Why Being Deserving Is Never Enough

Anyone who works in an office has seen it. The upset employee who’s angry they got passed up for a promotion even though they were the most qualified candidate. Their peers see them working hard every day and it’s difficult to understand why they weren’t at the top of management’s list. Or how about the quiet guy in the corner who toils away every day? He never complains, always does a fantastic job and the company would be lost without him, but for some reason he’s still there…..toiling. This begs the question – When it comes to career advancement, why is being deserving never enough?

I, like many of you, started my professional career wanting my work to speak for itself. I wanted to produce a product that was so high quality and a work ethic that was so unshakeable it would take me to the top of any company. To my na?ve surprise, that tactic didn’t work. I kept getting overlooked. It took me many years to learn that no matter how badly I wanted to buck the system, I needed to be my own champion. Being shy and wanting my work to make me shine was getting me nowhere. What appeared to me in the beginning to be shameless self-promotion was in fact not shameless. Actually, quite the opposite.

If I’m not confident in myself and in my abilities, then why should my employer be confident in me? You can’t be scared to tell people all the ways that you can add value to their company. Especially if that value goes above and beyond what your current job title entails. It’s not about a need for validation (which is an altogether different topic), but rather a desire to excel. In order to be given more responsibility, your boss has to know you are willing and ready to handle that added work load. Hiding in your office isn’t going to portray that for you.

Get out there and be social! Ask someone to lunch or for a private meeting and tell them how excited you are to make a difference for their company. Be prepared to give some specific ideas on what you think you can do to make their lives easier and their business more profitable. Come at them with creative solutions rather than the status quo and watch how quickly their enthusiasm for you will grow!

Simply being deserving is never enough. You have to go out of your way to earn it. It won’t happen overnight, but any employer worth their salt will be appreciative of your desire to help them better their business. They’re looking for someone just like you……you just have to show up!