Let’s say you want to be promoted to a management position. So you work hard and exceed everyone’s expectations. Do you get promoted? Probably not.

To get promoted to management, you have to do all the stereotypical things: kiss ass, smooze and booze, etc. Doing a good job isn’t enough.

Why isn’t doing a good job enough? Because it is expected of everyone to do a good job. That’s why they hired you. So if you met deadlines, performed well, went above and beyond expectations, the only reward for that is a slightly bigger raise or bonus at the end of the year. Good job performance doesn’t really mean a promotion. You’re not the only one doing a good job. Almost everyone else at the company is doing a decent job.

What you need to do is expose yourself to upper management. This means you need to be known by your bosses and your bosses’ bosses. You just have to be where your bosses are. Here are some ways to create more exposure:

• Invite people in upper management to have a luxurious lunch or dinner with you.
• Go to all the company sponsored functions like happy hour, parties, charity events, etc.
• Join company committees or groups.
• Throw parties of your own and invite people.
• Just be more social. Continue