How To Be Your Target Position Now
I am amazed at the number of people who wait to be promoted. A long time ago I was mentored in a key skill that was critical to my career growth. “BE” your target role now. This means assessing your target role and deeply thinking through how a person in that role behaves and thinks.
How to deeply think about the role
What are the accountabilities for that role? What are the types of goals? What are the reporting processes? What are the language styles and expectations? What are the major role challenges? What are people in that role doing really well? How does the peer group at the role level interact? There is a lot to think about and process or internalize. Don’t rush this step.
What’s your take on it?
The next step is applying the role to you. If you had that role, what would you do differently? How can you map your current work to the goals and priorities of that role? What would you have to change about your work habits to be in that role? What skills would you need to brush up on or learn to be in that role? Do you really understand the accountabilities of that role?
Putting it together
The two foregoing paragraphs should give you lots to think about and work through. Sorting out your thoughts into actions / plans / training / changes will give you exactly what you need to start “being” your target role. This process will change your thinking which should change your behaviour which should change how you are perceived. The goal is to act and think like your target role.
How you win!
Your manager, or their peers, should begin to notice a change in you which will differentiate you from your peers. That’s called rising to the top above your peers which will give you a promotion advantage. I have always asked my team leader, manager, executive the following questions:
What are your key performance objectives?
How can I help you achieve them in my current role?
How does my work effort align to the corporate objectives?
What can I do to have a larger role in the key objectives of our team?
These are very different questions than the typical following questions:
What do I need to do to get a promotion?
What do I need to do to get a raise?
I feel ready for more responsibility.
The first set of questions are the kind that will get you upward bound. The second set of questions make you sound just like everyone else. Choose to be different!
What do you think about this concept? How can you begin to “be” your target role?
David Reimer