Ask HR: Will I ever catch up with the colleague who’s ahead of me?

I work at a company that is growing. With the growth comes new roles and promotions. For this reason, the company has been seeking to promote its staff internally. Recently, my peers were promoted, while my status remained unchanged despite performing better than the selected individuals. What do I do to match up with the colleagues who are now a step ahead of me?

I commend you for your positive attitude despite this setback. Your choice of words is equally remarkable, ‘match up’ and ‘a step ahead of me’ point to an individual who looks ahead, and seeks solutions. By choosing and verbalising positive words, your battle becomes less intimidating. It is great that your company is growing. All you need is to increase your worth to gain competitive advantage.

There are several ways to achieving this. Consider what may work best for you and make the necessary modifications. Ensure you have a sound understanding of the system of work, from how objectives, goals and performance indicators are set to when and how periodic reviews are conducted.

This is important to ensure your output is aligned to the tasks, and to direct your effort where it is needed most. Performance is not just about results, it is also about your integrity. Stepping on others to post better outcome will serve you only temporarily. How you treat, collaborate and enable others is equally important.

The next step is to review the specifications of the job you have earmarked, then match your current skills against its requirements. Note your strengths and gaps, then initiate a plan to improve within a specific period. You will soon notice that as much as performance is key in every aspect of your work, it is not the only factor considered during promotion.

Other social skills are equally important, like the ability to lead a team, solve problems, resolve conflicts, guide others, and objectively assess performance of others. Review your performance reports and take note of feedback on skills that you need to work on. Consider conducting an objective assessment of your skills and compare the outcome with the role requirements. Investing in your emotional intelligence, especially social awareness, is a sure way of staying ahead of the pack.

Then, lastly, speak to your manager to understand why you missed this opportunity, and take the feedback seriously. Work on your shortcomings and in no time, you will be elevated. Even then, continue to invest in yourself to remain competitive, and stay open to feedback.

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