It might seem nearly impossible to get a promotion if your boss isn’t on board with you getting one. Do you love your company, but don’t love your boss? There are ways to work around an unsupportive boss and still take your career to the next level. Here are three things you can do to get ahead at work without having to leave a company that you love.
Get Noticed by someone else’s boss
This probably sounds impossible. But it’s easier than you might think. There will be times throughout the year when you’ll sit in meetings with people that you don’t interact with regularly. This is not the time to sit idly by and let someone else do all the talking. If there’s a reason for you to speak up about what’s happening in your world, or you have a “win” to share, take the opportunity to take your boss’s lead and provide supporting information where you can. We’re not suggesting that you steal the spotlight here, but if you can offer additional insights that not only make your boss look good, but positions you as someone that’s involved in making things happen, you will be more likely to get follow up questions from leadership outside your department.
Ask for Advice
It might seem like going to someone that’s not your boss to ask for advice would just make it seem like you don’t know what you’re doing. However, if you can position your need for advice in a way that sounds like you’re asking for mentorship, you can make it seem like you’re being pro-active. For example, you could approach another leader in your organization by saying something like, “I heard about your initiative that’s lead to HR changing their onboarding process, I’d love to hear more about how you got the initiative off the ground.” It might not sound like you’re asking for advice, rather asking them to tell you how they did it, but you’re actually doing both. You’re telling them that you noticed something they likely worked hard on, and are acknowledging that it has potential to be impactful, or it already has changed things for the better. You will also be telling them that you are interested in things that aren’t necessarily part of your job description, and the next time they’re going to take on a special project, don’t be surprised if she/ he comes to you to see if you’re interested in helping.
Find an influencer
Oftentimes people think of an influencer as a person in the C Suite or at the Director level. However, some of the most important influencers don’t have an impressive title to go along with their impressive skill set. Some of the most influential people are the ones who have been with the organization for a decade or two, and have been there in the good times and the bad. They are the ones who know when promotions are coming, or layoffs will be scheduled, and could be the Accountant or Office Manager that works with people across the business. The key to getting this person to notice you isn’t showing up with cookies every Friday, or offering to take them to lunch every week. You’ll get them to notice you if you offer to help them. Get them talking about what they struggle with, and genuinely seem interested in understanding if you can be an asset to them. Is your boss notoriously late with his or her expense report? Could you take that on for your boss, or start reminding them earlier in the month?
The other key to being successful here is that whatever you promise to do to help the influencer, you’ll need to follow through. It also shouldn’t be such a big commitment that it affects your ability to actually do your job.
An unsupportive boss, or a boss that is more concerned with keeping their status or position in the organization doesn’t have to result in a dead end job for you. If you can find a way to take one of the three suggestions we mention in this blog and put it to work for you, when an interesting role opens up outside of your current team, you’ll have a better chance of snagging that promotion or new position.