How to get Promoted to become a Managerial Team Member
So you want to be a manager? Well, the truth is, not just anyone can waltz into their boss's office and successfully request a managerial position. Any good manager will look for certain qualities in his or her employees to determine whether or not that person possesses the characteristics and potential that will make that person a successful manager and leader. Truth be told, hard work and perseverance will only get one so far.
To be a manager, certain leadership qualities need to be, if not apparent, then, at least, noticed by the higher-ups in order for those in charge to make a positive decision to promote a staff member to a managerial promotion. A closer look needs to be taken into what it takes to snag that coveted promotion that can catapult an average Joe Schmoe into the position of a leader.
It does not matter what business is the topic of the conversation - the process of promoting someone to a leadership position almost always takes a similar thought process and course. For example, almost all employers examine how enthusiastic his or her employee is about the job - it is not a matter of just putting in the right amount of hours. If an employee stays at work for ten or more hours, but the results do not differ from the results of those that work regular eight-hour days, this does not speak of employee's dedication; it speaks more of his or her individual inefficiency, more than of anything else.
Moreover, to become a managerial team member, an employer will look at how the person in search of a promotion behaves within the boundaries or his or her team. Is he or she content to go through the motions without voicing an opinion? Or is he or she participating and contributing to the group discussions and debates? Is he or she trying to lead by example and not by force or intimidation?
A managerial team member is the one that can coordinate his or her team's ideas and pull them together towards a common goal, in an organized manner. Perhaps, one of the characteristics such a manager must possess is a certain kind of charisma. It does not mean this kind of a manager needs to be a social butterfly and get along with absolutely everyone. However, it does mean this type of a person needs to possess enough insight into people's behavior to determine rifts and distress signals within a team.
To get that promotion, one needs to prove he or she is capable of leading the team and keeping it together, as a unit, through good times and through the bad. And, yes, it may be hard to get a sense of whether or not one is actually keeping a team together. One of the ways to keep track of that is to demand regular performance evaluations. These can accurately gauge whether or not an employee is improving and growing as a leader with consistency and determination. In other words, if monthly or bi-monthly reports have shown consistent improvement, they can make for a strong case why an employee should be a candidate for a promotion to a managerial position.
Another way to ensure a promotion is more or less secured in the employee's favor is to regularly meet with the management figures to propose improvements and initiatives that can potentially better the quality of the overall work space and communication with clients and consultants. This does not have to be a process of kissing-up-to-the-boss, but rather, a challenge that can improve the quality of a work place, not only for the person seeking that promotion, but for everyone else at the office as well. Developing a method for providing consistent, without being overbearing or redundant, feedback is a way to position oneself on an employer's radar. He or she will be sure to note who is making steady effort to make a work place the best it can be.
Finally, it is important, when asking for that promotion, to not try to guilt the employer into giving away the managerial position on a basis of gender or age, or any other factor apart from one's performance at his or her job. Just as those in leadership positions should be careful to not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, age, so should an employee be careful to not put his or her ethnic or physical attributes above performance. Even if a promotion is granted once, it will be much harder to advance in the future.
