Dr. Salome Gitoho
We have all been in a situation where we saw people we thought were less experienced, qualified, or quite honestly not as competent as you; get promoted over you. Sucks, right?
The truth is that to get ahead be it in a new job, a promotion, a board appointment, or a special assignment; it is not always about qualifications, JDs, grades, and titles. While qualifications, skills, and competencies are important, that is not what cuts the tape. It has everything to do with your personality, temperament, attitude, interactions, etc.
When we write our position specifications and profiles, we normally include words like; professional competence, technical know-how, an array of hard and soft skills, capacity to align with organizational values, strong work ethic, leadership capabilities, business acumen, a growth mindset, proven track record of bla bla bla. Asked how we assess these traits at the interviews; we are quick to respond; we have tools and forms, plus we know these things; gut feeling, etc.
Allow me to ask; are you known in the boardroom? Yes, you need to be known where decisions are being made. Not the corrupt known, but the professional, personal attributes, and likeability known. Your work, your traits, your interpersonal relationships, how you communicate and interact with people, your reliability, how you get on well with others. Your uniqueness. What is your value proposition? Not in a statement, but lived, seen, and experienced. My professional colleague Abraham calls it ‘staff who invite themselves to board meetings’. These staff attend meetings without being physically present in the boardroom. They do so by being mentioned positively in the meetings. I call it occupying key mind spaces, mark the word, key.
We may even call some of these people busy bodies; because they are always everywhere and with everyone talking smoothly. I will correct that last part; they do not talk to everyone, just the important and key ones. The kind of people who; make decisions, will be heard when they speak, matter, move, and shake. So, they are not busy bodies but strategic, while the ‘nerds’ and ‘average Joe’ will be cranking numbers, polishing presentations, writing speeches for the CEO or board chair, and wondering whether they should speak or not, they will be smiling their way to growth. Isn’t life so unfair, that’s what I thought when I was in formal employment, but now I know better. By all means, go to school and get all the qualifications and certifications; these will get you into the interview room and possibly the door. It may even get you that deal you so desire. What you need to hone is your soft skills. These will ensure you work smart, are emotionally intelligent, maximize your networks, and ultimately, grow and thrive in your business, career, and life.
Dr. Phil says, “We all make a statement in this world.” I ask what statement are you making at your workplace, business, or community and does it sell you? Does it speak for you when you are not there?
Dr. Salome Gitoho is a Leadership, Organizational Development and HR Consultant with several years’ experience.
Her working career spans the government, public, private, international NGO and hospitality sectors; consulting and academia.
She has served at leadership level in the functions of HR, Operations, Quality, and Standards, Strategy and Business Development in several organizations.
