Why doing good work won't get you promoted

(MoneyWatch) Do good work and you'll be recognized and rewarded -- that's what my dad used to tell me, and that advice served him well as a blue collar worker in a machine shop. Follow that advice to the letter in the modern professional world, though, and I suspect you'll end up bitter and disappointed. Because getting ahead isn't just about doing your assigned duties well.

Of course, I'm not talking about anything unethical. I mean that there are a lot of value-added things you need to bring to the table if you intend to do more than tread water in your role. If you've been around for a while, I suspect you already know this -- but it's a lesson I've found, time and again, that junior knowledge workers need to be mentored in. Recently, I ran across a great blog post from Greg Hoy, CEO of Happy Cog, and he pulled together 75 percent of the missing pieces.

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Specifically, Greg has these observations about successful people:

They don't rely on good work alone. Their behavior and demeanor is what people tend to remember more than just their professional output.

They're humble -- their success doesn't consume them.

They're respectful of other people's time -- they're always punctual.

They put in extra effort when needed with no strings attached.

They resolve conflicts directly without escalation.

They push back with respect and tact.

I agree with all of these, but there's another dimension to corporate success that absolutely needs to be said: Successful people make their own success. They look for problems and opportunities and proactively try to solve them. They look for ways to grow themselves and the business, and in doing so, make their manager and the rest of the team more successful.

I can't stress this enough: I firmly believe that people should get promoted when they're already doing work that is commensurate with their new level. Rather than asking your manager "what do I need to do to get promoted" or waiting for it to happen magically while you do the same thing you've always done, you need to organically grow your role by taking on more responsibility and accomplishing more than your manager expects of you. That's the path to promotion, success and happiness.

Photo courtesy Flickr user David Blackwell

[BruceLynn100]

Neil Gaiman's commencement speech said it best, "People keep working...because their work is good, and because they are easy to get along with, and because they deliver the work on time. And you don't even need all three. Two out of three is fine. People will tolerate how unpleasant you are if your work is good and you deliver it on time. They'll forgive the lateness of the work if it's good, and if they like you. And you don't have to be as good as the others if you're on time and it's always a pleasure to hear from you."

[DebraFeldman]

The advice is definitely sound and the sentiment genuine. At the end for those who are snakes, vamps, liars, cheats, etc., they will not be better off than those who take the high road. There are lots of bitter people making comments. It makes no sense to stoop to the lowest common denominator.As a society/workforce we must strive for doing the right thing. The leaders must set the example with their righteous behavior. By definition, leaders are those who take initiative, who take calculated risks and get it right, and support the good works of their friends and colleagues. And don't forget the principle of networking is to look for opportunities to be generous which will get you remembered in a good way and help promote your personal interests while furthering common goals. No one can succeed in a vacuum. We need each other and great leaders know this and practice the Golden Rule.

[HandyAndy5]

Really. All the "bitter people" would like to believe that "good conquers evil," blah, blah, blah, but that only happens when you work for a decent company that employs decent people. They are pretty rare. OK?

Additionally, about 100% of women are being discriminated against when it comes to equal pay for the exact same work as their male coworkers. How is that fair? Even though the EEOC has ruled for me (and my former company has lawsuits against them for discriminating against women and minorities going back a decade or so), my former company has yet to be punished in any way or to pay damages.

Pay inequality is not a trivial issue. When so many women are single-parents and/or the sole bread-winner, it is creating poverty for families that were formerly middle-class and robbing us even of retirement funds. And don't think it's just the blue-collar workers who are affected. A recent study even proved that female MDs make about $130,000 less over their careers as their male counterparts.

And promotions? Don't make me laugh. Only about 3% of women are CEOs, despite the fact that women have been in the workplace for decades and now lead the number of college graduates and those with graduate degrees.

Where is the Golden Rule in all that?

[dufas_duck]

Or be a brown nosing, backstabbing, arse licking, sycophantic office politician... sucking up to the management at every opportunity.. Many bosses love it Every company has them and they usually rise to the top of the food chain..

[ibsteve2u]

lollll...be sure to call it "networking", though.

[sdk7148]

Evidence shows that the greatest impediment to career progress is one's immediate supervisor. You assume supervisors want people to progress. But, this in not really true. Managers play favorites, do not necessarily value initiative or innovation, and may not welcome your ideas. I would say a fair majority are like this - mediocre at best. USA companies tend to promote good technicians to be managers rather than those with management aptitude. If sport teams used this model, coaches would be once star players and paid more than their players! If you are lucky enough to have a manager who works and plans a progressive path with you then you are an exception.

[johnzamorano]

As an IT manager, I do not see any benefits in playing favorites with my staff. Everyone is unique and brings something different to the table which makes the group flourish. I leave it up to my staff, as the article says and to paraphrase, to go above and beyond to what they normally do; exceed expectations in other words. That's how I got into the manager role I have now. I wasn't promoted because I had been with my firm for a good number of years. I had to work very hard and prove to leadership that I have what it takes to fulfill this role successfully. I don't believe in micromanaging either because to me that sends a message to staff that they are not trusted. Rather, I take the more conscientious approach and promote autonomy and interdependent thought - that's what makes a successful team. You just have to take those extra steps in demonstrating a sense of urgency, and taking ownership of the task at hand.

[Too Old For IT100]

Do good work.
A day's work for a day's pay.
There will always be a good job for a good man.
The company can always use a good man.
Being a veteran will give you a leg up.

(Yeah, I'm bitter and disappointed.)

I agree with Ed-Words: A good figure is very helpful especially if you wear the micro-mini-skirt you bought at the mall.

[jlseibly]

Dave, great article! There's another very important component missing! Most of us don't know how Brag! in a bizsavvy manner to ensure our boss, and others, know about our accomplishments. (TimeToBrag.com)

[davejohnso]

Interesting! I don't trhink much about this myself -- sounds like I'll have to do a future post on this.

[RocRizzo]

Sucking up to management's whims and saying yes to anything they asked never hurt either.

Sometimes just getting a difficult job done, may be all that is needed, however remember the Peter Principle from Catch 22. Heck, remember Catch 22 as well.

The only way to get ahead these days is to have money and/or suck up to management. It wasn't always like this. Sometimes, the more difficult the job you had to do, the more likely that you would get promoted to something more difficult.

Today, it's not about substance, but more about appearance. Don't upset the apple cart, and just be one of the go along, get along gang, and look pretty. Make the appearance that you are doing good. Substance has no place in today's business world.

[ed-words]

A great figure doesn't hurt any.