I was speaking with a frontline leader who told me her goal was to get promoted.
I asked her, “Why?”
She looked at me, puzzled.
“I never really thought about that before,” she answered. “I thought that promotion was what I was supposed to focus on.”
There’s nothing wrong with seeking wanting a promotion. There’s nothing wrong with seeking more leadership opportunities and greater responsibilities. But there is a right way and a wrong way to go about it. The wrong way is to put yourself first and ensure you get all the credit. That makes it less likely that you get promoted.
Seeking promotion for the sake of promotion, or because it feeds your ego, or it puts more money in your own pocket means you aren’t the type of person that, if promoted, would be a benefit to the team or the mission.
When you care more about your team winning than about yourself winning, you start to become a true leader. (Share this on X / Twitter.)
This week, find an area at work or home where you have put yourself before others or haven’t given proper credit to those who made things happen that enabled you or your team to win. Recognize where you fell short, take ownership, and give those people the recognition they deserve. Going forward, strive to always put the team and the mission before yourself.
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