Do this 8 Epic Ways to Work your Way Up the Corporate Ladder
What do you need to know and do in order to land your first management position? This article will teach you how to get promoted or prepare for the next round of promotions. These tried-and-true tips and strategies will help you advance to the next level of the corporate ladder. This article will teach you how to get promoted or prepare for the next round of promotions.
To be successful though, you need a Career Plan. Let’s see what Career Planning is.
Career Planning is the process where you:
· Explore your interests and abilities;
· Strategically plan your career goals; and
· Create your future work success by designing learning and action plans to help you achieve your goals.
A management position is normally not given to anybody unless you have experience. Having a management position is a validation that we have “arrived” in most cases, a validation of our abilities and hard work.
Now, here's what you need to know and, more importantly, what you need to do to get that first management job.
1. Gain new skills.
Broaden your skillset. Do not be content with what you know so far. Once you mastered the technical craft, begin to explore other areas.
Some people are quite content in their individual contributor role, and there's nothing wrong with that. Others, however, crave opportunities that bring new challenges.
When your manager finds you proactively asking questions to improve the output of the company, that's when they know you have potentials for leadership.
If you are not in the finance department, study budgets and financials. These are vital in any business operation. If you are not a tech person, study basic technology. Explore and be curious about what the other team members are doing for the company.
Read books on leadership and management. Listen to podcasts where management shares their experiences. There are countless resources available these days.
2. Do your job well.
The first step toward landing a management job is doing a good job at the job you have. Nobody is going to put you in charge if you can't do your own job. You don't have to be the best, but you do have to be good.
One key indicator that an employee is doing his job is when they require less and less time to manage. They know what needs to be done and make sure it happens. The only way someone can ever hope to be a manager is if they can manage themselves, and this is typically an evidence enough that they're ready to get to the next level.
Promoting from within is good business, but which team members are actually manager-worthy? Are you that person?
Then learn how to take responsibility. A sign of a team member is ready to take on a managerial role is the ability to take responsibility for themselves or the team. This is a quality in any leadership position. So start now while you are still a team member.
Another sign of a good management candidate is if you are going above and beyond consistently. When your managers naturally see you leading others in all their work--when you excel far above expectations in everything you are doing, you will surely be considered for a promotion. Management doesn't want to lose you to some other companies!
3. Build relationships.
You cannot underestimate the power of networking.
Build relationships across departments as well. Ask for opportunities to work on project teams that will expose you to key players in other departments. Having relationships with colleagues in other departments will make it easier for you to acquire information and get things done. As an added bonus, you may hear about job openings and opportunities for advancement before they’re publicly announced.
4. Actively ask for feedback.
Get a mentor/model
Learn delegations.
Be observant - how they prioritize
Find a sponsor.
Mentors offer sage wisdom and guidance on day-to-day workplace situations, but sponsors wield the power to open doors and propel you to great new opportunities. Vault defines a sponsor as “an active advocate who seeks out new opportunities for you, uses his or her influence to make sure the right people know about your accomplishments, and recommends that you be promoted or given a raise.”
Often, you will need someone powerful in your corner to ascend the professional ranks. So, how do you find this person? Pay attention to executives who seem to respect what you bring to the table. Find small opportunities to fill them in on the projects you’re working on, as well as to share your interests in moving up and your ideas for the organization. Over time, this relationship can advance into sponsorship — and you may find yourself in a coveted new role!
5. Contribute Ideas
Volunteer.
Push yourself.
Take initiative.
Don't sit at your desk and wait for someone to hand you a management job.
Demonstrate initiative. One key management skill is planning, so volunteer to help your boss prepare the annual budget by collecting necessary information. Offer to help put together the estimate of what the new addition to the production line will cost. If your department has to send someone to the planning committee for the company picnic (or the employee relations committee, HR study group, etc.), volunteer for that assignment.
They learn to spot opportunities and coordinate actions to seize them.
A great manager is someone who not only manages existing tasks but also takes initiative in creating or improving other tasks and processes for the benefit of the company. Potential managers who demonstrate these traits also tend to display ingenuity and critical thinking in the ways they perform on a daily basis, which tells me they are ready to take on more responsibilities.
6. Show you are ready.
Bring visibility to your work.
Dress the part.
Show your communication skills.
If you want to be considered for a management position, ask for it. Don't wait for someone to come and offer it to you. Approach your boss and tell him or her you would like to follow their example and move into management. Ask them to keep you in mind the next time they need someone to head up a committee or lead a small team or something similar. That way they know you are interested and will keep an eye on you. When they see you can handle smaller things, they will start to delegate larger things, eventually leading to a supervisor or management position.
7. Focus on business results and company success.
They look for solutions.
I am always looking for my team to bring me solutions instead of problems. A good manager will understand and have mastered this art form.
8. Develop emotional intelligence.
Develop people skills.
They look out for others.
They help others.
When I see team members going to a certain person with questions, that's a clue. When that person has the answer or promises to seek out and deliver the answer, they're on my radar for moving up into management. When they help other team members and still accomplish their own job, that's the definition of a good manager.
If an employee is concerned for their co-worker's success as much as their own on a group project, that's usually a very good sign you have a team player that wants others to succeed. Great managers are selfless leaders that want the unit to succeed together.
The single most important skill for any manager is the ability to manage people. Learn how people think, react, and function when faced with different outside forces. Develop respect for people, even those different from you. Learn how to work with people and then you can learn how to influence their behavior. Nobody will promote you to a management position if you can't manage people. Anyone who gets a management position and can't manage people is doomed to failure.
Conclusion
If you’re on the path to becoming a leader, get ready to prepare for some of these things to happen.
1. Your Hold on Time Gets Trickier
2. Your Words Have More Weight
You have to watch what you say.
You don’t have to completely censor yourself; just be more aware of what you say and how you say it.
3. Your Path Becomes Less Clear
It’s funny how your career comes full circle the closer you get to the top of the ladder. You collect so much experience that you may ask yourself, “What’s my next career move?” Your “next step” becomes less obvious (hello, ceiling?).
This is where you’ll start to wonder…is it worth it?