Have You Been Told – “Your Simply Not Ready to Be Promoted”?

Have you ever been told, despite hitting or even exceeding your performance goals, that you’re “just not ready” for a promotion?

It’s feedback that many of us have heard at some point in our careers. It's frustrating, vague, and doesn’t provide a clear path forward. You’ve done everything right—accomplished your goals, delivered results—and yet, something seems to be missing.

At LAK Group, we believe that finding your career rhythm involves more than just hitting targets. In fact, after working with professionals at all levels, we’ve found that this type of feedback often signals something deeper. It’s less about what you’re doing and more about how you’re engaging with those around you.

You’ve spent time developing your capabilities and skills, but have you focused enough on building relationships?

Here are five actions you can take right now to find your rhythm, strengthen your relationships, and set yourself up for your next career move:

1. Know your strengths and share your story with others. Being great at your job isn’t enough. Senior leadership needs to see that you can collaborate and elevate those around you. Identify your unique talents and look for ways to share them with your team. Maybe you excel at seeing the big picture or can communicate clearly in high-pressure situations. Use these skills to add value and help others succeed.

To reflect on what makes you stand out, ask yourself: What are you known for? What is your purpose? What challenges do people consistently seek your help to solve? Complete an assessment to identify your personality and professional traits. Once you've identified that key strength, look for approachable ways to share it with others. This not only helps build stronger relationships but also adds value to the team. For instance, if you're skilled at influencing others, offer to give feedback to a colleague before their next important meeting.

By showcasing your expertise in this collaborative way, you’ll position yourself as someone ready for greater responsibility and leadership opportunities.

2. Self-Awareness: Seek to understand how others see you. Understand how others perceive you and focus on team success. Your career growth isn’t just about personal achievement but how well you bring others along with you. Start by seeking feedback on your leadership style and making adjustments to involve others in decision-making processes.

As you advance in your career, it's important to seek feedback on how others perceive you. This awareness can help you identify behaviors that might be limiting your effectiveness and uncover blind spots that could slow down your professional growth.

Take the example of my client Annie, a dedicated nurse who was told by the Chief Nursing Officer that she "just wasn't ready" for a promotion, despite consistently exceeding her performance goals.

After speaking with her colleagues, it became evident that Annie's path to promotion was being blocked by senior staff who felt she wasn't a team player. She had been assigned to improve a struggling nursing unit and tackled the task vigorously, implementing new research-based protocols and improving patient care metrics. However, her swift actions left some long-standing caregivers feeling sidelined and unappreciated. A few even left the unit, citing Annie's leadership style as a concern. This led other leaders to view her as someone who prioritized results over relationships.

Working together, Annie and I focused on how she could achieve her goals while fostering a collaborative environment. She started involving her team in planning sessions, actively listened to their input, and encouraged open communication. By shifting her approach from "me" to "we," Annie began to rebuild trust within her team. Her supervisors took notice of this positive change, recognizing her as not just an effective nurse but also a supportive leader.

3. Mentor others and grow your leadership abilities. Even if you’re not in a formal leadership role, mentoring others can help you grow as a leader. Reach out to someone in a different department or team and offer to support them. This not only helps develop their career but also strengthens your leadership presence.

An effective way to develop your leadership skills is to reach out to someone outside your immediate team or department who could benefit from your expertise. Commit to meeting with them for an hour each month for a year to help tackle any challenges they may be facing. For example, I once mentored Chad, a talented HR Business Partner who was technically skilled but struggling with assertiveness in collaborative settings. He realized that his quiet demeanor was affecting his ability to influence decisions and get his ideas heard.

Over the course of our monthly meetings, we developed an action plan that involved small but impactful changes in his communication style, such as speaking up in meetings and offering his input with more confidence. These gradual adjustments made a significant difference in how he was perceived by his peers and leadership. Eventually, Chad gained the recognition he deserved and was promoted.

The rewarding part? Helping others not only makes a difference in their careers but also in yours. It’s always fulfilling to see how small acts of mentorship can lead to lasting success. I still receive notes from people I’ve worked with, sharing their progress and thanking me for the support we built together. It’s one of the most meaningful aspects of coaching.

4. Learn to work with difficult personalities. Challenging personalities are inevitable in any workplace. The key is developing strategies to work productively with all types of colleagues. This will help reduce friction, build trust, and create an environment where people enjoy working with you—an essential element for career advancement.

This is crucial because if you don’t address these issues, they will continue to reappear with new colleagues. I coached Yves, a VP of Sales, who had a pattern of clashing with high-performing team members who had different work styles than his. Yves realized that his frustration with certain personality traits was creating friction and holding him back from building stronger relationships with his peers.

Once Yves took accountability for working through those differences and developed strategies to collaborate with all types of coworkers, the tension began to ease. By fostering a more harmonious working environment, Yves made it easier for management to view him as a leader ready for greater responsibilities.

It’s also important to remember that relationships evolve over time. People mature, get promoted, and may leave for other companies. One day, you could find yourself working for someone who was once a difficult colleague, or they might be the person who can introduce you to your next great opportunity. By taking the long view and investing in relationships—even the challenging ones—you set yourself up for future success.

5. Set healthy boundaries and focus on the right opportunities. It’s tempting to think that working harder and saying “yes” to everything will lead to a promotion. In reality, it’s about setting priorities and knowing when to say “no.” Focus on projects that have strategic value and avoid spreading yourself too thin. This shows leadership that you understand what’s important and can manage greater responsibility.

Earlier this year, I was coaching a female leader, Stephanie, in an organization that was over 80% men in the leadership team. We discussed how as an emerging, it's important to be strategic about the opportunities you say "yes" to. Volunteering for cross-functional task forces or initiatives is a great way to expand your network, develop new skills, and gain the support of key leaders outside of your immediate team. These experiences will help you grow but be intentional in your choices.

We discussed putting a focus on projects that are aligned with revenue generation or that contribute to the overall strategy of the organization. This would help other view her efforts as valuable and impactful. She decided to steer clear of tasks that are purely tactical in nature and shift her focus to long-term strategic projects that were more complex, cross-functional and challenging.

Stephanie had several opportunities and tried to get involved in too much.? She started to realize that just because you are seen as an talented individual who has potential to grow, doesn’t mean you need to take on everything that comes your way. Learning to prioritize and choose the right opportunities will set you up for long-term leadership success.

At LAK Group, we understand that true career growth comes from finding a rhythm that blends performance with strong, authentic relationships. By focusing on these key areas, you’ll be better positioned for promotion and long-term success.

For more information on how you can advance your career, contact LAK Group at www.lakgroup.com. Our career coaches can help you assess your current state and develop a plan to advance your career. You can also purchase our book, “Career With Purpose”.