There are many things that can affect one’s ability to get ahead at a particular job. The two most critical components are whether or not your supervisor likes you and the second is where you positioned on the list. Most people are unaware though that there is an informal pecking order list. This unwritten list represents how the team is perceived by leadership. If you are a newcomer you will not pass a long term name. Get over it and wait your turn. However you can move up on the list faster by outclassing other folks on the list but you will have to be an extraordinary performer to accomplish this. The most daunting hurdle is that you could be in a situation where your boss just doesn’t like you. If you find out that this is the case you have two choices, find a way to improve your supervisor’s perception of you or move to another group. Long term supervisor dislike usually doesn’t end well for the employee. Usually a sit down with your supervisor will yield clues on what you need to work on.
Years ago I remember asking a supervisor why another employee was up for promotion instead of me. I mean I had better results, at least on paper. I was better at the technical parts of my job and people generally thought I was a hoot to be around. I asked her what the deal was. Then she gave me a brutal assessment that I needed but at the time thought was more painful than necessary. She said “Eric you are full of ______!” Stunned, I was motionless as she mercilessly read me the ‘riot act’ from beginning to end. She said “you have a ton of potential and you are not remotely interested in doing anything with it.” I was able to stammer that I got good results but her response was just as brutal. “Everyone gets good results son or we fire them! You sir, do just enough to be ‘queen of the pigs’ and no more.” By the time she was done I had been bloodied and battered by a vicious barrage of reality ‘grenades’.
As she saw my shoulders begin to slump with the approach of imminent submission, she softened slightly to explain her frustration. “Eric,” she said, “you could run this place if you actually put forth your best effort. People all know you could do extraordinary things but you seldom do.” Now in my mind because I got slightly better results than my peers I thought I should be touted as awesome. I was blissfully ignorant of the reality that that most of us are measured on the perception of effort coupled with the results that we achieve. Superiors want to see people that are dedicated and focused. Then when the good numbers come there is a clear link between cause and results. Leaders then can calibrate their objectives based on how much effort they believe they can get from their employees. Someone who does just enough to say they get their numbers but doesn’t give true effort is frustrating to the boss. They may not fire them but they are not looking to promote those not seen as not truly dedicated.
Eventually I learned the lesson she was trying to teach me. Sadly it didn’t happen immediately but the day that it did, wow! I remember waking up feeling I wanted more than just the mediocre life I had. Watching successful peers who may not have been as naturally talented but much more focused, eventually brought me out of my career ‘sleepwalk’. Remembering that talk with my honest supervisor, I enrolled a cadre of mentors who I asked to be brutally honest as they helped me. I garnered a some ego ‘bruises’ in these sessions but collected exponentially more wisdom.
Lesson: Don’t expect to get promoted if you cannot guarantee your work ‘product’ is not perceived to be packed with your best efforts. Also it’s a good idea to get some experienced mentors on your side. To quote one of my mentors, “You gotta bring some to get some!”
Eric Kelly is a professional executive career and lifestyle coach with over thirty years of experience in corporate America. He has established management development systems in the US, Europe, South America, Africa and the Middle East