ven that they might be useful to him in his current role. Yet, a team leader must use spreadsheet programs and presentation software, and the ability to lead meetings would definitely allow Sam to demonstrate his public speaking skills.

Sam was also advised to think about his career desires. What did he think he would enjoy doing? This was the interesting part to Sam. When he thought about it, he could easily see how his knowledge of accoun

Do you find yourself being passed over for promotions at work? Have you ever wondered why the person chosen for a special project was selected instead of you? Many people in today’s workforce find themselves in this position repeatedly. They wonder what to do about it. Sometimes they complain to a co-worker or talk to their spouse, but, over time, they just chalk it up to someone being better than they are or in the “inner circle.”

Is this truly what is happening? It may be that there are other forces at work here—forces under the control of anyone who wants to get ahead in business.

When Sam, an accounting clerk at a large financial institution learned that his colleague had been promoted to a team leader of a high-visibility project in the A/P department, Sam decided that he would try to understand why he wasn’t chosen for this role. He asked to speak to the department manager to understand why he wasn’t even considered for the role. The department manager was surprised to learn of Sam’s interest in the team leader role. He said, “Our perception of you, Sam, is that you are a dedicated employee, but other than that, we don’t know much about you. However, we always need strong team leaders, so here’s some advice if you want to be considered for the next opportunity.”

To begin with, Sam was advised to inventory his skills and experience. Too often, weeks, months and years pass, and we keep doing our work, never stepping back to think about or to document the new skills we are learning or the experiences, which demonstrate our capabilities. When Sam thought about it, he realized that he had taken several desktop application courses and had joined Toastmasters to hone his public speaking skills. However, Sam never thought to put these skills on his resume or even that they might be useful to him in his current role. Yet, a team leader must use spreadsheet programs and presentation software, and the ability to lead meetings would definitely allow Sam to demonstrate his public speaking skills.

Sam was also advised to think about his career desires. What did he think he would enjoy doing? This was the interesting part to Sam. When he thought about it, he could easily see how his knowledge of account

truly what is happening? It may be that there are other forces at work here—forces under the control of anyone who wants to get ahead in business.

When Sam, an accounting clerk at a large financial institution learned that his colleague had been promoted to a team leader of a high-visibility project in the A/P department, Sam decided that he would try to understand why he wasn’t chosen for this role. He asked to speak to the department manager to understand why he wasn’t even considered for the role. The department manager was surprised to learn of Sam’s interest in the team leader role. He said, “Our perception of you, Sam, is that you are a dedicated employee, but other than that, we don’t know much about you. However, we always need strong team leaders, so here’s some advice if you want to be considered for the next opportunity.”

To begin with, Sam was advised to inventory his skills and experience. Too often, weeks, months and years pass, and we keep doing our work, never stepping back to think about or to document the new skills we are learning or the experiences, which demonstrate our capabilities. When Sam thought about it, he realized that he had taken several desktop application courses and had joined Toastmasters to hone his public speaking skills. However, Sam never thought to put these skills on his resume or even that they might be useful to him in his current role. Yet, a team leader must use spreadsheet programs and presentation software, and the ability to lead meetings would definitely allow Sam to demonstrate his public speaking skills.

Sam was also advised to think about his career desires. What did he think he would enjoy doing? This was the interesting part to Sam. When he thought about it, he could easily see how his knowledge of accoun

to understand why he wasn’t even considered for the role. The department manager was surprised to learn of Sam’s interest in the team leader role. He said, “Our perception of you, Sam, is that you are a dedicated employee, but other than that, we don’t know much about you. However, we always need strong team leaders, so here’s some advice if you want to be considered for the next opportunity.”

To begin with, Sam was advised to inventory his skills and experience. Too often, weeks, months and years pass, and we keep doing our work, never stepping back to think about or to document the new skills we are learning or the experiences, which demonstrate our capabilities. When Sam thought about it, he realized that he had taken several desktop application courses and had joined Toastmasters to hone his public speaking skills. However, Sam never thought to put these skills on his resume or even that they might be useful to him in his current role. Yet, a team leader must use spreadsheet programs and presentation software, and the ability to lead meetings would definitely allow Sam to demonstrate his public speaking skills.

Sam was also advised to think about his career desires. What did he think he would enjoy doing? This was the interesting part to Sam. When he thought about it, he could easily see how his knowledge of accoun

skills and experience. Too often, weeks, months and years pass, and we keep doing our work, never stepping back to think about or to document the new skills we are learning or the experiences, which demonstrate our capabilities. When Sam thought about it, he realized that he had taken several desktop application courses and had joined Toastmasters to hone his public speaking skills. However, Sam never thought to put these skills on his resume or even that they might be useful to him in his current role. Yet, a team leader must use spreadsheet programs and presentation software, and the ability to lead meetings would definitely allow Sam to demonstrate his public speaking skills.

Sam was also advised to think about his career desires. What did he think he would enjoy doing? This was the interesting part to Sam. When he thought about it, he could easily see how his knowledge of accoun

ven that they might be useful to him in his current role. Yet, a team leader must use spreadsheet programs and presentation software, and the ability to lead meetings would definitely allow Sam to demonstrate his public speaking skills.

Sam was also advised to think about his career desires. What did he think he would enjoy doing? This was the interesting part to Sam. When he thought about it, he could easily see how his knowledge of accounting coupled with his ability to produce presentations and his confidence in giving the presentations could lead to a role in helping managers prepare their budget presentations or a role in training non-financial managers to understand the basics of financial reporting.

As Sam began to take his personal inventory, he was becoming clearer on what he had accomplished and in what direction he might like to go. He also found that documenting his inventory helped him think about his work assignments in new ways, and he began to feel that he had really accomplished more than he ever thought.

Sam knew, though, that simply updating his resume or skill inventory in the company database or in his professional resume wouldn’t be enough to open up new opportunities. Others had to know, too, so Sam asked for a second meeting with the A/P manager.

Sam’s second meeting was as helpful as the first. This time they focused upon who knows Sam and what he has done. He asked Sam to think about a time when he had accomplished something significant and was not acknowledged for the work. It didn’t take long for Sam to recall the meeting he had had with an HR manager who didn’t understand how to read and understand the company’s online general ledger package. Sam explained the package and helped the HR manager determine the most significant fields to analyze. While the HR manager had been very complimentary to Sam after Sam had helped the manager put together her executive presentation, other than an email of thanks the HR manager sent to Sam, no one else knew Sam’s contribution to this project. It wasn’t that the HR manager was withholding the credit or deliberately not talking about Sam’s help. She simply didn’t give it a thought. Her goal was to finish the presentation and, after al