You’ve been at a company for 10 years and check every item off of your to-do. You raise your hand and share ideas. You ask questions and lead meetings. You collaborate and network, and yet you’re still not getting to where you want to go in your career. You feel like you’ll be stuck in your role with the same responsibilities forever. The truth is, you may be missing one key ingredient that can get you unstuck, guiding you to opportunities that advance your career and invite you to step into your leadership. Continue reading to learn how to advance in your career and what might be stopping you in the first place.
It’s All About Transformations (For You and Those You Work With)
The content for this article is inspired by a recent workshop I executed for a company I’ve worked with for six years now. I’ve always enjoyed working with this company, supporting their leadership development efforts, but this last round of teaching, learning, and presenting was my most favourite yet. I witnessed magic.
To give you context, every year, the company selects 30 individuals to go through their leadership development program. These are people with recognized potential for a promotion.
Over the last five years, 150 employees have participated with 120 of them being promoted during or after the program.
It’s truly something special, something I look forward to every year, and this last session was exceptional to say the least.
Tears were shed. Laughter was shared. People who never imagined presenting to executives in front of their peers not only nailed their presentation styles but delivered it with confidence and expertise. They found their leadership. They went through a transformation. And because of their transformations, the executives were able to go through their own transformations, being moved and inspired by their content. (Learn more about the full experience by listening to episode 178 of the Your Brilliant Difference Podcast.)
So, this is something to keep in mind when thinking about: how do you develop career advancement? Remember, it’s about transformations you deliver through your leadership.
Why Can't I Advance in My Career?
Before I get into how to advance in your career, let’s answer why you may be stuck. The reasons can vary for everyone, and they can be dependent on industry, but here are some common obstacles that are found within the workplace.
Lack of Goals
Whether you’re 10 years or 20 years into your career, to move forward and keep advancing, you need something to move toward. You need to set goals. Do you know what you want your next step to be? Can you envision where that step will lead? If you can’t answer these questions, that’s probably why you’re idling. Having a clear goal not only gives you something to move toward, but it ensures you’re doing the proper things right now to get there.
Lack of Learning
What got you here won’t get you there. The skills that set the foundation of your career up to this point won’t build the platform you need to rise for the years to come. In a way, they’ve become outdated. You can still use them and they’re still important, but how can you grow upon them? Better yet, what new skills can you learn and apply at work?
Lack of Challenge
One of the best ways to shine at work is by solving problems. Is there a problem you or your company is facing that you can solve, that will help everyone move forward? Find one and fix it. Doing so champions your leadership and shows you’re invested in your company.
Lack of Purpose
Having a lack of purpose leads to burnout and disengagement, and when you’re feeling “meh” and detached from what you do, it makes it impossible to seek new opportunities to advance, as you can’t even stand what you currently do day-to-day.
4 Strategies to Help You Get Unstuck and Advance in Your Career
Each strategy comes with the foundation of Your Brilliant Difference, a personal branding method for leaders that goes beyond traditional personal branding tactics. Instead of focusing on just you, you flip the script from “me” to “we” so you can focus on the transformations you deliver for others because of who you are. It’s a tool to help you build and refine your leadership brand that will then act as a guiding light for your career advancement path.
Strategy 1: Give Yourself Permission to Shine
One of the reasons you may not be advancing is because you don’t want to shine or stand out. Yes, you want to be recognized and valued, but society has conditioned us to conform to the status quo, that standing out is a bad thing. It’s not, especially at work. Let what makes you different shine. It will help you stand out as a leader! When you falter in embracing what makes you “you,” you shortchange the world, those you work with, and yourself. They don’t get to witness your unique talents and experience your impact. Not leveraging what makes you different can stall your career and leadership growth.
Strategy 2: Invite Others to Shine with You
Strategy two often follows suit of strategy one. When you give yourself permission to shine and others watch you do so, it sets the tone for them to do the same. Just because you shine and stand out doesn’t mean you’re alone.
I often frame this as the concept of psychological safety. In corporate environments, this is a priority for many, and if it isn’t, it should be. Psychological safety allows everyone to confidently step into their leadership in an accepting, judgement-free zone.
When you give yourself permission to shine authentically—in your strengths and weaknesses and all—you give others permission to do so too. Not only does this amplify your leadership, but you create an environment where more critical, productive conversations can take place.
Strategy 3: Bring Your Whole Self
Giving yourself permission to shine doesn’t just mean highlighting your strengths; it’s about being vulnerable and transparent about your weaknesses too. The strongest leaders don’t shy away from their weaknesses. They know they’re a part of them and that they play a pivotal role in their growth and career advancement.
We also tend to compartmentalize ourselves, having a different identity for every occasion, often building a solid barrier between our professional and personal lives. But what if you brought it all?
For example, one employee in the program I recently discussed scripted her piece of the presentation. She laid out what she was going to say on cue cards. But instead of depending on them, she put them aside and allowed her personality and style to shine through, delivering an inspiring and engaging message.
Bringing your whole self allows you to be more confident and create multiple avenues of connection that people can relate to.
Strategy 4: Make It Personal
If you don’t find a personal connection to your work, you’ll never find your purpose and make a meaningful change in areas that matter the most to you.
In the program, groups were given business issue assignments to present on. One of the people in a group had a personal story she could relate to the topic, but she was hesitant to share it, afraid that it would be too personal. But the group decided to use it as an inspiration point, and they incorporated the story, illustrating the impact of the message in a personal, creative way.
Getting personal at work during situations like this helps you form deeper connections with those you work with.
How Will You Advance in Your Career?
There you have it, four strategies to help you step into your leadership and advance in your career. Remember:
- Give yourself permission to shine; what makes you different creates a transformational impact.
- Invite others to shine with you; when you give yourself permission to shine, you inspire others to do the same.
- Bring your whole self; don’t compartmentalize.
- Make it personal; find unique, creative avenues of connection to build stronger relationships.
When you give yourself permission to shine, you make the most transformational impact that everyone gets to experience. You also encourage others to shine, allowing them to rise with you. Bringing your whole self allows you to shine in your unique leadership style and getting personal bolsters relationships with your leaders and employees.
Which strategy will you use first to advance in your career?
