Latest news with #WildCourage
USA Today
30-06-2025
- Business
- USA Today
5 surprising reasons you're not getting promoted — and how to fix them
Getting promoted isn't always just about working hard; sometimes, it's about putting your effort in the right direction. Even high-performing employees can unknowingly sabotage their progress and end up overlooked when it comes time for a promotion. From simply meeting expectations to overlooking key relationships, minor missteps can quietly stall your career growth. Here are five common mistakes to avoid at work — plus practical tips on how to get promoted. Showing up to one-on-ones unprepared Preparing for one-on-one meetings in advance is key, according to Jenny Wood, a former Google executive and the author of 'Wild Courage.' If you treat your weekly one-on-ones like a casual check-in instead of a strategic career-building moment, you're missing a valuable opportunity to shape your career trajectory. Reflecting on her own experience managing employees, Wood says, 'There were senior leaders who came with nothing, and those were not the people who got promoted.' She recommends coming to the meeting with a simple half-page document that outlines your key metrics, recent wins, roadblocks and career goals. Those bullets can include showcasing positive customer feedback or highlighting a spreadsheet you're currently working on. For Wood, this demonstrates a level of proactiveness that is far superior to arriving without notes and no preparation. Similarly, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) recommends that employees structure an individual development plan (IDP) to allow supervisors to clarify performance expectations. 'IDPs should be viewed as a partnership between an employee and their supervisor, and involves preparation and continuous feedback,' according to the OPM. Spending all your time on 'nap work' instead of promotable work Not all work gets you noticed. Replying to a happy birthday email, volunteering to take meeting notes or arranging dinner when senior leadership is in town can make you appear helpful, but rarely move the needle when it comes to promotion. Tasks that are nice but not impactful are what Wood describes as 'nap work' — short for 'not actually promotable.' 'Some people think of this as glue work or invisible work,' Wood explains. 'It's nice for culture. It's good to do some of it, but no more than 10%. If you're doing more than 10% nap work, you're doing yourself a big disservice. Nobody in the history of the internet has ever gotten promoted for being ultra-responsive to email.' Instead, you want to say yes to the big and no to the small in your career. That could include taking on a high-impact marketing project that's a top priority for your VP or leading an initiative that boosts customer satisfaction by 12% year over year. These are the kinds of contributions that get noticed — and promoted. Building a relationship with just your boss People beyond your manager often make decisions regarding promotions. The last thing you want is for your boss to advocate for your promotion and for all the other decision-makers to respond, "Who?" Wood advocates for building relationships with your manager's boss and those who sit to the right and left of your boss on the organizational chart. It's what she calls "managing higher" and "managing diagonally." 'Think about who has the most influence, who has the big boss's ear, who is the most reputable and credible and who you want to spend time with,' Wood says. To build these relationships, you can offer to present at their team meeting, mentor someone on their team or ask for feedback on a major project. You can also add value by sharing a helpful podcast, book or article. Even if you're early in your career, you still have something to contribute. One caveat: Wood warns against trying to befriend these influencers right before promotions are decided. 'It looks disingenuous,' she explains. 'Start early — ideally a year in advance — and focus on building genuine relationships with two or three leaders.' Expecting a promotion for doing your job 'Don't chase a promotion six months into a gig — unless, of course, you've invented a new antibiotic,' says Wood. In other words, don't expect a promotion too early or for meeting the expectations of your current role. 'You get your paycheck for doing your job. You get promoted for showing you're capable of doing your job at the next higher level with greater scope,' she says. Draining your team's energy Being great at your job isn't just about getting results; it's also about how you show up. If you show up to work frustrated, short-tempered or constantly negative, it won't serve you, especially when promotion decisions are on the table. 'You have to ask yourself, 'Are you a radiator or are you a drain?'' Wood says. A radiator is someone who radiates positive energy, and a drain is someone who depletes it. 'Why would a manager promote somebody and have them continue to climb the ladder if they're the kind of person who doesn't inspire and motivate others?' Final takeaway Getting promoted isn't just doing what you have to do; it's about showing up with intention, building the right relationships and operating at the next level before you're officially there. By avoiding these common missteps and taking a proactive approach to your growth, you'll not only increase your chances of being promoted, but you'll also stand out as someone truly ready for it.
Forbes
03-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Being Nice Won't Get You Promoted. Nosy, Bossy And Shameless Will.
Being Nice Won't Get You Promoted. Nosy, Bossy and Shameless Will. You're weird, selfish, shameless and nosy. Even manipulative. Oh, and bossy. Good job. In a workplace that's increasingly remote, fast-paced, independent, and ever-changing, these aren't insults—they're survival skills necessary for visibility at work. According to Jenny Wood—a former Google executive and author of the new book Wild Courage—the traits we were once told to suppress are quickly becoming the exact capabilities we need to thrive. Being visible, taking initiative, influencing without authority, and owning your impact are no longer optional—they're essential. In our conversation on The Future Of Less Work podcast, Wood said: Jenny is on a mission to dismantle many of the myths we hide behind—especially the ones that let us avoid doing things that feel uncomfortable. And those myths are particularly dangerous now, when more work is happening outside the office and we need to learn how to be seen even when we're not physically visible. This is what researchers call the proximity bias—the subtle, often unconscious assumption that people we see more often are more productive or more valuable. It's the workplace version of 'out of sight, out of mind.' And just as we're telling managers they need to shift from measuring hours and presence to evaluating outcomes, we as employees need to do the same: stop relying on activity and start showing impact. Our tools have changed. Where we once voiced ideas casually after meetings or built rapport over lunch, many of us now work from home, across time zones, through digital tools, or in far more dispersed organizations. Visibility, trust, and influence no longer happen by accident. They have to be intentional. That's where Wild Courage comes in. Wood's book isn't about being louder or pushier—it's about learning to be visible and communicate our value in a world that no longer has built-in signals. She reclaims nine traits often labeled as negative—like being 'nosy,' 'bossy,' or 'shameless'—and reframes them as strategic capabilities for today's workplace. On the podcast, Wood opened with a Wild Courage story I didn't see coming: the time she chased down a man on a New York City subway platform—a bold move that eventually led to marriage. As unexpected as it was, the story sets the tone for her core argument: courage isn't a personality trait—it's a skill. And in a world where our work isn't always seen, courage might be the most important one of all. So ask yourself – are you speaking up about the value you bring? Go ahead and be shameless. Jenny introduces the 'Shameless Monday Email'—a weekly update to your manager with two things you're proud of and two things you're working on. It can feel awkward at first, but in a work environment where we do not see each other all day every day visibility is limited and this habit helps ensure your impact doesn't go unnoticed. It's also really important that you work on what matters, and not on what doesn't. Jenny calls this NAP work—Not Actually Promotable tasks like organizing the team offsite or taking notes in every meeting. There are so many things you need to make time for—including your work, developing your skills, and learning to use new tools. That's why we need to be more selective about how we spend our time. And though we often take on these tasks to be helpful, they can become traps that prevent us from doing the work that actually gets us promoted. Or as Jenny puts it: Which also requires us to be brutal. That may sound harsh, but Jenny reframes it as: 'Curb your people pleasing and say no.' It's about drawing boundaries that protect our time and energy and understand that being selective with our calendar is not rude—it's responsible. But then, how do we know what are the big things that matter and how do we get assigned to them? Jenny encourages us to be Nosy, which isn't about gossip—it's about getting curious, asking questions, and leaning into connection. Ultimately, many of our best career moves come from relationships, not resumes. Then there's reckless which doesn't mean impulsive or careless. It means action-oriented. In a fast moving world waiting for permission can mean getting left behind. The bias toward action—experimentation, iteration, and bold asks—matters more than ever. Or as Jenny puts it: Which means you also need to learn to be bossy, which Jenny embraces as a call to lead from wherever you are. You don't need a title to guide a team, launch an idea, or support a peer. Work and leadership are now increasingly networked and distributed—and showing initiative is the new currency. The world of work is changing. We're constantly learning, unlearning, and relearning how to do our jobs, how to collaborate, how to be visible at work and how to show up in new spaces with new people. And so we must develop new skills to know what is going on, to let others know who we are, what we do, what we're capable of. To impact. Because no, your work won't speak for itself. But you can learn how to help it speak.
