I am loving my Friday's Five list. Today, I would share something that I have learned back when I was still in corporate. I have had my share of climbing up the ladder. I am very grateful for all my mentors and the two companies that nurtured my professional growth.
Over these years, I have also had my share of recommending staff and evaluating peers for promotions. I have encountered many instances when people ask, "When will I be promoted?" or "Why am I never promoted?" Well now, I would like to share with you five reasons why that prized promotion eludes some people:
"When will I be promoted?" or "Why am I never promoted?"
1. You are incompetent.
Well of course, this goes without saying. Almost ten years of working and you will really encounter people who cannot (or would not) do their jobs right! They do not have initiative to create new systems to improve current workflows. They cannot execute a plan. I could go on forever.
On the other hand, those who get easily promoted are usually the ones who are self-driven. They do things without them being asked. They have initiative. They are catalysts of the organization -- looking for ways to improve processes; generally, they help in finding ways to make things better.
2. You do not have relational skills.
There is this school of thought that argues that competence and skills are everything. However, theorist Daniel Katz outlined that human or relational skill is very important as you climb up the corporate ladder. Staff do not like slave-driver bosses nor those managers who would treat others as minions. Peers would love to work with someone who they are at ease with and bosses, they want someone who are on their side, turning their vision into smaller chunks of reality. People who they can talk to easily and can relate to them (because yes, your bosses are human, too!)
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| Source: http://5bs.net/management/ |
I learned this lesson the hard way. When I started, I was all about getting the job done and had no time for tittle-tattle.
Then, a mentor told me this (and this stuck to me really well): If you would like to request someone to do something, do not just rely on email. Give them a call, talk to them in person. Give it a personal touch. While you are at it, try to get a sneak peek of who this person really is. Build a relationship. Because this [personal connection] gets things done easier and faster. You are not in the workplace to make friends, yes. But it is sure a hell of a bonus!
3. You keep on making excuses. You are late for a meeting. Excuse. You don't show up for the meeting. Excuse. Your mailbox is always full and you do not reply to emails. Excuse. Something went wrong in an event. Excuse. You get the drift.
The funny thing that I have noticed is that most of the time, the people who are usually like this are the ones who have entitlement issues. What a pity!
4. You do not have a sense of accountability. This is one of my pet peeves - people who keep on playing the blame game. When shit hits the fan, they feel that it is everyone's fault but theirs.
In my observation, the most successful managers are the ones who rise above a calamity or a challenge and solve a problem even if it was not part of their jurisdiction. They extend a helping hand not because it is equivalent to an increase in salary or another step up in their career but because they just sincerely care.
5. You do not have passion [or love] for the company. When management decides on a promotion, they would usually evaluate their decision based on your long-term commitment to the company. Even if you are that good, you still won't get promoted if you keep on criticizing the establishment you work for. This is similar to all relationships. How you would expect your husband or your boyfriend to treat you right if you continue giving them flak?!
There is this one saying that always reminds me of this: Don't bite the hands that feed you. Sure, your company might be having some problems in this area or what-not; but seriously, which company doesn't? Cut it some slack. If you can't, the door is always open for you to look for your perfect company [which I believe does not exist]. Just stop bashing.
There you go! Working in corporate is fun and as long as you enjoy it, the opportunity for growth and learning is really immense. I would never trade my experiences in corporate life for anything else. Those lessons have made a character out of me and made me stronger and wiser in dealing with the challenges that extend to my personal life.
How about you? Have you ever asked why you were never promoted? Or if you are the boss, what is your reason of promoting or not promoting someone? Let me know! <3
xx,
Balot
Balot
