Have you been feeling lately that you have outgrown your current job? Promotions rarely just 'happen.' You need to actively prepare yourself for the next step in your career. Unfortunately, too often we allow the project that is due by the end of the month to consume all of our work day, preventing us from developing ourselves. Kirby Cameron, Manager of Employee Training at Shelter Insurance provided an excellent session full of tips to help us actively prepare for our next move. Here is a brief overview of Kirby's message:
Developing Yourself - Promotion is not just a result of doing what you are paid to do. It's also about demonstrating that you have outgrown your current position and would be more valuable to the company in a different role.
Understand Your Organization - One of the keys to preparing yourself for promotion is having a broader understanding of how your organization functions. This can help you develop the skills and experience necessary for a job with more responsibilities. Keep in mind, that job may not be in your current department. Lateral moves can help you gain a broader perspective of what the company does and help you develop the knowledge and skills you need for a more senior-level position.
Increase Your Responsibility - When you started in your position, there was undoubtedly someone you went to, such as your boss or coworker when you had a question about how to do your job. If you are thinking about a promotion, most likely you've become that person for your department. You are seen as the 'expert' in your position and others on your team - maybe even your boss - refer to you when a difficult situation comes up. If this describes you, then start looking for opportunities to lead projects and offer to take on additional responsibilities from your boss, especially things he or she either doesn't like or has indicated is a weakness for him or her. This allows you to show your leadership that you are ready to take on more responsibilities and/or a leadership role in the organization.
Get Innovative - One of the defining characteristics of a leader is that they are always thinking about how to do things better, faster or cheaper OR to accomplish things that haven't been done yet. Develop ideas and make recommendations to your leadership on how your work flow or productivity could be improved. Even if your ideas are not accepted, you are still demonstrating to your leadership your critical thinking skills, your imagination, and a willingness to take risks to improve work processes.
Set Promotion Goals - If you don't have a goal, how will you know if you achieved it or not? You may not know today what position you want to have in 5 of 10 years, but you probably have a goal of working your way up in the company. To help you clarify for yourself what your career ladder is, talk to people in your organization that currently hold the position you think you might be interested in. Find out what they did to get to that position. Ask them what their responsibilities are and what they like and dislike about their job. Secondly, evaluate your strengths and weaknesses so you can determine a professional development plan for yourself to gain the knowledge and skills you need for your next position. Third, find a mentor to help you stay on your career plan.
Communicate Your Desire - All the above are excellent ways to prepare yourself to move up. However, one of the mistakes some people make is failing to communicate their goals with leadership. Once you've identified the role or position you want next, discuss it with your boss. Ask him or her to help you achieve the necessary skills and experience you'll need for that position. Seek advice from people in that role to gain insight on what you need to do to be successful. Finally, apply for the position when it becomes available. Even if you are not ready for the position yet, it's a good idea to apply because it communicates to leadership that you are seriously interested in that position.
If you'd like a copy of Kirby's handout or have questions, contact him at kcameron@shelterinsurance.com or 573-214-4476.