In today’s professional environment, there’s a huge misconception that’s been going around all over the place for quite a while now. Employees tend to believe that their chances of earning a promotion lie in the hours they spend at work. Extra hours? Promotion guaranteed!

Well, that’s just a bad belief that causes a lot of disappointment. You see, people who think like that fail to understand how their office works. Whether they’re working for the state or for a private organization, they still can’t understand that promotions require merits.

Merits are earned in time, and they’re not a fixed element. They vary because of many circumstances. In simple words, the possibility of earning a promotion is influenced by hundreds if not thousands of factors. You shouldn’t even think about it.

Instead, you should focus on changing your mindset, attitude, and behavior. It’s not about the long hours you spend at work. That shows involvement indeed. Still, in order for you to get a promotion, the one who promotes you must be confident that you’ll manage your new role.

How do you make your boss acknowledge you? Well, by doing better. In today’s post, we’re giving you some terrific insights on how to get promoted without questioning.

Pay attention…

Reading this long article full of valuable knowledge will not help you unless you put at least 70% of it in practice. I’d like to believe that you want to do more than 70%, yet that is the minimum requested. Action, action, action. Let’s go.

Do an Excellent Job and Give Value Consistently

The first and most important factor that will get you noticed is the value you bring to the company. Understand this: your boss takes advantage of your knowledge and skills in order to improve the performance of the company. Once you understand that, you should also understand that the better you perform the better chances of promotion you’ll get.

Notice that I’ve mentioned “consistently”. That word has a lot of importance in this equation. You can give value now, tomorrow, next week, but if you eventually stop doing it, you’re actually losing value in the eyes of your employer.

Every leader craves for consistent people because people who don’t quit are always going to generate higher results and better performances. Commit to being two or three times better at your job. Get involved double. Achieve double results, and you’ll be observed.

Have an Impeccable Attitude

An employee’s attitude is a heavy influencer in the promotion game. A person with attitude issues will have a hard time getting a managerial or higher responsibility position. The reason is simple: your employer will have a tough time trusting you. He can’t take the risk that you’ll suddenly become unapproachable. He can’t guarantee that your attitude will not affect the company (considering you’ll play an important role.)

Therefore, it’s almost obvious that you can’t be a good fit for promotion if you display bad attitude. Don’t be a jerk, don’t behave like you’re superior, don’t be sarcastic with those that don’t get it, and try to be the “good” person. Humility and kindness are what you’re looking for and what your boss is looking for.

Banish Your Expectations and Be a Team Player

A team player is someone who doesn’t crave individual recognition. An employee who wishes the good of the company and of its team members is always loved in the office by both his/her colleagues and leaders. How can you do that? Well, it’s simpler than you ever imagined.

First, you need to adjust your attitude toward your job. Do you have expectations? You might want your boss to say “congratulations”, or you might want some prizes for the good job you do. No matter what they are, note them down, and objectively analyze them.

Try to figure out if they’re important enough to sabotage your chances of earning a promotion. If you can go past them, you’ll enter the workplace without any expectations. That’s something remarkable for an employee, and it’s hard not to notice it.

Once you no longer expect recognition, you’ll be a team player. Offer your help to those who need it, volunteer to do the dirty jobs every now and then, and see if your boss needs some free help every now and then. Do this consistently, and you’re set for a promotion.

Actively Develop Your Knowledge & Skills

Leaders love to see how their employees are growing. It often makes them think that it’s the job and the company that made it possible. Don’t get me wrong, this could be possible too, yet in most of the instances, it lies in the person’s priorities.

An employee that displays a growth personality which is eager to learn more, do more, and experience more is a good spirit for every company. Personal development shouldn’t be attained only for the sake of promotions. You should always develop your knowledge and skills, both personal and professional.

Once you manage to put yourself into this frame of mind and take the necessary action to improve on a consistent basis, you’ll build your self-esteem and self-confidence levels higher. With that, a promotion will sound like a natural even which needs to soon happen.

Build Resources Through Simple Networking

Resourcefulness is an amazing trait. A person who is able to find solutions through the use of his own solutions and his personal & professional network is really a great person to have around the office. You can be an employee now, yes, but that doesn’t mean that you’re going to be an employee for the next years or even months.

Things can change when you know people. Several years back, the networking possibilities that people had were nothing compared to how they are today. In today’s digital environment, you can simply get access to almost everyone around the world through the use of social media channels.

LinkedIn, for example, is a huge social platform dedicated to professionals of all kinds. The main purpose of this place? To make networking easier. And they did. And it’s not just LinkedIn. You can find dozens of communication channels that facilitate the connection between people. You can even use LinkedIn automation tools to get help with outreach.

Now – you can put things in motion by setting your networking goals and following through by taking consistent action. Become resourceful, and you’ll become yourself a great trait of the company. Obtaining a promotion under these circumstances shouldn’t be tough.

Display Leadership Skills Through Initiative and Innovation

Very few bosses will promote employees that don’t give signs of leadership skills. This, especially if the job role happens to come close to a managerial position. A Harvard Business Review suggests that in order to move up the ladder of your career, you need to “think, act, and communicate like a leader does long before that promotion.”

An interesting perspective. So how do you do that? The same Harvard Review suggests the following:

• Don’t let your personal ambitions stay in the way of a great job position performance. Don’t forget your role in the company, and always get your work done well.
• Put yourself in the perspective of a leader and look for “small spots” or better said opportunities to volunteer for small leadership roles which aren’t presently fulfilled.
• Develop and nurture your connections with the higher ranks.
• Keep your ego out of the office. Instead, be humble and show modesty.

So as you can see, the promotion lies in how good of a person you are. The better your mindset the better your chances of reaching your objectives.

Socialize With Your Colleagues & Team Leads

Sociability is another important trait that you can display in the office. Leaders will often expect their teams to be united. They’ll want people with good attitudes and social skills. If most of the employees are able to communicate properly and feel good in their workplace environment, the atmosphere in the office will be as productive as it can get.

However, if everyone’s for himself and the engagement between the employees is low, the outcome will often lead to decreased performance. Now back to your job. In order to show that you’re invested in the company and therefore in the team’s well-being, start spending more time with those that you work with.

Attend or organize social events, go practice some sports with your colleagues, and try to establish a decent relationship between you and the other team members. You don’t need to become best friends, but at least you can respect and encourage each other.

By becoming the employee who is liked by others, you’re going to let your boss know that you’re also able to attain a leadership or at least managerial position. CNN even reports that employees who build positive relationships with their colleagues will improve their chances of being promoted because “they’re making the workday more pleasant.”

Show Proactivity While Focusing on Solutions – Not on the Problems

If you really want to be useful, you have to focus on the solutions, not on the problems. The majority of employees report the problems they encounter. Very few though will take the time to think about the possible solutions. The 0.1% will actually take initiative and solve the problem on their own.

Believe it or not, proactivity is a rare trait in the present professional environment. Many employees come for the working hours so they can be present to do their obligations. No initiative. Not even the slightest emotional implication. Well, these are the employees that hardly get promoted.

So if you know what doesn’t make an employee fit for a promotion, you can do exactly the opposite and see where that leads you. Every time you encounter problems, don’t immediately report them to someone else. Take a few minutes and think if something can be done right now. If there is, never hesitate to do it. If you manage something nice, present the solution that you’ve implemented to solve the problem.

Acknowledge Your Right to Ask for that Promotion

Lastly, yet super importantly, acknowledging your rights to ask for a promotion will significantly boost your chances of getting what you want. Think about it…

Your boss is also a human, just like you. He breathes, he judges, he has emotions, and he has his own mindset. Throughout his life, he understood that people who demand respect are to be respected. If you feel inferior to your boss, he’ll feel your vibe. He’ll feel your lack of confidence, and he’ll figure that you’re not yet ready for a promotion.

If you do not believe that you are a valuable asset for the company, why would your boss believe that? Why would he prize you for something that even you don’t believe in? It’s simple…you won’t stand a chance.

What you must do is this:

Cultivate your self-confidence and self-esteem levels. There’s a difference between the two terms, so make certain that you understand it first. By acting in accordance with the strategies I have presented you in this article, feeling confident in your ability to advance in the company’s ranks is going to be a piece of cake.

Ultimately…directly approach your boss and let him know that you’re eager to do more for the company. Present your point of view in the most non-intrusive way, and encourage the fact that you’re ready and competent enough to be assigned with more serious responsibilities.

In case you feel that you’re not 100% ready, talking to your superior about your ambitions and goals will prepare him (and you) to take the next step. To make the interaction even more effective, you could even ask your boss to offer you some suggestions concerning the areas that you need to improve.

Special Takeaways

Earning a promotion is always something attainable. It’s all up to you. If you change your mindset, behaviour, and your general presence in the office, you’re likely to get remarked by your boss. Show some consistency while enjoying the time spent in your current position, and ultimately make the courage to ask for what you deserve.

Nevertheless, it’s the journey that matters and not the final result.

Why?

Because once you get to your final result, then you’ll need another, “bigger” final result. The cycle will go on, and you’ll soon become bored and unhappy with your life. That is the trap that most people fall into nowadays. Therefore, keep reminding yourself each day to pay attention to the present moment and embrace the journey!