The Leadership Programme.

If you want to be a better leader you’re in the right place, welcome!

Delivered every Friday and is a minestrone soup of tips, techniques, learnings and thoughts, & the odd disaster, based on my 25+ years of managing teams.

Read time: 1.47892724 minutes

5 ways to avoid a promotion (and how not to repeat them).

Let's face it, managers aren’t trained on how to get a promotion, a pay rise, or the next prestigious project.

You can rifle through the HR handbook, and you won’t find it there either.

It may even suit the Company to keep you exactly where you are...
I have seen that too.
“They are good at job [x] so lets keep them doing job [x] but maybe move them around a bit”

Yet, most who go into management want progress.

They want success, to do a good job and be well thought of.
They want recognition and the money that comes with getting more responsibility and a promotion.

Regardless of why you want progress, it’s tricky to figure out exactly what you have to do to get it.

If you’re ambitious, you may have your sights set high.

Here’s the top 5 things to avoid, if you want to progress.

1. Don’t speak up

Your work doesn't speak for itself, regardless of what you’ve heard.

If you’re waiting to be noticed before you get that next opportunity, you may be waiting a looong time.

• It’s not bragging, to show your accomplishments

• You may not do it, but others will

• Don’t ask, you won’t get: say what it is you want.

So, speak up about what you’ve accomplished.

• coaching opportunities

• networking opportunities

• A high-profile project

• Taking work off the boss’s hands

• The promotion

• A pay rise

If you’re not front of mind, then consider yourself back of the queue.

2. Keep your goals a secret

Want progress? ask for feedback.

Tell your manager what your goals are. Ask what you need to do to get there.

Remember: closed mouths don’t get fed!

3. Keep them in the dark

No one likes surprises, unless it’s a bouquet on their birthday.
Keep them in the loop.

Give regular updates on progress, and adapt it to their style:

• Some like a deep dive on statistics.

• Others like a spotlight on the headlines.

They want to know you’re on top of things.

Challenges? Go armed with answers and ask for their opinion.

4. Ignore your manager’s priorities

Become valuable:

• Offer to take work off their hands.

• Understand what drives them and what makes them tick.

• Understand how they’re measured, and see if you can influence it.

5. Think it’s all about you

Make it all about them.

Actually - that is your job: make them look good.

> Ask their opinion, to get buy-in.

> Meet your targets, so they meet theirs

> Take work off their hands, so they can focus.

A rising tide floats all ships.

Questions? Reply to the email, I answer them all.
Have a great weekend, Lesley x

Please don’t hesitate to forward this, to help others learn.

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Action for the week!

Want to have a practice?
Have a look at your interactions with your manager over the last month and be honest with yourself:

1. Do you promote you? Have you highlighted good feedback you’ve received, great work the team has done, and other accomplishments?

2. Do you ask for feedback, or wait for it to come?

3. A tricky one. At your annual review/ appraisal, are you honest with what you want and where you want to go? If not, reflect on why that might be.

4. Do you ask for opportunities, or wait to be offered?

Music to get you ready for the weekend!

A mega playlist of supersonic tracks, to get you in the mood for the weekend.
I’m not really the demographic for this. But, it was on the radio when I went into labour with my first daughter.
Very appropriate title. 😂 I’ve liked it ever since And, it’s a happy, upbeat tune.
Have a good weekend.

Other ways I can help:

1. Confidence ever need a boost? My Confidence Build mini masterclass may be exactly what you need. Simple, actionable techniques that have instant impact. Get more details here.
   

2. 1:1 coaching to boost your career: help you develop your leadership skills; remove limiting beliefs that are holding you back; prevent stress in your role. Let’s have a chat. Calendly link here.