It can be demoralising for mid-career professionals to be passed over for promotion despite years of service with the same company.
Nonetheless, it may be time to realise that getting a promotion is not the only way to be rewarded. Instead of going up the career ladder, there are alternative ways to contribute that are just as valuable and important to the company.
One way is to influence more people and achieve broader results. After all, there is something inherently satisfying in helping others grow and develop. The question is, how should one build and expand influence?
The answer may be in the Four Stages of Contribution model, a framework for increasing one's impact and influence in an organisation.
The model was developed by Gene Dalton and Paul Thompson, the founding partners of global talent development consulting firm Novations Group. They believe that employees move through four stages in their careers as they make different contributions.
An employee who has languished in a position for some time probably falls into the second category of the model.