Dear Jobs Guru: ‘I want a promotion but colleagues say I’m not management materials’
Reader Claire says she’s getting fed up of being overlooked – especially when she’s taken on so much responsibility. Our Jobs Guru James Innes is here with some advice
It’s horrible feeling undermined at work(Image: Getty Images/Tetra images RF)
I’ve been in my field a long time now and I’ve taken on more and more responsibility over the years. I manage projects, I help train and mentor less experienced colleagues, and I’m often the one people come to when something needs sorting out properly.
So I was pretty taken aback when somebody recently described me as “reliable support” rather than leadership material. I’ve been chewing over it ever since, because I honestly don’t know how they can look at the same career and come to that conclusion.
How can two people see the same experience so differently? And is this the sort of thing that can hold one back?
Claire, Doncaster
I have to say, that would have annoyed me too, Claire! “Reliable support”… It sounds pleasant enough on the surface, doesn’t it? But I can quite see why it stuck in your throat. It has a faint whiff of being patted on the head and put back in your box.
Now, does that mean they are definitely wrong? Not necessarily. But it may mean that the way your experience comes across is not doing you any favours.
There is a difference – and it is a maddening one – between being the person who helps make things happen and being the person who looks as if they are driving them. Plenty of capable people spend years doing valuable work, keeping projects on track, mentoring others, solving problems, calming chaos and generally being worth their weight in gold, only to find that somebody else gets labelled the leader.
Why? Because leadership is often judged in a rather superficial way. Who speaks first, who gets credited, who chairs the meeting, who looks decisive, who sounds as though they expect to be listened to… I’m not saying that’s fair – but it’s how it is.
Any manager worth their salt should be able to spot real leadership when it is there, even if it is not wrapped up in swagger and self-importance. But not all managers are worth their salt!
So yes, this sort of thing can absolutely hold you back if you let other people’s wording define you.
Top Tip:
Don’t assume people will join the dots for you. If you have led, say so. If you influenced, improved, decided or delivered, make sure it’s known.
Spotlight On: Being helpful:
There’s nothing wrong with being helpful. Offices would collapse without helpful people.
But there comes a point when ‘helpful’ starts can be problematic. You become the one who supports, assists, keeps things moving… whilst somebody else with less substance but more front can end up looking more senior simply because they talk like the main act.
If end up sounding like the helper rather than the mover and shaker, don’t be too surprised if others start seeing you that way too.
Get a head start in your job hunt with James’ new book, The Job You’ve Always Wanted – out now from Pearson at £16.99.
Our Jobs Guru, James Innes, is a best-selling careers author and founder of the world’s leading group of professional CV and resume writers .
