Why didn't you get that promotion you were after?

Bonjour!

Massive thank you for being so loyal in reading my articles, and welcome to the 22 new readers who joined us last week!

On a side note, last week I was trying something really new – a bit off topic! 😅– talking about the 10 things I do everyday that help me keep the mental load (and the migraines) under control… and your direct messages have been beyond my expectations! Lovely to hear you loved it. (in case you’ve missed it, it’s here: THE 10 DAILY HABITS I NEVER SKIP

This week is all about YOU, especially if you have been eyeing a promotion, but somehow find it hard to reach.

When I first met Charlotte (not her real name), she wrote to me : "I work hard, I have been in the same company for 7 years… but I don't seem to find the way to promote myself for a role I am looking at [she was looking for a leadership role in another country]. I think I am lacking confidence, maybe imposter syndrome? - Can you help me find some strategies or tools to get through this?”

What we discovered pretty quickly together : it was none of that.

Charlotte wasn't lacking confidence in the first place. She was just invisible. And because she became invisible, that's what eroded her confidence over time

Her work was excellent. But literally no one knew about it. She had never learned to make her value visible to the people who matter, you know, those who influence decisions.

And this is something I see often with leaders : we grow up thinking that our good work speaks by itself and will get us noticed. That if we deliver, if we stay loyal, the promotion will naturally come. Usually we downplay …to the point we get unnoticed.

If Charlotte doesn't do anything different( especially for an international move), nothing is going to change.

So we worked on one thing :

The gap between what she was actually bringing to the table :

• her actual work

• her attitude

• the circle of people she was interacting with

VS what decision-makers in her company perceived what she was bringing.

That’s what I call : the visibility gap

→If that resonates with your situation, ask yourself :

if your manager had to defend your promotion to a n+2, what would they say?

Could they even list your top 3 contributions, your last 3 projects, or the 3 influential people who know you?

With Charlotte, we clarified her story. We worked on how she was showing up in key conversations. And we made sure the right people ( the ones who need to know you actually exist and you’re doing an excellent work ) already knew her value. Yes, that’s what’s part of building her network.

****5 months later, Charlotte got the international role she wanted.She didn’t have to play a political game that she didn’t like, but just by letting people see who she already was.

If this sounds familiar, be assured : it's a strategy problem. And strategy can be learned. 🙌

Interested to know how career coaching can help in your situation? Send me the word “INFOS” here , and I’ll send you everything you need to know. 

Have a lovely week

Steph