Thank you for joining me for another episode of the corporate Cowboys podcast my name is Alex as always your host today’s episode a little proof of life has always Friday April 21st day after rather famous cult holiday Friday April 21st 2023. and this advice I mean it’s Timeless I’m
Just giving you a proof of life so you can track when I gave it to you and you could work backwards or work forwards from it but a lot of this general advice so to speak you want to move like a corporate Cowboy a lot of it is timeless really corporate
Hasn’t changed much at all since its Inception from the east Indian Trading Company through the Dutch conglomerates that traded shares and base their market economy on tulip bulbs all that good now if it’s your first time listening to us or if you were a repeat listener if you’re returning
To uh catch this new episode I uh recommend suggest insist even that you share this podcast with your Close Associates with your colleagues people that are in your circle whether they’re family whether they’re friends acquaintances professional connections you never know when somebody might be in need of a little break right from corporate
Treat this as an open doors office hour right where I’m in here cozying up eating lunch and you come in and you have a question to ask granted this time my voice is going in and out because I got into uh shouting match shouting match on a lot of follow-up
Conversations yesterday on the 20th right you would think it was a day of relaxation decompression and unwinding being a national smoking day but no it’d be nice to lose my voice from just smoking many many memories from my youth doing so no more professional now today’s question is coming from r slash
Career advice right a little disclaimer little forewarning anything you hear what you hear across these episodes even though they might sound like advice they’re General more than anything because because we don’t have the hypothetical clients in front of us so we can’t actually follow up with questions with interviews to be more
Specific in our opinions so anything you hear across this medium of the corporate Cowboys podcasts none of it should be construed as legal advice you have to at first engage thus retained Us in some capacity to be your legal representative and in that way well we might have a duty to
You not to mislead you or misguide you but again these are a lot of what we speak on are personal perspectives professional perspectives that you can generalize across many Industries and many firms to operate like a corporate cowboy and focus objectively keep that as a as a primary objective your professional development
So today’s question asks am I a sucker for waiting on an internal promotion right off the bat I’m gonna say yes yes you’re a sucker for waiting why the would you I mean unless okay unless the industry you’re working in or the firm that you’re working at is so tightly
Regulated that it’s hard even to enter it like the barrier to enter is so strict so restricted that it’s difficult to make it in and to make a splash to make waves to make and Blaze your own trail and move up I mean if it’s difficult it’s difficult
I won’t hold it against you it’s never a bad thing to be waiting in line for your turn but it definitely isn’t a good thing if you have the option to wait or otherwise make moves elsewhere and cover more ground lay down the groundwork the foundations for you to to
Be promoted and roll into a promotion seamlessly fluidly that becomes an issue only because you you forego you forego any opportunity you had to build yourself to develop yourself when you had the opportunity it becomes an opportunity cost an opportunity cost that you might recognize later on but an opportunity
That you could have realized nonetheless without having to wait I mean you have an opportunity to uh socialize with your manager or your superiors and learn what it takes to move up and survive in the next position up to be successful to move out from there and negotiate your value
Something that’s worthy of your time and your effort why wouldn’t you capitalize on that why would you wait for just your turn for it for your position in seniority ship because you’ve been oh because you’ve been with the company I don’t know how long it takes I don’t know what the
Turnover looks like but if it’s two years three five years that’s time you could have been investing laying down the foundation and not wait five years to move up it’s possible it’s been done I’ve done it and I totally get and understand that sometimes employees lack the motivation the initiative
To want to pursue the creation of those opportunities sometimes those opportunities aren’t uh obvious and yet they can be created but they require a mindset that not a lot of professionals have or aspiring professionals you have to move like a corporate cowboy you have to know how to recognize opportunities or potential opportunities
Right where there are no doors no windows you become the carpenter you’re the one with the hammer literally and figuratively you’re a corporate cowboy sorry that’s just the title of this question the body the body is short but I’ll read it and uh try not to interrupt unless it’s worthwhile you’re saying
2.3 holy 2.3 years damn they got specific right 2.3 years in my current role and I’m slowly starting to believe I won’t be promoted I’m a very good worker and I have a rare skill set among my profession that’s coding coding what like uh software coding program development software development
Coding again they weren’t super specific but are they a sucker yes waiting 2.3 years and they’re slowly starting to realize they won’t be promoted I mean if anything that should have served as as fuel as as tender to light a fire up under your ass and get moving make some moves
If you need help identifying these opportunities that’s what we’re here for if we had him in front of us this hypothetical client we’d have a slew of questions to interview them with and get a better picture of their situation to be able to strategize a plan of action something they can actually execute
Granted a lot of this comes with risk I don’t know how outgoing or I don’t know how how bold how much courage they have when they’re working and coding again I’m not going to stereotype that they are the uh quintessential nerd with no social skills and no network
It is possible of course but it’s also possible that they are a nerd and they do get out they do socialize they’re capable of developing a professional Network that they could leverage and take advantage of they say they’re a very good worker and they and they have a rare skill set in
Their profession which is coding I mean I don’t know if they’ve done the research to be able to validate to be able and legitimize the fact that their coding skill or programming skill is rare because uh given the recent happenings in the tech sector a lot of layoffs have been taking
Place doesn’t sound uh too rare or as rare as hypothetical client is making it out to be if big tech companies are laying folks off in Mass and large in large groups and waves and they continue here they write I just lack supervising experience and my only
Path up would be a manager role I’m not sure what to do do I just apply for these roles oh so okay so they’re not so much waiting they just don’t know what to do next okay all right so I can take it a little easier before
I was somewhat judgmental right when I heard that they’re waiting for their turn I guess to be promoted oh for sure judgmental right granted I always want to be as informed as possible but but if you’re waiting to be moved up and you’re not making any moves you’re not taking any steps
Making strides to at least uh connect with your supervisor the person you might be replacing if you’re not taking any steps to learn what it takes to move up in the organization when you get promoted what was what differences exist in responsibilities and duties and obligations and the type of authority
The degree of authority you’ll have and control over organizational resources all of that matters now this hypothetical client sounds like a novice and that’s not a bad thing that’s not a bad thing they just don’t have any managerial experience they haven’t gotten that exposure in the working experience they have now
Through that time working as a coder they haven’t taken on any managerial duties any uh supervisory controls or obligations on other subordinates or groups of people so that could impact their marketability but but it’s not a uh deal breaker when it comes to wanting to get promoted if you lack that experience
It’s good that the next promotion is an entry-level managerial position that introduces you to those duties and obligations how you will be delegating the work experience experience that you can then market and use and transfer as a professional throughout your career if you don’t have that experience now why wait for it
You’re asking what to do next when it’s a parent I mean it appears that you know what to do next you know what position comes next and that is that of a manager that of a supervisor so it’s about time you get started working towards that finding out what the what the
Requirements are the requisites knowledge and education that you need to be successful in that position that would put you Head and Shoulders above other potential candidates who are just quote waiting their turn you don’t have to be that person you take the initiative you get active on them you could necessarily promote yourself
Let me uh read you one or two comments here this was a pretty short prompt but I feel like I answered it to a relatively good extent if they’re waiting to get promoted I feel they’re they’re doing something wrong they could be working on getting promoted they could be making advances
They could they they could be taking steps even if they’re baby steps to getting exposed exposure to the work of a manager to the work of a supervisor so when the promotion comes down it’s it’s seamless you just roll with the with the waves go with the flow why because you already know
What a promotion entails if if there are additional obligations and duties those are things you need to be wary of that you need to pay attention to be mindful of really really consider your position and whether or not it’s worth either waiting for the right time or you going out and making time
To be right and get right get promoted you can work on promoting yourself the first comment here says when you are too good at your position management doesn’t like to promote you damn damn that cuts deep and uh I’ve been in a similar position before both both as an employee
And as a manager because it’s true it’s true I think this is more so the case and maybe I’m a little biased maybe I’m maybe I’m playing the devil’s Advocates by default here right as as a part of as a member of corporate the corporate Community as a corporate Cowboy I’ve got
To think like corporate but move like a cowboy right running and gunning shooting from the hip but but that’s not to say that’s not to say that when you are dependable and just there just aren’t any positions into which you could be promoted to yeah I’ve I’ve been strained I’ve been conflicted
Whether or not to further develop my employees while I have no positions to promote them to it’s uh it could be not not painful not painful there I think they’re like the inverse of growing pains you you outgrow your position I mean I could do the most as your
Manager I could do the absolute most to get you trained up to get you educated to just drop knowledge on you with with the purpose of you soaking it but if I don’t have a spot to promote you into it’s not that I don’t want to
Promote you it’s not that you’re oh Uber dependable and super reliable so I wouldn’t want to miss out on having Alex work this shitty position because I don’t want to promote them as a manager I might not have any managerial positions for you now I mean you want to think like a manager
Think about the team you’re cultivating think of think about the number of subordinates and the span of control you have in your organization whether or not there are opportunities you can create for expansion for organizational uh organizational development and then further even further uh organizational recruitment as an expansion again those are that’s
More higher level strategic thinking that requires a lot more information right I don’t want to go out and just Wing this because this is a step in a lot of folks’s careers that that rarely becomes reality unless it’s done right if it’s done right then success more often than not
Is a form of compromise right if and I’ve said this before in many other podcasts any change that’s created in the organizational structure or the organizational hierarchy by and large it’s treated like oh it’s more work it’s it’s rarely viewed as oh this is a different
Type of work or oh this work is more efficient no no no because it’s different work because it’s it’s work that did not exist before it’s as treated as more work it’s as if people incorporate can’t conceive of the idea of old processes and new processes that are more efficient it’s like they
Literally tried to handle them both at the same time and because both of their hands are full with both old and new processes and methods it’s it’s like they got their hands full they got both hands occupied and they think it’s more work when really they should be dropping the old and picking
Up the new or picking up the difference or picking up the more efficient right I mean times change you can’t hold on to Old processes like um they’re incapable of being improved on everything everything can be improved on everything the second the second comment here they write something different obviously oh
Actually the first comment continued that was the uh the first sentence the second sentence here why would they give you more money when you’re already doing so much for them right now for free okay where where where or where I think this first comment here really jumped to conclusions and and
Rode in on some assumptions you know what they say about assumptions it makes an ass out of you and me it’s what they say you know what to say about assuming it makes an ass out of you and me okay fine but this first commenter is is writing as if
They believe the hypothetical client is already working in this managerial or supervisory capacity and not being compensated for it question mark no the hypothetical client never mentioned that the the hypothetical clients if anything recognizes that that’s the next step and I guess they just don’t know how to take that next step
Short of us attaching uh a line to their feet to their arms and legs and treating them like a Weekend at Bernie’s right just puppeteering them onto their onto the next phase of their career which I would think is getting promoted yeah now this first comment jumps to
Conclusions and and I think makes assumptions creates additional facts that just aren’t there to uh to confirm the hypothetical clients assertions right really what they’re asserting is is is a question is there confusion whether or not there are steps to take and what steps to take to get promoted the second comment here
The second comment writes talk taking on talking taking on training duties might be a way of arguing slash proving you are ready for supervision right and and I don’t know about arguing but it would go towards uh demonstrating you’re ready for the next step in your career you’re ready to get promoted
I think it’s a big deal it’s a huge deal why because you’re showing you’re showing the organization I mean bye it’s funny I do refer to a lot of formal organizations as the legal persons that they are right I’m granted they don’t really have a livelihood they’re not
Made of flesh and blood but you are showing your managers which are agents of the organization you’re showing them that you’re ready for the next step you’re you’re you’re you’re nipping at the bit right chomping at the reins so they call it to uh get promoted to want to move up to
Learn what the responsibilities are what the duties entail for the promotion and it’s not so much a finesse as it is convincing in persuading that you’re ready that you can take it on you can hold it down I mean this is after all corporate War you’ve signed up for
I mean we’re all born into it the very few times are opportunities just handed to you on a silver platter if they are if they are that’s something you want to be suspicious of you want to be suspect of suspicious of yeah just suspicious of why because
There really isn’t such a thing as a free lunch if you wait your turn and they just hand it off to you without any fuss because oh you’ve been with the company for five years so it’s about time Alex got promoted to I don’t know a senior lead manager supervisor right
It’s about time he’s got five years what do you think they’re gonna open up a space to dialogue with you and and negotiate your compensation no no you should feel lucky almost at least that’s the message they’re gonna try and convey you should feel lucky that it’s
Your turn it’s your time has come to get promoted and you should graciously accept this additional dollar per hour in in compensation I don’t know if you get paid hourly or salary you should be happy you got an additional five hundred dollars in salary I know that that’s that’s horrible that’s borderline sexual
Assault in terms of compensation I mean if if from one promotion to the next again depending on the on the organization and the overall duties and responsibilities you take on if if you are not given the opportunity to negotiate that’s how you know you up because you didn’t take the steps
To secure this promotion on your terms and negotiate those terms as far as your compensation your benefits and then your Authority goes you want to know you want to know what it is you can count on for the company from the company if the company knows that they can count on you
If you’ve been with them for some time you can show what kind of returns they can expect on their investing time and money and effort and energy into you to train and educate and develop you into a manager into a supervisor into the next step up you get another stripe
You get higher you become higher in rank you become a I don’t know a lieutenant a general I don’t know what your title would become right you want to move like a corporate Cowboy Always Forever that’s what we strive to attain is that state of consummate professionalism we can’t rest on our laurels
That that’s that’s in incons that’s an inconceivable way of gaining professional experience that’s it’s preposterous I don’t know what got into me to start using three and five dollar words but it is what it is I am a professional I am how I talk I am how I walk I talk to
Talk I walk the walk so I’m telling you you find yourself in a in a position where you don’t know what to do next do more but let them know you’re doing more let them know why you are doing more ask them what comes next show them you’re hungry
If they can’t feed you and by feeding you I mean if they can’t train you if they can’t educate you drop more knowledge give you open open up uh more responsibilities more Authority more resources to developing you professionally I mean maybe it’s time to polish up that resume which should stay polished always
I mean you’re a consummate professional after all are you not you can find us on Instagram you could DM us that’s at corporate Cowboys with a z the podcast is also on patreon you can follow us there are multiple tiers to subscribe to that’s the corporate Cowboys podcast they want to
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Your letters in we’ll answer all of them in due time we’ll catch you later take care
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