By John R. Nocero & Jennifer L. Kennedy
JenniferKennedy@barberinstitute.org
Many people struggle to climb the corporate ladder and not just those in the C-suite. Just because you work longer than everyone else does with a great track record does not guarantee you’re going to the next level. You might expect it to happen, but that doesn’t mean it will. Failing to see the writing on the wall – that you are being strung along, that you didn’t read the lay of the land, that you failed to share your knowledge – can mean that you’re going nowhere fast.
Why?
Multiple reasons. According to Rangel (2016), if you are irreplaceable, then your company won’t promote you since it could lead to problems. You need to build bench strength under you to get promoted. Unless you mentor, train and groom others to take over for you, it will hold you back. You have to nurture and prepare your team to take the lead in your absence. Could they do that today if you were promoted? If the answer is no, maybe that’s why you’re stuck. If you are irreplaceable in your current company, and don’t have the resources to develop bench strength, you may have to accept your position at your company will never change. It’s a misguided idea to think that if no one understands what you do, then you’ll be more valuable to your organization. Especially in compliance, if you’re organization doesn’t understand what you do and why those things add value, why would they keep you let alone promote you? You need to be transparent, to explain what you do and how you do it. You need to make sure your organization sees the value in what you do.
Or maybe your negotiation skills suck. Brown (2015) says that no one will ever pay you what you’re worth. You will only get paid what people think you’re worth. You continually need to sit down and evaluate your value, and you do that by asking key value questions. What are my clients’ needs and how do I meet them? What is my unique skill set that makes me better qualified to serve my clients? What do I do that no one else does? What problems do I solve for clients? What value do I add? Brown says when you answer these questions, you define the value that clients get from working with you, and then you determine your true value. As a compliance professional, it’s harder to quantify your value. You work in an area that doesn’t generate revenue so you need to learn to market your skill set and how it benefits the business. You need to promote yourself and the diversity offered by a compliance professional. The perception of skill and agility will serve you well in being mobile in your organization
In addition, for God’s sakes, quit feeling sorry for yourself. You’re not entitled to anything in life, let alone a promotion or pay raise. You must be willing to endure pain, hardship, failure and suffering for something you love for sometimes decades in order to eventually become knowledgeable, talented and skilled enough to become great at it and reach your income earning potential. It is only when we are internally driven by our heart and passion for something that we are willing to suffer, tolerate failure and endure ridicule from our peers, family and society to achieve it (Wayne, 2017).
At this moment you have multiple reasons to be happy: you’re doing work that supports you financially; you have talents and are discovering more of them over time; you know what you will tolerate in a workplace and what you won’t; you’re not content to settle for just any job that pays the bills, and you are willing to keep searching until you find the right path (Ryan, 2017)
[clickToTweet tweet=”Get What You’re Worth” quote=”Get What You’re Worth” theme=”style3″]