What does it take to be promotable?

• Do you think you’re made for something bigger than your current job?

• Are you dreaming of getting that promotion, and wanting to find out what you need to do to get there faster?

Every job in every company needs specific “hard” skills: the kind of skills that they teach you at University. For instance, knowledge of law is essential for a solicitor. Accountants need technical skills to balance their clients’ books. Scientists working in a lab need scientific know-how. Whatever your individual job, you’re probably already pretty good at the required hard skills.

However, in today’s service-based economy, soft skills – such as people and communication skills that are rarely taught at school – are increasingly important. These skills are required in nearly all jobs and seen as essential for climbing the career ladder. They’re about developing the right personality to be promotable, about focusing on the things that add value, and about getting those things done.

Many soft skills can be learned through sustained targeted effort. They will add value to your life through positive interaction with people, and building true connections both in your professional – as well as your private – life.

In my book, How to Make Yourself Promotable – 7 Skills to Climb the Career Ladder, I describe the exact skillsets that will get you the promotion you want. These skills are both specific and learnable. Yes, a lucky few seem to be born with them. The rest of us, however, need to consciously work on developing them.

I’ve studied these skills in the course of my career, and over time distilled them into seven categories. These categories have then become the 7-step PROMOTE framework that I’ve detailed in How to Make Yourself Promotable.

Throughout my own career, I’ve seen a growing trend for people who are promoted to score highly on several of these skills. The ones who consistently score highly on all of them are the true leaders.

The PROMOTE Framework:

P         Practise powerful communication:  Communicate in powerful and positive terms and truly listen to what others say. This is the primary tool in your leadership toolkit.

R         Raise your self-confidence:  Stand, smile, and speak with confidence.

O         Own your brilliance:  Convincingly demonstrate your skills to others via effective presentations and pitches.

M         Mentor and be mentored:  Grow with the help of a mentor, and practise essential leadership skills by mentoring others.

O         Optimise relations with your boss:  Managing up is the best practice for managing down.

T         Target peak productivity:  Achieve more in less time through planning and prioritising.

E         Engage authentically:  Understand and embody the characteristics of      authentic leadership.

Acquiring new soft skills and/or developing those that you already have can be hard work. Changing ingrained habits can be a daunting task. It is a long and often challenging process that requires dedication and persistence. But the results will be worth it.

And, during the month of July, the e-book is on offer for just 99 cents! Get it on Amazon[1], Google Play or Kobo.

[1] Amazon is not available in Singapore