You've been working hard in your career. Upskilling, kicking goals and enjoying the ride. You feel it might be time to take the next step. But your boss doesn't seem to think so. Do you want to know what is stopping you from getting that promotion? Here are 5 reasons why you aren't getting promoted and what you can do to overcome them.
Could your ego or maybe fear be getting in the way of a promotion? You might be hesitant to apply for fear of judgement. Or your ego might prevent you from doing tasks in your current role that would put you in good stead for a promotion. You might feel that you aren't good enough to go after that promotion or that you won't be able to achieve it by a certain time so what's the point? These are self-sabotaging thoughts and feelings that lead to procrastination and unproductive behaviours.
Learn to recognise what is causing the fear and challenge those thoughts or feelings. A change in mindset is vital for success. Don’t allow your ego to dictate the choices you make in your current job or your future endeavours.
Fear of success or fear of failure can sometimes hold us back. If we think we will fail at something we aren't inclined to even start. We will create self-imposed barriers that will stop us from starting. If we have a fear of success we might shy away from things that could lead us toward success.
Try to determine where the fear is coming from. Write it down and try to understand from a different perspective. Naming the fear can sometimes take away the control it has over you. What's the worst-case scenario? Is it really that bad? In most cases, the worst case isn't the end of the world. When things don't go as planned, there is always another way to grow and learn from it. Look at where you can go from there. Or if you do achieve success, is it as scary as you really think it is? Reframe your thoughts around your outcome. Do you expect to be at the pinnacle of your goal immediately after taking the first step? We know that is not possible, so focus on each step that will get you there and understand how each of them will help you achieve your goal.
Comparing yourself to others is not going to help you build the courage to go for that promotion. You may look at other employees and think that they are better than you or have more experience than you. When we compare ourselves to others we are limiting our ability to move forward and reach our goals. There may always be someone that is better at something compared to us. If we allow ourselves to dwell on this it can stop us from even getting started in the first place.
Rather than comparing yourself to others, try doing an honest self-reflection. Identify your strengths and weaknesses in certain areas. Once you have identified those areas, look for help and resources to improve them. Record your progress over time so you can look back and see your growth.
Do you have a perfectionist mindset? If you do, you are setting a standard for yourself that you can never achieve. It often leads to not even starting something that you want to do because you want it to be perfect. You think “ I'll go for that promotion when…” or “once i've done this”. This is a trap that many people fall into. Obviously, you want to be prepared when going for a promotion but if you wait until you think the time is just right, you will never do it.
How can you overcome a perfectionist mindset? Reevaluate your standards and ask yourself: “Is it reasonable to expect this standard of myself?” Finally, aim for progress over perfection. If you do this you will see a dramatic shift in your thinking and movement towards your goal.
If we aren't held accountable for a certain task we can feel unmotivated towards finishing the task or even starting in the first place. The same goes for wanting to go for a promotion. If we put the goal on the back burner it will inevitably end up staying there unless there is a strong motivator to bring it forward. Setting up some form of accountability is a great way to achieve your goals.
Being accountable to someone can help you to move towards a goal that you have been putting off. Knowing that someone is going to check in with you to see if you have completed a certain task provides great motivation to complete it. There are a few ways you can set up accountability, including getting your friends or family to hold you accountable. By far the best way to set up accountability is to hire a coach. A coach is trained to help you get the results you want. They are objective and can identify things that you can’t see. The very things that might be stopping you from going after that promotion.
There you have it. If you tackle each one of these areas, you will boost your productivity, improve your performance and signal to your boss that you are ready for that promotion.