Learn How to Ask for and
Get the Promotion You Deserve

Do We Promote You or Not?

Imagine your boss, your boss’s boss, and other key executives in your company sitting around a table discussing YOU. They’re talking about your character, your leadership qualities, the projects you manage, the people you oversee, the results you achieve and your overall performance for the past year. This panel will be making a very important decision – do we promote you or not?

Perhaps your organization doesn’t have such a formal process, but this ritual happens in some fashion at virtually every company, large or small. In a nutshell here’s what happens: Each manager tries to sell their candidate as the most deserving person for the promotion. Other members of the group will want to know why that person deserves a promotion.

Learn How Promotions Work

So having a manager who can do a persuasive job selling you will be key to how to get a promotion. Along with your manager, some of the other managers and executives who have worked directly with you will share their opinions. So it’s also important to have them represent you in a positive, influential way. With each manager fighting for his her own people, the competition can be pretty fierce.

This discussion can be brutally honest and harsh in its portrayal of the candidates. If someone doesn’t like you, it will be mentioned. It can get especially nasty when someone REALLY wants their candidate to get promoted and they will do and say anything to undercut someone else.

Your odds at getting a promotion are good if you:

• Received high performance reviews.
• Accomplished everything that was asked.
• Followed-through on all the objectives that were set out.
• Met the team’s objectives.
• Identified ways the company could save money
• Took on additional higher profile projects.
• Expanded your network of relationships.
• Worked hard, long hours and gave your all.

But you may not get promoted if:

• Not everyone on the panel knows you, your work and your accomplishments.
• Not enough people stood up for you during the discussion.
• You can’t stand the office politics (and ass-kissing) in the company so you don’t “play the game.”
• You did only what you were asked and nothing beyond your job.
• Not everyone perceives you as a star employee.
• You haven’t influenced these key decision makers and thus fewer people are positively speaking up on your behalf.

3 strategies to improve your odds on how to get a promotion:

Now that you know how “the game” is played, here are three strategies on how to get the promotion you deserve.

• Prepare your boss.

  Make sure your supervisor (or the person representing you at the meeting) is well briefed and has thorough documentation about your accomplishments.

• Make it easy for your boss to plead your case.

  Prepare a list of “talking points” that summarize why you deserve the promotion. Support your argument with bottom-line facts and figures that are tied to your company’s objectives. Include letters or testimonials from customers or key clients.

• Anticipate the reactions of others in the room.

  Take advantage of your advocates and try to mitigate the damage that can be caused by detractors. Provide ammunition to your supervisor about how you’ve helped others in the room meet their goals. And if there are potential “landmines,” make sure he or she is aware of them. Discuss in advance ways your supervisor can “defuse” these problems.

Are you ready to raise your game to a whole new level?
You’ll shine when your employees do. E-mail Joel now to build the leadership skills you need to advance into an executive-level position.

But what if you don’t get the promotion?

Don’t get defensive or impulsively mail out resumes. Learn from the experience and improve your chances the next time around. Here’s how to get a promotion:

• Ask your boss for honest feedback.

  Try to glean as much information as you can about the meeting. Your boss may be limited because of confidentiality concerns, but he or she can provide valuable insights without “naming names.”

• Develop a plan to address your weaknesses (whether real or perceived).

  Don’t get defensive. Working with your boss, use this feedback intelligently to develop specific strategies to address these issues or concerns. For example, if the group felt that you weren’t very strong on financial issues, consider additional training.

• Don’t wait for the next promotion meeting to communicate your accomplishments.

  Never assume “my work speaks for itself.” Your goal should be that everyone at that promotion meeting knows about your accomplishments before they walk into that room. Take an active role in shaping the opinions and attitudes of key decision-makers by letting them know about your accomplishments and value to the organization.

To prepare for an advanced position, read about the qualities of a good boss in How to Be a Good Boss: Learn the Seven Traits All Great Bosses Have. You’ll be ahead of the game when it comes time for a promotion.

And now, here’s a practical (and not entirely hypothetical example of asking for a promotion.)

Stress Free Ways to Ask for a Promotion

Bob wanted to step up. He felt it was time to earn more money. But how should he ask for a promotion? What steps would make it most likely he’d get a “Yes”?

He knew good managers want to see their employees move up the ladder. So he decided to approach his boss. What did he think was necessary for a promotion? Were there things Bob was… or wasn’t doing that would merit that raise?

Bob scheduled a meeting to discuss his performance and his future role with the company.

At the same time, Bob decided to assess his value to the company in a specific, factual way. He looked at the projects he’d covered in the past. He checked with co-workers for their assessment of his strengths and weaknesses.

In seeking to quantify his value, he asked himself:

• What results have I delivered to the company? About how much they were worth?
• How has my communication improved with the boss? With co-workers? With clients? Can I identify times I’ve helped things run more smoothly or communicated well?
• What examples can I use to show I’m more efficient than I was in the past? Can I put that in dollars saved the company?
• How has my insider knowledge of the business translated to a stronger bottom line for the company?
• What new skills have I developed? How do they bring value to the company?

As Bob worked on this list, he realized his insider knowledge helped him master projects about twice as fast as when he first hired on.

He figure out how much that saved the company in employee costs. He noted times when keeping people informed had prevented costly mistakes.

As he went through this process, his confidence grew and his stress level went down.

He decided to make a short document of his achievements. That way, if the boss needed to think about his promotion, he’d have some written material to help him decide.

Bob also researched the industry averages for salary— considering his position and location. He realized he was receiving an average pay for an above average skillset. It gave him even more confidence. He emailed his boss that he’d like to discuss a promotion when they met.

Bob planned out how he would ask for the promotion. With this plan, he felt in control and relaxed.

When he sat down in the boss’s office he first asked the boss his views on Bob’s performance. Then Bob asked what it would take for him to move into a higher position.

The boss commented on Bob’s strengths and then mentioned two things he felt Bob needed to improve in order to be ready for the next position. Bob noted those areas and then shared with the boss his list of accomplishments. It was a good conversation, without stress or fear.

The boss commented on Bob’s strengths and then mentioned two things he felt Bob needed to improve in order to be ready for the next position. Bob noted those areas and then shared with the boss his list of accomplishments. It was a good conversation, without stress or fear.

He left the document with his boss. At the same time, he asked if they could meet again in a month to review Bob’s progress on mastering those two areas and see if Bob was ready for the promotion.

The next month, when they met, Bob’s boss said, “I reviewed the performance record you gave me. I’d forgotten about the Jones account and how you helped us out of that AGV account snafu. I believe you’re ready to take the next step.”

Later Bob said, “You know, 80% of the promotion effort occurred before I ever got into the boss’s office. It’s not hard to ask for that promotion when you’ve insured your boss is on the same page. It really took away all the stress.”

Want a promotion… but not sure how to get the “Yes”? Contact Joel for expert assistance to put you into the next pay level. Read Getting Ahead: Three Steps to Take Your Career to the Next Level, too, for essential advice on moving up the career ladder.

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