Perform for the job you want

Recently, I was talking with a group at a networking event about their experiences with their managers and the promotion pathway within their organizations. One point we discussed was about how, too often, a person is given responsibility for supervising and leading others without any consideration of their management or leadership abilities. They advance to that leadership role based on their technical competence and tenure with the company without the requisite leadership competencies.
 
As often happens for me, the next morning an article about this the very same topic arrived in my inbox.

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I feel strongly about this topic. In many workplaces, the main or only pathway for advancement means taking on responsibility to oversee the work of others. However, the promotional evaluations use a combination of technical skills as well as seniority or number of years with the company. Too rarely is proper consideration given to what are often called (somewhat pejoratively) “soft skills”; effective communication, performance motivation, creating skills development opportunities, conflict resolution, and promoting camaraderie. As anyone who has actively tried to do these things well can tell you, they are anything but easy, and are entirely essential for success in management and leadership.
 
The result of the lamentable “technical competence / time served” evaluation model is disappointment, frustration and failure for everyone – the direct reports of this hapless manager, the company that soon sees quality contributors leave, and new leader who remains oblivious to their shortcomings. Indeed, their promotion serves as confirmation that have what it takes to be a leader, so they don’t seek any further development. Notably frustrated in this scenario is the person who wants to move up but gets overlooked in favour of the technical superstar or the long-timer.
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A while ago, there was a meme that said: dress for the job that you want. While it was somewhat debunked as a superficial and perhaps counterproductive approach to advancement, there is some value in thinking of “dress” as “perform”. Here are some questions to ask yourself as you get ready to step forward.

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Is it the role you want? What specifically about the job catches your interest? It’s okay to admit that it’s the salary, prestige, or corner office that are appealing, but the job is more than that. Leadership involve work – not just the day-to-day tasks, but more importantly the responsibility for other people and their work. Consider whether and why you are interested in those and if you’re ready for them, and how to convey that message to the higher-ups. A good way to try it on for size is to…
 
Perform as if you’re in that role. Well, not entirely, of course. You shouldn’t usurp someone else’s responsibilities (especially your current manager), but you can look for opportunities to demonstrate leadership abilities. Do you demonstrate leadership qualities in your current role, or have you proven them in other roles, both within and outside of paid work environments? Development of leadership skills is possible in any aspect of life. They’re the hallmark of a well-run household, community work, hobby groups, and other interests. A person who – without any formal authority - gets unpaid others to cooperate in completing complex or routine tasks can justifiably claim having management and leadership skills.
 
If the desired role involves some leadership or management skills about you can’t yet confidently demonstrate, take additional training in supervision and human resources or short courses in accounting or bookkeeping. If the role requires external communications or presentations, consider joining a public speaking group like Toastmasters to practice and build your skills.
 
If you’re in an individual contributor role, maintain your technical skills and performance level. Don’t ease up on developing those skills and that work, especially if the role you want involves supervising individual contributors like yourself. You don’t have to be a superstar, but you must demonstrate that minimal level of competence that fosters respect from the team whose supervisor you aspire to become.
 
In your current job, volunteer and take on opportunities that will demonstrate your abilities to bring people together, communicate, resolve conflict, and organize information. Is there a big event coming up? Volunteer to organize it (of course, make sure you’re ready to do that). Whatever you do, be it courses or volunteering – within or outside the workplace - make sure it ends up on your resume and, when possible, part of your performance reviews. You don’t need to shine a spotlight on it, but remember…
 

“It is just as false not to blow your horn at all as it is to blow it too loudly.”* If you don’t talk about your accomplishments and developments, who will? How else will your boss or anyone know that you’re making the right moves for promotion if you don’t tell them? Make sure to includes these in your next performance review and planning session. And that’s a great segue into…
 
Make sure the boss (or hiring manager) knows you’re interested in promotion. If you’re not getting the opportunities you want or apply for, maybe it’s because decision makers don’t know what role you want, why you want it, and that you have the experience, skills, and training to do it. And they can’t and won’t know unless you tell them. Consider what you do and say in real time and what’s on your resume. Articulating these (blowing your horn) is an essential part of performance conversations - but you shouldn’t wait for the annual review to talk about your goals. Sometimes advancement opportunities are few and far between or follow a standard cycle within an organization. Don’t wait for job openings to introduce your desire to move up. The perfect time to talk about it is when you’re ready, so that when the opening happens, they’ll already be thinking of you. Even then, promotion is like getting a new job, so it still requires…
 
The 5 P’s. The above are about knowing your priorities and demonstrating your presence in the context of the required competencies. Other must-haves are patience, persistence, and positivity. It can take a while for the right opportunity to emerge, and in the meantime, you still have your current job to do. If you’ve determined that you’re ready and want to move ahead but there are no openings on the radar, maybe that means you must move on to move up. That’s okay, too. You can take all your wonderful experience and positivity to another place where they’ll make the most of it and provide you the opportunity you’ve been looking for.

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Whenever I’m a hiring manager, I apply this principle: hire for potential, but promote from performance. When you’re hiring, you take a chance the candidate will fulfill the potential you see in them during recruitment. Will their resume and those few interview hours - when they were on their best behaviour and without the pressure of the workplace - translate into consistent good performance on the job? When promoting, you are essentially hiring from within. A promotion is a new job for the candidate. As the hiring manager, you have the opportunity to consider their on-the-job performance, and can evaluate it for the required elements of the new role, and not just if there is the potential – is there actual evidence of performance of those new requirements? Does their resume or the interview provide you with relevant information you didn’t already know? And are they truly ready, interested, and able to lead the work of others?
 
A person’s career path – that age-old question, “where do you see yourself in a few years?” – isn’t just for interviews. Leaders should routinely ask people about goals for development and advancement. And those who want to move up must always be ready to answer it – be able to point to their performance, in all venues, as evidence they’re ready.
 
* from All About Eve, a favourite movie.

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What about you – have you experienced challenges in the workplace around promotion pathways? Are you interested in advancement but don’t know how to get there? Please comment below or email me at [email protected] with your questions and feedback. 

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