Promotion can come when you least expect it.
If you are investing in your future daily through your actions, then you are preparing yourself for the next promotion.
My first promotion came when I was nineteen years old. I was working in the accounting department for a subsidiary of a large corporation in Atlanta. When they decided to move their headquarters to Tennessee, they offered me a transfer with a promotion to the Information Systems Department.
They offered to pay for my computer programming training and for all the education costs to finish my business degree.
After a little salary negotiation, I was on my way.
This promotion was a surprise. I had no idea they were considering me.
Why did I get the promotion?
1) When a new job came open, I was in a position for consideration.
2) I was a hard worker who helped the department meet their goals.
3) I was a team player who assisted in areas other than my own.
Through these things, the company had the opportunity to recognize my willingness and ability, which put me on their radar for promotion.
Need + Preparation = Promotion
My preparation met their need, and the door of opportunity was open for promotion.
How do you prepare for promotion?
Here are four ways to position yourself so that your preparation meets a need.
1. Focus on the Mission
Whether you are working for someone, serving as a volunteer, or own your own business, the mission of the organization is key.
The mission is usually a short statement of goals.
My company’s mission is “Connecting You to Your Best—You are the Best Investment You Can Make.”
Everything that I produce—from blogs and podcasts to classes and workshops—is focused on this mission.
Keeping the overall mission in mind provides a way for you to bring added value to your work.
It creates an opportunity for you to be known for your focus, support, and completion of the mission—all of which position you for promotion.
2. Be Forward Thinking
Being forward thinking and staying focused on the mission go together.
Staying focused on the mission fine-tunes what you do while expanding your capacity for growth in many areas, including in information processing and training.
Anticipating future needs and developing the skills to fulfill those needs is a primary way to prepare yourself for a promotion.
One of my promotions came from submitting an idea to streamline a quality control process. After submitting the concept, I met with the Regional Director and my idea was implemented across the company.
Within weeks, I was promoted to supervisor, all because staying focused on the mission prompted forward thinking that led to creative problem-solving.
3. Be a Team Player
Someone who is a team player has the ability to communicate change effectively, adapt quickly, and pitch in—even if it is not their job.
To build your skills as a team player, ask yourself this question:
How can I assist in completing the mission?
One of my friends always won the company’s sales contest. His manager asked if he would be willing to train the other sales staff using his method.
If he said yes, then his competition for the prizes would increase.
If he said no, he could maintain his status as the leader in sales.
His answer was yes! He wanted to be a team player and increase his value, as well as the company’s overall sales goal.
As Michael Jordan said, “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.”
It also positions you for promotion.
4. Invest in Your Future
As I shared earlier, my company paid for my education and training after my promotion. However, 53% of the workforce is employed by a small business, and 99% of these businesses have less than ten employees.
Most will need to find a way to invest in their own training.
Investing in yourself will prepare you for promotion.
The good news is, there are many options to receive training without going broke or incurring debt.
In September 2016, a Forbes article listed ways to receive training when the budget is tight or your company cannot afford to provide professional development classes.
Forbes highlighted udemy.com as one such economical training tool, one that can be beneficial in preparing you for promotion.
This online platform provides training in specialized areas for minimal cost, even sometimes without cost.
Other sites I have used specifically for training to expand my business are:
All provided free or minimal cost training for planning and marketing that helped build my business and expand my skill.
Remember my first big promotion at the tender age of nineteen? Let me share with you what happened.
I discovered one important thing about myself: I hated sitting behind a computer all day.
I realized that I missed interaction with people. Whenever someone had a problem with their operating system, I would volunteer to fix it so that I could connect with a human being.
I began to understand what I wanted to do by discovering what I did not want to do.
You may be in a situation where you are not doing exactly what you want to do.
However, your preparation for promotion begins with identifying what you do not want to do so you can discover what you are really passionate about.
By keeping your focus on the mission, being forward thinking, a team player, and investing in your future, you are continually preparing for promotion.
Sometimes preparing for promotion also means joining forces with a mentor who has been where you are and learned the secrets to prioritizing their dreams and leveraging untapped resources and preparation strategies to achieve them.
If you would like one-on-one mentoring in building your blueprint for success, including preparing for promotion, fill out the Connection Form so that we can begin the work.
I look forward to assisting you in the journey of connecting you to your best!
Remember, you are the best investment you can make!
If you want to invest in your future, find your passion AND the why behind it, sign up for my 6-week online course, Compelled to Change.
In this class, you will learn practical and repeatable strategies to accomplish your dreams and be unstoppable!
Abundant Blessings, Cindy
Cindy Stewart has a passion for people and helping them connect to their life purpose, discover their passions, and live their dreams. Cindy’s latest book, God’s Dream for Your Life, brings clarity to your purpose while unlocking vision of what is possible in the natural and the supernatural. She is an itinerant speaker, an executive coach, and hosts a weekly podcast on Charisma Podcast Network. Along with her husband, Chuck, they lead The Gathering Apostolic Center in Tarpon Springs, FL.
Please email Cindy with any questions or comments to cindystewartauthor@gmail.com. She’d love to hear from you.
Remember, you are the best investment you can make.