While there is no such thing as the perfect time to ask for promotion,
there certainly are times that you want to avoid.
One of the most common challenges that I hear from people who are along a career
journey is in the area of promotions.
The most common question that they ask me is "how do I ask for a promotion?"
How do I approach my boss and ask for a promotion in a way that doesn't seem
off-putting and in a way that ensures my success?
So today I'm going to be talking to you about five simple steps that you can
take to ask for a promotion in a very effective way,
that will make sure that you set yourself up for that promotion. And by the way,
if you'd like the topic that I'm talking about today and you want to hear more,
make sure you hit that subscribe button, that bell that is in the screen below,
make sure you subscribe so that you get the latest updates on my upcoming videos,
I post twice a week, any topic that you want to hear,
you'll be the first to know about new videos that I put out.
So the first thing that you want to do before you ask for promotion is you want
to get clarity. What exactly does a promotion mean to you?
And that means something different to everybody else.
Does it mean that you want more money, like a higher salary for what you do?
Does it mean you want to change departments?
Does it mean you want that corner office?
Does it mean you want a different job title?
Does it mean that you want more responsibilities to manage a team?
So promotion means something different to everyone.
And what you need to do is to get clarity on exactly what that means to you,
for you to say that you've been promoted.
Once you have clarity on exactly what a promotion means to you,
the second thing to get
clarity on is why you believe you are ready for promotion. So get ready,
get clear, absolutely clear on that. Write it all out.
What are the achievements that you've done and what is the impact as a result of
your achievement,
write out point by point and write out stories of what that looks like so that
you are prepared to have that discussion of why you are ready for that promotion.
So the second step is to consider timing.
While there is no such thing as the perfect time to ask for promotion,
there certainly are times that you want to avoid. For example,
if the company has gone off in this major restructuring,
or if they laid off a group of people,
then that's probably not the best time to ask for a promotion.
But look for opportunities where there is potentially a good thing, for example,
if you've suddenly
helped the company to increase their bottom line by a massive amount,
or if you've had some wins or gained some collaborations for the company,
that may be a good time to ask for a promotion.
Because then your achievements and your impact are more fresh in mind.
The third step is to get feedback.
Reach out to trusted colleagues and ask them for their
feedback on your strengths and weaknesses and your reputation that is in the
company
things that they might have heard from other colleagues or other managers about
what people have said about you, and of course all the way through,
create a safe space for them to give you that feedback,
knowing that you want them to be brutally honest with you.
The fourth step is to be proactive. Most of the time,
the work that you need to take to ask for that promotion
comes before the actual Ask happens. So be proactive and confident.
Trust yourself that this is going to happen and start to assume the promotion,
and what you can do is start to work at the level that you want to after the
promotion, and start to assume those responsibilities like a team player.
This is your chance to demonstrate your readiness for the promotion.
Another thing you can do is to start to pass down the knowledge you've gained
over the years in this position to someone else.
And this is what you're doing to train them
to take your place after you've been promoted.
So then that shows your proactiveness and a team player.
Remember once you've started to have some achievements,
after you've started to work at the level you want to be promoted to,
you can add those achievements to the list of why you believe that you're ready
for the promotion.
And of course once the Ask comes,
then you can present those as achievements and impacts that you've made.
And step number five is to go for the ask, go boldly,
go confidently for that Ask.
The important thing to know about the ask is that it 's not just one
conversation. It really is a series of continuing conversations that you'll have,
it's not just asking "can I get a promotion" and then, yes or no,
and then moving on,
it really is that you need to plant a seed that you are ready for excellence.
You're striving and aiming for excellence to get to that next level.
So go for the Ask, and of course, highlight the achievements that you've done,
especially the ones that you've achieved when you started to work at the level
you wanted to be promoted to, and then let your boss, your supervisor,
know that you're aiming for excellence at the next level.
The continuing conversations that come out of it will lead to exactly what you
want as a promotion,
what are the things that are a promotion to you.
If you're in the process of asking for a promotion,
or if you're thinking about asking for a promotion, put in the comments below.
What are some things that you've learned and where are you in that process of
asking for promotion? And if you have any questions,
put in the comments below as well and I would be happy to get to your questions.
And remember if you like what you heard and you want to hear more,
or more about careers and career advice,
remember to hit the subscribe button and I look forward to hanging out with you
in my next video.