Sarah Roberts 

Being competitive is certainly a requirement in the workplace, but in the office, people clash heads, ideas, and more. Working at a desk job has its downfalls, but waiting at the desk can be worse- People who wait to be promoted often are not, and only meeting the daily requirements isn’t going to get you there.

Co-workers trudge over to the boss’s office, ready to state their point as to why they are the one the boss should promote. So, what is the reasoning? What makes you better than them? Sometimes the deliverance is the problem, and the realization that your boss might not see what you see in yourself.

Ann Armstrong is Lecturer of Innovations in compensation and Director of the Social Enterprise Initiative at the Rotman School of Business. Armstrong says that people usually approach their bosses poorly when asking for a promotion. She says that people need to focus on their boss when asking for a raise; to think of what they can do for their boss rather than what they can do for themselves.

“We’re not very well trained when it comes to thinking of our boss,” Armstrong says.  “If you can make your boss look good, that’s a big help,” she says. “Make sure you don’t make them look bad.” Armstrong says making your boss “look good” is a vital point in your boss’s decision whether or not to promote you.

Bob Kedrosky is the Director of Human Resources and Corporate Services at Wi-Lan Inc. He has been working in the Human Resources field for twenty-five years. He also teaches adult learning classes.

Kedrosky says that employees should have clearly defined objectives from their boss, mapping out exactly what their job entails. He says that going above and beyond these objectives or handing in projects before they’re due is the easiest way to show an employer you’re motivated and want to get ahead. “Another thing that’s especially important when people want to get ahead, is people want to hit deliverables, times, or deadlines,” Kedrosky says. “One of the things that will upset a leader or manager more than anything, is if I say I want something done, I want it done by Wednesday (for example) and I really want you to hit those deliverable dates or to be done before those deliverable dates,” he says.

Kedrosky says that he goes by an acronym of S.M.A.R.T. to describe tasks. The S stands for tasks that are specific, the M stands for measurable, the A stands for achievable tasks, the R for realistic and lastly, the T for the time constraint that the task entails.

When it comes to the “asking” part of talking to your boss about a possible promotion, Kedrosky says your boss will look at past behaviour to see what kind of worker you are.
“I think that when people are normally looking for more responsibility, there are two different fronts: You have those that really want to move ahead, and you have those that are very happy to be invisible and not be seen,” Kedrosky says.  
“Those that want to move ahead will be hitting their objectives and saying, ‘I’m done, is there anything else I can do?’ On the other end, you’ll have those that are going to hit their objectives on time, waiting until the last five minutes before it’s due, but they might’ve been done two or three days later and just handed it at the last second.” 
Murray Eldon is Director of Communications at Wi-Lan Inc.
“Find and add tasks within your present scope of responsibility that show you are a team player willing to go that little extra,” Eldon says.  
Eldon believes that the people who move up in a company prepare and prove they deserve the added responsibility and a pay increase. He says, if you want to move up the ladder at your present company, you should do your present job to the best of your ability and identify the next step up the ladder you want to take.

“Understand what the job entails and prepare a list of reasons why you want the job and your qualifications to do the job.  If expertise on certain software or accounting procedures is required, take an evening or weekend course to learn the skills and show you are prepared for the job.”
          
To Eldon, some of the worst things you can do when asking your boss for a promotion or more responsibility are demanding, threatening, or blackmailing your boss.
“People think that is a way to get a pay increase or promotion, get more options or shares, get better benefits or get a better office or something and it blows up,” Kedrosky says “Ask questions. Don’t think there’s such a thing as a dumb question. Make sure that you understand exactly what you want to deliver.”
Armstrong says that people are generally nervous when talking to their boss about a possible promotion, but that if people see that you are accomplishing a lot, you will eventually get noticed.

“If people figure you do a lot, you’ll get promoted,’ Armstrong says.

Kedrosky has another word of advice:

“Have a mentor; either inside of the company or outside the organization. It could be a past professor, a friend…someone that is more senior than you are that you can bounce ideas off of.” Kedrosky says. Emphasizing that someone who can counsel you through any project or give you advice is better than none.