Getting Promoted: Real Strategies For Advancing Your Career [Paperback]

Harry E. Chambers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 30, 1999

From house author and popular management trainer, Harry Chambers, comes a paperback original for ambitious individuals who aspire to achieve growth, development, and promotability in their current job. Chambers dispels the modern day myth that “the only way to move up is to move out,” and provides a wide array of hands-on strategies and tactics to analyze today’s promotional realities, obtain critical skills, recognize internal and external obstacles, and position yourself for success. Drawing from original interview research with managers and trainers in a wide array of industries, Getting Promoted shows workers at all levels how to focus on the most promotable skills, manage perceptions of colleagues and bosses, avoid promotion-killing behaviors, and assess the competitive landscape.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Getting Promoted is the rare occupational-planning resource that doesn't insist that the grass is always greener in the business park across the highway. Chambers contends that many who move from company to company in order to advance their careers would actually do better if they stayed put and rededicated themselves to their existing positions. He focuses on making the best of the present job "and reaping the harvest from the field you have already cultivated, planted, and nurtured." In fact, he cautions, "it may actually be detrimental to your career to abandon your current efforts and achievements just to start anew!" Chambers, president of an Atlanta-based consulting and training firm, lays out workplace truths and challenges that can affect upward movement these days, as well as key skills that could boost the possibility of internal promotion. Fashioned from personal experience, research, and interviews with managers and trainers in diverse industries, Getting Promoted recommends a variety of tactics that readers can craft into personalized strategies. Periodic assessments permit the honest evaluation of appropriate talents and abilities, along with identification of realistic opportunities for growth and development. --Howard Rothman

From Booklist

Unlike most career advisors today, Chambers recommends getting ahead by staying put. Chambers, head of an Atlanta consulting and training firm specializing in leadership and team-building, argues that changing jobs means one must start over completely, which results in a loss of a major investment of time, know-how, and energy. He stresses that one can achieve personal career growth by honing one's skills, abilities, and willingness; by increasing one's visibility and improving other people's perceptions; and by accurately assessing opportunities within the organization. Chambers shows that promotability will be affected by one's understanding of the future of the workplace and of the industry, and the organization in which one works. Particularly eye-opening are 15 workplace "realities" that Chambers warns one must understand and accept in order to advance. He also identifies the communication, organizational, risk-taking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills that will help one move forward. This savvy, practical guide concludes with a list of "career killers and promotion viruses." David Rouse

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books (April 30, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738201022
• ISBN-13: 978-0738201023
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,641,098 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AN EXCELLENT GUIDE FOR THE AMBITIOUS AT ANY CAREER STAGE., April 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Getting Promoted: Real Strategies For Advancing Your Career (Paperback)

Drawing from interviews and research, the author shows how to utilize your most promotable skills, manage perceptions of colleagues and supervisors, avoid promotion killers, and utilize the appraisal process to advance yourself. Chambers outlines some of the most crucial promotional realities in today's workplace. He shows how to converge three pathways to promotion: (1) sharpening skills, abilities and willingness; (2) achieving visibility and positive perceptions of you; and (3) taking advantage of opportunities within the organization. An excellent guide for the ambitious at any career stage. Reviewed by Gerry Stern, founder, Stern & Associates and the Business InfoCenter, author of Stern's Sourcefinder: The Master Directory to HR and Business Management Information & Resources, Stern's CyberSpace SourceFinder, and Stern's Compensation and Benefits SourceFinder.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Positive Outlook on the Career Advancement, October 24, 2001

By 

Charles John Gervasi (Madison, WI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Getting Promoted: Real Strategies For Advancing Your Career (Paperback)

I loved this book's positive outlook on getting promoted. It focuses on finding ways to motivate yourself and to improve yourself so that you are more productive. While the author acknowledges that other factors besides merit play a roll in getting a promotion, he encourages readers to focus on doing their jobs better.

I believe this is ultimately the best approach because if you try to get promoted by unethical means, it is easy to be exposed. This book is about being ethical and succeeding by doing things that you?re proud to stand behind.

I find this book to be good motivation to examine areas in which I could improve at work and to take action.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Powerful Knowledge, June 4, 2005

By 

Jaewoo Kim "OB-Wan" (Santa Monica, CA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Getting Promoted: Real Strategies For Advancing Your Career (Paperback)

The author is highly knowledgeable of the subject of workplace promotion. He is aware of the current trends in the workplace and provides insightful suggestions on how one can dramatically improve the chance of promotion. There are three factors to promotion:

1)SAW (Skill, Ability, Willingness)
2)People's Positive Promotable Perception (relationship and leadership skills).
3)Promotional Opportunities within an organization.

Promotion is increasingly becoming more competitive. In most situations, one needs to be the best, not just good, worker to be promoted to the next level. One needs to set the highest standard in technical skills and constantly improve on it. Next, it is critical one has positive attitude even among those who are strongly negative. Emotional Intelligence in an increasingly stressful and hostile work environment (brought on by more work with fewer workers) is absolutely neccessary to create and maintain positive relationships with the coworkers, the boss, and the customers. Finally, one must be able to affirmatively answer the following question with measureable results: "Will promoting you result in creating greater benefit for the organization?". One must show the ability to put the team ahead of one's interest for the greater good in a consistent basis.