Many folks who come to me complain they are dead-ended with their present company. They feel they have no future at their current employer. They’re also scared to death of looking for another job with another company. Do you feel the same way?
You may be missing a wonderful opportunity to get a promotion and a raise. First analyze your own job and field of responsibility. What function are you fulfilling? Can it be improved or enhanced in some way? If the answer is yes, how can you share your perceptions with your direct report?
Look around you. Cultivate your critical eye. Look at the bigger picture. Talk with others in your department. What bottlenecks, problems or issues do they mention? How can these be addressed? What would be the benefits to your company if they were addressed? Look for opportunities to volunteer to take on additional responsibilities where you could demonstrate your creative and problem solving abilities.
It’s not enough to identify problems. You must also discover and implement viable strategies for dealing with these problems. If the problem is of sufficient magnitude that it would require additional manpower and/or resources, you might consider writing a sharply focused proposal that could be presented to company decision-makers. The proposal would cite the benefits of the proposed program.
There’s not a company out there that operates perfectly. Most executives want and need employees who can identify problems, work collaboratively, and develop processes for improvement.
What are you doing to earn recognition, promotion and a raise?