BE A HIGH POTENTIAL EMPLOYEE
Bob marched to his boss’ office and demanded a promotion. He said, “I have twenty years of experience in this company. I deserve to be in management!” The boss retorted, “No, you don’t! You have only one year’s experience repeated 20 times!”
Honestly, now. Don’t you want to be promoted? All the way to the top? Many people complain of being stuck in the same old job, that others got their breaks because of office politics, or the economy is simply not booming in their favor. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, you can be perceived as a rising star and actually make significant progress in your chosen field. Here are a few principles.
Perception counts. Be known as a hard worker, but don’t stop there. By all means, give your very best at your assigned task. But beware of being content with doing that same task day in and day out. Before you know it, you would have spent 20 or 30 years with the same company stuck at roughly the same job grade. Sure, you have garnered a pile of loyalty awards and plaques of appreciation. But meantime, your peers have outstripped you in rank and pay.
It is not enough for senior management to see you as an ‘old faithful’ in the organization, one who can be relied upon to show up, do his work and pretty much be a nice guy. They must see you as a high-potential employee, one who can contribute far more than what he is doing now. They must be eager to invest in your career development and elevate you further up the corporate hierarchy. Where do you start?
Know the rules. I once joined a speech evaluation contest. In the contest, someone gives a speech and several contestants give his or her critique of that speech. A panel of judges award the contestant with the best critique. So I got a copy of the judges’ ballot (it’s a public document, so I wasn’t cheating!) and studied the criteria: 30 percent for content, 30 percent for delivery and so on. Thus, I didn’t give an aimless critique, but one tailored to what the judges want to hear in a firstprize evaluation.
Similarly, find out from your boss or your HR department if your company has a HiPo (high potential) program. Get a copy of that program and study what they are looking for in a HiPo person. Then be that person! For starters, an e-book guide (www.ceb.shl.com/us/HiPo) gives three major categories for HiPos:
Aspiration: to rise to senior roles Ability: to be effective in more responsible and senior roles Engagement: to commit to the organization and remain in challenging roles
Be proactive. Do you know the famous Star Trek mission? “To seek out new life and new civilizations.” Well, for HiPos, it’s “To seek out new challenges where I am empowered, excited and committed to beyond my present roles.” The three criteria of aspiration, ability and engagement assume that you are taking charge of your career, rather than passively depending on your boss to give you a favorable rating.
Resist a victim mentality such as “I have no backer”, “The company has no training program”, “The only way I can get promoted is if my boss retires, gets fired or dies.” If you think your organization doesn’t provide you with opportunities to shine, then create one. Pretend you are auditing your department. Find out what the problems are. Then propose a solution that will put you in the management’s radar. Discuss your dreams. Many people think “I’ll let my work speak for itself. In due time, management will notice me.” But your employer is not a mindreader. How will he know you desire a higher position unless you tell him? Beware, though, of sounding arrogant or entitled. I once heard an employee saying, “Kailan kaya magre-retire si Juan? Kayang kaya ko ang trabaho niya.” (“When will Juan retire? I can easily do his job.”) It came across as bragging and put him in hot water.
Most performance appraisals include discussions between you and your boss whether you are promotable or not, whether that transfer is lateral or vertical, and what resources you will need. Be ready for such discussions. Prepare evidence for the higher responsibilities you can assume. If you wish to be a supervisor, show the appraiser how you have led informal teams towards achieving a goal. That team can be outside of work, such as in a civic or church organization.
If your desired rank requires a new competency, show how you have taken steps to acquire such a competency, such as enrolling in a special course. Tip: Intention is weak, action is power. Don’t say that you plan to enroll in a course. Actually take the course, then you have something solid to talk about in the appraisal. It shows commitment, initiative and most of all, ambition.
Conclusion. Someone once said that the best way to predict the future is to create it. This is very true of your career. Don’t play it safe. Rather, envision the pinnacle of your career and blaze the trail towards it. Be known as someone who delivers the goods. Then be known as someone who can deliver much more. This way, you not only fulfill your potential. You may discover that you have more potential than you thought.
For more insights, check out my books Your First Job: A Practical Guide to Success and Your Career Roadmap: How to Get the Job You Want and Love the One You Hate! available in major bookstores nationwide. Comments or questions are welcome via nelsondy.careerroadmap@gmail.com