Three Ways That Giving Back Can Help You Get Ahead

Put yourself in your manager’s shoes. What do you think your company’s leaders want in the next generation of leaders at your company?

Today’s most innovative companies want to promote people that are initiators, collaborators, and trusted by their peers. They need people who are capable of leading in increasingly competitive and ambiguous environments, and who can solve complex-problems along the way.

If you think that describes you, you need to prove it before you get promoted. In fact, some companies informally require people to operate at a level up for up to a year before being promoted to that position. Amy Gallo, Editor at Harvard Business Review, encourages people to “Act Like a Leader Before You Are One”.

However, if you’re like most people, you might be struggling to find enough leadership development experiences in your current role to develop the skills necessary to excel at a higher level — provided you are only looking within your company for these opportunities. In our research, we see that while managers value your on-the-job experience the most, they also look at off-the-job experiences, too. In other words, things you engage in outside of your job can help you get promoted.  One of the most underrated opportunities to develop more relevant experience is through skills-based volunteering and giving activities.

Effective leaders are good at helping develop their team members. By building experience in a role where you provide more strategic support around business priorities and also help develop the skills of others, you can show that you have the capacity to partake in higher-level decision making and can help people develop their skills to deliver work.

Companies report that they lack in quality leaders, however, they struggle to find enough growth opportunities for their high potential employees. By taking initiative and using service as your avenue to grow - being intentional to engage your team and manager as part of the process - you’ll show that not only do you have the drive, but that you’ll also have necessary skills to be an effective manager once you get your hard-earned promotion!