do the same quality of work as someone at the next level. Talk with your manager to take on similar responsibilities as the next level and prove you can deliver.
Then, when it comes time to evaluate your readiness, there will be no question of if you can do the work, because you’ve already proven you can.
4. Improve the Organization
To be a Rockstar employee (and managers promote Rockstars), it’s not enough to just deliver projects for the business. You can only do so much as a single employee, but if you can contribute to improving your co-workers as well, you’ll be delivering real value to the entire company.
In addition to your day-to-day work, find ways you can uniquely improve your organization. This can include becoming a trainer for a skill like Project Management, organizing team-building activities for your team, or just creating humor in the workplace.
5. Work on your Personal Life
To excel at any company, people have to know who you are. You can do great work, but if management can’t tell you apart from a stranger on the street, then there’s no one way they can make an informed decision about your ability to succeed at the next level.
But if you make a point to meet people, and have something interesting to share, they’ll remember your name when it comes time to decide on things like assignments and promotions. “Who’s this Drew person? Oh that’s right, he does stand-up comedy and led an improv workshop last month” is much better than “Who’s this Drew person? I see he’s working with the sales group, but I don’t really know who he is.”
Managers hire people, not robots. Be interesting. Be memorable. Be fun.
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Comments
09.30.09
On behalf of everyone who will be working under you, I must emphasize numbers 2 and 3.
Too often people are promoted because they are good at their current job, not because they are good at their new one.
And if you think you will be trained once you are promoted... ha! If they didn't train you before you got there, they aint gonna do it now. It's sink or swim time, baby!
So please, please, please learn how to be a manager before you become one.
Your people will thank you for it!
09.30.09
I think an important aspect of numbers 2 & 3 is to make sure someone knows you're doing the work. All too often going above and beyond your scope of work is something that could fall hard on deaf ears.
09.30.09
Great tips! I especially agree with #1, which seems to be something that too many employees are not willing to do.
09.30.09
@Scott--The added benefit to doing #2 and 3 is that if your manager gets promoted, in part to the work you helped him accomplish, you can bet he'll be looking to bring you along with him.
@Ryan--Excellent point, you're manager should be championing your great results, but you should also make it a point to talk to people and let them know what you're working on. That plus #5 will make you memorable.
@Andrew--Thanks, until you're ready to take a risk, you'll only be an employee and not a leader.
10.01.09
Drew - really loved this article! Definitely worth tweeting about. Just wanted to add to Andrew's comment.
I think the first tip is the most important. You were not hired to be babysat by a manager. You were hired because you are a specialist so it's important to think that way.
Sure - if you're new to the job or not comfortable in your role you should ask their advice but - as you so eloquently put - it's easier to ask for forgiveness then to ask for permission.
10.01.09
Re: #2, you don't think your manager will feel threatened that you'll take her job?
10.01.09
@Aleksandra--Thanks. #1 is still the best piece of advice I've received since entering the corporate world.
@S--Any manager worth his salt will understand that you are making his life easier, allowing him to focus on the important things for his role. I suppose it could happen, but you'd have to have a pretty bad (and/or insecure manager) which might require some different tactics all together.
09.28.10
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12.04.10
#2 and #3 make the most sense to me out of these, but you truly have to understand the culture of the company you work for and that is the fastest way to promotion
12.05.10
One comment on Number 1: that depends on the scale of the risk you're taking. It's gonna be hard to get any forgiveness, if you put the company at risk and lose. Don't believe me? Just ask Nick Leeson and Baring's Bank.
12.08.10
@JRandom42 That's true, there are some extremes to taking risks, though if what you're doing requires hiding mistakes in an Error Account, chances are it's not a smart risk.
@ReplicaHandbags spam bot, is this really the market for fake watches?
12.08.10
If I become a friend of replicahandbags, will I get email notifications of all the spam he posts on the site?
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