It is a mistake to think that everyone is simply obliged to take a leadership position or make a name for themselves, otherwise they are among the losers.
Not at all. First, not everyone values career success so highly, and secondly, a successful career is not necessarily a leadership position.
You can prefer a horizontal career and become no less successful than a person who aspires to vertical career growth.
Not everyone has the qualities necessary for a successful leader – leadership and organizational skills, a high level of responsibility (you need to be responsible not only for their actions but also for the actions of their subordinates), or just a desire to be famous.
Most people are happy to remain in the role of executor and do not want to solve “global” problems: how to have time to pass a large project, why some subordinates work part-time, which of the employees to put in a vacant position, etc.
Some people are just more comfortable just taking a time-to-time cash advance on a credit card, and thinking about more common everyday things like buying a car or a family trip.
What Questions Should Be Answered Before Promotion?
The company should offer the employee a higher position when he is ready for it – this is a logical continuation of any development. But if you have doubts, you should ask yourself questions:
- Can I devote more time and resources to the new position?
- Does this investment meet the conditions that I am being offered?
- What happens if I accept a promotion?
- What happens if this doesn’t happen?
- What won’t happen if I get a new position?
- What won’t happen if it doesn’t?
How To Check If You Will “Pull” A New Position
Being promoted is a huge accomplishment that can propel your career forward.
However, it’s important to remember that a promotion should not happen unexpectedly – both the employee and the company should prepare for it in advance.
As a rule, this process begins six months before the transition to a new position.
For example, a specialist can discuss potential steps with the manager and work on skills that are missing.
This way, when the time comes, the employee will be fully prepared to take on the new role.
Additionally, the company can start to transition the employee into their new position by giving them more responsibility or different projects to work on.
Ultimately, preparing for a promotion is a team effort, and by working together, the employee and the company can ensure a smooth transition into the new role.
Another Method Is Suggested By Edwin Trevor-Roberts
Imagine your working day in a new position and try to understand whether it suits you or not. Edwin also offers to answer a few questions:
1. Do you feel like a leader?
2. How will you feel in your new role?
3. Would you like to lead a team?
As you know, any specialist can develop in two conditional directions – they can be designated career growth and professional growth.
The first way of development is hierarchical. Theoretically, it starts in the position of an intern, and the final point is the CEO of the company.
Such specialists are interested in working on themselves and engaging in professional self-improvement, and they are not particularly concerned about the hypothetical achievement of the position of CEO.
Becoming a unique specialist in your field is also a very bright and tempting prospect.
Naturally, if you are an adherent of the first path of development, then the issue of refusing a promotion is not relevant to you.
Imagine that you feel great and comfortable in your position, you are completely satisfied with the functionality, the rhythm of work, and the level of responsibility.
And now from the top management comes a proposal for a raise. «I don’t want to change my position, because it suits me, but at the same time, it’s unpleasant not to live up to the expectations of the leadership».
In addition, you should understand that you need to have time to meet the challenges of time.
But the trouble is that you are not yet confident in your capabilities, it seems to you that you are not yet ready to take on additional responsibility and expand your professional comfort zone. How to be?
There are two upgrade options. The promotion may involve managing people, and the specialist is not ready to take on managerial functions (he is not ready to be responsible for subordinates, he does not know how to delegate authority, etc.).
The second option involves the expansion of powers and an increase in the volume and content of duties and tasks.
Emotional Burnout Syndrome
Тhis is what awaits a person who is not ready to rise and still agreed to it.
Do not be tempted by new opportunities or high wages – they will very quickly cease to please and recede into the background, as soon as you realize that the job is not for you.
And you will understand it quickly – one or two months will suffice. But then you will become a hostage of the situation.
You will have to either “gather your will in your fist” and despite everything continue to work until exhaustion, or look for a new job.
Agree, though the first option, though the second is not very attractive.
Therefore, if you are not ready to raise it (usually the person feels it himself), it is better to abandon it. Don’t be afraid to disappoint your boss.
Your refusal will not disappoint him. But if you accept the offer of the head and do not justify his trust – he will be disappointed and upset, that’s for sure.
