On the day of the big presentation to the client’s Board of Trustees, I got off my plane and stopped in the terminal to get a cup of tea before heading to the meeting.
Then my phone rang.
It was my senior colleague, which made sense as we needed to coordinate where we would meet up and make sure he had everything.
I suddenly got something I thought was for “higher ups”
However, he was calling to tell me that his travel plans were messed up – and he wasn’t going to make it. I would be going to the meeting without him, and doing the presentation to the Board.
He quickly got into summarizing the key talking points and coaching me on how to keep the discussion focused on the decision at hand.
I already knew these things but the review did help the situation feel more real. After we hung up I felt confident but still had a lingering sense that surely there was a reason that a senior colleague was meant to be at the meeting?
My client was super supportive and said, “We got this.”
That’s when I started to realize that I had unknowingly allowed myself to believe that I didn’t have the rank to deliver a major message to executives. But the Board didn’t even know my title. This was about offering solid advice, which I had.
It challenged my assumptions about waiting for a promotion
In my head, I had built up the idea that a promotion and a change of job title, was a moment when a whole basket of items would be presented to me, all tied up in a bow with a new business card. If and when the basket would appear on my desk was entirely up to others. I just had to keep doing good work and wait.
Suddenly, here I was being handed an item from that basket. I was going to a pivotal meeting to deliver major strategic advice, and I had the full confidence of my client point of contact. This was sweet!
What if I didn’t have to wait for the whole “promotion basket” at once?
The whole afternoon went really well, and when we shared the news with my colleague, my client said that he didn’t need to come to any future meetings. Now that was a major validation boost.
And it gave me reason to consider changing my idea of what a promotion was. Maybe I could intentionally get more of the items over time, until someone offers me a labelled basket to put them all in. This reframe felt so much better!
Exercise to feel more empowered toward a promotion
So here’s an exercise for you to feel more empowered toward a promotion.
- Today, start a list of what you imagine is in the promotion basket. Maybe it’s the responsibility to make a certain decision, or the authority to organize a staff event, or the opportunity to attend a key meeting or conference. And brainstorm ways that you could get versions of these things, even in small ways, now. (Here’s a list to get you started.)
- Then through the week, keep reviewing and adding to the list with new ideas, as you notice potential opportunities around you.
- At the end of the week, go through your list and pick one to discuss with your manager in your next check-in.
