Page 207 - Roy W. Rice - CEO Material How to Be a Leader in Any Organization-McGraw-Hill (2009)

188 • CEO Material: How to Be a Leader in Any Organization

Your first and second requests might have to be followed up with
action, such as the action this man took: “Not only did I tell the person
with the decision-making power, but I told lots of people above him who
also told him about my interest. I made a point to sit next to my poten-
tial new boss at a managers’ meeting, expressed my desire, and outlined
my qualifications.”
As with anything good, taken to the extreme, this can be bad. One
small division president got promoted after months of excessive lobbying
for a bigger group. He kept pressuring the CEO and the board to the
point that to avoid losing him, they gave him the presidency of an $800
million division. Three months later the job they were grooming him
for but couldn’t explain to him at the time came open—that being the
president of a $1.5 billion division. Had he been patient, the bigger job
would have been his.
At least, if you plant the idea and initiate effort, you might get
something approved before the standard human resources guideline and
timeline. But be ready for rejection too.

What to Do If You Don’t Get the

Promotion or Move

Handle the disappointment well. Congratulate the person who got the job,
and tell him or her that you’ll be supportive, that you’ll help the person
succeed in the new role. Senior management will be watching how you
handle the situation as much as watching the person who got the nod.
Turn up your personal development as well as work/results effort
where needed. To find out, solicit feedback from people who will give you
the truth. Don’t be defensive; find out if it was a skill gap or fit gap.
Change, improve, and when available, try for another promotion or move.
In the meantime, accept the seemingly unacceptable for now. For
now, accept it, breathe, pause, relax, rethink, turn up your effort, and then
try again later. You have to be adaptable and go with the flow even when
it’s going against you. Sometimes, for a time, “you have to take flak from
idiots.” Work collaboratively (for now) with people you don’t like. You’re