Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/45004
66 • NOVEMBER 2011 • WORLD FENCE NEWS In the perfect work environment, whenever a promotion opportunity be- came available, the most qualified per- son would always be selected for the available promotion. Unfortunately, as you know, such an environment does not exist; it may seem to you that job promotions regu- larly go to people who are not always the most deserving. Well, to quote what Clint East- wood said in the classic Western movie Unforgiven, "Deserve's got nothin' to do with it." The biggest mistake that most em- ployees make with regards to promo- tion opportunities is to consider them as an entitlement. In other words, they assume that if they reasonably meet their employer's productivity expectations, then they are "entitled" to a promotion. Making such an assumption is probably the worst career mistake you can make, because in most cases it simply doesn't work that way. Doing a good job does not "enti- tle" you to advancement. Instead, it qualifies you for consideration for ad- vancement. Once you become qualified for consideration, a nasty little word creeps into the equation that, like it or not, plays a significant role in promo- tion decisions. That nasty little word Getting promoted: How to win the rat race without being a rat BY LANDY CHASE, MBA, CSP is, of course, "politics." Collectively, I define "politics" as the other, subjective factors not di- rectly related to job performance that either work for you or against you – and, like it or not, they can be a signif- icant determining factor in promotion decisions. How does one learn to play – and win – at the game of promotional pol- itics? Listed below are the most impor- tant political factors that come into play when evaluating a person for pro- motion: Are you dependable? Next to loy- alty, dependability is the most desir- able attribute that an employee can have. For example, when your boss asks you to do something, does the task or project always get done – on time, every time? Or do you have to be repeatedly asked, over and over, to get a task completed? All things being equal, the em- ployee who has demonstrated depend- ability has a huge advantage over their peers when promotions become avail- able. Do you get along well with oth- ers? I once had a sales person on our team whose customers loved her and who was our top producer – and was a walking, talking nightmare to every other department in our office. Guess who, in spite of their sales performance, was always at the bottom of the list for promotions? I rest my case. Are you a problem-solver? Com- panies today place a premium value on take-charge, motivated employees who confront problems in an organization and make a positive impact. Conversely, negativity is simply not tolerated, and for good reason. Do you demonstrate leadership within the office? Are you looked at as a "go-to" source by the others who work with you? Do peers come to you for advice and counsel? Are you willing to take risks, even when the chance of failure exists? Are you fair and ethical in your dealings with your peers? Is your workspace well-orga- nized? My rule of thumb for promot- ing an employee into management is to take whatever is on their desk, mul- tiply it by a factor of 10, and use this new figure to arrive at a reasonable es- timate of what their desk will look like with the new responsibilities. How would your work-space measure up? As a final point, never forget that the most important job that you have is to please the person that you work for, because no one has a more direct impact on your career advancement than your supervisor. Too many employees forget this simple but important point. Don't be one of them! Based in Charlotte, North Car- olina, Landy Chase, MBA, CSP is an expert who special- izes in speaking to corporations and as- sociations on ad- vanced professional selling and sales management skills. For more information, visit www.landychase.com or call 800-370- 8026. Visit the World Fence News crew at FENCETECH'12! Jan. 25-27, 2012 Miami Beach, Florida SPREAD THE (WORLD FENCE) NEWS! Bosses, encourage your employees and clients to keep up with the latest news from the fence world by reading World Fence News OnLine each month! There is no charge to access this site, and it's a great way for everyone connected to your firm to stay in the loop, especially if you have ads or editorials running. All ads and editorials that are contained in the regular printed edition of World Fence News are available in digital format at www.worldfencenews.com (click on "Read Our Current Edition OnLine") If you have any questions regarding the printed or OnLine editions of World Fence News, contact Rick Henderson at 800-231-0275 or e-mail editor@worldfencenews.com.