by Stephanie Bickel
How do you use effective communication skills to get promoted?
Hit the measuring stick to become the obvious choice.
Hitting the measuring stick is a checklist of activities. These activities typically come from HR and are built into a good performance review process. We should know exactly what will be measured. It’s the intangibles of how to become the obvious choice that is unclear.
1. Does this person act and react like a next level leader?
2. Does this person communicate like a next level leader?
3. Does this person appear like a leader (look and sound)?
We’ve helped thousands get promoted and hired for step up opportunities. Becoming the obvious choice is how you pull your organization to you. Yes, you can pull an entire organization to you with effective communication skills. Inspirational leaders do it all the time. You see this in churches. You see this in politics. Some examples of these behaviors are seen in stand out leaders like Barack Obama, Ronald Reagan, Jen-Hsun Huang, and Elon Musk.
Stand out CEO's
CEO Lalo Flores's deep humility and pragmatism has investors beating down the doors of Century Therapeutics. He has attracted world renowned scientists and engineers in his quiet, elegant ways. He is known for how he listens.
CEO Tommy Beadel of Thomas James Homes embodies passion and transparency. He is a straight shooter who puts his people first and gets them running through doors for him. He has built loyalty with realtors and contractors at a break-neck speed because of his effective communication skills and who he is.
CEO Jordan Engelhardt of Skinny Mixes has a cult following in her company and with her consumers. She has built an organization that delights in exceeding every target they set with celebration, laughter, and glamour.
Be a magnet.
Be a role model for all your ideals and people will gravitate toward you. When you have that kind of pull, others will follow you. Here are some practical ways to become a magnet:
1. Run great meetings.
2. Ask bold questions.
3. Handle irrelevant questions gracefully.
4. Encourage people privately.
5. Make your words magic bullets.
6. Deliver presentations that touch hearts and minds.
It is hard to attack all of this at one time, which is why it is better to think of this as a Promotion Campaign. You don't have to hire a coach. Although, if you want to, that is what we do.
What can you do immediately?
1. Listen more.
2. If you disagree, write an email or speak up in the meeting.
3. Change from being an order taker, to questioning a directive.
4. Control your negative emotions. Don't show that the job is running you.
5. And please, less profanity.
Demonstrate your leadership potential with these behaviors. You will become more peer-like with those in the position you seek. Start acting like the future version of yourself now and others will start envisioning you in that role.
Great leaders and speakers start with Speak by Design. Learn the techniques and build the skills with us. Speak by Design University is the only leadership communication program in the world that gives you access to self-paced learning, group coaching and training and, most importantly, private one-on-one coaching. Learn more and register.