Have you been overlooked for a promotion? Are you wondering why you aren’t rising to the top?
In my decades of experience as a healthcare executive and leadership coach, I have noticed similar patterns that stand in the way for employees who want to climb the ladder in their respective companies, but just can’t seem to do so.
Here are 5 reasons why you’re likely not getting promoted.
No Clear Vision
If your company is trying to grow and improve, your superiors are likely looking to make changes that bring more success than the current business model. In this case, the biggest way to impress them is by creating a clear vision for where you see the company going and how it can get there.
If you want to earn a promotion, don’t get bogged down in the day-to-day tasks and routines of your current role! There are already plenty of other team members doing the same thing. Start thinking about the bigger picture of the business and how it would need to shift to see more success. Once you have this vision in place, share it with your superior(s) and let them know how you can help bring it to fruition.
Not Showing Initiative
Are you able to check off all the boxes on your task list each week? If yes, you probably make a great employee. However, if this is where your contribution to the company stops, you’d make a poor leader.
Becoming an effective leader and earning a promotion doesn’t mean you have to work 60+ hours a week to prove yourself. Start by thinking outside the box about how to improve existing systems or implement new ones, brainstorming new directions and opportunities for the company, or even going out of your way to help other team members in need.
Effective leaders are those who take it upon themselves to think ahead and discover new opportunities for their teams. You need to demonstrate this skillset to your superiors without them having to ask for it. A general rule of thumb is to do more than just what’s asked of you if you want to stand out and rise up.
Resistant To Feedback
Good leaders start out as good followers, and good followers only grow into good leaders by learning how to digest feedback and constructive criticism from people who know more than they do. However, great leaders are those who not only welcome feedback from their mentors, but ask for it.
Two of the biggest challenges I have seen leaders face are ignorance and arrogance. Many assume that because they are high-performers and talented in their craft, they don’t have as much to learn from other people. This attitude is a huge turn-off for superiors who know there’s always room for improvement and growth.
Asking your supervisors and advisors for honest feedback is impressive, as it demonstrates self-awareness and a desire to become the best you can be.
Lack Of Emotional Intelligence
The hard truth is that no one cares about your high IQ if you have a low EQ. You might be the most skilled at your job among your peers, but if you don’t demonstrate a high aptitude for people skills and relationship-building, a wise superior who wants the company to succeed will be hesitant to recommend you for any promotion.
Emotional intelligence is the ability for a person to identify, comprehend, and regulate their own emotions, as well as identify, comprehend, and influence the emotions of other people. This not only covers the ability to recognize and name our emotions, but it also requires us to take ownership of those feelings and manage our behaviors as a response. This learned skill is crucial in becoming an effective leader and a big asset for any company.
Your supervisors will need to have confidence in your ability to manage people, and yourself, with intentionality, stability, and care. If you’re not demonstrating these skills now, your managers likely see you as too much of a liability to promote to any leadership position.
No One Knows You Want It!
A lot of people, especially women, operate under the assumption that if they work hard enough, their superiors will notice and offer up a promotion without them having to ask. In reality, this is rarely the case.
More often than not, a supervisor will wait to see which team member both proves themselves and clearly communicates their goals for rising up in the company and taking on a new role. Having an open dialogue with your boss about things you can do to move up the ladder will both make it clear that you want to do so, and give him or her the opportunity to share tips and constructive feedback to help you succeed.
The next time you have a 1-1 with your superior or your performance review rolls around, make your goals known rather than assuming it will all fall in your lap with time.
Are You Struggling To Prove Your Leadership Skills And Earn A Promotion?
You might be the perfect candidate for executive leadership coaching. Here are a few ways to get started:
- Take my FREE leadership assessment to see how your leadership style and people management skills stack up against best practices.
- Learn more about my 6-session coaching package, designed to help you craft a vision for your practice, achieve buy-in from your team, and execute the necessary goals to bring you towards success.
- Learn more about my 12-session coaching package, which features all the benefits of the 6-session package in addition to 6 weeks of emotional intelligence coaching to help you become an extraordinary leader and foster more positive relationships with your team and patients.
About Dr. Wilkerson, PD, MBA, PCC.
Do you want to increase your impact? Do you want to increase profits under your leadership? Do you want to develop and use your abilities to the fullest to better connect with and lead others? Executive Leadership Coaching covers these bases. Dr. Jerrund Wilkerson, PD, MBA, PCC, has more than 30 years of successful executive leadership coaching in the United States and internationally.
As a licensed provider and professionally certified coach, he is particularly passionate about helping develop effective leaders in the healthcare community. Dr. Wilkerson has coached and trained thousands of managers and leaders.
CLICK HERE to learn more.