8 Tips to get a promotion

Getting promoted (and retaining it) is difficult, but you are making progress. If you are looking to get promoted but don’t know what to do, here are some tips on what to keep in mind:

Choose the appropriate role

Employers generally target individuals with demonstrated leadership skills, intelligence, and knowledge that are backed up by a long track record of successful performance. People who excel in one role may not do as well in another. The most critical metric for promotion is performance. If you are good at the sales job but have been overlooked for promotion due to your lack of sales performance, spend the next six months doing a sales training and mentoring program.

Keep self-discipline and stay motivated

Self-discipline is critical. If you’re not motivated, there’s no point in doing anything productive in the first place. The only way to keep yourself motivated is to take consistent, regular action. If you’re only going out for a social life, why would you even bother showing up? Keep the goal in mind and re-examine your career options. Be proactive and take calculated risks, without making it to the point of risk-taking. Be willing to hold yourself accountable by setting benchmarks to accomplish within a certain period. The key is to recognize and act on any mistakes, even if it is a roadblock to advancing.

Have fun

If you want to climb up the corporate ladder, you need to understand that it will take hard work. But if you’re not having fun, you won’t stay the course. It’s vital to stay active and keep yourself interested. Start with 20 minutes a day at the gym, yoga, biking, swimming, soccer, or a simple walk in the park. Stretch and straighten your neck to get in shape. If you stay active and keep your brain stimulated by listening to music or playing a game of chess or trivia, you won’t experience the drudgery of working through your workday.

Keep your eyes on the prize

Strive to become the most valuable employee at your current company. Growth is not only about identifying the best way to improve your current job, but also taking it from a difficult to a successful role. To do this, be sure to remain positive. The other priority you must maintain is diligence. You cannot become a more valuable employee by just performing the job to its optimum. No one would want to hear a CEO say, “okay, but you’re not very good” (or “okay, but you’re making a lot of money”). It will be difficult to hang on to your job and continue progressing.

Keep it simple

The easy solution is to change your job description every year. As your level of productivity gets better, that will also make your job description become more complex. You should stay within your power range (like about 200 to 450 hours a year) and avoid specializing and diversity (like working on four different projects at once), because the benefits of specialization are too great. Learning more of the same job is just a waste of time. Be the type of employee who takes on more of the work on a given project, and demonstrates self-discipline and persistence.

Be realistic

Your circumstances will likely change over time. For example, you may gain a promotion, then gain an additional promotion, and then gain yet another promotion and you’re doing very well. It is hard to predict the future, so take a “conservative approach.” Otherwise, you won’t spend time learning about your new job and will never become an asset. Create a career map that allows you to take calculated risks without starting out where you started. It’s easy to become blindsided.

Be ready to take risks

You need to take calculated risks in your career, but not everything will go your way. From time to time, you will be forced to pivot or make changes, but that’s where your resilience will come in. Sit through a tough decision, but just take the time to analyze the risks and rewards, and then make the correct decision. The whole point of doing research and taking steps toward your goal is to learn. If you’re not aware of all the moves you can make, you’ll never feel prepared and on the top of your game.

Just look at all the companies who have brought people back from retirement. The more you take calculated risks within your career, the more likely you are to stay there.