Getting promoted to manufacturing manager takes hard work, time, dedication, consistency, leadership skills and letting your boss know that you want it. You have to demonstrate to the higher ups that you’re ready and deserving to take on more responsibility.

If you want to improve your life, get paid more, or you are just sick and tired of being looked over for that promotion, building upon these six behaviors can help.

1. Goal Oriented

It’s never too late to set your professional goals. Request a meeting with your boss and let him/her know that you want to grow within the company and if there is anything you can do to help your boss. Do not come right out and say you want to take their job as manufacturing manager. Think bigger and broader.

Be open about where you see yourself and let them know the steps you have already been taking to achieve these goals.

Ask questions on how you can get there and ask for opportunities that can help you grow to develop a great track record.

Bosses love initiative and goals, after all that is how they became your boss, so you’ll have plenty in common. As your rapport grows, your boss is going to want to see you achieve your goals and get promoted. They will feel invested in you and start seeing you as their pupil.

2. Team Player

Manufacturing facilities are a well-oiled, fine tuned machine that would collapse without collaboration and teamwork. There is no I in team. You have to help the greater good, put yourself on the line, take blame, motivate, inspire and increase the overall efficiency.

These are the things bosses like, because it makes them look good to their bosses and demonstrates that you can learn from your failures.

Volunteer for more tasks, go above and beyond, earn the respect of the higher ups as well as your team. Never do things just good enough to get them done, that’s a low standard, and only a high standard will get your that promotion as manufacturing manager. If you think your boss won’t notice this, you’re flat out wrong, trust me.

3. Avid Learner

Show your boss that you are committed to improving and honing the skills needed to succeed in the manufacturing industry at all levels. Position yourself as a valuable asset who could never be replaced by some machine.

Pay attention to the challenges and start coming up with solutions, no matter how small or big. It’s all about efficiency, quality control and profit margins. This will earn you respect by both your boss and your team. They will start coming to you for advice as you just positioned yourself as the authority on the topic.

Keep advancing your skill set and continuing your education in both the manufacturing industry and leadership. You can always get help utilizing leadership-training courses online or even in-person training that are well worth their weight in gold and more affordable than you think.

You have to have some skin in the game. Putting your own money down to improve your career shows that you are serious about that promotion to manager.

4. Leadership

You need to have leadership skills, plain and simple. Leaders take charge, show passion for what you do, gain the trust of their team, and display confidence & decisiveness in their decision-making.

Good leadership doesn’t have anything to do with titles, seniority, management or your current position in a company. True leaders come in many forms and are found all over the world. Good leaders possess a set of skills and talent that allow them to motivate people to achieve goals and develop their careers to a higher level.

There are six types of leadership or management styles. Sometimes, this can feel a bit overwhelming, but it’s not. Take this as an opportunity to find what style works best for you and your team. There’s no more one-size-fits-all model, you are going to have to experiment and it’s very possible that you might have to mesh a couple different styles together to create your unique hybrid model.

5. Good Tracker

You need to document, track and review your goals in order to accomplish them and stay on target.

Goals don’t mean anything unless you accomplish them and in order to accomplish them, you have to effectively track your goals. It will help you achieve your milestones faster, allow you to see your progression or weaknesses more clearly, and even motivates you to keep striving.

Be your own advocate, there’s nothing wrong with it if you do it right. You have to show your boss what kind of value you bring. Keep in mind, they don’t see everything you do, you have to show them and remind them.

So documenting your success is key. You must show them a working portfolio of continued progress, completed projects, awards you achieved, certifications you earned, spikes in sales, efficiency improvements, increases in profit margins, consistent quality control, etc.

It all leads back to their bottom line, which is the only thing most executives care about.

6. Great Communicator

It is great to network with and stay connected to the right people. Everyone has heard the expression; it’s all about whom you know and it’s true.

Take advantage of every opportunity and every edge you can get, no matter how small. Network within your company, within your industry, and even within your life. You never know when they can benefit you in the future.

Being a great communicator will open doors, help you succeed, and prevent issues from occurring. You can’t solve a problem if you can’t communicate to your team or your boss about what the problem is to begin with.

Make sure you’re engaging with your team, boss, and network. Being engaged is more than taking notes and listening, you have to be an active member. You need to come up with new ideas, share success tips, show commitment and more.

Get Promoted To Manufacturing Manager

Asking for a promotion in any industry can be a life-changing experience for you and your family. It will boost your salary and your self-esteem long-term.

Remember when first meeting with your boss; don’t directly ask for a promotion right off the bat. Start by asking how you can help them out and grow within the organization.

Getting promoted isn’t easy, but you already knew that. It takes time, energy, dedication and all six behaviors we just discussed.

If you don’t have all six of these behaviors it’s okay. Not everyone is lucky enough to be born with these traits. Some of the best leaders and CEOs had to learn them over time.

How We Can Get You There Faster

Here at Training Gems, this is what we live and breathe. Our leadership and promotion trainer Julio Martinez has decades of experience, helping many manufacturing employees set a path of success and achieving it.

Julio has coached hundreds of individuals on leadership skills that resulted in their career advancement into management positions, as well as, dozens of facilities improve their business.

He has extensive experience in Operations Management for the Manufacturing and Packaging Industry. Julio has overseen all aspects of operations from production, materials management, distribution, sanitation, scheduling, quality control, research & development, to human resources.

We believe everyone has an opportunity for promotion regardless of being an entry-level employee, supervisor or manager. Our in-person training and flexible online courses are developed to help those employees driven to succeed, and willing to do what it takes to achieve that promotion.

It’s time to invest in yourself and set your focus toward gaining upward momentum in your career.