Are you a Promotion avoider?
Picture this: There are rumblings that there could be some promotions coming up…
Speculation begins about who might put themselves up for it and what the assessment process will be…
You get a few nods and some positive feedback about your chances…
You get a few nods and some positive feedback about your chances…You think about who’s doing the role now and reckon you could definitely do as good a job. You think about the extra money and know it would come in handy. You consider your competition and know you could do a better job than them…
But when it comes down to it, you decide not to throw your hat in the ring.
Why is that?
For most people it’s a fear of the unknown. You don’t like the idea of being assessed. You don’t like the idea of having to ‘jump through hoops’ that you are unfamiliar with. You’re maybe more worried than you’d like to admit that your performance may fall short. You probably don’t trust that the system will assess you accurately or in a way you fully understand.
It’s a shame if you don’t put yourself up for promotion you feel you may be ready for. No-one likes to feel out of their comfort zone, but if you don’t try you won’t know just what you are capable of.
It’s different if your reasons for avoiding career progression are a genuine lack of motivation, for instance if retirement is just round the corner or if you’re actually content with where you are. But if you do feel pulled towards moving up the career ladder, it’s a shame for insecurities to stand in your way.
Here are some things you can do to make sure you make the right decision for you.
Talk to a line manager or someone you respect and feel you would get constructive feedback from. As part of the discussion ask them to tell you three things which they feel would make you suitable for promotion, and three character or behaviour traits which might make you less suitable. Gaining specific and detailed feedback can be more informative than just ‘yes, give it a go’ or ‘no, you’re not ready yet’.
Consider your experience. Have you acted up in the role already? How did you get on? If you haven’t, you can still apply for promotion, and knowing that you don’t have the experience which may stand you in good stead might take the pressure off. You can do the assessment with no expectations and just use it to see how you perform. If you have had experience of a more senior role you have more people to speak to about how you did plus you have a good insight into the demands of the role.
Contact us about getting some practice in advance. It may be that certain aspects of the assessment are what’s putting you off. A lot of people worry about the written part of the promotion process. We can give you practice task to try and feedback on your performance. You may be pleasantly surprised and cope better than you thought you would. If you do find the practice tasks daunting and are concerned about how you performed we can work with you on strategies to help you improve.
Whatever you decide is right for you, make sure your choices move you towards what you want and aren’t based on what you are afraid of. That’s not always easy, but whatever the outcome at least you will know that you tried, and won’t leave you wondering about the ‘what ifs’.
