I went over our conversation. She was at her firm 14 years and hadn’t had a raise in several years. Other professionals were being brought in at a higher salary than she was getting. To compound the problem, she wanted to move into a higher position but nothing seemed to be happening. A key part of her story was that she believed she was doing all the right things: working hard, being a great team player, offering up quality work but was unable to get the attention of her supervisors. What was wrong?
I mapped out a plan for her when I realized she was making the biggest, most common mistake you can make when seeking a raise or promotion: Sitting and waiting for the firm to notice that you are doing a good job. Few promotions are given when the employee puts in long hours, is a good team player, is always on-hand for whoever needs them and turns in big billables. Why? Because putting in long hours, being a good team player, the always available person is exactly what is expected of you.
To succeed, you must take charge of your own development. Here are some strategies to get you where you want to go in your career.
STRATEGY NO. 1: INVEST IN YOURSELF
The more knowledge you have; skills you develop; strategies, tactics and techniques you have up your sleeve; the faster you can drive bigger amounts of dollars into your bank account. Succeeding has a nonnegotiable rule: Take 100% control of your learning and you can take 100% control of how valuable you are. The more valuable you are, the more choices you have about where you want to work, how you want to work and how much you get paid. There’s almost no downside.
STRATEGY NO. 2: SET ATTAINABLE GOALS
One way to make your goals come to fruition is to use the SMART strategy:
- Specific: Make your goal as precise as possible. If you aspire to be in the C-suite, look at CLE courses and webinars that might apply. Or look into getting certified with the Certified Legal Manager (CLM)®.
- Measurable: Quantify your progress. Set benchmarks such as applying to 10 jobs that meet your requirements.
- Attainable: Set goals that you can achieve. To confirm that your goal is attainable, think about the individual steps and consider how realistic they are.
- Relevant: Any goals you set should genuinely matter. How important is this goal? Will you reach where you want to go?
- Time-based: Give your goals deadlines. That way, you will have an easier time reaching the end result and motivating yourself.
STRATEGY NO. 3: CREATE A ROADMAP
Set career goals, as they give you a framework to achieve milestones and provide a path for you to actually do them. Lay out a step-by-step strategy with long and short-term goals. Short-term goals are stepping-stones to reach your long-term goal. For example: Your long-term goals may mean becoming a legal operations manager. Your short-term goal could be to take courses in accounting and technology.
