Tip #1 for Getting Promoted - Know your Flocks - Part 1

Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; for riches do not endure forever and a crown is not secure for all generations.
Proverbs 27:23-24

When it comes to career advancement, this is one of the most important principles of them all. Companies do not tend to promote neophytes. They are also not likely to promote people with mediocre skills and knowledge. The people who are most likely to be promoted are those who stand out as being experts in their particular niche.

You may be wondering what the connection between your career advancement and a goat herder counting up how many animals he has grazing in his field is. Here is the key. This verse is really saying that you must have up-to-date, detailed information about every aspect of those things which your employer has asked you to take care of.

An average goat herder with little or no chance for promotion might know how many goats he has to watch over. However, a world class goat herder who is next in line for a big promotion will know:

• How many goats he has
• Which ones are sick and need extra care
• Which ones fight and need to be kept separated
• How much food and water the herd consumes each day
• How many days worth of food and water are in the nearby area
• What time of day the goats are most cooperative
• Which ones produce the most milk
• What conditions promote the fastest growth of the herd

This is the kind of detailed knowledge that can distinguish you as an expert and cause you to stand out from your peers.

Your goal should be to first determine what the key things to know about your work are and then to make up your mind to study them until you know more about them then your co-workers, your customers, your boss or anyone else with whom you interact.

Now, let’s drill down into this two part goal a bit more. The first part of our goal is to identify all the key details about your job. The question is….How can you be sure you have a complete list?
An obvious starting point is to sit down and make a list of all the things that come to mind. You should set aside some quiet time and do this as thoroughly as possible.

When you have spent some time thinking it over and written down everything you can think of take a break and congratulate yourself - your list is now 50% done. The next thing you need to do is add all the stuff you did not think of.

 You are probably wondering how to do this. The best way is to ask around. Check with others in your same line of work and see what they would say are the most important things to know. Also, do some research online or at the bookstore to get a few expert opinions. Another useful technique is to think about all the questions that you get from your superiors, your clients, your co-workers etc. Pay special attention to questions you have been asked that you did not initially know the answer to. These are the areas that you most likely need to learn more about.

The second part of the goal is to gather as much data as possible about each point that you have on your list. In Part Two we will explore the most effective ways to gather the valuable information you need.

Stumble it!

Tags: career, promotion, success