Moving Onward and Upward at the Same Company

by Gloria Dunn

Even if you feel fairly secure in your job, given the history of instability in the corporate world during the last twenty years, you are bound to have a few anxious thoughts as you’re falling asleep at night.

So take your future into your own hands. If the best career move for you is clearly to seek upward mobility in the company you are at, here are some ideas to support you:

If you do not like your job, but you do like where you work, look for opportunities within the same organization.
If they don't exist, create them. You would be surprised at how many ways there are to do this.
To blaze a trail for yourself into a top spot, take the learning you gain from every position you are in and apply it in the next one. Or, find ways to keep your present job interesting. A colleague of mine, Gerard, had been with his company for twelve years when he began to experience some frustration with his job, even though he mostly found it satisfying and rewarding. To stay where he was, but spice things up a little, this is what he did:

He helped reinvent his organization.
His scope of responsibilities expanded to keep his workday interesting, and his level of excitement high.
He got involved in a professional society.
This helped keep Gerard's skills better honed and his attention focused. He wrote articles for magazines and other publications. To his employers and peers, this proved he was talented and knowledgeable in all the areas he wrote about.
He got involved with his co-workers and helped them develop their own leadership qualities.
Gerard found that he had talent for identifying people with high potential who didn't recognize it in themselves. He also found that in giving others a foot up, he added vitality to his own work.
He made sure his life was one of continuous learning.
Each time Gerard’s company tossed a change at him, he managed to turn it to his advantage by creating a new program with it. Meeting his challenges head on kept his work life from ever growing routine.

Offer to cross train in other departments so you can familiarize yourself with different kinds of jobs.
You will learn more about the organization as a whole, thereby increasing your skills and broadening your value across the board. Then, you may be the one that is too valuable to let go when layoffs occur. It is also a very effective way to get your name circulated.
Take a job within the company you don’t particularly want and use it as a stepping stone.
Sometimes, it can lead you to what you do want. You may even need to accept a lower salary or job status. But remember, do this only as a short-term strategy.
Volunteer outside your company for nonprofit organizations.
It may help you to hone new talents which you do not, at the moment, get paid for, and you will derive tremendous satisfaction from contributing to the good of others.
Consciously build your relationship with your manager.
The relationship with one's boss can be one of the most important factors in determining whether a person moves forward or stays behind. Even if this is not someone you would cultivate as a close friend, you can still cultivate a good and respectful working relationship.
Build good work relationships with people from other departments.
You want to offer ideas, cooperation, and assistance where you can, yet you don’t want to be an intrusive, pushy know-it-all. Try to be sensitive about what is needed and perceptive about what will be effective. Good networking involves building relationships before you need them.
Find out about extracurricular training programs offered by your company.
Almost always, the Human Resources Department has pamphlets available indicating what kinds of classes are given during lunch time, after work, or on weekends. They’re always free, and something not enough people take advantage of. If your place of work has a newsletter, check there, too.
Ask someone you admire to mentor you.
A person who has been around longer than you and knows the in’s and out’s of the business can be a great asset. It is important to remember, though, that in your eagerness to learn, you still need to be respectful of your mentor’s time. Before you ask a question, make sure you check that it is a good time for the person to stop what he or she is doing and answer it.

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Gloria Dunn is a management and organizational development consultant, and president of Wiser Ways to Work. She is the author of "From Making a Living to Having a Life", and also writes and speaks on management topics. She can be reached at 415-883-8239 or at gloria@wiserwaystowork.com or visit her website: www.wiserwaystowork.com.

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Moving Onward and Upward at the Same Company

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