Getting promoted is a great feeling. Although it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to reach that point, in the end it is generally worth it. Below are just a sampling of ideas how women can ensure they get the next promotion and experience this joy.

Ask for Choice Projects: Many times women think their hard work alone will get them consideration for future projects. Think again. Not only do you periodically have to remind your superiors of your interests, but make every effort you can to request projects that have high visibility or that will stretch your talent. It’s always a risk to ask for these kinds of assignments, because if you falter or fail, the spotlight will be on you. But if you handle them successfully the rewards could be great. As a Facilitator at FedEx I gladly took on the challenge of training a unique group. This team not only sold for FedEx but also bought on their behalf. Because they were so unique they had never received training just for their needs. Instead they received the usual training and had to rely on ad hoc external training to meet these needs, which never truly addressed all of them. This was not only challenging because of the difficulty of degree in the project, but the director had high standards and might prove difficult to please. Not only did I lead my team to successfully training this group, the organization was so please with the results that they awarded us the Pinnacle of Achievement award and considered us an informal part of the team. The risk paid off. I then had a great reputation within my organization, and soon after was promoted.

Diversify Your Skills: When preparing for an interview, I always wanted to know with whom I was competing. By knowing my competition, I could size up their strengths and weaknesses. I would then make a point to highlight my strengths against their weaknesses in the interview. For example, when I was competing with someone who was a top sales professional, but lacked any operational experience, I was sure to not only to highlight my sales successes but also how my operational experiences helped me close deals. I always made it a point in my career to not only look for vertical promotions but also short term lateral promotions that would diversify my skill set and make me a more valuable asset to any organization. When I was in Sales at FedEx, I moved over to a group call International Air Freight Sales. This was the former Flying Tigers group. Although many of my peers thought this was a mistake, I could see how working with this group could benefit me in the long run. This group had greater international experience and a more worldly view of how transportation worked. My gamble paid off because the next promotion, as a Facilitator for the Sales and Training department, required unique skills. Guess who had them? And once I was working in this department, I received the best projects because no one else on the team had my international experience.

Find a Mentor or Sponsor: Even if you heed the previous two examples, it’s never a guarantee for promotion. It is essential to have someone in upper management vouch for your success and help you move forward. A mentor or sponsor lends credibility to your skill set and track record. They should also be someone with a good reputation and who is politically astute. You should engage with them at least quarterly, and by engagement, I don’t mean quarterly lunches to catch up on office politics. Your discussions should revolve around challenges you are facing, business literature you are reading, or projects. I’ve learned from the Novations Group, Inc. organization that mentoring should entail four things: message, challenge, opportunity and journey. Message could be in the form of career advise, developmental coaching, or rules that have helped achieve success. Challenges are all about what you’ve learned form past experiences, whether they were mistakes or successes, and handling current challenges in the most fair and ethical manner. Opportunities are pertaining to what you hope to gain from this experience, i.e. a specific short term or long term goal or position. But realizing your mentor/protege relationship should be viewed as a journey and not just a means to an end is also critical. Also keep in mind, any goal that is to achieve it’s objective must have what I call the 4WH plan (Who, What, When, Where, and How) to be successful.

It’s OK to Toot Your Own Horn: I constantly hear from women how difficult this is for them. Funny, your male colleagues have no problem with this issue. If you are going to reach your professional goals, you’re going to have to become more comfortable with this. And trust me, over time, it becomes easier. Tooting your own horn isn’t necessarily arrogance or bragging, but sharing your success. You can do this by lavishing praise about your team to others or by sharing a quick innocent FYI you think your superior would want to know. At my last position, a peer’s region recently beat out mine in gaining the most accounts in a given fiscal year. Although coming in second was still a great achievement, I am competitive and like to win. When we were in a board room meeting and I was praised for my team’s effort, I couldn’t help but also remind upper management that although my team took second, they did generate the most high revenue yielding accounts, which is also important to the company’s bottom line. I praised my team, but also let management know about another accomplishment and just how important it was to the organization.

Aim to be the Best in Your Field: No matter what rung you are on the corporate ladder, your professional aim should always be learning new skills and being the best you can be. It’s important to look around at your colleagues or competitors, but there is no substitute for what your hard work and your unique skills can bring to an organization. Recognize your strengths and enhance them. Review your weaknesses and improve upon them. If you do this consistently and are honest with yourself, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to make it to the top!