5 Key Steps to Position Yourself for Promotion – Part 3: Seek Opportunities

This is post 3 of 5 in a series that reveals my top tips to help you prepare yourself for a promotion before the opening is even announced.

We’ve already shined a light on how to Embody Leadership, and Own Your Actions. If you missed these important guidelines, I encourage you to review them before you move forward.

If you’ve been with me since week 1, you’ve had plenty of time to focus on your intention. Are you continuing to make decisions from where you want to be, rather than where you currently are? If you need a reminder about the importance of intention, go here.

Today, I want to invite you to drop all your pre-conceived notions about what it means to be a leader. It’s easy to believe that leaders are the people at the front of the pack, barking orders, handing out criticism and annual reviews.

But, that’s not necessarily true. Some leaders put the needs of the team before their own. They seek out opportunities to lead that elevate the group, rather than boost their egos.

Unfortunately, seeking out situations where you can use your leadership experience and expertise among peers is one of the areas where I see women opt out.

Women tend to be afraid to fail. We suffer with imposter syndrome and worry that we’ll be “found out,” or “we’ll look stupid,” and we’ve built up plenty of “evidence” in our head to support these theories.

Here’s the thing – most of that “evidence” is nothing more than fear. What would happen if you released those limiting beliefs about your abilities and sought out opportunities where you could lead?

You know who you are and what you are capable of. Trust your track record. You know darn well you can do it. Until now, you’ve allowed your fears and doubts to convince you otherwise. Decide that that is no longer the case. You’re ready to listen to your truth instead of your fears.

What if you sought out new projects or took an active role in an initiative at work and your contribution was THE thing that made a strong case for moving forward? What if YOUR creativity is needed to catapult a project to the next level, but fear caused you to opt out?  What if YOUR strategic planning would save dozens of hours of work and minimize overhead, but you refused to share your talent?

Don’t rob your organization of your talents, and yourself of the opportunity to flex your skills and grow into the leader you know you are. Your contribution to the team might be the thing that sets you apart from the rest of the field come promotion time.

If you missed the first two posts of this 5-part series, I encourage you to explore how to Embody Leadership and Own Your Actions.

Next up, part 4 of “How to Position Yourself for Promotion.” We’ll explore how being of service is a doorway to opportunities.

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Are you ready to seek a professional growth opportunity outside of work? Would you like an accountability partner and champion to help take your leadership to the next level? We should schedule a time to talk. Email me at support@womenignitingchange.com and let’s have a conversation about who you want to be in 2017.