by Venchito Tampon | Last Updated on November 2, 2016
Why I’m not promoted despite showing excellent performance at work?
If you are working for a company for about 3, 5 or 10 years but haven’t been promoted yet, there’s something wrong. Setting aside company issues (financial resources management, industry’s salary variance, etc..), there is one reason why you’re not promoted.
What is that?
Lack of soft skills
The deliberation committee of your company (those who decide who gets promoted) considers both hard skills and soft skills as their basis for promotion.
Compared to hard skills like programming and finance, soft skills aren’t taught well in schools. They are learned through constant reading of books, absorbing mentorship insights, attending to seminars, etc.
Soft skills include self-management and people skills.
Here are three actionable tips to start improving your soft skills?
1. Manage yourself and your workload well
Leadership starts with leading yourself. If you can’t manage your own workload, your time and your emotions, how can you manage and lead others as well?
Whenever we consider people for promotion, we want people who can take over one of our responsibilities and be delegated with new tasks. These people don’t need too much supervision from us, aren’t easily frustrated when things go wrong and ultimately, can lighten our workload.
Work performance isn’t just about IQ, it’s also having that grit (passion plus perseverance) to get things done on time.
2. Communicate simply
Stop replying to your boss with lengthy email. Be brief and clearly express your thoughts.
Practice 5 to 10 times before you present a technical project proposal to your manager – that’s how you can improve your communication skills over time.
Don’t use jargons or highfaluting words. If you are misunderstood by your manager and your co-employees, that only make things worse. Simplicity makes for effective communication.
3. Have a growth mindset
If you are focused on growth, you accept tasks that are out of your comfort zone. If it is within the boundary of your job, you will seize opportunities to learn from new projects.
You don’t grumble when you are transferred to another team because you think that’s another opportunity for you to work effectively with anyone with different personalities, working styles and motivational level.
Promotion is given to a worker who deserves it. If you are not promoted this year, assess yourself. Do you take efforts to improve your soft skills?
YOUR TURN
Do you know any other ways to improve your soft skills?
Or maybe you have a follow-up question.
Either way, leave a comment quick below.
I’ll be around today to reply to comments and answer questions.
So if you have a question or thought, leave a comment right now.
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