While hard work is necessary in any job, it isn’t enough when you want to advance into leadership. 

 

Rising up requires making your hard work visible by developing strong relationships, finding allies and mentors, doing work that adds value, and being your own best advocate. 

Here are three strategies to help you advance:

Move from performance currency to relationship currency. 

Relationship currency involves making investments in the people around you versus just focusing on your assigned tasks.  Since our work doesn’t speak for itself, you have to make your credibility visible to the right people like your colleagues, boss, and mentors. 

Set boundaries around low-value work. 

Refusing low-value tasks and projects can sometimes make you feel like you’re not a team player. But low-value work often goes unnoticed and drains your energy. Don’t let yourself get trapped in this vicious cycle. 

Sharing the load on lower-value tasks fosters a culture of collaboration and mutual respect while also setting healthy boundaries for you. You’ll end up with more time for work that is both motivating and impactful to the organization and establishing your reputation as a leader who can assert boundaries effectively.

Advocate for more of the work you want. 

Learning how to respectfully promote your work and the value you’re contributing is essential to your growth. Don't shy away from opportunities to highlight your results and accomplishments to your boss, team and mentors, and use those critical conversations to advocate for the work and projects you want to take on.

Not sure where to start? We can help.

At South End Partners, our Toronto executive recruiters work with large and small organizations across industries (from technology, to supply chain, to sales and operations) to help them find the right leaders for the right opportunities using an objective, data driven approach.

We also provide comprehensive HR consulting services including onboarding support, interview coaching and training, and strategies to develop your superstar teams.

Reach out to find out how we can help you today!