Modern day employees seem to have larger workloads over previous generations, which sometimes leads to feeling undervalued at their place of work. While bluntly asking for a promotion can be a tricky task, there are certain professional habits that increase your chances at being offered a promotion or gaining a positive response when you request one yourself. Below are 4 strategic ways to position & prepare yourself for a promotion:

Develop Professional Integrity

Integrity plays a great role in gaining promotions at your workplace. An organization runs smooth and achieves success when there are employees with a great sense of integrity.  It is the foundation of trust and confidence fueled chiefly by honesty and sound moral and ethical principles. Integrity is one of the fundamental values which are crucial for all the employees. Other characteristics of professional integrity are; trustworthiness, reliability, transparency, communication, consistency and accountability.

Collaborate and Team-Up

Focus less on “I” and more on “we”. The best leaders are team players who are committed to helping the greater good of the team. This ultimately benefits the company and increases your chances of getting recognized for leadership roles. When incorporating teamwork strategies, you become more efficient and productive. This is because it allows the workload to be shared, reducing the pressure on individuals, and ensure tasks are completed within a set time frame. It also allows goals to be more attainable, enhances the optimization of performance, improves job satisfaction and increases work pace. Teaming up is often a good sign that you’re ready for a promotion because it proves that you can get people to work with/follow your leadership.

Take Initiative

Show your employers that you’re committed to continuously improving and developing your skills by finding learning opportunities, both within the office and outside of it. Using your initiative makes you a desirable candidate for jobs and opportunities as you are showing you can think for yourself,as well as proving that you will continue to develop and grow in your role. Initiative will allow you to get ahead of the competition and ensure you’re up to date with what’s going on in your career sector. People who show good initiative often win awards and promotions as they generate exciting and beneficial ideas.

Stay Positive

The people who typically get promoted keep their cool under stress. They also act as a role model to everyone around them. They meet deadlines and ask relevant, intelligent questions that help clients and employers alike. When an issue arises, they want to solve it and work to avoid future problems by learning from their mistakes. People who demonstrate a positive outlook and a cheerful disposition have better relationships with their peers and managers, are seen as more productive, and are offered more opportunities for advancement. Employers understand the impact positivism can have on productivity, teamwork, and retention. And they love people who can help create that positive environment.

It doesn’t matter if you are in accounts receivable or the top salesperson for your company. When you believe in yourself and the contribution you make to the company, it shows, and people will pick up on that. Believing in yourself helps build your assurance in your work, and when you are confident in what you do, your productivity soars.