1	Preparing For Promotion: Workplace Credibility
2	Introduction This print module was produced by the Michigan Judicial Institute (MJI) specifically for Michigan Court Support Personnel. The intent of this print module is to assist court employees to: Recognize that each employee plays a key role in the success of the court. Understand that how they handle any given situation today impacts their potential for future success. Identify the personal attributes, interpersonal skills, and work ethic within the court that contribute to success and career advancement. For inquires on these or other available Michigan Judicial Institute training resources, contact MJI at (517) 373–7171. This publication is funded by the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES). These materials may not be reproduced without prior written permission from MJI.
3	Quote “Whether you know it or not, decisions about your future are based on how you handle any given part of your job TODAY.” “Becoming The Obvious Choice” by Bryan Dodge and David Cottrell
4	The Language of Promotion
5	Actions for Promotion So you’ve been at your job for five years, and you're great at what you do. You know how to do the work and are often called upon to help. You get a raise every now and then, but what you really want is a promotion. Why is it not being offered to you? Here are some things to think about. MODEL A POSITIVE ATTITUDE. The number one employability skill is positive attitude. Managers often comment, “Give me a person with a positive attitude and I can teach them the skills.” Bad attitudes can threaten the essential functions of your workplace. They spread like viruses from individual employees through departments and can infect entire organizations. Once an attitude virus begins to spread, it can become an organizational epidemic in no time. The following characteristics are a reflection of attitude: Physical appearance Dress Eye contact Tone of voice Helpfulness and Courtesy TAKE ACTION. Go above and beyond your regular duties and responsibilities. If there is an issue that needs resolution, get involved and take the initiative to resolve it. CONTINUOUSLY EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE. Often organizations are willing to pay all or a great portion of the costs for classes—take advantage of it! If your court won't provide funding and your personal budget is an issue, visit the local library or do research on the Internet. There are numerous courses, books, tapes, conferences and seminars that are free or very inexpensive! Join a professional organization. Network with others in your profession. Stay on top of new trends and doors will open for you.
6	Actions for Promotion DEFINE YOUR GOALS AND SET OUT TO ACCOMPLISH THEM. Do you know the specific position to which you would like to be promoted? What does it take to be considered for it? You might be able to discuss training opportunities with your human resource department. Let them know you are interested in a position and willing to work for it. ASSESS YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS. What great things have happened at your court because of your efforts? Remember, these outcomes need to be specific and, whenever possible, measurable. An excellent strategy is to develop a personal career portfolio or "brag book." Neatly compile records of all work-related achievements, samples of exceptional work, letters of recognition, and other documents that demonstrate good job performance. This portfolio can be used during interviews for a new job or promotion. REMEMBER TO NETWORK. This cannot be emphasized enough. Others have a great amount of power in helping us move up the ladder. Increase your organizational awareness. Learn about all the departments and their goals and what they are doing to reach their goals. Act as though you fit the part of the position you seek— dress, speak and act professionally. BE PROACTIVE. Use the performance review process as a time to ask your boss about your future with the organization. Let your supervisor know that you are interested in progressing and learning more. Demonstrate your ability to handle additional responsibility. Point out your past successes with the organization.
7	Preparing for Promotion Means Never Saying . . . “They didn’t get back to me.” Expecting someone to get back to you stops the action. You need to take the initiative and make it happen. If someone doesn’t get back to you as scheduled, contact them again. “I thought someone else was taking care of that.” Excuses indicate a roadblock to action. Always ask questions and confirm who is doing what in order to keep things moving. “No one ever told me.” Let a supervisor hear you talk this way and you will have made a very clear statement about the way you work. You operate in a tunnel oblivious to what is happening around you. It’s your job to know what is happening in your work environment. “I didn’t have time.” If you find yourself saying things like this you are writing your employment obituary. You need to be pro-active and identify ahead of time those tasks that may not get accomplished as scheduled and let your supervisor know BEFOREHAND, not after. “That’s not my job.” This statement indicates self-centeredness and a lack of commitment to the organization. If there is a job to be done—do it—you will be rewarded.
8	Xvxry Pxrson Is Important One manager lets employees know how valuable they are with the following member: You Arx A Kxy Pxrson Xvxn though my typxwritxr is an old modxl it works vxry wxll -xxcxpt for onx kxy. You would think that with all thx other kxys functioning propxrly, onx kxy not working would hardly bx noticxd; but just onx kxy out of whack sxxms to ruin thx wholx xffort. You may say to yoursxlf - wxll, I’m only onx pxrson. No onx will noticx if I don’t do my bxst. But it doxs make a diffxrxncx, bxcausx to bx xffxctivx an organization nxxds activx participation by xvxryonx. So thx nxxt timx you think you arx not important, rxmxmbxr my old typxwritxr. You arx a kxy pxrson.
9	Your Role as a Key Person How have you contributed to your organization’s success? What has been your most recent workplace success? What actions did you take that contributed to your success? How did your peers or supervisor contribute to your success? What personal skills or abilities did you utilize in this effort? What results can you measure or document in writing? Who knows about your success? Who should know? How can you make them aware? If you are unable to respond to Question #1, you need to think about how you are (or are not) using your strengths in your current environment. What do you do best? How can you put your strengths to use in the environment in which you presently work? If you respond with “I can’t!”, then you need to think about how well-suited your job is for you and how well suited you are for your job.
10	Advice from the Workplace Sage
11	ABCs of Attitude How would your colleagues describe your attitude in the workplace? Do they see you as: Someone whom they need to approach carefully as your attitude can often be toxic? Someone who generally has a positive attitude? Someone who is positive and encourages others to be positive as well? How often do you compliment your colleagues? Never Rarely Regularly Do you think positive behavior can affect other people’s motivation at work? Unlikely Possibly Definitely Can having a positive attitude affect your own productivity level? Unlikely Possibly Definitely Do you dress appropriately for the job? Sometimes Most times Always How would your customers rate the interaction they have with you? Unsatisfactory Satisfactory Good Do you go beyond the call of duty to get the task done? Never Rarely Regularly Do you support your boss / supervisor and go out of your way to make him / her look good? Never Rarely Regularly Do you speak critically or gossip about your co-workers or management? Regularly Rarely Never Do you agree that relationships in the workplace can be as stressful/demanding as personal relationships? No Not sure Yes
12	ABC’s Results If you chose mainly “A’s” If you designated mostly "A's" in response to these questions, you have some serious thinking to do. You may be the most highly-skilled person in the organization, but your choice of “A’s” in this questionnaire indicates a poor attitude. You will probably not see a promotion anytime soon without significantly changing your beliefs and behaviors in the workplace. In fact, if the organization is facing challenges such as a tight budget, your name will probably surface as one who could be replaced. If you chose mainly “B’s” You may have the potential but you are holding yourself back for reasons only you know. You are moving through each day with minimal effort, unaware of how you are impacting those around you. Stop and examine what you expect from your job and what the job expects of you. If this is not a good match, think about alternatives. If you chose mainly “C’s” You appear to be making a positive contribution to the workplace as far as people skills and positive attitude. Keep up the good work! Having a positive attitude and impacting those around you in a positive way are the first steps toward promotion.
13	The Importance of Supporting Management WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? Supporting the management team is one visible way that others can recognize your ability to see ALL sides of any issue. It’s very easy to make management the “bad guys”. Don’t fall into that trap. Managers have their own set of pressures and challenges related to their positions. We each need to contribute to the efforts of the management team in order for them to be effective for the organization and us as employees. WHO DOES IT AFFECT AND HOW? Yourself: Provides you the opportunity to focus on the positive. Broadens your vision by focusing on the organization as a whole. Gives you practice in the ability of seeing all sides of the problem — the “big picture”. Peers: Helps your peers see problems and you in a different light. As they see you in a different light, so may they envision you (and your positive impact) in a different job role. Management: By supporting management, you build trust as they see you taking a positive role of support and assistance. People have a tendency to trust and support those who they see trust and support them.
14	Hot Tips for Appearance The theory behind dressing down is that comfortable employees will work more productively and be happier on the job. But does casual clothing project the image YOU want? Here are some suggestions if you work in an office with a relaxed dress code: Put casual dress into two categories: careful casual and careless casual. You can, for example, wear casual clothing that has a tailored look rather than a sloppy look—this is “careful casual”. “Careless casual” suggests that you don’t care, and that’s not the workplace image you want to communicate. Consider the impression you’re making. Worn-out jeans or stretch pants and a souvenir T-shirt don’t project an image of workplace success. Dress as if you’re meeting friends for dinner, not as if you’re preparing for spring cleaning. Even in the most relaxed work environment, you never know when you will be called upon to appear before a group or key individual. Think “new.” Casual should not equal old. Out-of-style choices give others the impression that you—and your ideas—are also outdated. Instead, select clothing that reflects who you are—someone who stays on top of current trends and whose ideas are progressive and forward-looking. Consider corporate culture. Take your casual dress cue from upper management and your company culture. Emulate their style, but don’t become a carbon copy. Your style still needs to reflect your individual personality.
15	Becoming the Obvious Choice for Promotion The best preparation for tomorrow is to do today’s work superbly well. Following the steps below will position you for that next opportunity for promotion. Reviewing each step regularly will assist you in becoming the obvious choice for promotion.
16	What Is Your Promotion Effectiveness Quotient? INSTRUCTIONS: Rate yourself from one to five on the following items, with five being the highest. Then tally up your total points. Locate your scoring range from the options at the bottom of this page.
17	What Is Your Promotional Strategy? INSTRUCTIONS: Evaluate your promotional strategy by responding to the following statements. Use the following scale: 4 = agree strongly; 3 = agree; 2 = disagree; 1 = disagree strongly _____ 1. I have a strong desire to be promoted. _____ 2. I have a specific position or level that I wish to attain in the next ten years. _____ 3. I have identified a plan of education and training that will help me attain my promotional goals. _____ 4. I have prioritized my free time to insure that I meet my training and educational requirements. _____ 5. I make it a practice of accepting additional responsibilities at work. _____ 6. I am active in a professional organization and/or community activities. _____ 7. I work hard to have compatible relationships with coworkers at all levels. _____ 8. I spend most of my work time on job activities that contribute most to my performance goals. _____ 9. I frequently visualize successes at work. _____ 10. I typically approach difficult jobs as though it is impossible to fail. _____ 11. I recognize there are times when my court is just not in a position to give promotions. _____ 12. I check my progress annually and make revisions as necessary.
18	Promotion Planning Worksheet
19	The Greatest Waste The greatest waste of our natural resources is the number of people who never achieve their potential. Get out of that slow lane. Shift into that fast lane. If you think you can’t, you won’t. If you think you can, there’s a good chance you will. Even making the effort will make you feel like a new person. Reputations are made by searching for things that can’t be done and doing them. Aim low: boring. Aim high: soaring.
20	Website with Additional Resources Assessment About Your Risk-Taking Style Behavioral Styles Organizational Toxicity Test Personal Flexibility Assessment Site with numerous on-line personality assessments On-Line Intelligence Tests Identify Your Strengths and Weaknesses The Big Personality Profile Peak Performance Self-Evaluation Blake and Mouton Management Grid—Self-Assessment Assessing Your Learning Style Skeptic's Dictionary: enneagram Keirsey Temperament and Character Web Site Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Team Builders Plus—team building, leadership development 101 Things To Work On With Your Coach psi—personalstyle softinfo www.careers—Self-evaluation Checklist Enneagram Personality Dynamics HumanMetrics—Internet online human relationships tests, personality tests Myers-Briggs Personality Types and Careers Extroverts are obnoxious and arrogant— Introverts are snobby and aloof IQ Tests. Test your intelligence with these I.Q. Tests Career Management Straight Talk Communications Sensitivity Survey
21	The Traits of Successful People Experts have noticed several traits that successful people carry out, regardless of the organization or position in which they work. Successful people... ... make others feel important and appreciated. Taking the time to express appreciation for those you work with offers a huge payoff. Recognizing people for their contributions builds relationships and teamwork. You will find they return the acknowledgements for your efforts. ... follow the golden rule. Treat others as you enjoy being treated—a simple rule to live by. ... practice honesty. Be upfront with people. If you are not seen as a credible person you will not be looked at as a valuable asset to the organization. ... are visible. Talk to people. Ask questions. You will gain new insights find new opportunities as you learn more about the organization and others learn about you.
22	When Obstacles Get You Down Remember there were other now well-known individuals who also struggled for recognition and success. Try, try, again!
23	Venting vs Spewing VENTING What is it? Concept of pressure cooker” To release steam from within to avoid an explosion True venting is “internal focused” to release from WITHIN and is characterized by “I” statements. Examples: “I could just scream. I am so frustrated. This is not one of MY better days.” Results: POSITIVE Releases inner frustration Focuses on self. SPEWING What is it? Concept of “toxic dump” To “dump” on someone else Spewing is “externally focused” Characterized by “he / she” statements. Examples: “He makes me so mad. She is such a b... You won’t believe what they did.” Results: NEGATIVE Creates negative force toward another. Lends to “me-against-them” mentality. Fuels gossip and negativity.
24	What It Takes to Be a Star Show initiative. Star performers go beyond the minimums. They solve the problems and get involved in projects without worrying whether an activity is in their job description. Stars also find ways to fill the “white space” in the organization—areas which aren’t designated as anyone’s responsibilities. Practice leadership. Few people reach top positions such as CEO or Board Chairperson. But everyone can demonstrate leadership by contributing to the team’s momentum and resolving problems as they arise. Support and service ARE acts of leadership. Value diversity. Deliver your message to the right people, at the right time, in the right way. The “when”, “where”, and “how” is as important as the “what”.