Do you have your sights set firmly on your future? If you’re a highly motivated employee and you are driven to succeed, then this means advancing to higher positions within your field. Simply marching into your boss’ office and asking for a promotion is a bold step, but you can take a few mini-steps to help you get there. When working towards—and asking for—a promotion, it can help to follow a few solid strategies.

Seven tips to follow on the road to a promotion

1. Have a clear understanding of what you want. A nebulous goal such as get promoted might not fit into your long-term career plans. Figure out what specifically you wish to accomplish, and create a career plan that will help you get there.
2. Work on one thing at a time. Big goals are best accomplished in baby steps. Work with your boss to break your plan for advancement into smaller steps, and ask for support to help you accomplish them.
3. Review your career plan with your boss every six months. This will help ensure you’re on track. You’ll be able to check off the important skills you’ve achieved in order to advance.
4. Find a need and fill it. Perhaps you know you’d like to advance within your company, but you’re not sure what position you’d like to advance to. Often, positions are created to fill company needs. If you notice a hole in a process or a role that might help your department, suggest to your boss that it’s something you’d like to work on. Your motivation and insight are both great steps toward a future promotion.
5. Let your boss know how your promotion can help the company. As with any type of sale, you’ll need to sell benefits rather than features. When discussing your future plans with your boss, it can be helpful to explain how your higher position will aid the company, not just you.
6. Don’t try too hard. Sucking up to your boss can be overwhelming to him or her, as well as annoying to your coworkers. And this can hurt the synergy within your team. It’s possible to be a hard worker without disrupting the balance within your department.
7. Don’t lose sight of your day-to-day. Yes, it’s good to have goals. But don’t let them rob you of the motivation to accomplish your daily tasks. Your hard work is what is going to get you promoted, so work on doing the best you can at your current job while keeping an eye on your future.

Always be proud of your accomplishments.

If you’re motivated to achieve more, you should be proud of your drive to succeed. Hard workers like you are the people who companies want to hire. Stick with your career plan and you will be destined for great things!