“Show Me The Money” – Jerry Maguire
People go for promotion in the Police for many different reasons. For some it’s the increased influence a promotion may offer. For others it’s the different perspectives that advancement bestows. But more money is right up there too. And that’s ok.
This article is for those of us that share these sentiments from the film “Jerry Maguire”:
It’s OK to Like the Money
“My Philosophy is whatever you do you’ve got to invest in yourself. if you don’t there are a lot of people out there who will get the job because they are more prepared than you” Karl Urban
We all have financial commitments that we have to take seriously. Mortgage, household bills, schooling and child minding costs. These are all financial realities and the fact is we all need a certain amount of money to live. Whilst we don’t always talk about it, it may well be a driver or motivation for seeking a promotion. Everyone needs a certain amount to get by and a promotion is a legitimate way of acquiring more money and with it more choices in life.
It’s ok to like the fact that you will be paid more when you are promoted, even though you may not hear many people talk about it.
How Much Can I Make?
Clearly if you have more responsibility, more autonomy and are expected to perform at a higher level it’s not unreasonable to expect to receive enhanced remuneration.
So around £400 a month more as a Sergeant and around £800 a month more as an Inspector is what we are talking about. Am I making this up as I go along? No, here’s a link to officer salary information where you can check the latest figures for different ranks yourself. (These figures are based on rates of UK police pay that are current at the time of writing this post).
That’s got to be worth having.
“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest” Benjamin Franklin
What Do I Have to do to Get It?
This is the $64,000 question. There are two routes.
The longer of the two routes potentially involves a long and unnecessarily difficult quest. The quest can take you through the complexities of compiling an exacting application, past hours of frustration and could even result heading in the wrong direction completely.
The shorter, easier route involves finding a coach or mentor to guide you through the potential difficulties. This is exactly why I set up Rank Success. I am proud of the hundreds of officers that I have helped through the promotion process over the years.
(Image sourced from ‘Leadership a Journey’ available free from RankSuccess.co.uk)
Go get it
It’s OK to share the attitude from Jerry Maguire when Cuba Gooding Jr asked Tom Cruise to “Show me the money”. There are many reasons to seek promotion. Maybe your job is your vocation, maybe you have a sense of mission and that’s why you are seeking promotion. For many of us though, it’s a financial reality that career progression should also be accompanied by financial progression. There is nothing wrong with expecting to be rewarded financially for doing a responsible job and as I have shown in this post, getting promoted can be financially rewarding.
If this is you don’t be afraid to seek promotion, but do it as professionally as you do the rest of your job. Take it seriously, you can talk to me about coaching or mentoring you through your promotion process.
