Jim always seemed to get the big promotions in HR. When we worked together at Quaker Oats, I watched in awe as he steadily moved up the HR ladder. From afar, I thought he was a freakin' genius. Yes, he was a bright and inspirational HR professional. Yes, he knew the business cold. Better than many of our general managers. Yes, of course, he worked hard and got things done. Yes, he had built a reputation as a terrific leader, manager and coach for his HR team. Yes, his clients, his peers and the higher-ups all loved him. And while all of these factors helped him, in his mind, they weren't the only reason for his success in HR. I found this out when he got promoted again and became my boss. At the time, I was frustrated, felt stuck in place and going nowhere in HR. So I asked him to lunch. My major reason for doing this was to pick his brain (oh, how I hate that expression!) and to get some career advice on how to move up the ladder. In response, he graciously pulled back the curtain and gave me some powerful guidance. Something I remember to this day. Something I believe many managers know... but rarely tell their people. This happened many years back, so I can't recall every single word he said. However, I do remember his main message and the essence of our conversation. And it went something like this... "Alan, the best career advice I can give you is through an analogy. Imagine a theater full of people that can give you a promotion. In this theater, there are people that work behind the main stage with the curtains drawn. These are the stagehands. Stagehands diligently work behind the scenes, doing the lights, building the scenery and selling the tickets. They are absolutely critical to ensuring that what happens on stage is pulled off without a hitch. These are the quiet implementers and unsung heroes. The audience doesn't have a clue who they are. And though they're essential, they rarely get noticed or acknowledged. Then, there are the star performers that do their jobs in front of the curtain. They are the ones most visible to the audience. They're the ones who get the love, the adulation, the attention and the glory. The best career advice I can give you for getting promoted is this: You cannot be a stagehand and hide behind the curtain. It's tough for quiet implementers to get promoted. Instead...You have to do great things, and then tell people what you have done." This means that the absolute worst thing you can possibly do in your HR career is to get too busy doing day-to-day "HR grunt work" behind the curtain ... and neglect spending some time promoting yourself and your accomplishments in front of the curtain. To keep your HR career moving forward you must engage in relentless, continuous, uninterrupted, constant SELF-PROMOTION. You don't have to brag and do this in a brash, egotistical manner. That'll just piss off everyone around you. And you don't have to take all the credit. That'll piss folks off too. Probably even more. So, the trick - while doing this - is to ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS recognize the people who have helped you. That is, pull back that curtain and publicize those stagehands who play a major role in supporting you. But make no mistake about it. It doesn't matter if you're in an entry-level HR position doing everyone's grunt work or a big shot Chief HR Officer setting the people strategy for the entire organization reporting to the CEO... you must promote yourself! In fact, my personal rule is to never let more than a couple of days pass without doing something to communicate what I'm doing, what our team is doing, no matter how busy I am and how back-logged I am with work. That can be through e-mail updates, by phone, lunch conversations or in a meeting. He wrapped up by reiterating his main point (which I believe to this day he intended as specific feedback for me)... "Step out from behind the curtain. DO GREAT WORK AND TELL PEOPLE ABOUT IT. Recognize the people that help you in the process. But above all, don't fall into the trap of being the quiet implementer!" Now, a confession: The idea he conveyed to me was not new. I got it. Doing an awesome job and delivering results ALONE was not enough to move my HR career forward... otherwise in my mind, I'd be running the whole damn company! However, the "curtain" analogy he gave me at that point in my early career in HR just blew me away! And it provided a refreshingly new way of getting me comfortable with the issue of using self-promotion as part of my HR career management strategy. But what about you... Are you managing your human resources career as a stagehand operating behind the curtain... or as a real star performer in front of the curtain? And in the process, are you recognizing and acknowledging those fantastic people behind the curtain who are helping you out? Think about it.