Get Bigger Raises & Better Promotions: Few Promotions

This continues our series sharing how to get bigger raises and better promotions at work

Dan entered a management training program with a national car rental company. He worked hard to understand what management expected him to do. He cultivated a mentor in the branch where he trained. He built a network of contacts both in and out of the company. The mentor and network helped him understand the unwritten rules they did not teach in the management training program. They also helped him not only do the job, but do it better. Following our coaching, he also verified that he met and exceeded their expectations. He advanced to management faster than the other 130 other people in the management training program.

Reasons for Fewer Promotion Opportunities

The opportunities for promotions and advancements decreased as big companies reduced the level of management in the early 1980s. They compressed levels of management from an average 17 to 6-9. The compression eliminated the traditional “career path”. Fewer levels of management left fewer advancement opportunities.

In addition, the proliferation of smaller companies as a percentage of the workplace (up to 95% of Americans work for small companies). Family or personally owned companies with less than 250 employees also provide fewer options for upward movement. Family owned companies tend to place family members in the most responsible positions. As a result, fewer advancement possibilities exist for non-family members.

So, fewer levels of management combined with most people working for smaller or family-owned companies reduce the opportunities for promotion.

Assignments Replace Promotions

The growth of project teams or temporary work teams provide you with more opportunities for recognition and variety. Of course, some projects carry more prestige than others. Your reputation improves when they assign you to the more prestigious projects. Assignment to plumb projects enhances your ability to learn more skills, provide a greater return on investment to the company, and impress management more.

Sometimes companies give higher salary raises or award bonuses based on your performance on crucial project teams.

Friday we explore how discovering what management wants and delivering it helps