What does it take to climb the ladder?
Few things are guaranteed to make employees feel more disheartened and demoralized than not getting a prized promotion, especially if it happens time and time again and/or if an employee feels that they have given years of faithful service with nothing in return.
However, many employees fail to make it up to that next step of the ladder either because they don’t understand that promotion isn’t a right which comes automatically with long service, or because they fall into the trap of thinking that doing an exceptional job in their current role is enough. Whichever is the case though, these people are doomed to remain where they are, simply because they are neither prepared to fill their boss’ shoes, nor to demonstrate their ability to do so.
Perhaps in years gone by there was a time when the most senior member of the workforce was the natural selection for promotion, but even if that was the case then, it certainly isn’t now. Irrespective of age or length of service, it is the person who can demonstrate his or her readiness for a higher level job who will be awarded it. That readiness, however, isn’t just dependent upon performing brilliantly at the current level. After all, that’s what employers expect from their workers anyway. If employees are intent on making the move to the next level up, they need to do much more than this.
Although most job seekers wouldn’t dream of applying for an external job without understanding what the role entailed, for some unknown reason, many of those who apply for internal promotions don’t actually have much of a clue as to what the job involves or what responsibilities the current incumbent holds, let alone what skills and qualifications are necessary to fulfill the role successfully. Consider though, the difference between the duties and responsibilities of an operational worker and his or her supervisor for example. While the former might require a range of technical skills, it might rely little on communications or “people” skills. The latter, on the other hand, not only requires at least some understanding of the technical side of things, but it might also call for management, leadership and reporting skills, not to mention excellent planning, organizational and communications skills, an understanding of health and safety, quality, risk management and customer issues and the ability to think strategically. Clearly then, no matter how well the operational worker does his current job, in no way will this make him prepared to fill his manager’s shoes.
So, what can employees do to ensure that they know what to expect from the next level up and what can they do to prepare for it?
The first thing to remember is that it’s never a good idea to just assume that you know what your manager does. Instead, either use your powers of observation to assess how their time is spent and the kinds of things that they are involved in or take an appropriate opportunity, such as during the course of one of your own regular appraisal meetings, to ask. When discussing your own performance, for instance, you could enquire as to how your own responsibilities link to those of your manager. If this still doesn’t give you a clear understanding of what they do, then another option might be to ask your HR department for a copy of the individual’s job description.
Once you have a clearer idea of what the job at the next level up entails, you then need to consider whether you currently have the necessary skills and qualifications to fill the role. If not, then before you even think about applying for the position, you need to put together a plan for acquiring them. If formal training is required, then your company may be able to support you in a course of study, both in a financial sense by subsidizing course costs and by granting study leave if required. If the skills that you are missing are ones which could be obtained on the job, then you have several options. First of all, you could ask your manager if you can provide assistance in carrying out certain of his or her tasks as a means of contributing to your personal development. Secondly, you could volunteer for any projects or assignments which come up in your department that would allow you to acquire the relevant skills. If opportunities within your own team or department are thin on the ground, however, another option is to ask for or volunteer to help out with projects or assignments in other teams or departments.
Another great way to get a feel for what happens higher up the organization, and particularly at the strategic level, is through meetings. If you want to secure yourself an invitation though, you will have to justify your attendance by demonstrating that you have something valuable to contribute. Start by finding out which meetings your manager is scheduled to attend and getting a copy of the agenda, and then offer to assist your manager in preparing for the meeting and in presenting your findings.
Doing a first-class job in your current role is, of course, important if you want to try for a promotion, because it helps to build your professional reputation and demonstrates your commitment and sound work ethic. On its own, however, it isn’t enough to demonstrate your readiness to take on a higher level role. If you want to do that, you need to think ahead and factor in the additional work required to show that you are capable of doing the job and could hit the ground running.