Welcome back to the Look and Sound of Leadership, an ongoing series of executive

coaching tips designed to help you be perceived in the workplace the way you want to

be perceived. I'm Tom Henschel, your executive coach, and today we're talking about

pursuing a promotion. Artero had been passed over for promotion because, as his boss told me, he doesn't feel like a senior vice president yet.

During our first few coaching sessions I found myself agreeing.

Arturo did not seem ready to be an SVP at his company.

I felt pretty sure he'd win his promotion eventually.

I just wasn't sure how soon that would be. The feedback I'd collected about him

revealed that people liked him and they saw him as one of the company's

highest performing vice presidents. If I'm so high performing, why can't I get this darn promotion?

He asked.

Isn't that the way it goes?

You get better and better than you graduate upwards?

Not at your level, I said.

At junior levels, yeah, I think people graduate, but senior people need to prove they can do the job before they're promoted.

Well, that feels like a catch-22," he said. It is.

So you have to give yourself the promotion.

He clapped his hands and leaned forward.

I'm in.

Show me where to sign.

I'm serious, Arturo, I said, although I was smiling. Well, I'm serious, Arturo, I said, although I was smiling.

Well, I'm serious too. How do I give myself a promotion?

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