11 Behaviors That Stand Between You And Promotion In The Workplace

One of these might be the reason you always get overlooked for promotion.

In an office setting, a woman in the foreground cheers enthusiastically at her laptop, while a man next to her looks puzzled and concerned. Another person is visible in the background, working on a computer. Shelves with binders are seen in the background.

There is much to be said for being happy with what you have, and that goes for your work and career too. However, upward mobility in the workplace is important because it provides greater opportunities and a chance to expand your skill set.

But what if you want to be promoted, only you keep getting overlooked? Why does that happen? Let’s explore some behaviors that might prevent you from winning the promotion you desire.

1. A lack of initiative.

A man sitting at a desk, leaning his head on his hand and looking at his phone with a tired expression. He is surrounded by work-related items, including papers with charts and graphs, a pen, and office supplies. There is a window in the background.

Management doesn’t want to have to tell you how to do your job after training, nor do they want to babysit anyone to actually do their job. In an ideal world, you’d get trained, you’d go out, and you’d do your job as you were trained to do. Of course, we don’t live in an ideal world. That’s not how it always works out. Instead, you may have to take the initiative to ask questions, learn, and then choose to do the work effectively.

2. A negative attitude.

A man and a woman are having a heated argument outdoors. The woman, wearing a black blazer, is pointing her finger and appears to be speaking angrily. The man, dressed in a grey blazer, looks confused and is gesturing with his hands.

Most of us spend about a third of our lives working. You don’t want to be stuck around negative, toxic people for that much time if you can avoid it. A bad attitude is a good way to not get promoted, and possibly first in line for redundancy when cuts need to be made. Even if you are more skilled than your pleasant colleague, they are more likely to get promoted just so other people don’t have to listen to complaining and negativity.

3. Focusing too much on promotion.

A man in a suit holds a briefcase and ascends an outdoor staircase that appears to climb into the sky. The scene conveys ambition and progress, set against a backdrop of a bright blue sky with scattered clouds.

People who focus a great deal on promotion are often not good people to promote. Why? Because they’re usually just trying to jump through the hoops that management wants to see them jump for a promotion. The problem with that is that it doesn’t mean the person is going to do their job well. It’s better to promote someone who focuses on doing their current job well because then you can assume that they will focus on doing their next job well.

4. Resistance to feedback.

A man in a suit sits at a desk with a laptop, holding his forehead in frustration. A woman with long brown hair, seen from behind, gestures towards him as they have a conversation. A cup, papers, and pens are on the desk.

No one gets everything perfect. A person’s ability to respond and react to constructive criticism is an important part of being a good worker. If you do something wrong or could do something better, you need to be able to take that information and apply it without being offended by it. Frankly, despite present narratives otherwise, management isn’t interested in your feelings. They’re interested in results, and you can’t get results from someone who won’t accept feedback. If you’re not willing to grow and improve, then you’re not worth investing in.

5. Engaging in gossip and office politics.

A woman looks troubled and sad while sitting at a table. In the foreground, two people are whispering to each other. The scene suggests the woman may be feeling left out or gossiped about by the others. The setting appears to be an office or meeting room.

Office politics and gossip are not a good look in most cases. Of course, if you have management that enjoys that sort of thing, then sure. But, for management that don’t, they know when someone is feeding them a line. They just don’t call people out on it because it’s easier for these people to out themselves. Gossiping behind the backs of others is a good way to demonstrate you’re untrustworthy, and, therefore, unworthy of promotion.

6. An inability to collaborate.

A man in a light blue shirt stands with a serious expression, gesturing with one hand as he speaks to another man seated in front of him wearing a checkered shirt. They are in an office environment with glass partitions and a woman seated in the background.

Most jobs don’t stand in a vacuum. The ability to work well with others, whether it’s in a team or with clients, is an essential part of doing your job well. You will have to communicate and work alongside other people to demonstrate that you can be a team player. If you’re the type who’s stand-offish, then you’re going to have a harder time. If you’re an introvert, there are plenty of materials out there that can help you develop your social skills. If you have social anxiety, a therapist should be able to help you improve.

7. Not taking ownership.

A man with short, light brown hair wearing a black suit peers over a glass table, his reflection visible on the surface. He has an inquisitive expression, and the background is a softly focused, bright indoor setting.

Ownership is the ability to embrace your successes and failures. Both are equally as important. The ability to address failures matters because it allows your coworkers or management to help you find a solution sooner rather than later. That matters because a small problem now can become a much bigger, much more expensive problem later. Similarly, one needs to own their successes otherwise other people will claim them as their own. If you don’t make your successes known, you may not get promoted because your management may not know that you were responsible for them.

8. Poor self-management.

A person with short hair sits at a desk, resting their head on their hand while looking at a laptop screen. They appear tired or thoughtful. The background includes shelves filled with colorful binders and books. A glass and several documents are on the desk.

Self-management is an essential component of success no matter what you do. If you always settle for ‘good enough,’ then you’re going to fall behind in so many ways. Good enough doesn’t cut it when management is looking for people to carry an increased workload and more responsibility that often goes with a promotion. It’s not just about work itself. You also need to be able to manage your own stress, attitude, and time.

9. Avoiding responsibility.

A man in a suit is partially hidden behind a laptop screen. He is looking intently at the camera. The desk in front of him is cluttered with crumpled paper, a pen holder containing pens and scissors, and other office supplies.

It’s a simple enough concept—why would anyone want to give you more responsibility if you avoid what you have now? They don’t. Instead, they look to the people who are passionate about their job and their company’s mission. And look, we realize that not every job is glamorous or doesn’t seem worth that kind of effort. But if you’re sweeping floors and doing a bad job of it, management is just going to assume you’re going to do the same thing in a new position. That’s not who you want in positions of responsibility.

10. An inability to adapt.

A young man with short hair and a beard, wearing a red shirt over a striped t-shirt, sits at a desk, looking at a computer screen with a confused expression. His left hand is touching his temple, and a keyboard and glasses case are on the desk in front of him.

More responsibility often requires more flexibility. People with more responsibility are exposed to more problems that arise in the workplace, problems that they are responsible for solving. Solving a workplace problem is rarely as easy as 1+1=2. Instead, it may be 1+?=? where you have to figure out what the result is supposed to be with a limited amount of information. Sometimes that requires an educated guess and then working to fine-tune the answer. Creativity and adaptability are an essential part of problem-solving.

11. Not being sociable.

A person with blonde hair peeks over the top of a laptop, which is placed on a wooden desk. The background features a patterned wallpaper. An old-fashioned black telephone and a black desk lamp are also on the desk.

If you’ve worked any job, you’ve probably heard someone complaining about another employee sucking up or “brown-nosing” management. Ever heard the phrase, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”? Yes, there are people that go way overboard in trying to curry favor from management. However, there are also a lot of bitter, jaded people who point at that behavior and use it to justify their own perceived superiority.

“I’m not going to brown-nose anyone, and that’s why I don’t get opportunities.” That is likely correct. You have to be sociable with the decision-makers if you want to advance. They need to know you exist for them to consider you. If you’re just a background player, then that’s what you are. You’re easy to overlook and pass over. That doesn’t work if you want to be promoted. Say hello, learn to have some small talk, ask them how they’re day is going. You don’t have to be best friends, just friendly.