Breaking Career Barriers

As annual performance reviews approach, career-related anxiety begins to build. Despite delivering on performance objectives many professionals feel they will not get the promotion they desire. We met up with Rochelle Vandort, Head of Group Learning and Development for John Keells Holdings PLC, an HR professional with extensive experience in talent management and development, to talk about how professionals can manage career related anxiety and achieve their career goals with ease.

How do you define career success?

A career to me is a personal journey, and it is not linear. I believe career progress shouldn’t just be climbing up the ladder but should include opportunities to broaden experience and exposure, such as lateral moves and stints. You should always aspire to be in a role that complements your passion, ambition, and stage in life.

At the start of my career, I did two internships, which were not in the field of HR, and I spent time volunteering. These experiences were extremely helpful for my quick progress. Over time, I also sought opportunities in diverse industry segments, and I am glad to say I had the pleasure of working in a broad range of industries in local conglomerates and multinationals. To me this diverse experience was extremely exciting. Instead of a straight and narrow career path, I chose to have a variety of experiences, which again helped me progress faster. I enjoyed the mobility, learning, and the opportunity to make an impact, which I define as my success.

There are professionals who are frustrated over lack of progress in their careers despite being good performers. Why does this happen?

While good performance is undeniably crucial, it is not the only determinant of career progress. As an HR professional throughout my career, I’ve had the privilege of working with many senior business leaders in identifying and developing talent. Looking at career progress from their perspective, potential and visibility play a huge role.

Potential can be defined as the capability to take on a bigger role or the future success of an individual. It can be assessed through behaviour demonstrated in relation to business or role specific competencies such as leadership capability, stakeholder management or communication. Organisations measure performance against set goals and KPIs, however potential is harder to assess. While various tools such as 360⁰ assessments and psychometric tests can help assess potential, senior leaders look for characteristics such as energy, drive, sociable nature and taking initiative. They also look for talent who have the ability and willingness to learn and apply the learning successfully in new and challenging situations. This capability is known as ‘learning agility.’

What do you mean by ‘visibility’ when it comes to career growth? Can you please elaborate.

Senior leaders often look for individuals who stand out in a positive way within their organizations – those who proactively seek opportunities, contribute to discussions, and take ownership of key projects. They look for consistent and impactful contributions made to the business.

An effective way to obtain visibility is by volunteering for assignments where you get to work with cross-functional stakeholders. Through such projects you often get the opportunity to work with your skip level supervisors and senior stakeholders of the business and highlight your capabilities. For example,

I remember how I once (early in my career) reluctantly volunteered to Emcee at a corporate event. Instantly the full senior leadership team saw my capability as a public speaker and my ability to manage tough conversations. I later realized that the impression I made that day helped me in securing a lucrative development opportunity and set me up for success within the organization.

When it comes to visibility, your executive presence and personal brand matter. Like Dan Schawbel says, “Brand yourself for the career you want, not the job you have.”

‘My work should speak for itself’ does this statement stand true in the modern workplace?

It can be unrealistic to expect that everyone in the organisation, especially senior leaders, to have full visibility on all aspects of what you do. Often, senior leaders focus on broader strategic goals, and it is not always practical for them to have detailed insights into individual contributions. Therefore, modern workplaces value proactive communication, and employees need to showcase their contributions through regular updates or presentations.

Organisations will have various mechanisms to identify high potential talent based on merit. However, here I refer to taking responsibility for showing people how your work connects to theirs and how it adds value to the business. It is not about being boastful, but limited self-advocacy can slow down your progress. So, when you have the opportunity, talk about your achievements, and don’t forget to recognise those who support you.

LinkedIn is a great platform to build your personal brand and network within and outside your organisation. On LinkedIn, you can create your own space and express yourself. Apart from this, you can use LinkedIn to learn, keep up to date with industry changes, and join interest groups to broaden your network.

While advocating for yourself is essential, you can also seek the help of a career sponsor..

Who is a career sponsor and how can they help?

A career sponsor is a person with influence within your organisation who actively supports your career growth. A sponsor will introduce you to important contacts in their network within your current organisation or outside, which can lead to new opportunities. Especially in larger organisation where opportunities can be available within other business units, having the right connections might ensure that your name is flagged when a new opportunity arises. A career sponsor will provide opportunities to get noticed, for example, recommend you for a high-profile assignment or invite you to showcase your achievements at the next company town hall.

I am glad to say that I had great sponsors throughout my career, and some were also my mentors. But unlike mentorship, which is private, sponsors are public and go beyond offering advice. My sponsors belief in my potential and knowing someone senior is looking out for me and vouching for my talent was a confidence boost.

Remember, building connections is not an extra-curricular activity.

How do I evaluate if I am ready for a promotion?

First try to clearly understand the requirements and challenges of the role for which you are aiming. It is important to ask yourself if you are genuinely interested in the responsibilities that come with the promotion or are you seeking external validation like a title change or pay rise?

If you genuinely want to move up, reach out to your line manager, skip level and other key stakeholders such as HR and senior leaders of the organisation to understand how they perceive you. Get feedback on your performance, potential and visibility from those who can give you unbiased and honest feedback.

The third and most crucial step is honest self-evaluation to identify areas for improvement. Map out a path for yourself covering the critical experiences needed to be successful in your dream role. Focus on roles that will lead to long term career success rather than simply getting to a higher grade.

We recently celebrated International Women’s Day, and everyone talked about the progress of women in the workplace. Do you think the playing field is equal?

I am glad to say that organizations such as JKH have robust processes and commitment of the leaders to eliminate bias in career and promotion decisions. For example, the group provides 100 days of equal parental leave which leads to minimizing bias in hiring and promotions and provide equal opportunities for everyone.

However, if a fair and inclusive environment is not present, women may have to work harder on being visible, find stronger sponsors and advocate more for themselves than their male counterparts.

I often see factors like caregiving responsibilities disproportionately affecting women and limiting their career advancement, so there is a collective effort needed from organisations and business leaders to actively promote more inclusive and equitable approaches to career development. As the IWD theme suggests, we need to accelerate action.

What if I do all the above and I still don’t get promoted?

The hard reality is that sometimes, you may tick all the boxes but still not receive a promotion.

Organisations may not be able to provide fast upwards mobility due to several reasons. For example, there can be restructuring or downsizing going on within the organization. In organizations with few leadership roles or limited senior positions, it can be difficult for employees to move up, especially if there’s high competition for those roles.
Additionally, there can be challenges with budget and compensation if the organisation isn’t performing well. While the above are structural barriers, I have also seen many cultural barriers such as internal politics and favouritism, overemphasis on seniority and leadership that doesn’t prioritize employee growth.

Organisations that have poor performance management systems and lack clear career paths may also stifle your desire for growth.

So, take the initiative to understand how the succession planning process takes place in your organization. If an upward movement might take some time, you may focus on taking a lateral move or a different assignment to build your skill set. However, critically evaluate your options inside and outside your organisation and don’t be afraid to take risks. You don’t need to be the big fish in the small pond.