Has a promotion been eluding you?

Promotion time at the workplace can generate several feelings and reactions. Those who get one feel elated. And those who do not, experience a blend of immense dejection and some happiness – dejection for being overlooked and happiness for the promotion of co-workers.

When you took up a job, you were full of enthusiasm and were thrilled at the growth prospects it offered. You would have fantasised moving up the career ladder. Therefore, the feelings of bitterness and dejection are justifiable. However, you must take it that all is not lost. In order to get the promotion that you want, you have to first understand why it was denied to you. There could be a horde of reasons and which can be remedied for certain. Some possible reasons are:

· You have not been able to express your career aspirations in concrete terms: Are you certain that your career aspirations are understood by your boss? Are you sure that your boss knows that you have been working hard and that you deserve a promotion? At the time of joining an organisation, you obviously cannot make such intents known. However, upon establishing yourself and with nothing visibly adverse against you, the need for your boss to join up in your career aspirations is inescapable. It is only then that you will be able to make certain that you are afforded all prospects and backings are made available to you.   

· You have perhaps been waiting for your genius and potential to be discovered: Your promotion is also contingent on your efforts towards self-promotion. You need to knock off the belief that if you do things well, you will automatically be recognised. However, self-promotion does not entail blowing your own horn. Your efforts need not be loathsome, but the fact is that you need to let people who matter know whatever you have achieved at work. It is only then that you will be noticeable and your efforts truly acknowledged. Your destiny is not a thing to be waited for; you have to go all out to achieve it.   

· You have not been vigorously pursuing your dues: Have you been pursuing your promotion or not? Or is it that you have been sitting under a tree waiting for the fruit to fall? A promotion will never come to you on its own. Besides excelling in your chartered role, you also need to go after work and responsibilities that are higher and beyond it. Have you been doing that? There is an age-old adage that says that shallow men believe in luck and strong men believe in cause and effect. You have to be the foundation of your promotion. Remember that nothing comes home; you have to get out and get it.

· You survived a nightmare but failed to take initiative to re-establish yourself: There could have been difficult times and you came out of them. Living through them could have meant real hard work and all your resources may have been depleted. You thought that you will be recognised, but things failed to turn out in your favour. Perhaps you were unable to call the shots for whatever reasons, however, it is your responsibility to take initiative to get moving ahead again.

· You and your boss are not in harmony with each other: All along, you could have been endeavouring hard. But you failed to create the desired impact on your immediate boss. If such a situation persists, it is unlikely that you will have any career advancement come to you. The need is and shall always be to make known your efforts and get appreciated for them.

Bygones being bygones, they should be forgotten. You need to initiate appropriate remedial action. How can you do that? The following guidelines can be of immense use:

·  Have no ambiguity plague you about the course that you are on: You should be clear about the direction in which you have set your compass on and the time frame in which you want to attain your objective of securing a promotion. It will be prudent to discuss the foregoing with your boss or any other individual who matters in your organisation. This will ensure that you are not devoid of patronage and encouragement.

· Work much beyond your designated role: You have to display real dynamism. This would entail willingly shouldering additional responsibilities, including functions required to be performed by higher appointments.

· Indulge in discreet self-promotion: You need not be boastful in making your efforts being noticed and acknowledged. Any boastfulness could be misinterpreted as self-aggrandizement and arrogance. You need to convey within the bounds of modesty whatever you are doing and whatever you have achieved. 

But what happens if things still do not work out? You cannot let your hopes drown. Perhaps looking for better pastures elsewhere may not be out of place. A promotion may have eluded you, but nevertheless you tried. And if you keep trying with all the sincerity at your command, you will be successful in getting it for certain. Remember that there is nothing in this world that can take away hard work from success; it only enhances it.