Overlooked for Promotion at Work: The Key to Not Letting This happen

Here are a few common misconceptions of many people who give their all to their organization:

• My boss automatically sees my successes.
• People in positions of power are tracking my successes.
• Talent is what makes people rise to the top.
• I’ll automatically be considered for promotion; I won’t have to show I want it first.

Too often, people assume their work will speak for itself. But frankly, most people are too busy with their own jobs to truly assess how much you’re contributing to the organization. We think that if we achieve great results, we won’t get overlooked for promotion at work. Hard work doesn’t mean increasing your exposure and influencing others’ perception of you, though.

That means you have to tell them.

In the video, Joel relays a story about how a woman named Wendy was dumbfounded when her coworker, Janet, received a promotion rather than her. Wendy felt she contributed far more than Janet, spending countless evenings going the extra mile while her coworkers went home. She knew that she and her team achieved much greater results than Janet and hers. Why had she gotten overlooked for promotion at work despite the great work she’d done for the company for the past 17 years?

In other words, what did Janet have that she didn’t? Well, as it turned out, Janet had put daily effort into making herself visible to people with power. She articulated herself very well, and shared her accomplishments with others. As a result, Janet had excellent visibility, while Wendy did not.

A lightbulb went off in Wendy’s head when she heard the news. She’d ascribed to the idea that her work would speak for itself, but it wasn’t. She needed to do more of what Janet was doing—build relationships with people who could influence her career, speak up in meetings, and become truly seen for what she gave to the company.

For Wendy’s next review, which took place about a month after she was overlooked for the promotion at work, she worked on creating 10 pages of notes outlining all her accomplishments and their results.

This time, her boss and her boss’s boss were dumbfounded. They hadn’t seen the full extent of what Wendy was doing for the organization, but they couldn’t argue with the evidence.

Everyone should ask themselves if they’re getting the exposure they deserve. We all need to give people the chance to recognize and reward our achievements by forging relationships with leaders and making ourselves visible in the workplace.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
⚑ SUBSCRIBE TO MY CHANNEL ⚑

 JOIN MY NEWSLETTER 
- 1-min read full of best practice articles, famous leaders profiles & 2-min inspiring videos.

✎ AUTHORED 11 BOOKS + 300 FREE ARTICLES ✎

✔ EXECUTIVE COACHING ✔

★ CORPORATE TRAINING / KEYNOTES / WEBINARS ★

[lynneashley]

Extroverts get promoted over introverts

[virtuosowins]

I wanted to be promoted I was not considered I was performing better than most and I knew the subject matter unlike the non tech imbeciles who were my colleagues. Walked out, next job and firing away.

[amandathompson]

This guy brings up good points, but internal politics are a huge issue. If you can't get promoted find another job. A great video The Corporate Ladder is a Joke by Jonathan Fluke is very educational. Watch it. He talks about the importance of being in your own business. Notice this guy Joel, has his own consulting business. He is self employed. He doesn't have to worry about being promoted.

[frufrubb]

Same happened to me 5 x, no matter how many times I asked to be promoted nothing, people like working with me, and nothing ... so I quit and now they are shocked

[frufrubb]

If your leader doesnt know how much you do that is oretty sad, means the boss doesnt care, period.

[chessmaster]

Management are strange people. The hard working people say that they have already given what they could. There is nothing more. The management say ignore that. What more can you do if you want promotion. Also you don't want right.

[jesusarenas]

LIKE MY CUZ THEY INTERVIEW HIM FOR SUPERVISOR AND TOLD HIM LIKE WE NEED YOU TO WORK THE COMPUTER AND HE SAID FINE HE HAS 25 YEARS OR MORE OFF EXPERIANCE AT THAT JOB AND SINCE THE MANAGMENT LADY DONT LIKE HIM THEY GOT SOMEONE WITH NO EXPERIANCE AND PUT A SECRETERY FOR HIM AND NOW MY CUZ HAS TO SHOW HIM EVRYTHING HE KNOWS SMH