Question: Building a case for promotion to senior management

As a training manager, I was responsible for training and development of 22 member team. With timeand business
growth, I am now directly responsible for a 70+ member team and indirectly for 200+personnel.
I need help in developing a case for my promotion and a staff member to support me. Just indicatingthe growth in
the team strength whom I support is unlikely to win a positive reply.
How can I best argue my case?

12 Expert Insights
5 insights

Obviously your responsibilities have grown. Think about positioning the promotion interms of how, by working at a
different level in the organization (i.e., being a Directorrather than manager), can enhance the function's credibility
and the impact you canmake on the organization. Also, what is it that someone at a more senior level does thatis
different from a manager. How have you demonstrated those behaviors? Prepareyour case to show how you may
already be functioning at the higher level. To make thecase for the staff member, look at the volume of work. How
does the work justify theneed for the staff member? Also, are there things that the addition of a staff memberwould
do that would allow you to spend more time strategically moving the functionforward and working on initiatives that
support business objectives and furthergrowth. Talk with the CEO or other senior executives. Are there things they
need orwant from the training function that you can't currently deliver because of the staffingconstraints?

EXPERT
Experienced Executive Coach and Leadership Development Consultant
First, I would recommend that you not look for a best way to “argue” your case but tolook for the best way to sell
your case.
The following thoughts are based on the article titled "Effectively Influencing DecisionMakers" by my colleague
Marshall Goldsmith.
Your job is to influence the decision makers who will approve the promotion & staffaddition, and you should treat
decisions makers in the same way that you would wantto be treated if the roles were reversed. When presenting
ideas to decision makers,realize that it is your responsibility to sell – not their responsibility to buy. In many
ways,influencing ultimate decision makers is similar to selling products or services to externalcustomers. They don’t
have to buy – you have to sell!
I would not appeal to their sense of fairness. As has been previously stated, focus oncontribution to the larger good
and the needs of the decision maker – not just theachievement of your objectives. What’s in it for them if they give
you a more impressive

title & more money?

For example, would changing your title send a signal to the larger organization aboutthe importance of training &
development? Would it help you develop a more effectiverelationship with senior executives, thus helping insure
that your programs are linked tothe business goals & objectives? Would it help you recruit higher quality staff?
Finally, I would suggest that if you are unsuccessful in selling the promotion, that youkeep a positive attitude. They
have the power to make the decision. There is nothing toguarantee that they will make the smartest decision, the
most rational decision, or thefairest decision. Once we make peace with the fact that the people who have the
powerto make the decisions always make the decisions, we become more effective ininfluencing others and making
a positive difference. We also become happier!
Is this insight helpful?
Schedule a free consultation with Jim.

EXPERT
11 insights
As I think about how to develop people and what I look for, I consider the following:
1. What are the responsibilities - I am responsible for projects, people, outcomes (thegreater responsibility measured
by the combination)
2. What is the time horizon and complexity of their thinking and work (ex. implementingan enterprise project with a
5 year impact is different than a small department wideproject)
3. Level of skill and experience required to do my job - we promote people who haveinvested in and developed a
high degree of professional skill, breath of experienceleading to judgment and maturity (business acumen as an
example) and years ofexperience (maturity)
4. Attitude -
5. Ability to work with others (emotional intelligence)
6. Ability to put all of the above mentioned items into place to deliver high quality work,through people to create
value for the organization and it's stakeholders.
I would use the same to justify their promotion.
I hope this is helpful in your efforts. Please let me know if I can elaborate on this answerin any way.
Is this insight helpful?
Schedule a free consultation with Maureen.

EXPERT
Leading Organizational Psychologist
14 insights

All of the advice you've already received from members on Mentors Guild has beenexcellent. I'm going to add an
additional idea.
First, is there a major change in the kind of responsibilities between your currentposition and the next? That could
involve different knowledge; or it could involve largermanagement or leadership roles. Do you have these additional
skills?
The problem begins with the fact that your significant increase in responsibilities andvalue to the organization seem
to be unrecognized or even acknowledged.
Second, you are busy creating a better case for recognition you haven't received. Onepossibility, is your need to
speak out and, most importantly, you need to speak up theladder.
As there's been no recognition, you must gain more power by aligning yourself withpeople with more power and
influence. We talk about mentors; think of them as allies.
You must create relationships with one or more of the people in your organization whohave more visibility,
leadership roles, influence and power in decision making than youdo.
Why? Because those people already command attention and if you have access tothem, people will see you as
powerful too.
When you make a case for yourself you may succeed but, since this is a painful orangering situation for you, you
may well come off negatively. And think of how muchmore weight a recommendation from a powerful person
carries.
That (or those) visible decision-maker can teach you a lot. Equally important, having arelationship with one or more
of these leaders makes you a more visible and powerfulperson than you are now. Other people are more likely to
take notice of you and thatwould include the justification for a promotion.

EXPERT
1 insight
Suggest you begin to think of this less as "training and development" and more as ROIdirectly related to alignment
and engagement of your team and internal clients. If youcan begin to quantify your results, you will enable a
conversation with your boss andleadership team that allows acknowledgement of something very important tothem.
And that will lead to a better understanding and appreciation of what you haveaccomplished and contributed to the
organization. It is all about "impact."

EXPERT
5 insights

Above, great advice all! Building on Edith's advice: If you are lucky enough to have asenior team that is truly
strategic and vision-driven (instead of managing just quarter toquarter), position your promotion as part of a stepped
approach to building towardsthat greater vision. If however, you are stuck with quarter-to-quarter type
leadership,you will most likely have best results positioning your promotion as part of addressingthe business's
burning platform (or Threat in the company's SWOT analysis).Unfortunately, most senior execs respond better to
mitigating risks and saving costsand saving face that to opportunities. Your promotion may not get approved as
areward for your and your team's great work, but it will likely get approved as strategicmove to mitigate risks to the
business or to refocus your team's efforts to complete acompetitive advantage.
EXPERT
7 insights
Above you have lots of great advice for your major concern, which is creating a case forpromotion. What about your
secondary concern, which is having more support? If youhave 270+ people in your downstream, you might want to
look at how you are currentlyallocating the work that hits your desk.
Who in your downstream is seeking some development of their own? What's on yourplate, slowing you down, that
would be a huge development or growth opportunity forsomeone else? Make that list, and start giving away the
more routine or lower valueactivities on your personal list. You'll be growing future leaders and project
managers,and in the grand scheme of things that's going to signal your value to the organizationmore than anything
else. The company can hire managers a dime a dozen. ButLeaders? They are more rare. And one of the highest value
activities in the War forTalent is the proven ability to grow and develop new leaders to support growth.
Thus, even in the absence of a promotion, there's nothing stopping you fromdelegating, delegating, delegating to
clear your calendar of most everything that is notof high value, strategic, and impactful. That will start to change
your brand in a waythat promotion will be a natural consequence.

EXPERT
1 insight
Building on the excellent advice from the other mentors, consider how you are going topresent your case for
promotion and support. You need to think and communicate inways that "speak the language" of your audience. It's
likely that senior leadership thinksin terms of ROI...what are they getting for their investment? Some people
respondmore to risk or cost...what will it cost the organization if you don't have the ability tolead and fulfill YOUR
role?
Your proposal should address both risk and rewards.
This is essentially a sales job. You have to understand your clients' pain or concernsand how you will help address
that. It may be a staged process where you are lookingto get agreement on a number of facts before making a case
for your promotion andsupport. If you can get your hands on the leadership team's strategy and SWOTanalysis,
you'll have information for your case. Using a few visuals like graphs(increased number of employees over time,
sales or client stats, turnover stats,industry trends, gap analysis ) will help tell the story. Talent retention and
successionplanning have cost/benefits that you can track or get stats for.
Present facts and information that senior leaders agree on:
Context: Growth in company, trends, successes, etc
Current situation: turnover rates, new skills needed, workforce trends
Tension points: "misses" with clients, aging workforce (especially on leadership team),new regulations, client needs,
etc
Ask questions: How does leadership intend to address tensions and gaps? What aretheir visions for the company?
What support do they need to fulfill the vision?
THEN make a case for your promotion and support as a way to address THEIR issuesand tensions.
Obviously, this is a simplified overview of what you might do since I don't know youractual situation. I hope it is
helpful.

EXPERT
4 insights
To paraphrase Zig Ziglar
"The only thing worse than developing your people and having them leave is NOTdeveloping them and having them
stay. "
What are some of the things that won't be done or done well if your people lack trainingand development?
When these things don't happen...
* What is the impact on your ability to get and keep customers?
* How will your organization's ability to lead and manage be effected?
* What is the effect on the organization's ability to grow and innovate?
* What are the financial implications of these outcomes?
Use these questions to quantify the implications of inaction and the ROI for yourinitiatives.

EXPERT
2 insights
The practice of developing others to a point where they can participate in theleadership of the entity is such a gift
that your management has to realize itsmultiplicative effect in growing the enterprise. See anything that I have
written on whatI call "leaderful" practice, such as leaderfulconsultancy.com.

EXPERT
18 insights
All the good advice has been given! I will add another angle to consider, though notnecessarily my favorite option
for you. Check around for possibilities at othercompanies. Your record of success would surely make you attractive
to otheremployers. If you get an offer, you can use it as leverage for your promotion, thoughyou have to be ready if
they "call your bluff." Even if you don't get an offer, I think you'llfind that there are good alternatives in the free
market. It might give you the addedinternal confidence you need to make your case and request the advancement. It
mayeven be that they've been wondering when you would get around to asking for thepromotion!
Good luck!