4 personality traits that might hold you back from getting promoted

When it comes to getting a promotion at work, several factors can either hold you back—or help you get ahead. Elements like your performance and experience play a crucial role in determining your career trajectory, as well as things out of your control, such as the number of available positions and budget constraints. But when it comes to personality, are there traits that might hold you back from getting promoted?

According to Bonnie Dilber, the recruiting manager for Zapier’s business recruiting team, it’s important to consider the company you work for, as different traits work better in different environments.

For example, if a salesperson fears public speaking, that could hold them back from advancing, but it might not affect someone in a different role that doesn’t require frequent speaking.

Still, when it comes to getting promoted, there are a few traits that will hold someone back in almost any industry. The good news is these are often things that you can work to change if getting a promotion is your goal.

Not being receptive to feedback

“One trait that will hold someone back from a promotion in almost any space is the inability to receive feedback,” says Dilber.

If someone isn’t receptive, is overly arrogant, and doesn’t know how to apply feedback to their work, it can significantly hinder their career, she says. “If you’re not able to take feedback from others, it limits your ability to grow and improve in your work. That, in itself, makes you a less compelling candidate for growth,” she says.

If you find that you’re getting the same feedback over and over again, take that as a signal that it’s something you really need to work on, advises Dilber.

From there, “one thing you can do is show gratitude for the feedback you’ve been given, instead of offering excuses or explanations,” she says.

Being unable to consider other perspectives

Similarly, according to Dilber, when it comes to working on a team, you have to be able to consider the perspectives of your peers and coworkers, too.

“When a company is thinking about who they want to give more responsibility to, the higher up you go, the more you have to work collaboratively,” says Dilber.

When people are not open to hearing others’ perspectives, they can be seen as difficult to work with, not good team players, and lacking respect for other people’s opinions, she explains. To combat this, try to actively listen to your peers, and hear out their perspectives—even if you don’t initially think you agree.

Not being willing to learn

Daniel Space has held various HR roles at companies such as WebMD, Electronic Arts, and Spotify. He says refusing to learn and coming across as a know-it-all can hold you back from moving up.

“A great example would be if a software engineer who is very good on the technical side [and] wants to be promoted to a leadership role but assumes that because they are a good programmer, they will automatically know how to lead people,” says Space.

These are different skills, and in this case, the individual would have to realize leadership is a skill that will take time to learn. “When companies are reviewing promotion opportunities, a desire to learn and humility are often skills leaders look for,” he says.

If someone such as your manager tells you it is something for you to work on, a solution would be to ask for examples, and to listen without getting defensive. Then thank them for their feedback and try to be more conscious of it moving forward, says Space.

He suggests, when working with new employees, or colleagues, you could even say: “It’s been brought to my attention that I can be somewhat of a know-it-all and it’s something I’m trying to work on. I’m far more conscious of it now, but I’d like to ask that if you feel it’s happening to please stop me, as I want to make sure I’m being respectful.’”

Not expressing you want to be promoted

According to Space, “One trait that holds people back a lot is fear. Specifically, people get worried about telling their managers they want to be promoted.”

He explains that many employees find it uncomfortable to speak up for themselves and to talk about their goals, their ambitions at work.

But here’s the thing: “If you want to get promoted, you have to talk to your managers,” he says. “In many cases, when I sit down with an employee in an exit interview, the employee will say they are leaving because ‘there wasn’t room to develop,’ or move up,” he explains.

“Then, when I sit down with the manager, the manager will say, ‘I didn’t know that person wanted to develop or move up into a higher role.’

Although it may be uncomfortable, “there’s a difference between talking to your manager and saying, ‘I deserve to be promoted,’ versus ‘What does development look like for me?’”

Dilber echoed this. Telling your manager you want to be promoted can be a hard conversation, she says. But “if your goal is to grow, you should let your manager know, as your manager won’t know what your career goals are otherwise,” she says.

Besides, some people want to stay in the same job for many years, so you can’t assume your manager will know your goals. To make this conversation easier, she suggests approaching your manager by asking: “What would you need to see from me in order for me to earn a promotion?”

Then, after letting your manager know you want to be promoted, align with them around what they would need to see, or what the business would need to see, in order for that to happen,” she says.