It’s a common situation: You’ve been working hard in your job for a few years and see many of your colleagues moving up the corporate ladder. You start to ask yourself: “Why them and not me? How do I get that promotion?” There are many benefits to getting a promotion. These include an increased salary, a higher-level title, decision making authority, team leadership and different problems to solve on a daily basis, which keep things exciting.

Getting promoted is no easy feat. The world is a competitive place. It takes a deliberate effort, patience, strategy and being proactive in your approach. Sure, we’ve all seen certain people who just seem to ‘get lucky’ or ‘brown-nose’ their way to the top. But you should study what they are actually doing in their work environment. There is usually a subtle, or not so subtle, method to their madness. In this post we will explore the different ways you can improve your chances of getting promoted the right way. As a bonus we will include practical tips to help accelerate your career growth.

Set clear goals and objectives:

One of the key things you can do to improve your chances of getting promoted is to set clear goals and objectives for your career. This will make it easier to create a plan and take actionable steps to make it happen.

Communicating your career goals to your manager is an important part of career growth. It helps your boss to understand your aspirations and identify opportunities for you to achieve them. You should have regular conversations with your superiors about your career goals and seek their support. This will help you to stay motivated and focused on your career growth.

Seeking out feedback is also an important part of career growth as you work towards your goals. It helps you to identify areas of improvement and take steps to address them. You should seek feedback from your superiors, colleagues, and clients and take action on it. It may be small things that are holding you back that only others are noticing. Understanding and correcting this will demonstrate your commitment to improvement and increase your chances of being considered for promotion.

• SMALL STEP 1: Write down your career goals and break them down into smaller, achievable objectives. This will help you stay focused and motivated.
• SMALL STEP 2: Communicate your career goals with your manager and create a development plan with them which includes training, upskilling and practical opportunities.
• SMALL STEP 3: Seek out feedback from colleagues and superiors and take action on it.

Focus on your job performance

Before you can realistically focus on getting promoted you need to be exceptional at the job you were hired to do. This is the first step on your path to promotion. Your job performance is the foundation upon which your career growth will be built. To improve your job performance, you need to identify the key performance indicators (KPIs) for your role and work towards not only achieving them, but exceeding them. Set goals and a vision for your current role, not just the future.

• SMALL STEP 1: Understand your key metrics and KPIs that your success will be based on. It is extremely important to align with your manager on what your priorities are. If you aren’t sure, discuss with your boss.
• SMALL STEP 2: Understand how these measurements are calculated and what you can influence to drive them in the right direction.
• SMALL STEP 3: Create a strategic and/or tactical plan of how you are going to not only meet your targets but exceed them.
• SMALL STEP 4: Participate in any necessary training, work with colleagues, or continue to self-educate in order to give yourself more ideas or strategies to exceed expectations.

Take on additional responsibilities

Taking on additional responsibilities and being proactive is a great way to demonstrate your value and potential to your employer. Volunteering for projects, working on cross-functional teams, and taking on leadership roles are excellent ways to showcase your skills and capabilities. You should seek out opportunities to take on additional responsibilities and demonstrate your ability to handle them effectively. This will help you to stand out from your peers and increase your chances of getting promoted.

Taking on additional responsibilities can demonstrate your skills and show that you are committed to your job. You can do this by volunteering for special projects, leading teams, or taking on tasks that are outside of your job description. This can also help you develop new skills and gain valuable experience.

A word of caution: only put your hand up for projects and additional work that will have some level of visibility with your superiors. Doing other people’s work in the background that may negatively impact your own job performance and priorities is no way to get ahead.

• SMALL STEP 1: Look for opportunities to take on additional responsibilities outside your day-to-day work. This could be improving processes, adopting new technology, or working on strategic projects.
• SMALL STEP 2: Discuss your interest in taking on new challenges with your manager or supervisor.
• SMALL STEP 3: Show initiative by suggesting new ideas or projects that can benefit your team or organization.

Make your boss look good:

Making your boss look good as a priority isn’t always what first comes to mind when you think about your own career. People often are scared that their boss will take credit for all their hard work, or confused as to why they should be focusing on their boss’s career rather than theirs. The reason for this is simple – your boss is the person who will ultimately be recommending you for a promotion, so if they have a positive opinion of you, your chances of advancing in the company are greatly increased. They can get you in contact with the right people to help you develop, give you exposure to senior leadership, or make you their go-to person when important projects come along.

You should always have regular alignment conversation with your manager so that you know what their priorities are and can anticipate work that they may need done on short notice. If you can build this trust and reliability, they will want to take you up the ladder with them.

• SMALL STEP 1: Prioritize and communicate effectively (i.e. manage up). If you’re asked to do something by your boss, you should prioritize getting it done as quickly as possible. Keep your boss updated on your progress and any challenges you are facing. This will help them to stay informed and make informed decisions. Additionally, make sure to communicate in a way that aligns with their communication style. For example, if your boss prefers brief, bullet-pointed updates, make sure to provide information in that format.
• SMALL STEP 2: Get to know your boss well enough that you can anticipate your manager’s needs before they ask for it. This could be anything from preparing a report in advance knowing that they’re going into an important meeting, to bringing them a cup of coffee in the morning. By being proactive and anticipating their needs, you show that you are a reliable and trustworthy employee.
• SMALL STEP 3: Support your boss’s goals. Take the time to understand your boss’s goals and objectives, and then do everything you can to support them. This could be as simple as offering to help out with a task that will take some of the pressure off of them. By demonstrating your commitment to your boss’s success, you show that you are a team player and someone who can be trusted to help move the company forward.

Be a team player:

If you want to get promoted, you need to be a team player. Be willing to collaborate with others and work toward common goals. Offer to help your colleagues whenever possible, again making sure that they aren’t negatively impacting your priorities and performance. By being a team player, you will demonstrate your value to your organization and increase your chances of getting promoted.

Building strong relationships with your colleagues and superiors is essential for career growth. It is important to establish a good rapport with your co-workers and demonstrate your ability to work collaboratively. You should also seek feedback from your superiors and incorporate their feedback into your work. Building strong relationships with your colleagues and superiors will help you to gain visibility and increase your chances of being considered for promotion.

This can also help you gain support, get noticed, and learn from others. You can start by being friendly, respectful, and helpful to your colleagues. It will also help expand your network for potential job opportunities in the future.

• SMALL STEP 1: Introduce yourself to new colleagues and get to know them. Identify who the key players are outside of your team who may be good to work with.
• SMALL STEP 2: Identify a couple of projects or pieces of work outside your team that may indirectly help you achieve your goals and offer to help support these through collaboration.
• SMALL STEP 3: Make sure you attend any social events at work. These may be the single best way to build rapport and get to know your colleagues outside the demands of a busy work day.

Get a mentor:

Mentorship can be incredibly valuable for career growth. Find someone who has experience in your industry and ask if they would be willing to mentor you. A good mentor can offer guidance, advice, and support as you navigate your career. They can also provide valuable feedback on your work and help you identify areas for improvement. A mentor can be a valuable asset as you work toward getting promoted. You can find a mentor both within your current organization or outside of it. They will help you learn from the mistakes they’ve made in the past so that you don’t have to repeat them.

• SMALL STEP 1: Clearly define your career goals and what you hope to gain from a mentorship. Make a list of your strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement.
• SMALL STEP 2: Research potential mentors by looking for individuals in your company or industry who have the experience, knowledge, and skills you need to develop. You can start by looking for people you admire or who are in positions you aspire to.
• SMALL STEP 3: Reach out to your potential mentors with a clear and concise message. Explain why you are interested in working with them and what you hope to gain from the mentorship. Be respectful of their time and availability.
• SMALL STEP 4: Once you have found a mentor, focus on building a relationship with them. Be proactive in your communications, schedule regular check-ins, and be open to feedback and guidance. Define what you want to achieve, how often you will meet, and what topics you will cover.
• SMALL STEP 5: Follow through on your commitments. This includes showing up on time, completing assignments, and being responsive to feedback.

Develop new skills and expertise

Developing new skills and expertise is a great way to increase your value to your employer and position yourself for promotion. You should identify the skills and expertise that are in demand in your industry and work towards acquiring them. This can include attending conferences, taking online courses, or even volunteering for projects that will help you develop new skills. By continually learning and expanding your knowledge, you will become a more valuable employee and increase your chances of getting promoted.

Two skills that will always be useful when trying to move your way up the corporate ladder are communication and leadership. Improving your communication and leadership capabilities will help you no matter what industry you work in.

Improve your communication skills

Effective communication is essential in any job, and it is particularly important if you want to get promoted. You need to be able to communicate your ideas, opinions, and concerns clearly and confidently. This can help you build credibility and influence others. You can improve your communication skills by practicing active listening, using clear and concise language, and being open to feedback.

• SMALL STEP 1: Ask for feedback on your communication style and make changes as needed. You may even be able to identify these areas yourself.
• SMALL STEP 2: Attend communication skills training or workshops.
• SMALL STEP 3: Practice! When writing emails or preparing for a presentation, always ask yourself if you can get your ideas across in a more concise way. When speaking try to remove ‘filler’ words. When listening try focus on what the person is saying rather than your next response. There are many small changes you can make to significantly improve your communication.

Develop leadership skills

Developing leadership skills can help you stand out and demonstrate your potential for promotion. You can do this by taking on leadership roles, such as leading a team or mentoring a colleague. You can also learn from other leaders in your organization or profession.

• SMALL STEP 1: Look for opportunities to take on leadership roles in your business or areas of interest. This doesn’t need to be a formal leadership role, it can just be a matter of driving group projects forward or being more assertive and proactive.
• SMALL STEP 2: Attend leadership training or workshops.
• SMALL STEP 3: Seek out mentorship or coaching from experienced leaders who can help change your mindset around leadership and develop your skills.
• SMALL STEP 4: Practice. Being comfortable with delegating, coaching and making quick, informed decisions becomes easier the more you integrate it into your daily habits.

Getting promoted and excelling in your career takes time, effort, and dedication. Often you need to wait for an opportunity to arise. However, by following the tips outlined in this post, you can greatly improve your chances of achieving these goals. By taking these steps, you can position yourself for success and achieve the career growth you desire.