2023: Your Year for a Promotion?
Looking for a leadership promotion in 2023? Changing times can create opportunities for that next step in leadership. Being prepared ahead of time can help your wish come true.
At KDI Consulting we’ve worked with many individuals — and have been brought into companies to assist in coaching select team members — for that next promotion. Our Image Management Success Formula has proven successful in helping professionals claim their next promotion in the midst of uncertainty and change. Here are five tips/strategies you can confidently use to support your quest.
Create Your Promotion Roadmap
“All you need is the plan, the roadmap, and the courage to press on to your destination.”
-Earl Nightingale
As we slowly emerge from the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations are actually desperately looking for good leaders and fresh approaches. One route to leadership is via direct promotion, of course. Another route is a strategically planned lateral or diagonal approach; you take a job that broadens your experience in some way that is valuable to the organization. This indirect approach will add to your portfolio of skills and expertise. It takes patience. But if you choose the right move, you’ll end up perfectly positioned and qualified for your eventual dream promotion.
Align Your Goals
Do you get a formal or informal performance update? Either way, highlight the value you’ve brought to the organization during the pandemic. Whether you’ve been working remotely or on site, what have you done to collaborate and lead a productive team? How have you kept your people focused, efficient and inspired? Identify specific strategies you’ve implemented, along with any quantifiable performance benchmarks. Be ready to discuss and demonstrate how your career goals align with wherever the organization seems to be headed, even if the future is still murky.
Be Seen. Be Heard. Participate.
Although people are headed back to offices, many still work remotely or in some kind of hybrid arrangement. Regardless of where and how you work, you still have to project leadership presence, energy and insight. Meetings are auditions for the promotion you want, so assert your ideas with clarity and confidence. Use the right language and tone, and stay consistently engaged. Practice identifying and clearly stating ideas that resonate with the needs and goals of various stakeholders, helping everyone move forward as a team.
Don’t Hide You or Your Team
Speaking of teams . . . You might rarely see your boss in person these days, so you need to be proactive. Keep them up to date. Share your accomplishments and team victories, and celebrate wins. (Wins also make your boss look good!) Your boss is probably under exceptional pressure right now. Is there some way you can help them with the work that’s on their plate? Ask. Your offer and extra effort will be remembered. And there’s no way of knowing what it will eventually lead to.
Step In and Participate to Lead
Something high on organizations’ current to-do lists is answering questions related to return to office/remote/hybrid work — and navigating the decisions. Offer to lead a task force, assume greater responsibility and help make the changes go smoothly. Promotions come to those who grab the opportune moment and go beyond their call of duty. Every organization needs leaders who are willing to be responsible and accountable in exceptional times.
Your dream promotion might be right around the corner. COVID-19 has forced organizations to change and adjust to new realities. How does this challenge/opportunity fit with your career goals?
We recently used our Image Management Success Formula with a coaching client who was seeking her next promotion. We ultimately circled back to answer key initial questions we’d considered. You might want to use them in thinking about your own promotion plans.
- • Are there opportunities to enhance your executive presence? Your communication skills? Your ability to persuade and inspire?
- • What is your plan for positioning yourself for a new promotion? What compelling arguments can you make that are based on your past and current performance?
- • Who can you rely on for support, encouragement and honest feedback? Do you have a mentor or professional advocate? Who, other than your boss, will hold you accountable?
My client was promoted to a CEO/President position, which was what she really wanted. Your dream promotion is within reach if you plan, keep a positive mindset and stay open to unexpected opportunities along the way.
