If I work harder and make sure I’m the expert and ‘go to’ person, they’ll see I’m ready for promotion. Truth is, this strategy is more likely to keep you in the role you’re currently in or lead to stress as you repeatedly strive for knowing everything and working harder.
It’s a great comfort blanket and feeling when you have great expertise at something – who doesn’t love it when colleagues and bosses praise you, you feel in control and that you have a good reputation. It’s helped you develop and progress to this stage in your career, so it’s good right, just keep going? Yet you may want to think about whether this helps or hinders you when you’re aspiring to rise in your career.
As women, we are more susceptible to this trap and whilst it looks good to be the expert and it got you to where you are today, it probably want get you on to what you want next.
Instead of taking expertise as the route to progression, have a think about what else you might be doing to get you noticed and positioned ready for the next opportunity. Here’s few top tips to start:
Focus on doing the job well enough and take the time you get back to get you to the next level
Identify the knowledge, skills and behaviours you’ll need for the next step so you can pay attention and look for opportunities to grow these areas
If your next step is into leading people, how can you learn to let go of your expertise and become better at leading others expertise?
How can you develop your internal and external networks to help you progress?
How can you build and leverage relationships around you to get noticed by the right people?
How can you build your visibility with the right people?
How can you let go and effectively delegate to others around you?
Where do you really play your ‘expert role’? What does it do for you what’s the impact for you and others around you?
I’ve worked with many women to think through and set a clear plan to progress their careers. For many it’s about getting clear on what the next step looks like and what they need to be focussing on. It’s also key to look at what you need let go of, especially that inner expert, deal with any worries that pop up and consider your next move with what you want in your life too.
If this resonates with you, why not get in touch to have a chat about your career progression and how I can help?