They Don't Teach Corporate in College (44 page)

Demonstrate informal leadership before formal authority is attained.

Keep themselves free of baggage and political skirmishes.

Position themselves as agents of change who are willing to support current company policies, while also embracing future opportunities.

Seek to expand their influence and challenges by broadening the scope of their responsibilities.

Develop and support the people they work with by driving processes forward.

In case you haven't believed me when I've gone on and on about the importance of the professional persona and everything that goes with it…

According to a 2012 study from the Center for Talent Innovation, 268 senior executives cited executive presence, or being perceived as leadership material, as an essential component to getting ahead. In fact, executive presence accounted for, on average, 25 percent of what it takes to get promoted. The three areas that comprise executive presence are:

Gravitas:
The ability to project confidence, poise under pressure, and decisiveness. Sixty-seven percent of senior executives surveyed cited gravitas as the core characteristic of executive presence.

Communication:
Includes excellent speaking skills, assertiveness, and the ability to read an audience or situation. Twenty-eight percent of surveyed executives felt that good communication telegraphs that you're leadership material.

Appearance:
How you look and dress does affect your executive presence, but it's not as critical as the first two factors.

Sounding educated is critical if you want to ascend to the next level. Nearly 60 percent of executives felt that unprofessional, uninformed speech
detracts from executive presence. And finally, you will enhance your executive presence and your chances at promotion if you hone your global competence, or the ability to understand how business is done in different countries and how to work effectively with culturally diverse teams.

When you receive feedback on your executive presence, listen and take it seriously. If the comments aren't universally positive, don't get offended. Recognize that the person is only trying to help you and that your promotability will be enhanced in the long run. No one is perfect, but the most successful leaders learn as they go along.

A few final words on promotion: I cannot emphasize enough the importance of relationships in this process. In
Chapter 3
, I talked about how networking can increase your visibility and establish personal connections that will help you move forward. At this stage in your career, you should be jumping at any opportunity to interact with higher-ups—from attending your company's social events and sitting in the right place in the cafeteria to volunteering to work on special projects and serving on office committees. In these situations, don't be afraid to strut your stuff. Just be sure you know what you're talking about!

It also doesn't hurt to be assertive in determining your own destiny. Just like asking for a raise, bringing up the topic of promotion with your manager is appropriate and legitimate, provided you've earned the right to move to the next level. Rather than accosting your boss in the hall during a moment of extraordinary stress and blurting out, “I want a promotion,” give the matter a great deal of thought before initiating a conversation. Develop a bulletproof case for why you are entitled to advance by making a list of the weekly hours you spend doing tasks inside your job description and the weekly hours you spend doing tasks at the next level. The goal of this little exercise is to show that you are accomplishing much more than you were originally hired to do. If you're doing the work of more than one full-time employee, note that as well. Then, as you're talking to your boss, point out that your efficiency saves him money because he only has to pay one person instead of two.

Be prepared to compromise. No matter how valuable you are, chances are your boss is not going to promote you right then and there, so talk in terms of time frames and how you can ensure that you perform at a level that will warrant a promotion in three to six months. Once you and your boss agree on a promotion plan, remember to get it in writing.

At some point in your early career, it's inevitable that you will be denied advancement. The circumstances vary. Maybe you will ask your manager for a promotion, and she will turn you down outright. Perhaps a higher-level position will open up and one of your colleagues will be slated for it instead of you. It's also possible that your performance review or promotion plan says you are due for advancement, but your boss thinks you still have some work to do before moving ahead. In any case, being denied a promotion can be disappointing and hurtful. However, it does not mean that your boss doesn't like you, or that the company doesn't recognize your contributions. Often, promotion decisions have more to do with the politics of the organization than with you as an individual. It's vital that you don't demonstrate your displeasure, because the “powers that be” might be watching to see how you react. Instead, take an honest look at the reasons behind the decision, and work to overcome real and perceived weaknesses so that you can be successful at the next opportunity.

Last year my boss increased the scope of my responsibilities without officially promoting me. My new job required me to interface with clients a lot, so my old title didn't really fit. One customer even said that my business card confused him. I was fed up, so I took the plunge and changed my title in my email signature and on my business cards. My boss eventually got the hint and promoted me.

Henry, 27, Virginia

It happens all the time: You're one of the top performers in your department, but for one reason or another, your boss doesn't promote you. Here are some suggestions for handling some of the more mystifying scenarios.

Your boss keeps giving you new responsibilities, and everyone recognizes that you are operating at a higher level. Maybe your boss doesn't have the authority to promote you, or maybe
she
is at the next rung on the ladder so there's nowhere for you to go. It's also possible that your boss doesn't feel a sense of urgency when it comes to your career growth. Talk to your boss frankly about a promotion or compensation appropriate for your new level of responsibility (see “Asking for a Raise” on page X). If that doesn't work, use the visibility tactics described in
Chapter 4
to alert the higher-ups to how well you're doing.
Really stuck? You may have to roll the political dice and go above your boss by asking for a meeting with your department head. Just make sure that you frame the conversation in terms of your career development rather than the promotion you want, and also ensure that you keep your boss informed.