6 critical missteps that hurt your career advancement

6 critical missteps that hurt your career advancement6 critical missteps that hurt your career advancementLets face it it isnt easy to break out and establish yourself as an up-and-coming leader inside a large corporation. In fact, some days you can feel like the best kept secret in the organization.For over fifteen years Ive been going into large companies - like Microsoft, Bank of America, eBay and BP, just to name a few - to train emerging women leaders on how to break into positions of management and leadership. As a result, I have helped a lot of women avoid the most common missteps that could be putting a lid on their career advancement.If you are wondering how to become a leader or how to get promoted, be sure to avoid the following 6 Critical Missteps That Hurt Your Career AdvancementMisstep 1 Waiting to be promotedYour management might have said that if you work hard and do a good job, youll be recognized but if youve already tried that route, youll know that it can bring mixed results at best.You cant afford to delegate responsibility for your career advancement to your boss. Instead of waiting for a promotion, take dienstgrad of your career trajectory by identifying the role you want next, and giving voice to your ambition. Let it be known that you are throwing your hat in the ring for that role.Misstep 2 Allowing others to define your reputationInevitably, the people you work with perceive you a certain way. They have formed opinions- judgments, even- about what you are good at and not good at. You already have a brand or reputation, but it has taken distribution policy by default, not by design. Dont wait for others to discover who you really are.Instead, build your brand as an emerging leader. Identify what you want your name to be synonymous with, and create a short, succinct brand statement such as the go-to person for strategy or the bridge between engineering and finance. Make sure it describes something you are passionate about, skilled a t, that your employer needs and values.To build your own leadership brand before others build it for you, create awareness of your brand by adding it to your LinkedIn profile, your email signature, and your elevator pitch.Misstep 3 Building a dead-end brandIts always important to do the job youve been hired for, but dont let others assume youll be in the position forever. If people keep coming to you with requests and assignments that youd have been excited to work on a few years ago (but now are bored by or, frankly, overqualified for) its a clear sign that your personal brand is holding you back.Instead, make your brand scalable. Periodically review your brand statement, making sure that it describes to your current and future potential and not just your (past) experience. It should encompass your higher-level skills, not the ones youd rather leave behind. For example, a financial analyst recently re-branded herself, scaling up her brand from team player to change agent and, in doing so, began attracting less busy work and mora projects that required her to lead change.Misstep 4 Working too hardBelieve it or not, working too hard can be a career misstep, especially if its work thats neither valued nor visible. If you are a hard worker and develop a reputation for hard work, guess what youll attract more of? More hard work And not necessarily the visibility and recognition that is due to you for the work you do.So dont be the best-kept secret in your organization. In other words, dont spend 100% of your time at your desk, head down, doing your job. Make a point of stepping away from your work on a weekly or even daily basis, to do activities that make your value visible, and promote your accomplishments as you achieve them, not necessarily after the fact.Misstep 5 Accepting low-visibility assignmentsLeaders never operate below the radar because they know that the more visible the assignment, the stronger their brand and potential of being recognized. Ther e is a time and place for low visibility assignments, and they are typically at the entry level.Seek out career-defining projects that place you at the epicenter of your companys strategy and most important goals, while showcasing your personal brand and leadership skills. To devote to high-impact, high priority assignments that showcase your leadership skills, delegate or even say no to busy work to free up time. Say yes to high profile projects that define your career, not limit it.Misstep 6 Downplaying your accomplishmentsHumility has its place in church If you want to be rewarded and recognized, you must find ways promote your achievements. If this sounds too much like bragging, observe who gets rewarded in your team culture, and watch what they are doing to gain recognition. When self-promotion backfires, its often because it is done in a way that is inconsistent with a teams culture.Find a few methods that are consistent with your personal brand. For example, get on the agend a to present in a meeting and invite your leaders to attend. Or when a customer sends an email thank you for your great work, add FYI and forward it to your manager. Toot your own horn before somebody gets the wrong message that you have nothing worth promoting.Jo Milleris dedicated to helping women around the world advance into positions of leadership and influence. Jo speaks at leadership conferences, professional associations, and corporate womens networks at companies like Amazon, Bank of America, eBay and Microsoft.This article first appeared onBe Leaderly.