How to Showcase Your Skills for Higher Management

Management is becoming a more complex role, with people having to motivate and drive people, as well as focusing on the wider goals of the company. Showing your employer that you have developed skills in both of these areas will give you the best chance of progressing in your career and gaining a promotion.

But how do you showcase your expertise without it looking like a hard sell? Here are some tips for how you can make sure your boss sees the talent you have in the best light possible:

1. Drive new ideas

Helping to develop new ideas is a great way of showing those in charge of your progression how much you care about the company and those who work for it. Being promoted isn't all about who has the best skills on paper and being a dedicated employee who wants to stay with the business for the foreseeable future is a big factor in choosing the best candidate for a new position.

You may want to drive innovation with the current business models, increase efficiency by trying a new way of working, or boost employee morale. Being a manager is a diverse role that gives you a number of opportunities to show off your worth.

2. Help get the best from individuals

Management is too often about making sure the business model is as effective as possible, but this can't happen without having a talented workforce. Managers that care about the progression of each employee and want to support them in whatever way possible are the most successful. From your employer's point of view, this not only makes you great at your job, but also means you are making the business as successful as possible.

3. Develop your own skills

It's not just the progression of others you should be concerned about and you need to make sure you are prioritizing your own development too. This shows your boss that you're not content with resting at your current position and want to rise up the progression ladder. You can learn from other people at the company or read up about your chosen subject, either way it helps showcase the employee you are to your employer.

4. Show autonomy

As a leader, you need to be able to demonstrate that you can work effectively on your own and finding solutions for problems as they arise or even before they become an issue. The best leaders are able to thrive when working autonomously and inspire others to be as independent.

Of course, you don't want to risk undermining your own boss, and if there's a clear chain of command, you shouldn't abuse it. Being ready with good solutions to the problem when you report it will mark you out as a clear leader.

5. Keep your manager updated regularly

Annual performance reviews might be a key part of how your company evaluates conduct and productivity, but that doesn't mean you have to wait up to 12 months to update your manager on what you're doing for the organization.

A year is a long time in business. There's always a risk that your most impressive accomplishments will be forgotten or seem less relevant if you wait until your next scheduled review to bring them up.

It's vital, therefore, to make sure you're frequently communicating with senior management and creating natural opportunities to talk about your latest results.

Bear in mind that selfishness and egotism are unlikely to be viewed as positive traits - even in the most competitive company cultures - so it's worth thinking about how you can frame your achievements in the context of your wider team and the company as a whole. Think of examples of how your work has helped other people raise their own performance for the benefit of the business.

6. Showcase the impact of your work

Rather than simply telling your managers how good a job you're doing, show them by providing proof of how your work has made direct contributions to positive outcomes for the business.

People in the most senior positions, who ultimately have to take responsibility for how the company is performing, will be looking for evidence of results. Focus on how you can demonstrate the impact your activities are having on the organization, as opposed to listing the various tasks and processes that occupy your time on a daily basis.

There are many examples of how you can put this philosophy into action. If you're on the marketing team, for instance, make sure you can tell higher management how many leads your various blog posts, mailings, videos and social media campaigns have generated, and not just how much content you have produced.

This is why it's crucial to constantly collect data and have a handle on the numbers that prove how your work is helping the business.