Take time to sit down with your supervisor, manager, director, etc. and let them know you are interested in going to the next level. Ask them for their honest assessment of your skills. Then ask what you need to do to be ready when the next career opportunity appears.

Also announce your career aspirations to influencers in the Human Resources Department. Remember the more people they can hire from the outside, the less work they need to do. Make it easy for them to hire you.

Announce it to any one who can influence the decision for your promotion.

5. Join Groups to Accelerate Promotions

Join committees within the organization. This shows management that you care enough to make a difference.

Also join professional groups and associations. Professional groups and associations are a perfect way to let influencers outside your organization about your skills. Don?t just join, participant in the association?s activities to show your creativity, teamwork, and other skills.

One of the most important groups that you could ever join?is Toastmasters. This is a worldwide organization with over 175,000 members dedicated to helping it?s improve their public speaking, evaluation, think-on-your-feet, and leadership skills. The main reasons you should join Toastmaster is the following:

• Toastmasters give you the confidence to approach any opportunity with confidence.

• Toastmaster gives you the speaking skills to stand up in front of group and present your point in a persuasive manner while others shy away from this opportunity.

• You develop your leadership skills by learning how to do effective, positive, and encouraging feedback and evaluations while learning how to empower the receiver to do better.

• You have the opportunity to develop your leadership skills by volunteering for positions at the club, area, state, regional, and international level. I always say if you can?t get the skills at your organization, you can get it at Toastmasters.

Join and let your organization know you?ve joined these groups. I remember a student telling me he wanted the job of Network Administrator in a large organization. He never seemed to get past the first interviews. Then he joined Toastmasters. He shared with me he gained the confidence and think-on-your-feet skills needed to master his interviews. Shortly after joining Toastmasters, he landed his dream job as Network Administrator at a major hospital. It can make the difference for you.

I challenge you to apply these techniques. You will see immediate results and go to the next level.

By Ed Sykes © 2005 all Rights Reserved

About The Author

Ed Sykes is a professional speaker, author, and leading expert in the areas of leadership, motivation, stress management, customer service, and team building. You can e-mail him at mailto:esykes@thesykesgrp.com, or call him at (757) 427-7032. Go to his web site, http://www.thesykesgrp.com, and signup for the newsletter, OnPoint, and receive the free ebook, "Empowerment and Stress Secrets for the Busy Professional."

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