How to fast-track your promotion
Is your career in dead mode? Here are ways to accelerate your race to the top.
 Have you been stuck in the same position for some time? Most employees find themselves in this situation. Since the structure of any organisation is a pyramid, it follows that the higher you go, the fewer the positions available. Therefore some employees remain where they are.
But what if you believe you are more than an average employee? What can you do to get yourself promoted fast?
The first thing you have to do is to analyse your situation and why you do not get promoted. Quite a number of employees get stuck not because they are not qualified for a promotion, but simply because there is no room for them to move up. If your boss has already reached the highest level, then you can’t move up while he’s still there. If he is retirable or “piratable,” you might like to wait until he retires or gets pirated elsewhere. But if you are impatient and cannot wait, it may be worth examining other options outside the company, a route many have taken.
On the other hand, if there is still room at the top, yet others are getting promoted ahead of you, what can you do? Here are a few tips that may help.
Know the needs of your unit. You may be the most capable person in your line of work, but if your competencies do not fit the needs of your unit and the organisation, then you can’t expect to get ahead. As such, it is important for you to study your unit and determine its needs. Know the weak areas of your unit as these present opportunities for you to fill the gap. If you can find high-impact areas that you can fill, so much the better.
Learn the competencies required to fill the need. Once you have identified the needs of your unit, prepare yourself to handle them. Sometimes, this entails only a little training and orientation. If the need is more complicated, then you may have to undergo extensive training and experience.
Take the initiative to fill the need. Once you believe you are capable of addressing the need, volunteer to do it. If your superior doubts your capability, convince him that he has nothing to lose and all to gain by giving you the assignment.
Get yourself noticed. In whatever you do, pour your best effort. Do not be contented with ordinary accomplishments. Give the task everything you’ve got. To make sure that your boss notices what you are doing, give him periodic reports and updates. If you can show him savings in cost, effort and time as a result of your actions, so much the better.
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