Czaro Strategic Communications

Once upon a time (10 years ago) there were two employees who went to their boss to talk about their careers.

Janice was motivated by her accomplishments. She kept a journal detailing all the value she provided to her employer. Every idea generated, problem solved, action implemented, dollar saved and goal achieved.

Steve was motivated by advancement. He sought a promotion, mainly because he wanted to earn more money.

Janice loved her job and the company she worked for, but she was being recruited by another company. She went to tell her boss what was going on. Her boss knew how valuable she was to the success of the organization and asked Janice what it would take to get her to stay. Janice pulled out her journal and read off some of her most-recent successes, then told her boss about the competing offer.

Her boss said she was “indispensable” and one of the “most valuable” employees in the company. Janice received a promotion and generous salary adjustment.

The same day, Steve had his annual performance review and told his boss that he deserved a promotion. Steve’s boss asked, “Why?” Steve was a little stunned. Despite being ill-prepared to answer the question he rattled off his reasons. Five years on the job. Punctual. Then he drew a blank. Steve wanted a promotion, but had done nothing to deserve one.

Steve’s boss told him that when he proved he was indispensable to the organization, then they could discuss a promotion.

Now, 10 years later, Janice and Steve are in very different places.

Janice is a vice president at a Fortune 500 company, manages a 30-person team, and she makes six-figures.

Steve is still waiting for a promotion that will probably never come. He’s still a coordinator receiving incremental 3-4% cost-of-living raises. And he’s still unable (or unwilling) to prove his worth to the organization.

It’s easy to forget what value you bring to your company, which is why I advocate writing down all your accomplishments. Spend the last five minutes of every day or the last 15 minutes of every week chronicling your contributions.

This is important, because when you talk with your boss about your career, you can demonstrate your value, which can lead to a promotion.