Promotion - are you missing key skills to get it?

Do you often feel frustrated that you are being overlooked for promotion? Are there people in your team who are frustrated that they haven't yet been promoted? What would it take to get the promotion you want?

It's often not easy to understand why, as seemingly you/they are doing a great job and achieving objectives.

However, the reality is that to be considered for promotion, a person needs to be showing signs they could do the next role up; in some companies they may even need to be actively demonstrating it.

Read more on the relative importance of Performance, Image and Exposure for career success.

Common required skills to get promotion

Frequently, the challenge is that the next step up usually requires some different skills. It's less about 'doing the doing'. At a very top line level, it is likely to involve:

  • Leading and managing client relationships to deliver work well to retain business, but also to grow the relationship to increase revenue.

  • Managing teams well to deliver for clients.

  • Developing relationships with new prospective clients and potential partners and referrers.

Some people are great at these but many aren't, particularly if their skill set and focus has been detailed technical work up until this point. This is particularly the case in professional and financial services sectors, such as consultancy, legal or actuarial, to name a few specific sectors.

Read about four areas to focus on to progress your career.

If you think about it, technical skills can often be very comparable, so the way to differentiate yourself and your company is through how you interact with clients and potential clients.

More and more companies are realising they need to equip people with these skills (ideally before a promotion) but if you are feeling stuck, it is likely you need to develop these skills and demonstrate that you have them. It's not easy as it is behavioural change, yet essential, if you want to progress.

If you would like a complimentary Career Booster session to discuss your situation, contact me.

If you are finding people in your team are not progressing, read more on the skills they need to work on by completing your details below.