Earn Your First Leadership Promotion

So little has been communicated on how to really earn and excel in your first leadership role. The status quo is to do your best job proving you can be successful in your individual contributor role and then believe it qualifies you for the next role that is completely different! We focus on sales leadership here at Rise Up Consulting and are getting ready to publish our next book in September called Leaderboard to Leadership; How to Earn and Excel in Your First Sales Leadership Role. Here is a sneak peak about earning your first sales leadership promotion:

• Create a track record of sales success?
• Communicate your intentions of wanting to get into leadership
• Take on unofficial leadership projects/tasks

Create a track record of sales success. I outline a few questions to ask yourself to do this successfully in your company and industry in my upcoming book with stories of other leaders who have done it. There is no one size fits all for advice here, but there are certain questions that if answered will help you gain a competitive advantage and stand out: What is your success plan to win in your current role? What kind of results will you need to consistently produce to prove you have a track record of success? How long will you need to do it? Some organizations look at sales numbers for three months and promote people to leadership. Others look at success records over the course of years. Its important to know what game you're playing and how to play the game to align to your career goals.

Communicate your intentions. Once you have figured out a plan on creating a successful track record, you must also begin to communicate your intentions of rising up the sales leadership ranks.? You do not have to wait until you feel your record is strong enough.? You can communicate to your direct manager, your CEO, others on your team that your dream one day is to become a sales leader.? You can make your intentions known as you build your reputation.?As one HR Director said, "You cannot be promoted on aspirations alone; your actions must align with them." You will need a leadership ally in order to earn your first promotion, someone currently in leadership who sees you and believes in you. Make sure you have open communication about your goals with the right people.

Take on leadership projects A sales leader who joined me on an episode of Lessons from the Leaderboard to Leadership? shared how she proved herself in sales and also became the person others came to for help.? She mentored new hires and answered questions her colleagues had.? You do not need an official title to begin to take on leadership projects or responsibilities.? If you can do your job well, and take leadership responsibilities (without needing the title), you show you truly have leadership capabilities.?People begin to see you not only as a salesperson, but a leader.?Shifting the perspectives of others is necessary if you want them to see you in a different light.?Simply doing your job well and hoping they see your potential isn’t enough.?

We love seeing people develop themselves and those around them to create positive and powerful ripple effects in organizations. Check out our website to see how this might work for you and/or your sales leadership team.