Why You'll Never Be Hired as a Manager

That headline was intended to get your attention.

But, truth of the matter, you will not get hired as a first-time manager.

No company is going to take a bet on your “potential.”

·        I bet she’s great at communicating

·        I bet she’s great at scheduling

·        I bet he knows how to coach others to their full potential

If you wish to be a manager of others, you’ll first need to create a managerial role for yourself, where you currently are. Once you have “earned” the title of manager, you’ll be able to use that as leverage to move into other managerial roles, in other organizations.

Here are three tips to getting promoted into a managerial position:

1       Pick your head up from your desk / cubicle

You won’t get promoted if those who have the power to promote you don’t know your name or don’t know who you are by sight. You may be wonderful at your job, but being a manager involves working intimately with others, so if you don’t pick your head up from your work and demonstrate that you interact well with others, you won’t be seen as “management material.”

Anytime you are away from your desk (coming in to work, leaving a the end of the day, walking to the restroom) be sure to say hello to two or three people along the way. Smile. Make eye contact. Act like you own the place. Something as simple as this will translate to, “She’s a good communicator.”

2       Look for opportunities to do more than is expected.

If you do your job – even if you are extraordinary - you are no more extraordinary than anyone else who is also “just doing their job.” Managers show initiative, they plan, they forecast, they solve problems proactively. Show that you have initiative by thinking about something in your work (or the workplace) that irritates you or seems cumbersome, and how you might approach it differently. Offer to “fix” the problem.  Approach your boss and say, “I’ve been thinking about XYZ and, with your permission, I want to try an experiment to … speed it up, reduce the errors, more easily fact-check,” etc.

You want your manager on your side, so that if a position opens up in another area and they are asked “do you have anyone in your department that you’d recommend?” they will think of you because you show initiative

And that brings us to my last tip -

3       Think laterally

You have a 70/30 chance of getting your boss’ job (30% in your favor). Unless your boss is promoted or leaves the company, don’t expect that you will move up in the ranks. In fact, if they think you are gunning for their job it may make them wary of being your “cheerleader.”  Instead, be aware of what’s happening in your organization overall. If you see or hear about an upcoming opening, ask your manager if they would suggest your name for the role. Tell them how much you’d enjoy working side-by-side with them as a peer.  Be willing to venture into the unknown (aka a new department) in order to get your first managerial role.

Finally, if you are hoping for an internal promotion but don’t get it for some reason, be congratulatory and supportive of the person who DID get it. Continue your good work as discussed in tips 1 and 2 and you’ll stand out as a team player of the organization, not as an individual who is out for his/her own self interests. When you demonstrate that you put the organization’s needs before your own, you stand out as managerial material.