It’s a frequent coaching question:
Jane, I work so hard so why do I keep getting passed over at work? No one seems to recognise how many hours I put in.
There are lots of reasons why you why might not be getting promotion. Here are just a few to consider:
- Your organisation is not gender equal, ie men’s ‘talents’ are recognised more than women’s
- You don’t go drinking after work/play golf/talk about football/go outside and smoke/ or are generally not part of the culture within your organisation (see first point)
- Your boss doesn’t know that you want promotion. You haven’t been clear that you want promotion i.e. stating clearly that you want to progress and asking what is your next step?
- You haven’t put yourself forward for management training/a new position/secondments/
- No one has heard of you so you are not on the radar of the powers that be
Working Hard Is Not The Way To Get Promoted
Well, it might be one way if you have a really good boss and work in a small organisation. Some managers are ‘gardener managers’, i.e. they really tend and nurture their staff and look out for them.
They are few and far between. I’ve had one in my career before I started my own business, a man, as it happens and I remember him with huge affection (now I have to encourage and promote myself, both easier and harder). Most managers are just holding their heads above water and doing the best they can, especially when times are hard. They might think of your career at the annual appraisal but unless they are exceptional, they are probably just grateful that they have someone who works hard and is reliable on their team. They don’t want you to move on.
So, let’s assume that you have a normal, run of the mill manager who doesn’t want to actively hold you back, but isn’t about to cultivate your career either.
As I say frequently in DreamBig, my book about finding your dream job, no one cares about your career a much as you. Take charge. Right this very minute
It Is No Good Being Good If No One Knows That You Are Good
In my experience women are reluctant networkers. This is partly because networking often takes place outside of office hours (see golfing/pub point above). The Old Boy’s Network is still alive and kicking.
We’re also schooled from a very young age to cultivate modesty because that’s a nice trait for a girl to have. Yes, even in this day and age it is still happening to young girls.
Women also carry so much responsibility outside of work. Few of us have the time or emotional energy to do something we don’t really want to do, something that doesn’t interest us and we don’t see as valuable. Remember, women were the worst affected by the pandemic, we were still carrying all the responsibility for keeping home and work organised, no matter how supportive our partners were. In most cases we took on the emotional load of the work i.e. making sure things got done. And I’m suggesting that you network on top of that?
Well, yes…
How Much Does Good Work Count Towards Promotion?
You’ve probably heard of Harvey Coleman? He did some work on how people got promotion. To be fair, he wasn’t looking only at women and, given when he did the work, it probably wasn’t a gender equal workforce he was looking at. However, what he discovered is still interesting.
Basically people are promoted on three things and they are:
- The quality of your work
- How you come across to others, your overall image and how people ‘experience’ you
- How many people know about you, being seen, knowing the right people etc.
His conclusions were that quality of work accounted for 10% of your overall promotion prospects, with your image coming in the middle at 30%, leaving 60% for whether people knew about you, whether you were ‘out there’.
So, my big question to you is:
Do the people who matter know about you and, if not, what are you doing about it? There are ways of doing it without adopting the traditional male model. But first you have to recognise just how good you are and what you have to offer.
A Personal Development Exercise for Women Who Want to Get Ahead
For most of the women I work with (e.g on RenewYou where we have a similar exercise) this takes them well outside of their comfort zone. I really want you to do it, right now. Sit down with a pen and paper (actual paper, not on a keyboard as writing is more effective in imprinting on your brain) and list ten reasons why you are good at your job. Nothing is too small. Write 10. Do not undersell yourself.
Then try for another five.
Repeat to them to yourself. Stand as tall and as straight as you can and repeat, ‘I am good at what I do‘ Banish your internal spam and talk yourself up. Take control of your career. It’s down to you.
Top Photo by Antenna on Unsplash
RenewYou, My Tried and Tested Career Booster!
RenewYou has helped thousands of women make positive and lasting change in their lives. I deliver it one-to-one as part of a bespoke coaching package for women looking to move into leadership, to progress their career, or who wish to be the absolute best version of themselves.
Posted on April 22nd, 2021 by Jane
