Overlooked promotions and how to challenge them - (Leadership Skills: Week 1)
If you’re an experienced Assistant Manager who has been overlooked for promotion this year, I feel your pain! The Manager grade is your first rung on the managerial/leadership ladder and it’s an important step in key relationship management with clients. It should also be an appreciative nod from your firm that you’re being recognised and seen.... When promotions are deserved but overlooked, it can lead to a variety of feelings that can quickly melt into despondency and a desire to move firmly on with another organisation.
The best advice I can firstly offer is around self-awareness and being brutally honest about your strengths and skill gaps. This gives you so much power. I was 23 years old when a colleague in my peer group was promoted ahead of me even though my financial performance was distinctly better. I couldn’t understand why I was in the queue and not the other way around! As it happens, promotion came 6 months later but hindsight is a wonderful thing.
When I look back at my 23 year old self, my drive and ambition were off the charts. I worked hard and it paid off in billings BUT, there were skills I hadn’t learnt yet that needed honing before I took the step up. I just wasn’t ready and needed time. I’ve also been on the other side of the fence where I reckon I totally deserved a cheeky promotion and got knocked back. It’s beyond uncomfortable to experience and I can absolutely relate!
If we connect, I can help you to frame all of these aspects positively and in a way that will supercharge your interview process but for now, the key questions to ask yourself are:
- Am I genuinely doing the role of a Manager in the same way that Year One Managers are at my firm? What is the fundamental difference between the Assistant Manager grade and the Manager grade at my firm?
- In light of Question 1, do I have any knowledge or skill gaps compared to my Manager peers that are preventing my promotion?
Once you’ve asked these honest questions, we can adapt your interview preparation together to ensure super slick answers and context around your circumstances. Some serious homework is of course required to challenge the usual norms around ”promoting up” when making an external move but it’s definitely possible with some help.
If a call would be of value to discuss your career then do reach out to me at lt@tpi-search.com. We’re in interesting times where fantastic candidates are falling off the radar via their direct applications for no good reason. And this is where our advice will make sense of it all.
Timings are also everything and so we can run through the backdrop to ensure your career path is in great shape, irrespective of whether you leave or stay. If this resonates, I look forward to connecting!