Our Blog

You might be working hard and feeling like you are putting in your best effort. Yet, there seems to be no recognition for your efforts. Instead of promoting you to lead the team, management brings in an “outsider”.

The situation described above can be painful. When such things happen, you feel stuck at your job and get discouraged. You may even lose the motivation to turn things around.

So what do you do when you are not getting promoted? I might be tempting to place the blame on your superiors but a better attitude is o look inwards and think of what you can do to turn the situation around.

To help people in this situation, we have listed five obstacles that would stop you from reaching the top of your career.

YOU DO NOT BEHAVE LIKE A LEADER

As you climb the career ladder, you would need to show initiative and leadership. You would need to be a self-starter. If you have not shown the ability to lead, it would be difficult to get promoted. You must show that you are capable of thinking like a leader. You need to show that you are versatile and resilient. By showing those qualities, you mark yourself as a future leader and hence improve your chances of getting promoted.

YOU LACK SOFT SKILLS/EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

It is not all about the technical or job specific skills. Soft skills like communication, persuasion and influence can set you apart from other people competing for a promotion. You should be able to show that you have other qualities aside technical expertise. You must show that you can build team spirit and influence people.

YOU ARE NOT PROVIDING MEASURABLE VALUE

It can be difficult to get a promotion when management can’t see the results you are bringing in. employers need employees who can do the following:

• Make money for the company
• Save the company’s money
• Save time for the company

The likelihood of you being promoted is dependent on how well you can do the activities stated above.

YOU LACK PASSION FOR YOUR JOB

Passionate people come to work with energy and verve. The passion shows in the projects they lead or are involved in. Employers often look out for the passion when deciding who to promote. They look out for those who are genuinely in love with their job.

YOU HAVE A NEGATIVE ATTITUDE

People prefer to be with those who lift their spirits and improve their moods. Simply put, you will get along with more people if you have a positive attitude. Don’t be one of those who continuously complain about their company or co-workers. Show a positive attitude and you would be a candidate for promotion.

Sometimes when you miss out on a promotion, it is often a good idea to evaluate yourself and see if you can make certain behavioral changes that would improve your chances of promotion.