So you’ve been waiting for a promotion in your job but don’t seem to be getting it any time soon? What could be the possible reason that you’re not getting promoted? Why are you still stuck in the same old job? Is there anything you can do about it?
If you’re reading this article, you’re probably someone who works hard and does a good job in your position, but all that effort hasn’t gotten you much. You’re constantly being passed up for promotions, and for whatever reason, other people around you, who may not be working as hard or may not be as smart as you are, are getting the jobs that you want. So why is that?
There are 3 reasons that might be causing you to limit yourself from being promoted. These reasons are actually beliefs that are deeply embedded within you, that you need to shift out of in order to get yourself moving on the path of getting promotions and better opportunities.
Belief #1: Working hard is the key to success
Typically speaking, people emphasize and believe in the idea that as long as you work hard, study well, and get good grades, one day you’ll be rewarded with a great job opportunity. This belief has probably helped you throughout the years because it’s probably gotten you to the level that you’re at now. But now in the most recent months and years, you’re finding that hard work alone doesn’t seem to be enough. You’ve had this belief that hard work is what’s going to get people to respect you, but now you’re starting to get hints and realizations that that’s not always the case. If you’re someone who just goes into work, puts your head down, does your job and leaves, and you don’t develop any relationships with your coworkers, then you’re just being seen as someone who does what they’re told, and that’snot seen as a leadership trait.
So the next time you’re in the office and you find that people are piling work on to you, even though that work doesn’t belong to you, instead of saying yes to them, ask yourself what impact is that work going to have on the company and on others in the organization. Is it going to have a major and immediate impact or is it a backburner kind of task? You need to be able to prioritize and understand the impact of every little thing that you do in order to be able to identify what the most important things are, and be able to communicate what back-burner tasks you’re not willing to do at the moment. If you don’t speak up, people are going to see you as just someone who does all the back burner tasks.
Belief #2: You don’t have to ask for what you want
Many hardworking professionals have this embedded belief within them that they don’t have to ask for what they want, and that others should be able to see it for themselves. The reality is, in a lot of organizations, the boss who’s above you is not necessarily going to be all that forward thinking. Your boss may not be someone who sees things in the long term, which means they’re not the greatest boss to begin with. So if you don’t speak up and don’t ask for that salary bump or that better title, you’re not going to get it.
But before you run off to your boss and start asking him or her for a raise, hold your horses and know that you first need to be performing and ripe for those opportunities. Only if you really feel that you have been exerting a lot of energy, being efficient in what you do, getting things done accurately, and are a strong performer in your job, then you can go in for that negotiation meeting. You have to be able to prove and demonstrate your achievements and contributions to your boss. Then only you can shift his perspective and make yourself sound deserving for a promotion.
Belief #3: The people who get ahead are fake
If you feel that all the people who get ahead are fake and you don’t want to be like them, you might want to change your belief. If you haven’t already experienced this belief yet, then you will eventually at one point in your career. In the corporate world, you’re going to come across all different kinds of personalities. Yes, there are those unfortunate circumstances where there are people who are able to get ahead by stepping on other people to get there, but that’s not always the case. You don’t want to be tainted by thinking that that’s how it is every time, or that that’s how anybody gets ahead.
Instead, try to surround yourself with more positive energy, and try to mimic and emulate the positive qualities of those who are able to achieve success. Instead of looking at the negative people, look at the positive, and from there, see how you can emulate and improve yourself by surrounding yourself in that positive energy. It’s time that you understand that to get ahead, it’s not about being a brown-noser or being fake. True and great leaders exist, and the way that they’ve gotten to where they have is because they’ve been genuine and authentic. They know their values and strengths, and they’re able to demonstrate that and bring that forward. They’re able to articulate and express that in front of anyone. They’re not only looking at a certain type of person and demonstrating that to that type of person. They genuinely embody it and feel it and believe it within themselves. So as long as you can start to incorporate that into your life and shift your belief, you can start to see the light for yourself.