Getting Your Next Promotion

Posted on March 17, 2023 by Nicole Horn, One of Thousands of Executive Coaches on Noomii.

Is it time for you to begin thinking about your next promotion? Unless you’re working for yourself, the answer is probably YES. There are things you should begin to do immediately when you step into a role to prepare to move up, and there are things you should do when you think you’re just about ready.
Toot Your Own HORN
You may be amazing at your job, but you don’t want that to be a secret. You also don’t want to come across as a bragging asshole. There is a sweet spot – one where you share your successes and do it in a way that makes an impact.
If you have a competent manager (and if you do, be grateful), you’re probably meeting with them weekly or bi-weekly. This is the manager’s opportunity to discuss projects, next steps, and any barriers you face. This is also YOUR opportunity to talk about successes. Make sure you enter every meeting with a few “updates” (translation: WINS) that you want to share.
Another great way to do this is to send a weekly update. Friday afternoons are a perfect chance to send your boss an overview of how projects are coming, what you accomplished this week, and what your team did. As you begin to climb into higher levels within an organization, you’ll find that your boss doesn’t always know what you’re accomplishing, and this is an easy way to fix that.
Let’s talk about VALUES
If you want a promotion you need to understand what your boss values. When I ran a higher education consulting firm, I valued team members’ ability to build deep relationships with our clients, we valued employees’ willingness to focus on process improvement, and to work as a team to hit shared goals. These values helped strengthen our ability to be a better company, and to be more financially successful. The people I promoted shared these values. What does your boss care about? What are the qualities of the people he/she promotes? When you’re looking at values, you also have a better sense of whether you’re a good fit at a company – you want to work somewhere where your values are expressed.
Ask the QUESTION
Unless there is a job to fill, getting a promotion is typically a “long game” and make take a month or two. This means you must lay the groundwork for it and create a strategy for follow-up. The process begins with a simple question, “How do I need to grow in order to be considered for the FILL IN THE BLANK job?” This does two things: 1) it tells your boss that you want a promotion and 2) it creates a plan for a pathway to get that promotion.
Listen to the input you receive and then ask one follow-up question – “If I put together a plan to do XYZ, can we meet regularly to talk about my progress?” This question shows seriousness on your part and ensures your possible promotion continues to be a conversation topic. The reality is people (particularly bosses) get busy, and your desire to continue to talk about the topic of a promotion linked to your personal growth will help keep it front of mind.
It’s a process
Gen Xers and Boomers have complained for decades about Millennials’ desire for a quick promotion. But, a desire to move up can’t be laid at the feet of any one generation. Getting a promotion is a process that takes planning and consistency. Lay out the groundwork, build a plan that demonstrates value, and keep the conversation going.