If you’re feeling stuck in your job, wondering why you got passed over for a promotion, why you aren’t getting interviews for jobs you are applying for or why people around you seem to be moving forward in their careers faster than you, try this:
- Understand the rules of the game. In order to win, you need to understand the rules - the rules for your industry, your company, your department and team. Look at the successful people around you. Study how they act, what others say about them, how they spend their days. Look through their LinkedIn profile to understand their career trajectory. Understand to what extent people cheat or draw outside of the lines. Is taking risks and being bold rewarded or punished where you work? Spend time understanding the business model of your company. This means nailing what provides value to the customers that are paying. A lot of people are confused about this and work their butts off, focusing on the wrong things. Read up on trends in your industry so you understand where you are heading and make mental adjustments so you can keep up with the changes. Again, in order to win, you need to understand the rules of the game. And winning for you is moving up and getting paid more!
2. Set a game plan. Decide where you want to be one year from now and do the work. This means having an idea of your next role, what qualifications and experiences are required and starting to nail that down. If new skills are required you will acquire them. If certain projects are expected, you will make room for that type of work in your day and get it done. You will say no to almost everything else and you will master the art of disappointing in order to avoid getting sucked up into meetings, calls and committees and projects that aren’t leading you towards your goals and your dreams. Fail to plan, plan to fail!
3. Make life easy for your boss. Your boss is super busy and you don’t want to be a headache. This means bringing solutions to the table, not problems. Not making others come to your boss to complain about you, but brag about something you did. You have already spent time learning the rules of the game. This also meant understanding your boss. What are your boss’ motivations, level of influence, good and bad times of the day/month/year? Which areas can you help take a load off your boss’ shoulders and what areas can you highlight their expertise and make them feel good about themselves? Maybe your boss isn’t the only one in control of your career progress. In that case, identify other formal and informal influencers in your organization and make sure they know who you are and what you have done. When it comes to your own work, make sure your boss knows the value you are creating for your customers and what problems you are solving. If you have received feedback on areas of improvement, make sure your boss knows you are making an effort and taking it to heart to improve. You will have a clear dialogue with your boss about your priorities, but keep the details to yourself. Even if your boss is a micro manager, you are doing them a favor to not overshare. As I said, they are super busy and don’t need to get sucks into things unnecessarily. Make life easy for your boss!
When promotion/appraisal/performance review season rolls around, your boss will be EMBARRASSED to not give you a raise and a promotion, which may not even be necessary since you are well on your way to your next step, so maybe you’ll settle for a recommendation!
I'm looking to interview a few people who are feeling stuck in their jobs and struggle with the next step of their career. If you’re available for a 20 minute interview over the next week or so, please PM me or leave a YES! in the comments. In exchange I am happy to offer you a FREE (no-pitch) private call with me talking about how to fast track your career development starting TODAY.
Thanks!
Submitted May 30, 2018 at 07:53PM by annacosic https://ift.tt/2J335uz
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