GET PROMOTED AND KISS YOUR CAREER GOODBYE

Are you up for promotion this year?

As the end of the year approaches and you still haven’t had any bad news, then there is a high chance it’s in the bag.

Imagine what you can do with that extra money and how proud you will feel when you tell your friends and family about this great news?

But this promotion could mean you kiss your career goodbye. Are you ready for that?

Let me tell you why and what actions you can take now to not just survive, but thrive at the next level.

ARE YOU SHOWING ENOUGH RESPECT?

But are you ready to step up to the premier league?

Are you paying the new competition enough respect?

The top four and those in the relegation zone won’t show you any. Their bonuses and lifestyles all depend on outperforming the competition and you are about to become one of them. Unless you up your game, they will kick you straight back to the Championship.

They wouldn’t promote me unless I was ready

You may be ready, but how will you compete with those seasoned professionals.

HOW ARE YOU GOING TO COMPETE?

Just think about the top performer in the league you are stepping up to. It may even be your boss. How are you going to compete with them?

Even competing with average Joe in this league is going to be an ask.

A senior colleague of mine once told me that a high percentage of Managing Director promotes fail in the first 18 months. This seems to align with the google searches I have done on people getting promoted or taking on new roles i.e. 40-60-% failure rate in the first two years.

Strangely this also aligns with the latest stats on the premiership football league where 30 of the 68 promoted teams have been relegated in their first season.

If you don’t get yourself ready to compete then you can kiss your career goodbye in the first couple of seasons.

THE TOP 5 THINGS TO START NOW

Here are top 5 things you need to start doing now to get yourself ready for the season.

1. Support Network

Can your existing support network help you compete at this next level? If not, then it’s time to upgrade it. Find yourself more experienced mentors, coaches and trusted peers.

2. Leadership Team

You are going to have to invest your time in bigger and more strategic initiatives. Is your existing leadership team strong enough to pick up what you are going to have to delegate? If not, then think about who you need to upgrade and work out a training programme or go searching for more strength.

3. Relationships

Your peer group will change and so will your partnerships. It is time to start building those relationships. Create yourself a relationship heat-map with all the people you need to establish or continue to build relationships with and create actions on how you are going to do it.

4. Behaviour

Think about how you need to behave at this next level. For instance, your word could be treated differently. If you commit to something today and you fail to deliver, it will be frowned upon, but at the next level, it could cost you your job. I have seen it happen and it was one of words of wisdom my ex-boss and mentor gave me when I stepped into his role.

I would also do some research into building your leadership presence.

5. Impact

What are you going to do next year to increase your scope of impact?

Can you get involved in regional initiatives?

What can you do to make a big difference, a difference that your new peers are making today?

MATCH ANALYSIS

Don’t get me wrong, I think it is fantastic news that there is a high chance a promotion is on its way. You should feel very proud.

I wanted to shock you a little into taking advance action. Action to prepare you for what awaits you next season. From personal experience, it is necessary and if you don’t take action you can kiss your career goodbye.

And remember, with the new title comes a bigger workload. Make sure you effectively manage your work-life balance. Family and friends come first is a rule that I live by. Don’t start to starve them of your time.

To your continued success

Nick