How to Get Promoted At Work: The Ultimate 5 Step Guide

Not your typical guide to promotions

Your parents' advice on how to get promoted doesn't work in today's workplace.  The simple suggestions to "dress for success" and "wow the boss" simply won't cut it.  Most promotion hopefuls go about it totally wrong following antiquated advice and generic guidance from the consultants and human resources “experts”.  Instead, follow this practitioner’s insider guide to what really matters to successfully secure that promotion.

As a C-level executive with more than two decades as a people manager in large, global corporations, I am sharing all the strategies and secrets on how to get promoted at work.  It's time to demystify the process and set you up for success in this Ultimate 5 Step Guide to navigating promotions.

Having promoted dozens of business professionals, chaired over 100 hours of promotion committees, led multiple overhauls of promotion processes, and taken my own promotion journey from the bottom to the top, I have seen promotions from every angle within a large, global organization.  I have seen the disappointment when the promotion is denied and created this guide to safeguard you against having to experience it.

What is included in this Ultimate 5 Step Guide:

1. Why we seek promotion
2. Create the case for your promotion
3. Set your development plan
4. Practice leadership behaviors
5. What if the promotion doesn't happen

Step 1: Why we seek promotion in the first place

You have your sights set on that promotion.  It’s worth getting crystal clear on what you want and why.  Maybe it’s the lure of being recognized publicly for your work?  Maybe it’s the status that comes with the corporate title?  Perhaps the promise of an increase in compensation?  Hoping it will allow you to command respect from colleagues?  Aiming for the expanded scope of responsibility that comes with it?  Thinking the vote of confidence will seal your security in remaining employed?  It’s worth considering what your true motivation is.

For most it boils down to one or several of our basic human needs including:

• Contribution - feeling that you have an impact that is bigger than yourself
• Significance - recognition for being distinguished within the group
• Belonging - acceptance and approval by others
• Certainty - security and safety of future employment and compensation

Time for a reality check:  Once you understand better what your true drive is when it comes to promotion, it is helpful to consider that the promotion is often not the exclusive avenue to meeting these needs, nor is it a guarantee.  I have seen many promotions not have the corresponding increase to compensation.  I have seen professionals who were recently promoted be terminated.  I have seen recent promotes who thought that the promotion would make everything easier, realize it comes with a new set of challenges and higher expectations at the next level.  This is not to dissuade you in your quest but to provide perspective.  Promotion is not the silver bullet to happiness or career contentment.

And now... a gut check:  Before we begin, ask yourself honestly whether you are willing to do what might be uncomfortable in the process of seeking promotion.  I don't mean sending a basket of your favorite muffins to the decision-maker, I mean the tough stuff.  It may feel new and you likely have something new to learn.  If you can be coachable and open to the insights and instructions in this guide, committing to doing even the unfamiliar, you will grow you no matter the outcome of the promotion.  Checking our egos at the door now and ready to double down on making this promotion happen!

Self-assessment

Assess your candidacy for promotion as objectively as possible.  Consider the criteria for promotion that may be published in your firm.  Critically evaluate yourself against the criteria realizing there is no person who will excel on every parameter.  I know, you thought that person was you, right?  Yeah, I thought it was me too.  Now really though, what are your strengths and what are your areas for improvement?

Warning, this will include hearing what you need to work on.  If you haven’t truly been given constructive feedback before, listen up.  If you feel yourself bristling as you realize there are things you need to work on, remember, every single professional has things that they are working on.  No one is perfect.  No one has the complete package.  This includes you.  Welcome this as it will help you be successful.

I have heard in my career to just "keep doing what you are doing" and things would work out.  That is a fast track to a career plateau, friends.  Don't take the bait.  Behind it is usually someone who is too intimidated to share constructive feedback with you or doesn't want to hurt your feelings.  If you aren't hearing the constructive feedback, try this out "I know I have things that I can do better.  The first step is knowing what those things are and I am counting on you to tell me.".  Yes, it's the old "spinach in your teeth" dilemma.  When colleagues point things out to you, then you can learn and adapt.

This is when you might be tempted to browse for the articles that will encourage you to "dress for success".  Resist the temptation to do what is easy (did someone say "shopping spree?!") and let's dig in together instead to actually get you promoted.

Obtain buy-in from your manager

Next, it’s time to bring your manager in on your bold plan.  Here is how to strike up that conversation and what to say.

Your manager is the most important stakeholder in this process.  You need his / her buy-in and advocacy.  Here is how to do it.  First, prepare yourself to raise the topic effectively if you haven’t already.  Lead with the right objective.  If presented as a way to secure your own future or increase your status, there will likely be little appetite.  

Present your case instead as your interest in increasing the impact and value-add that you have at the firm.  You realize that you have areas where you can grow and further develop, so you would appreciate their candid feedback and coaching to improve.  You are ready to do the work and hope in the process to make things easier on them as well.  This goes for day-to-day work and also this promotion process.  State your intentions clearly if it is to build a career for the long-term at the company and do more to help the business.

Remember that your manager is taking a chance on you each day that you are in your seat.  By supporting you for promotion, they are sticking their neck out to vouch for you.  Don’t approach them as having all the cards and withholding something you want.  Look at your manager as your partner on this mission that will help both of you and the business.  They have supported you to date and their input will be very helpful.

If you are thinking that I haven't met your boss and this section doesn't apply to you, go ahead and reread it.  The path to promotion is short and unsuccessful without your manager on board.

Learn the rules of the road

Most companies have a process for promotion that often goes far beyond your immediate manager making the decision.  Gone are the days where a single decision-maker grants promotions purely based on tenure.  Large organizations consist of processes that are more trial-by-jury.  

Ask how it works and how you can do your best to be most successful.  If you know timeframes and deliverables, offer to bear the brunt of the workload that comes with it.  Your manager can make or break your promotion, intentionally or inadvertently by losing track of the process.  

Offer to prepare talking points or content for the nomination, whatever will make it easier for your manager to represent you well.  This will be a useful reminder to your manager of what contributions you have made and the impact they had.  

Whether with your manager, or in any interviews relating to your promotion, this is not the time to be humble.  If you are a professional who always uses the pronoun “we” to build the identity of the team, this is the time to start using the pronoun “I” to clearly articulate what would not have occurred if not for your work.  If this is new to you, practice it before any interviews.

Gain broad endorsement

In corporate organizations, promotion decisions are done by committee or group.  If word of your work and your impact itself is limited to you, your manager, and your team, it’s time to start broadening your network.  The more insular you are in your work, the more you will need to do during this time of preparing for promotion.

Your peers, your manager’s peers, partners and stakeholders across departments are all likely to be consulted and can each stand in support of your promotion.  This is the time to cash in on all that good will that you have created by doing your best to partner, support colleagues, and generally do the right thing.  Seek feedback from a diverse set of key stakeholders.  Provide names of those who can serve as referrals and support your case for promotion.

The time between right now and when your nomination for promotion will be submitted for consideration is key.  No matter how long of a time period that is, don’t waste a minute of it.  Create a development plan with your manager to address any gaps in your candidacy.  

Consider each of the following as you do so:

     1. Quantified impact

The first step in building your case for promotion should focus on business results achieved.  What is the mission of your company or business?  How did your work advance the company toward that goal?  In your case for promotion, clearly link how your work is relevant to the success of the firm.

Money talks and this situation is no exception.  Increased revenue, increased margins, costly errors reduced or prevented, expenses decreased or savings achieved - actual business metrics evidence the impact that you have had objectively so speak volumes beyond qualitative statements.  Even if you do not measure or refer to these outcomes typically, effort spent to quantify the impact of your function or team is a worthwhile pursuit.

I can think of countless promotion nominations that were dead-on-arrival because they were completely descriptive and subjective.  "Cheri is an amazing worker, the best I have seen.  Of this department, she would be at the top of my list for promotion.  She is great in front of clients.  She just gets it done."  This is the kind of language that when stacked up against someone with concrete, quantified business results, immediately gets eliminated.

     2. Scope of responsibility

The second step is to present your current role as one having the scope required to qualify for the next corporate title.  If there is push-back that your function is not deserving of the next corporate title, promotion will be an uphill battle no matter how exceptional you are as a professional in that role.

Explore who might be considered peers of yours and whether the corporate title is held by any of them.  Consider with your manager whether there is any doubt that someone in your role can hold the next corporate title.  If it is not a possibility and your manager is firm on that, you have a decision to make whether the promotion is important enough to you that you would seek a different role to work up to it.

This may take you on a different path forward, but it is always better to know sooner than later what potential for advancement there is in your current role so that you can make an informed decision on where to steer your career next.

     3. People management responsibility

Managing others carries significant weight even if it is not an explicit prerequisite for promotion.  If you don’t have formal management responsibility for others, consider what informal responsibility and evidence that you do have.  

It could be mentoring others, training and guiding junior members of the team, even managing affinity networks or other groups within your company, or managing a project team for a period of time.  If you have no experience with any of the above, plan to do it over this time period.

Every organization differs on how far an independent contributor can advance.  No matter the publicly shared guidance, this is another observable indicator of your leadership and ability.  Which makes it an opportunity for you to strengthen your nomination, even with the informal management experience listed above.

     4. Client interaction

In large organizations, not everyone will face off directly with clients.  Having client interaction is an easily observable and measurable validation of your role, either your expertise in technical subject matter or your value-add in converting prospects to clients or retaining clients.  

Be sure to highlight any experience that you have with clients and if you have none, put it in the plan to get some exposure in the near-term.  Regulators, executive boards, and industry groups are related external parties who can also indicate the firm's confidence in you representing externally even when the stakes are high.

     5. Clear impetus

As you are telling the story of your career and sustained high performance the question will come, “why promote now?.  It’s helpful to have a clear argument on what has changed or what recent accomplishments make this the obvious time for your promotion. A particularly challenging environment or initiative as the backdrop for your success is one example.

Without this input, it will be all to easy to conclude that you need another year of seasoning before promotion, without any particular reasoning.

Beware the trap of focusing on your business objectives with no regard for how you carry out your work.  The "how" is as important as the "what" that you are contributing.  Here are the top leadership behaviors to adopt.  Identify which are not already areas of strength for you and focus on practicing them during this time period to accelerate your promotion. 

     1. Act as an owner

In any corporate environment, it is generally easy to identify the leaders from the followers, the owners from the bystanders.  With every decision, behavior, and moment, act as an owner of the firm.  This means invested in the success of the firm and the team, accountable to stand together in the challenges and victories, and willing to be resilient and lead through it all.

Executive presence is a term often used.  How would the head of your firm carry him/herself in this moment?  Are you along for the ride and acting as a commentator, or trailblazing as a leader?  This is a muscle that can be built, and is worth enlisting others to provide you feedback as you practice.

     2. Use your seat

It can be tempting as you climb the corporate ladder to assume that your seat is yours to keep.  In that case, one can get comfortable and forget that the seat is “rented”.  It’s an opportunity to make a difference that lasts only for a time.  Use the opportunity and share your voice, your input, to leave an impact, rather than trying to hang on to that seat.  Showing up is not enough.  

If colleagues would describe you as “taking instruction well” or “with direction, always getting the job done”, it will not be enough to promote you to more senior corporate titles.  Leadership includes not just implementing but also seeing the big picture, connecting the dots, making bold suggestions, building advocacy, and leading the effort to completion.  Leadership includes being self-motivated and proactively taking initiative, not waiting to be asked or simply responding to the environment.

Use your seat and make sure it's not in the "peanut gallery", pointing out everything that others' are doing wrong or worse that an non-specific "management" is getting wrong.  You are there to have a positive impact, not to just watch what's happening like a spectator.

     3. Speak truth to power

When there is an opportunity to speak up, to share your views, even if they contradict the group’s view or seem unpopular, seize it and be bold and constructive.  When being evaluated for leadership qualities, the ability to take risks by standing up for your beliefs is valued.  There is an art to presenting a contrarian view in a way that is heard and effective.

Frankly, if the role or the organization is worth its salt and your future, they aren’t looking for “yes-(wo)men” anyway.  In the high-powered, excellent companies that I have seen, this is not only preferred but evidence sought out during the promotion vetting process.

     4. Do what is right… always

I have seen professionals blow with the wind and change their tune to match the season and the room.  In business, there are crucible moments that happen more than you think.  Those crucial times where ethics are on the line, along with honor and integrity.  It doesn’t come up in a vacuum, it’s always the perfect storm.  Evidence that you don’t buckle under pressure demonstrates your resilience and your integrity, which are always useful because the environment is always changing.

This same guidance applies in those emotionally-charged interpersonal conflicts as well.  A leader must remain the consummate professional.  Showing passion and authenticity is welcomed.  Letting your emotions get the best of you and losing your calm or engaging in destructive behaviors, will always be observed and remembered.  As a leader, remaining optimistic and consistently being a culture carrier, including being respectful of others, is crucial for a well-functioning organization, let alone a successful promotion.

Despite what is popularized in movies or might feel rampant in your organization, I can confidently say that even when these destructive interpersonal behaviors are tolerated or overlooked for a time, it never lasts and justice reigns.  Use that as reassurance that "good guys" do finish first in this regard, and that it is a must-do for you.

     5. Continuous investment in learning

Successful professionals are always investing in their own learning and development.  Show examples of training that you have completed in order to keep improving.  This could be geared towards deepening your technical subject matter expertise, or building your leadership skills.

This could include reading books, taking self-paced online courses, attending live training, securing new licenses and certifications, and executive coaching.  Many companies have resources available to further your learning.  Show evidence that you are taking advantage of at least these resources to benefit the firm and help your case for promotion.

This is one of those pivotal decisions as a professional.  If you are committed to your craft, you keep honing it.  This makes you more marketable and valuable.  It can be common to stop learning with intention when you graduate school, but I urge you not to slip into that complacency.

     6. Extra-curriculars

Everyone puts their nose to the grindstone, but not everyone does it in a manner that benefits the broader organization beyond the specific impact that we quantified above.  Leaders build culture and give back.  

Consider how you went beyond the call of your immediate role to help the larger organization: leading networks, sponsoring groups, speaking engagements, and social impact efforts.  A way to think of this is paying it forward for the future leaders of tomorrow while getting exposure to leadership opportunities that you might not have in your current role.

More and more this is part of the price of admission to the promotion process.  It can be an easy and fulfilling box to check if you take the time to find a cause that is meaningful to you and match your talents accordingly.

If for whatever reason this is not the time for your promotion, there is a way to handle it that will set you up for future success.  First let’s cover what not to do.

     1. Fighting the "Fed" - “I deserve it and this is an injustice.”  Leaning into the feeling that you and the company are at odds and insisting that you know better than the group that reviewed and decided your promotion might make you feel better in the moment, but will not help the situation.

     2. Comparison Trap - “Others who were promoted should have been in line behind me because I am a better performer than they are.”  When facing disappointing news, it can be natural to lash out and attack those who were were promoted when you were not.  This is an indication of immaturity.  Remember that you do not have all the facts about other candidates’ nominations or work, so speaking up against them is speaking out of turn.

     3. Tone Deaf - “I’m already there.  I don’t have any more improving to do.  I have arrived even if my corporate title hasn’t caught up.”  Digging in your heels and refusing to face the reality of the situation shows that you still have processing to do.  The sooner you can move through the disappointment and once again become coachable to improve, the better.

If you are passed over for promotion, you have options on what to do next.  

     1. Stay and revisit - Most professionals will choose to stay in the role, seek feedback from the promotion process, and set a clear plan for how to develop and have a different outcome at the next opportunity for promotion.

     2. Find a new role inside the firm - If you decide to seek another role at the firm, be intentional when considering the corporate title of the new role.  If that next corporate title is important to you, be upfront in your goals and expectations.  If you transfer roles only to find out later that it is not eligible for the next corporate title, you will end up frustrated and feeling like you have lost ground.

     3. Find a new role outside the firm - If this has inspired you to apply outside the firm, make every attempt to keep relationships positive and end on a high note within this firm.  Your reputation is everything and references from your current role will likely be needed as you interview for your next role.

No matter what you choose to do next, this situation offers you new perspective and is an opportunity to grow.  Persevering even with the outcome that you don’t prefer, is a part of building your maturity as a professional.  We don’t always get what we want, but it can be what helps us most if we can view it with the right perspective.  Learn and keep going.  Take the new information that you received as part of this experience and use it to focus your effort going forward.

Your story isn’t over and what can feel like a career-ending moment, is usually a career-defining moment when you look back on your journey.  

Promotions come up and can be an important milestone.  Looking back on your career however, it will be the actual personal growth and impact that you had on others that you will likely remember most.  So embrace every chapter, every twist and turn in your career, as having either been a success or having successfully grown you into the professional that you are today. 

If you would like my support securing your next promotion, schedule a complimentary consultation.

-- Cheri Gregov