Articles

Five Reasons You're Not Getting Promoted (or Hired)

April 30, 2014 (Number 56) Having coached hundreds of senior leaders over the years, I've noticed that many of them are quite unclear why they're not being further promoted — or getting other career opportunities.  Typically, they are never told the real reasons.

But I've had a number of conversations with their bosses and other executives about their actual rationales for wanting — or not wanting — to place certain people in higher-level roles.  From these discussions, a clear set of reasons has emerged for why leaders are most often denied greater opportunities.

First, the good news: At senior levels, it's usually not about lack of talent or ability — so long as you have sufficient, relevant experience.

Instead, whatever stalls you're encountering in your career progress are most likely due to one or more of the following factors:

• You don't have a sufficient handle on your emotions.  This includes persistent, irrational feelings of inadequacy which, although nearly universal, likely limit your ability to show up as fully confident and as able to inspire others' confidence in you.  To gain greater freedom from this destructive emotional force, read my free book chapter on the topic, downloadable here.

• You otherwise lack executive presence.  To understand it and begin developing it, see this article and this one as well.

• You're seen as too self-focused, so people don't trust you. For more elaboration of this challenge – and how to address it – see my article, How Much, Really, Do People Trust You?

• You want your next opportunity too badly, which also makes people not trust you.  That's because people will wonder if you'll feel deficient without the position or whether, similarly, you have something to "prove."  Generally, neither motivation will feel very inspiring to others.

• A key decision-maker feels threatened by you.  To better understand how you unwittingly become a threat for others, and how to alter those perceptions of you, see this article.

In evaluating these factors for their possible relevance to your situation, have you been maintaining an absolute, nondefensive curiosity?

Of course, you can shrug off each of these career-blockers as inapplicable to you.  But it's the very rare case indeed where I've seen someone's career — and their leadership — unimpeded by them.  Resolve, therefore, to take back your power by looking within — and finally remedying what's been limiting you.

Dean Herman, Ph.D.