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Question: I have been working at my company for three years and I have made two lateral moves but I can't seem to get promoted. All my reviews are excellent but they seem to view me as a technician and not a leader. I see other people getting promoted and I wonder what I'm doing wrong. I'm afraid to push too hard because I don't want to get fired, but it has gotten to the point where I dread going in to work every day.
Answer: The squeaky wheel gets the grease. Forget everything you have ever learned about good social skills and being polite. Get noticed and be willing to ruffle some feathers or get used to being passed over.
Corporations exist to make a profit for their share holders. They want their employees to be happy because that makes them more productive but they are not going to give you a big raise and a promotion as a reward for good service.
You have to work smarter not harder. You can go back to your desk and spend 20 hours a day making your projects and assignments extra perfect but there is a thing called the law of diminishing returns. The guy you resent who spent five hours on the project and then went golfing with the boss is going to get promoted ahead of you if his five hour project was good enough to get the job done.
Step one: determine the exact position you want and why. If it doesn't exist write a proposal to create it.
Step two: be prepared to show how you having this position can benefit the bottom line.
Step three: e-mail your boss and make an appointment to discuss this concept, be prepared for her/him to react by stalling and saying they need to check with someone above them. Just because you have been thinking about this for a long time do not assume she/he has.
Step four: update your resume and and start contacting your company's competitors with the same proposed position. DO NOT just fill out an online application and wait. DO find the name of your boss's equal number at other companies and contact them directly. Corporations get tens of thousands of online applications and unless someone is looking for yours it is unlikely to be found.
What is the worst that can happen with this plan? Your boss says no? Okay, well you are already looking for a position in another company where you will be valued.
Will a boss really fire someone for wanting to improve the bottom line and advance themselves at the same time? No chance. If you are going to get fired it will be because your work is sub par or they have a numbers crunch and need to let people go.
Unless you believe you deserve this promotion and are willing to suggest it you have no chance of getting it. In addition, it must be presented as a win win for you and your company, because if it don't make dollars then it don't make sense.
Patience may be a virtue, and the meek may inherit the earth, but the assertive will get the raise and the promotion much much faster.
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