Imagine that you are working really hard at your job. You are having successes and in your mind you think “this is it! I am going to get promoted for all this great work I have done!” But nothing happens. No one comes to you offering a promotion. Your boss doesn’t mention anything either. You see other people getting promoted, so now you wonder what is the secret to making this happen?
Here is the secret. Your performance while great, becomes something that is just expected. It doesn’t distinguish you from anyone else who is also doing their job. It is great that you are doing well, but it is not going to get you promoted. At this point, you have built something called “Performance Currency” according to Carla Harris in her article called
Moving Up With Help. Once you have build performance currency, you now need to build the other type called “relationship currency.”
This is a term that describes what you need to do to build relationships with all the key people who could be in the room deciding if you should get promoted or not. You might think well they must know what I am doing. I am sure that they know. Unfortunately, they probably don’t know or they don’t know enough. They want to know that you could perform at the next level and that comes through by having conversations with them. You may have also heard this termed “self-promotion.”
Although promoting yourself may not be something you have done much of before, it becomes crucial as you climb the ladder. Management needs to know that you can do the job before they will give you the job. That means spending time meeting with them, keeping them informed, having hallway conversations with them to give them an update. When management is asked whether you are ready for a promotion, it is important that these people can say they see you doing the job, they have met with you and they support the promotion. If they don’t know who you are, they will not support you.
Building your relationship currency takes time and intentional focus. Who are all of the key player that you need to know and who need to know you? Start with your manager’s peers and any other key decision makers who could be deciding on your promotion or future career plans. Create a of the list of people to connect with and get meetings or lunches on the calendar. You maybe thinking I have so much on my plate…I have no time for this stuff. If progressing in your career is important to you, then this has to be your priority. You need to keep up the level of your performance, but now you need to be intentional about these conversations and make them happen.
You want the relationship currency bank account to be full and ready when you need it. Situations where you will need it may be for promotions, but it can also be lateral changes, leading a committee or project. Start these conversations today and don’t stop them. The good thing is not only that other leaders get to know you, but you also get to know them.
Use these opportunities to learn about their background, lessons they learned, how they lead their teams, what advice they would give you. You also need to share what you want out of your career. What type of role do you want? How far do you want to progress in the organization? People need to know what you want in order to help you. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want. These relationships could be so impactful to your career and getting promoted may only be one small part of it. Having influential people in your organization that support you are like gold that you will want to hold onto and treasure.