How to Get Promoted – November 1, 2024

LEARN A LITTLE:

How to Get Promoted

Recently, I got a call from an individual, who has been working for a rather large company with hundreds of employees and many layers of management for over 10 years. The young man likes his company and is currently a first-level manager in the field of communications. However, he has seen many of his colleagues promoted over the years while he has been consistently overlooked. His father, a friend of mine, thought I might be able to give him some ideas or insights regarding his stalled career growth.

So we got together one day and had a delightful conversation. He asked very good questions, was a good listener and left with a basic game plan for seeking a promotion with that company.

I have shared some “advancement” strategies in other writing, but thought there may be others currently struggling with the same issue of career advancement. So here goes. But before continuing, here is an important first thought: Be sure that you are working in a respected organization and that promotions are not based on atypical office politics or flawed promotional behavior.

I am sharing these ideas in a bullet point format. My assumption is that you want to be promoted and are willing to reflect on your current approach and readiness behavior rather than simply wanting a raise.

• Start your work day early or on time. This is a good thing to be noticed for.
• Be good at what you do. Be in a continuous learning mode.
• Have a positive, optimistic attitude. Do not be a complainer or a whiner. Hang out with positive employees.
• Pay attention to and develop your communication skills—speaking, writing and listening.
• Be likeable and social, speak up at meetings and seek to have a positive impact.
• Be noticed for your abilities and achievements.
• Pay attention to your relationships, including your colleagues and peers. Lend assistance when given the opportunity.
• Be a good boss and leader, someone people want to work for. Nourish your employees and recognize them for their contributions.
• Circulate helpful articles, quotes or insightful blog posts and, if possible, contemporary best practice ideas.
• Develop and propose better ways of doing things, not only in the realm of the purpose of the business, but also ideas for streamlining things—reducing paperwork, increasing revenue, saving money, etc.
• Let other people take credit for your ideas. You will always have more.
• Volunteer for projects or committees.
• Do your homework. Learn and know all that you can to do the best possible job.
• Develop and improve your personal radar system—how well are you detecting the circumstances that surround you. Observe and respond when appropriate.

Don’t Neglect Your Boss

• Develop the best possible relationship that you can and ask for feedback when appropriate.
• If possible, help your boss look good in front of their boss.
• Do what you can to help your boss solve their problems.
• If you have a problem that needs to be run past your boss, it’s always wise to have a recommended solution or resolution when you do.

Remember this: Simply working hard and not calling in sick will not get you promoted.

LAUGH A LITTLE:

REFLECT A LITTLE:

READ A LITTLE:

Practical Optimism

Sue Varma, MD (Penguin Random House, 2024)

As a person who values optimism, I am always interested in what others are thinking, researching and sharing about it. Practical Optimism: The Art, Science and Practice of Exceptional Well-Being does exactly that. The author, Sue Varma, MD, is a psychiatrist with an active private practice, an assistant professor at New York University, a highly regarded speaker and frequent commentator for major T.V. networks.

In Practical Optimism, Dr. Varma has brought her own life experiences together with the contributions of psychoanalysis, psychiatry, cognitive behavior therapy and Hinduism. The result is that Varma offers a strengths-based model rather than a deficit-based one. She states clearly that “when we focus on what’s best in a person, we are more likely to bring out what’s best.” The book essentially explains what she describes as the 8 Pillars of Practical Optimism. They are listed here:

Pillar 1 – Purpose. Identify and invest in authentic goals that energize and inspire you.

Pillar 2 – Processing Emotions. Deepen your emotional wisdom and awareness.

Pillar 3 – Problem-Solving. Marry intuition, logic and emotional regulation and become a masterful problem solver.

Pillar 4 – Pride. Challenge negative thoughts and behaviors and use self-compassion to develop a stable, intrinsic sense of self-worth.

Pillar 5 – Proficiency. Build confidence in your abilities and improve on them.

Pillar 6 – Present. Cut mental clutter, ward off worry and take back your time.

Pillar 7 – People. Develop a relationship practice with yourself and others to reduce loneliness and cultivate belonging and connection.

Pillar 8 – Practicing Healthy Habits. Use practical optimism and other science-based hacks to create and sustain new habits.

Indeed, the pillars, in my judgment, are worth investigating and exploring and her suggestions are truly practical and accessible. All of us can become better versions of ourselves. “Practical Optimism can serve as both a mirror and a window; a chance to reflect and gain insight into your journey and to look outward for ideas, strategies and skills that can help you make the most of your life path…. An optimist is what an optimist does.”

Chapter 1 presents the reasons why practical optimism deserves careful thought and a careful reading. If you are skeptical about the benefits of optimism, this chapter may provide the necessary information that will prompt you to develop a mindset of “affirmation, agency and conviction.”

“What allows optimists to experience greater wellbeing and happiness and a generally good mood is their attitude—specifically, which aspects of a situation they hone in on and their interpretations of what is happening around them.”

Here’s another important background recommendation: “Optimism and pessimism can coexist. Which is why it’s totally normal to want to believe in and hope for the best possible outcome, while also experiencing fear and doubt. The key is being able to accept fear and doubt while maintaining a constructive outlook, applying strong coping skills, and doing your level best to make positive differences in the areas of your life that need a boost.”

Rather than explain and go into greater detail regarding the 8 Pillars, I have selected particular thoughts, insights or suggestions to encourage you to read the book.

Purpose

• “Joy plus purpose leads to flourishing.”
• “You can’t just ‘purpose’ your way out of depression.
• “Remembering your purpose is portable and not dependent on your paycheck can help you stay in touch with your purpose no matter what’s happening on the job. Purpose doesn’t have to be paid.”
• “Purpose belongs to you, but it’s also up to you. What will you do to promote purpose in your life?

Processing Emotions

• “Manage your emotions or they will manage you.”
• “Our emotions help us prioritize, plan and focus on what needs our attention by influencing our thought processes.”
• “Our brains are meant to keep us alive, not necessarily always happy.”
• “Think of emotions as visitors; let them come and go.”
• “It’s best not to compare our insides to other people’s outsides.”

Note: Take a bit of time to think about this.

Problem-Solving

• “One of the most important steps in addressing a problem is to accurately ‘assess before you address.’”
• “How we deal with our emotional responses directly affects our problem-solving effectiveness.”
• Note: This chapter includes a helpful look at the problem-solving practices of optimists vs pessimists.
• An African proverb to ponder: “Before marriage keep two eyes open; after marriage keep one eye closed.”
• “Happiness and freedom begin with a clear understanding of one principle: some things are within our control; some aren’t.”

Pride

• “Healthy pride means having a stable, kind realistic picture of who we are. It’s intrinsic, accurate, kind and encourages growth and positive action.”
• “At least 10% of our daily thoughts consist of comparisons.”
• Grace is a physical, emotional and spiritual attitude of caring toward all of life, including ourselves. The GRACE acronym:

o Gratitude for the good

o Recognition of reality

o Acceptance of imperfection

o Compassion for yourself

o Empathy for others

• Note: This chapter includes an interesting self-inventory—How

Self-Compassionate Are You?

Proficiency

• “Our sense of self and our capabilities—our sense of proficiency or self-efficacy—is integral to our identify.”
• “The heart of proficiency—it’s knowing that we have the ability to know, learn, adapt, and flourish despite challenges, capable of handling what comes our way.”
• “Proficiency is a journey.”
• “We must update our mindset to meet the demands of current circumstances.”
• “Feeling in control of our future is essential for good mental health.”

Present

Here’s a sobering statistic, among many others:

• According to the MobileDNA app, which shows smartphone usage, as of this writing, on average we unlock our smartphones 80 times a day and send or receive 94 text messages daily.”
• What’s really harmful: “When we continue using our devices in each other’s presence and our conversations center around what’s on them.”
• Three Cognitive Traps

o Trapped in the past: Rumination and regrets about yesterday.

o Trapped in the future: Worry and what ifs about tomorrow

o Trapped in comparisons: Judging our current life in comparison—whether to people we know or to a certain standard we’ve internalized.

• “Carve out ‘oasis moments’—small blocks of time, sometimes as little as five minutes, to recenter in the now, versus what’s next. Close your eyes. Take a few deep breaths.

People

• “A good friend gives you permission to be yourself.”
• “If you can’t see yourself clearly, you’ll likely have a distorted view of how others see you, affecting your relationship behaviors.”
• “Relationships provide a buffer against stress, illness, and depression.”
• “Social connection lowers the risk of premature death by half.”
• “We don’t need lots of good friends; just a few good ones we’re in touch with regularly.”
• There are four different types of friendship:

o Deep friendships

o Meaningful relationships

o Interest/activity/professional partners

o Micro-connections

• This chapter also includes an interesting exercise: Your Friendship Style.
• “We often underestimate how much people like us.”

Practicing Health Habits

• Here’s why positive habits are so important: “We benefit heath-wise from the beneficial habits we establish and, equally important, they confer and confirm our identity as someone who can keep our commitments to ourselves.”
• “More than 75% of the time, people know what needs to be done regarding recommendations and guidelines for sleep, exercise, and nutrition, yet still don’t do it.”
• This chapter also includes a helpful Intentionality Inventory exercise. “Keep a detailed calendar for a week of how you’re actually spending your time. And then ask yourself some key questions.”
• “You can prevent obstacles and setbacks by being prepared with contingency plans and an if-then mindset.”
• “Pause, don’t quit. If you feel overwhelmed, pause the experience and reschedule (a gym workout, for example). Pausing is self-compassionate, helping you regroup rather than quit.”
• “Create goals to stick to good habits.”
• “Surround yourself with people who have good habits—because they will influence you.”

Until next time,
Art Dykstra

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