5 Reasons You Will Never Get A Promotion

Promotion season can be exciting yet stressful. Personally, you may feel that you have potential and everything it takes to be worthy of promotion. Yet, you don’t get it. You feel discouraged and lose the motivation to keep trying and don’t really listen to what the manager has to say about the decision. The follow-up meeting that was supposed to help you understand ‘what went wrong’ leaves you with a bruised ego. The ‘Why’ is left unanswered and you ask yourself what to do next?

You will find it hard to believe; the truth is that even your boss feels as uncomfortable breaking the news as you do while receiving it. Now you really cannot change anything. What’s best is to let it go and focus on what can be done next. To decide the future course of action, you need to face the truth about why you are not getting a promotion.

Here’s why:

 1. You Lack the Skills Required To Do the Job

The biggest misconception employees have is to think that the decisions regarding promotions are solely based on how well they perform in their current job role. While your performance is important, but being successful in one area doesn’t guarantee your employer that you will succeed in other areas as well. A higher position brings more critical responsibilities for which you may not be ready. For example, a person may be excellent at data entry, but s/he will need additional education or training to be promoted as a data analyst as the job will require him / her to think strategically and have strong problem-solving abilities. Make yourself familiar with the requirements of the higher job role and the skills required to succeed in it. Next, talk to your boss. Tell him / her that you want to move up the ladder and ask for advice on how you can get there.

 2. You Haven’t Shown Any Results

Another misconception people have is that promotions are given to people on the basis of their number of years of experience. Promotions are given to only those who have shown positive results in their line of work and contributed to the company’s success. If you aren’t making improvements in the projects that are assigned to you, the company won’t see any point in giving you a promotion. Even if you can’t guarantee to show results, at least make the effort to accomplish your professional goals. If you are unsuccessful once, find new ways to bring results to the table. Employers appreciate those employees who genuinely care about their company’s goals.

Also read - 10 Proven Characteristics that Differentiate a Top Performer from Others

3. You Don’t Share the Company’s Owner Mindset

Having the mindset of a company owner is crucial if you want to move up the corporate ladder. Though it has nothing to do with your professional targets, it can get you halfway there. How you think shows through your actions and your actions say a lot about you. If you see yourself as just another employee, you will just do your work and get paid. But if you start thinking like the owner of your project, you become the company and the way you act and talk changes entirely. When that happens, your employer will definitely notice you and give you opportunities to succeed.

4. You Don’t Take Constructive Criticism Positively

If your natural reaction to any constructive criticism is to get defensive,  you are never going to get a promotion. You must learn to separate yourself from your work and take criticism with a lot of positivity and gratitude even if your manager dismisses your work completely. Don’t get defensive. Instead, get curious. Learn to listen to what your manager has to say and make sure to work towards improving yourself.

5. You Don’t Share a Solid Bond with Your Manager

You need to ask yourself some serious questions. What kind of relationship do you share with your boss? Is it good? Is it non-existent? Do you get along with him / her? What can you do differently to make it better and stronger? You must be thinking why it is important. It is important because hard work alone can’t get you ahead. Your boss is the only person who can help you get noticed and climb up the ladder. Everything depends on him/her. If you don't like your boss, you better start liking him or else find yourself a new boss. Whether your boss is an angel or a complete jerk, if you share a great relationship with your boss, you can stay ahead at work.

Just because you are not getting promoted doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world. Take it as an opportunity to learn new skills and improve as a professional. Dig deep to find out the reasons why you are not getting a promotion. If needed ask your boss to point out the areas where you lack and improve upon them. Your strong desire and hard work will definitely get you there.

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