How to Prove Yourself for a Promotion
Episode 289 | Author: Emilie AriesAs we near the end of year, you might be thinking about what the future holds for you and your career.
This is a great time to take stock of all you’ve learned this year and if you’re feeling a hunger for more out of your current role. If you are ready for more responsibility and want to contribute more to your current workplace, I encourage you to take an active, assertive role in positioning yourself for a promotion in the year ahead.
Here’s how the most successful clients of mine have done just that:
Ask for a Review
If you don’t already have a regular review schedule with your supervisor on the books, ask for one. Bossed Up Trainer Tiffany Ingram wrote a great post detailing how to ask your boss for a performance review worth checking out for more information. Either way, it all starts with asking for time to talk!
You might simply send along a brief email that says something like this:
Hi (THEIR NAME) -
Thanks for all your guidance and support this year.
As I think about the year ahead, I’m excited to continuing growing with and contributing to our team. I’d love to set up a time to talk with you about my role in the year ahead and discuss with you my potential for growth.
Would this Friday or next Friday at 11 am work for you?
Thank you,
(YOUR NAME)
It’s common courtesy to give your supervisor a bit of a heads up before springing this topic on them. Terms like “my future here” or “my growth potential” can signal to your boss that you’re ready to ask for a promotion.
If you’ve been already contributing at a higher level than what you feel you were initially hired to do, I might adjust my approach slightly to allude to retroactive or corrective measures your’e asking for in a message like this:
Hi (THEIR NAME) -
Thanks for all your guidance and support this year.
As you know, my role has shifted and expanded extensively this year, and I’d love the chance to reflect on my current role and responsibilities with you. As I think about the year ahead, I’m excited to continuing growing with and contributing even more to our team and would love to discuss my potential for growth with you.
Would this Friday or next Friday at 11 am work for you?
Thank you,
(YOUR NAME)
Once your meeting is scheduled, it’s time to prepare your case for why you deserve a promotion.
Make Your Case
First, take stock of your wins.
Reference your brag book if you have one. If you don’t, think back to your biggest achievements over the course of your time in this role. What processes have you streamlined? What new projects have you taken on? What clients or customers have you delighted? What have you done to make your supervisor’s job easier?
Then, make the business case.
What’s the bottom-line impact of your work? Think of it this way: have you saved the organization money or cost them money this year? Are there are any direct lines you can draw between your personal wins and the organization’s overall impact? If so, that makes your case for negotiating a raise easier.
But negotiating a raise is fundamentally different than a promotion, so you have to think about looking forwards, not just backwards. Why would the business be better off putting you into a different role? Leveling you up? How would it expand your capacity to contribute even more?
Paint a clear picture.
When going as far as to ask for a promotion, get clear on what work you’d take off your plate in order to take on more. Who would take on the work you’re off-loading? Why would that be economical? With this new and different focus, how could you contribute even more to the organization overall?
If this sounds difficult, scary, and perhaps even a bit presumptuous, it’s because it is. But by taking the lead on doing the mental work of figuring out your next job description for your boss, you’ve essential brought them a proposal, not a problem. You’re bringing them a solution, so to speak, and asking for their consideration. This is absolutely key. You don’t want to put the onus on your boss to figure out your role for you. Take initiative and come ready with a plan to pitch and you’re so much more likely to be successful.
Some businesses have very clear lines of ascendance for you to follow - a clearly laid out path to promotion for each member of the team. But many simply do not. So to carve your own path, you’re going to have to roll up your sleeves and get to work. Even if your proposal isn’t perfect, it shows your supervisor you’ve really thought things through in advance of bringing this idea to them for collaboration.
TEAM UP WITH Your Manager
Consider your promotion a co-creation process with your supervisor. If you’re doing an amazing job in your current role, there may be understandable trepidation on their part with the idea of losing you. So you’re got to keep their needs, desires, and even fears in mind when pitch your promotion.
Ask them for feedback. What about your current role is absolutely necessary to them? What is it they may be afraid of losing if you were to be promoted?
Assuage their concerns. Valdite any concerns they may have and share your thoughts on how to work around them. Take responsibility for ensuring those needs are still met.
Enlist them for support & advocacy. Once you’ve co-created a plan for your promotion with your boss and they’re fully on board, ask for their help in navigating whatever red tape might come next. Often times, the approval process for a pay increase or promotion through HR can take a while. Equip your supervisor to advocate on your behalf effectively by giving them whatever they need to make your case. Not sure what they need? Ask!
If you get a “no” or “not yet” response…
Don’t be discouraged! Respond with what negotiation expert Kwame Christian calls “compassionate curiosity.”
Ask for feedback on the following:
PERFORMANCE: What do I need to learn / do differently / demonstrate to be considered for a promotion down the road?
TIMING: When would be a realistic time to discuss this with you again?
LIKELIHOOD: How likely do you think a promotion for me is here, ultimately? Is there anything in particular my promotion hinges on?
If your supervisor’s responses to this line of questioning don’t leave you hopeful, it may be time for a more difficult decision: to accept staying without much growth potential, or to begin your job search for an opportunity elsewhere.
Do your 2021 aspirations have you aiming for a new leadership role?
Check out Level Up, our 6-month leadership accelerator to master the skills your need to grow your career.
If you’re ready to level up your leadership skills and make the case to your boss that you're ready for a promotion in the year ahead, learn more about how Level Up can equip you with the skills to get there.
