5 Ways to Ensure your Manager is Well-Prepared to enable your Promotion

The only healthy communication style is assertive communication.

In all forms of corporate communication, the more assertive you are, higher are your chances of success. However, when it comes to promotions, most people find it uncomfortable talking to their manager.

Here are 5 ways to ensure your Manager is well-prepared to enable your promotion:

1.    Prep your Manager:

Your manager may not be the only decision-maker for your promotion. You need to equip him to present your case to stakeholders of the promotion process.

• Schedule a meeting with your Manager, highlighting your need to have this discussion.
• In the email, explain why you think you deserve the promotion. This would prepare your manager to enter the discussion with your known cards. This is good, not bad.

2.     Clear Basic CheckBoxes:

Some of the key decision factors for promotion across most organizations are eligibility as per the company’s promotion policy, tenure, performance ratings (current & past), readiness for the next level, what more can/will the person handle with promotion, internal/external parity.

Prepare your manager with all these facts about you so that he can have those discussions with seniors/HR accordingly.

3.     Data Speaks:

Your Performance Data (including demonstration of competencies/org values) would be needed by your Manager.

Prepare this data as a selling pitch- like a 2-minute ad for yourself. Get creative. Heard of candidates making slides on why they think they fit the role while applying for jobs? If you can make those efforts for a new organization, why not with your current? Beware of the following while making this data-

• Don’t just get all excel files ready in one email and shoot to your manager- he wouldn’t open even one.
• Don’t write thesis emails citing all your great work- it wouldn’t be read.

4.     Have Sponsors:

Especially for mid to senior-level promotions, what matters is not only what the manager feels about you, but also the feedback of other functional stakeholders.

Ask your senior stakeholders for guidance. Do they think you are ready? How would they advise you to pitch for these discussions? Will they share recommendations/feedback in writing? Can they casually put in a word?

5.     Avoid threats:

Don’t make it public till it’s permanent. So, don’t give threats of external offers or non-achievement of targets during promotion discussions with your manager.

These things do work- no denying- but chances of them not working are higher. So, avoid the risk.

If you have used any of these for your promotion discussions, then do let us know your experience.