'I’m Doing My Boss’s Job. How Do I Get the Promotion?'

Brick by Brick is a monthly column that helps professionals tackle the intricacies of workplace issues and answers questions about career growth and advancement. In this edition of Brick by Brick, our columnist responds to a letter-writer who is feeling stuck because of a boss who's not exactly as efficient.

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Hi, Esquire.

I'm writing to you because I'm hitting a wall in my career, and the wall is right above me, a ceiling, if you will.

I've been with my current company for five years now, starting at the ground level and rising through the ranks. This journey has given me an end-to-end understanding of the day-to-day operations inside and out. I also believe that it has made me one of the most effective people on my team.

However, about a year ago, a new manager was hired from outside the company to oversee our unit. Let's call this person "Ned." Because of my tenure and holistic growth within the team, I generally know more about the daily processes than Ned does. Over the last year, he has proven to be, well, less than effective. I frequently find myself making critical decisions, answering questions from both our staff members and the higher-ups, and even putting out fires that he should have been handling.

I believe that my tenure, performance, and leadership are enough for a promotion (and some raise). But this is where I get completely stuck. Ned is the one who has to sign off on my performance reviews and endorse my advancement to the bosses. If he doesn't fully grasp the complexity of my work, I'm not sure there's enough ground to make a case for my promotion.

What should I do? I don't want to step on anyone's toes either.

Stuck

Dear Stuck,

Hitting the proverbial career ceiling can give you that feeling of being stuck, which is not a great place to be. But that same feeling is a sign that you have grown in your capabilities and in your confidence, which is actually something to be proud of. So, good job!

You mentioned how you’ve mastered the daily operations of your work over the past five years, and now you feel ready to take on more. But growing one’s career does not only require capability and confidence, but it also requires an appreciation of context. And that is, the capacity and readiness of your organization to recognize and support your growth. Now, considering your context, we need to acknowledge that Ned, as your immediate manager, is a key component of being recognized and supported. Let me share a different perspective: you aren’t stuck, you’ve grown, but your company hasn’t been made fully aware of it—yet. And so let me offer some ways forward, a few "bricks," to build your next path ahead.

High performers consistently delivering day-to-day, end-to-end operations may tend to become the silent, indispensable heroes in the background. For the company to be aware of your potential, it’s time to make your work be known.

• Document your accomplishments and highlight the impact of your work in your regular reports to your team, other teams, and especially to Ned

• Offer data, learnings, and your insights about the team’s day-to-day operations, perspectives on what is working and what can be improved

• Step up and volunteer to lead projects and initiatives that provide opportunities to demonstrate your next-level skills, within and beyond your team

Being more visible does not mean bragging about yourself; it means allowing your organization to become aware of your active presence and positive impact in the company, beyond your team.

While people managers do have the job of evaluating our performance and strongly influence promotions, seeing the "Neds" in our lives as powerful and distant overlords of our career advancement is a limited view. Like you, Ned is a professional, working in your organization, seeking to deliver impact and grow in his own career. So why not shift your view from being Ned’s "subordinate" to Ned’s ally and partner in creating growth opportunities for you, your team, and Ned himself?

• When critical decisions are to be made, take it as an opportunity to “educate” him about the inner workings of the operations you are more familiar with; provide advice on these decisions

• When addressing questions of the team and especially of higher-ups, provide Ned with the necessary answers and propose how to approach these issues; offer to deliver the message together and agree on your roles

• When encountering fires that need to be put out, offer your perspective and find opportunities to take an active part in problem-solving as a team

Helping Ned succeed in his job is not about “sucking up” or just making him look good, or conversely, highlighting his inadequacies; it is to genuinely deliver value to the organization, solve real problems, and demonstrate your own leadership by doing so.

The notion of climbing the career ladder gives us the impression that the only way to grow is upward, which inevitably means having to knock off the guy directly above us to create space. The downside of this mindset is that it limits growth to one spot, in this case, Ned’s spot. Now it is quite valid to aim for the next higher position in your team, if you want it. But the fact is that traditional organizations are shaped like pyramids; the higher you go, the fewer positions there are to fill. Since you’ve grown in your current job, take a moment to see other paths that are in front of you, beyond Ned’s.

• Grow where you are. Initiate a career conversation with Ned and discuss the paths he sees that are there for you, given the skills you’ve demonstrated and the results you have achieved so far. Perhaps there are promotions within your role or even new positions in other parts of the company you can explore. This isn’t about demanding a raise or a promotion; it is seeking his perspective about your development and putting your aspirations on the table for him to see and act on as your immediate manager.

• Find other ladders. Revisit your company’s career ladder and know that there are other ladders out there. Organizations do not purposely limit people’s growth opportunities, but companies’ structures (ladders) are determined by many factors, including how well the economy and the industry are doing, how the organization has grown in size and complexity, and its ability to sustain the business in the long run. Are systems to regularly review salaries and promotions present in your company? Are there positions within the company for you to explore? Are there positions outside your company to explore?

• Create your own compass. While the organization and Ned may take a bit of time to see and realize how much you’ve grown, take stock and recognize your own growth. Create an inventory of your work and accomplishments. List down the competencies you have developed over the years. Find which parts of your career experience have challenged and fulfilled you. What you find out from this can serve as your own compass to determine how far you’ve come and will guide you to seek other places and avenues to grow.

While you currently feel stuck, know that you feel this way because you’ve grown. Make it known. Build partnerships. And find the paths that bring you to the next level of you (regardless of Ned).

Myke

Myke Santos is a strategy and HR consultant, a university faculty member, and the founder of Brick Management Consulting. His focus is on facilitating change for individuals and organizations by shifting perspectives. He is a certified coach for Transformative Coaching and The Leadership Circle, and a certified facilitator of the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Method, which he helped pioneer in the Philippines. He is a seasoned executive and HR leader with more than 25 years of experience in Human Capital Strategy specializing in Organization Development, Change Management, and Mergers and Acquisitions. Myke has led various enterprise-wide initiatives in business and people strategy alignment, corporate restructuring, talent management, and culture transformation. Having worked in a variety of settings, from startup to corporate, local to regional and multinational, has given him a broad perspective of the dynamics of business, organizations, and culture.

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