Ask the Business Coach Joyce K. Reynolds is an expert Business Coach who works with CEOs, Sr. Execs, entrepreneurs and countless others providing knowledge, solutions, motivation and support that assist her clientele in successfully meeting workplace challenges. Find out more about Joyce's coaching practice. Comparing Your Career Progression to Co-workers Question: My friends and I have joined the same company at diferent cities at the same time after graduation. We had equal skills at the time of joining. Now, a year and a half later, two of my friends have got promoted to the next level while the rest three of us are still in the same position. It is not that I am doing any worser than those who got promotions. My fellow team mates regard me as an expert in my field and even my manager agrees that I am technically competent. Reviews till now also indicate the same. However, when it comes to pay hikes and promotions, I dont seem to get any. Could you advice me on why is this happening? I did not mention this to my manager yet. How should I communicate to my boss that I am unhappy with my compensation and that I am looking forward for a promotion. G.S. Answer: First, it is not productive to compare yourself to others under any circumstances. No matter how similar your backgrounds, you and your fellow graduates are all individuals with varying talents, skills and levels of maturity. Additionally, you are all working under unique circumstances dealing with distinct personalities and management types all of which will produce different results for each of you. Rather than compare your to-date results to those of others –compare your achievements to your own goals. If you had set goals and developed a plan for advancement, review the steps you were committed to taking in order to reach those goals. And, if you did not identify your path towards a promotion, be aware that – while some people progress without one - it’s far more certain that you will have the satisfying career you desire if you actually plan for it. Essentially, you start preparing for a promotion the very day you start a job. The way you get what you want is to identify future opportunities and aim yourself at them. If you have not done so, ask for a description of the job you are interested in and get clear on the major duties and responsibilities. Prepare to demonstrate that you have the skills, knowledge and abilities to qualify for that job when the time comes. In advance of that promotion, volunteer for more difficult and responsible assignments that will help build your management’s trust and confidence in you. Regarding satisfying reviews and raises, simply put, being ‘technically competent’ would not necessarily earn you either. Successful careers are talent led. Enthusiasm, innovation and dedication to the outstanding are essential to your progressing along a favorable career track. While being ‘competent’ might help you keep your job, it’s the can-do individual who often earns more responsibility, recognition and rewards. If you truly want to advance, start asking yourself some tough questions. Do I find answers, present solutions and improve my areas of weakness? Do I show enthusiasm for my career and my employer? Do I find ways to express my creativity? Do I know what my supervisor wants of me and how to achieve results in that direction? Have I made my supervisor aware of my desire to learn and advance? Have I identified projects that I am looking forward to completing in the future and presented my ideas for improvements? These are important questions to ask and answer as they will help you clarify the work profile your supervisor sees and how you are viewed inside your organization. During a review, you want to be able to present how you have understood and met the needs of your manager and the company. Be prepared to demonstrate with documentation what you have accomplished and what new goals and steps you’ve planned. If you’ve done a good job, make sure that you highlight your role and effort. It is when you present yourself in such a progressive light that you can confidently ask about a promotion or a raise. In fact, if you do all of the above, you will more than likely find yourself accepting a promotion along with a raise rather than having to ask for either. Also see: • Ask Joyce your workplace questions • More questions • One-on-one business coaching Disclaimer: The information in this column is intended to provide the reader with general ideas or concepts to be used as part of a broader base of knowledge they collect to determine their own best course of action and solutions most suitable for solving their workplace challenges. The information in this column is not guaranteed to be the appropriate solution for each individual.