How to Accelerate Your Promotion at Work

If you’ve been doing great work and still aren’t getting promoted, I want you to hear this: It’s probably not your skills. It’s how your work is positioned, perceived, and prioritized. I’ve coached engineers who were outperforming peers technically, but kept getting passed up. Not because they weren’t ready. But because leadership didn’t see them the way they needed to. Here’s what I help them shift: 1. Stop assuming your manager is tracking your wins. They’re not. They’re busy. You need to document your outcomes and share them regularly, not just at review time. 2. Tie your work to outcomes leadership actually cares about. Are you reducing risk? Improving velocity? Increasing efficiency? Frame your impact in their language, not just technical output. 3. Start operating at the next level before you’re promoted. Lead cross-functional efforts. Anticipate roadblocks. Step into ambiguous problems and bring clarity. Don’t wait for permission, show you already belong there. 4. Build your advocate network. Your manager isn’t the only one who matters. Peers, product partners, tech leads, their feedback and perception shapes how you're seen across the org. 5. Learn to communicate your value without apologizing for it. This isn’t bragging. This is leadership visibility. The right people can’t support your growth if they don’t know what you’ve done or how you think. Promotions are not just about technical excellence. They’re about strategic presence. Knowing how to shape your story, show your impact, and signal that you’re ready. If you’re stuck right now, it doesn’t mean you’re not capable. It means you need to change the way you’re showing up. And when you do, everything starts to shift.

Want a Promotion? Stop Hiding Behind “My Work Speaks for Itself.” It doesn’t. (If it did, you wouldn’t be reading this.) A few months ago, Sameer, a business head I coach, was stunned. He’d hit every target, led a turnaround, mentored two VPs, and still didn’t get promoted. His boss said: “We need to see more cross-company impact.” Sameer thought, “Wait, what? Isn’t that what I’ve been doing?” Meanwhile, Ananya got promoted. Why? She made her work visible, invited leaders to demos, led cross-functional projects, and owned her narrative. Sameer worked hard. Ananya worked smart and ensured it was seen. The Real Promotion Equation Performance × Visibility × Sponsorship = Growth. Miss any one of these, and you’re left wondering why your brilliant work went unnoticed. Here’s what data (and a few thousand real careers) teach us 1.    Promotion rates are cooling down. Managerial promotions hover around 7.3% (ADP, 2024). Translation: being good isn’t enough; being known for being good is. 2.    Great work needs an audience. Harvard research proves it: visibility and sponsorship matter as much as performance. 3.    Networking ≠ LinkedIn collecting. It’s about building strategic relationships and sponsors who can speak your name in the right rooms. 4.    Promotion = Visibility 2.0. Get promoted, and the market suddenly knows your name. It’s not just a raise, it’s a spotlight. What to Do Before Appraisal Season 1.    Turn wins into impact statements. Quantify what changed because of you. 2.    Build a visibility map. Who needs to see your work? Show them. 3.    Create a sponsorship shortlist. Find 2–3 senior advocates. 4.    Have the career presenting talk: “What will make me promotable in 6 months?” 5.    Upskill on purpose. Align learning with your next role. 6.    Document everything. Don’t let great work die in your inbox. Real Talk You can be brilliant and still invisible. Your work doesn’t speak unless you give it a microphone. So, before appraisal season, don’t just do great work Package it. Amplify it. Get it seen. That’s how results turn into promotions. #Leadership #CareerGrowth #PromotionStrategy #Visibility #PersonalBranding

Over the past six years at Microsoft, I’ve been promoted four times, moving from L59 to L63. My manager told me that promotions are all about showing your intent and backing it up with action. This was one of the biggest lessons that I learned early in my career which helped me achieve these promotions. Let me share a story about two junior engineers who joined after me. We’ll call them A and B. Both came from excellent colleges. Engineer A ► Promoted after 1 year Engineer B ► Promoted after 2 years Engineer A’s Approach (First 2 Weeks): - Asked me how promotions work at Microsoft. - Inquired about what actions are needed for career growth. - Spoke with managers and senior engineers to gather insights. After gathering this information, Engineer A developed these habits: - Went the extra mile after completing his tasks. - Reviewed others’ pull requests (PRs) and asked questions. - Was always eager to learn more and enjoyed collaborating. - Regularly discussed various concepts used in our projects. Engineer B’s Approach: - Started thinking about promotions after 6-7 months on the job. - Had a strong work ethic and completed all tasks efficiently. - Focused solely on doing his tasks well without understanding the bigger picture. - Built a good reputation for reliability but didn’t show intent for the next level. When Engineer B asked me how to move to the next level, I explained it this way: "You don’t get promoted because they expect you to level up after the promotion. You get promoted because you’re already performing at the next level. The promotion should feel like the obvious next step to your leaders." The key difference between A and B’s approaches is simple: – Don’t wait for months to start thinking about promotion. Begin early by understanding what’s required. – Connect with managers and senior team members to gain insights and guidance. – Take initiative, help others, and see the bigger picture. Show that you’re ready for more responsibility. Start performing at the next level now, and the promotion will follow naturally.

I promoted a dozen+ engineers when I led tech orgs across AWS, Microsoft and other companies with vastly different processes. I'm sharing some learnings and what actually moves the needle. There's a misconception that wanting a promotion is "selfish". It's not. It's a healthy signal that you want your impact recognized at a higher level of expectations. There are some challenges that are rarely talked about. Especially now with unpredictable layoffs, expectations to perform at 10x productivity, and managers who are a lot more overloaded. 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴. Your new manager needs months to understand your history and impact. Document everything continuously. 𝗥𝗲𝗼𝗿𝗴𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁. The people you built relationships with leave. The priorities that showcased your strengths disappear. Your team has new OKRs. You're essentially starting over. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘂𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗿𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴. At one of the companies I worked at, it takes on average 40+ hrs working on a well structured promotion case for an already great engineer. Multiple iterations, reviews, rewrites of a 10+ page doc, not because the engineer needed to improve, but because the doc needs to be approval-ready. Your manager might believe in you 100% and still have barriers to navigate the process. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝘀. Make your impact crystal clear. Write your own promotion doc. Update it quarterly. Share it proactively. You're not just helping yourself, you're saving your manager dozens of hours. 🔝 After seeing these patterns everywhere, here is what I believe what actually accelerates promotions: L𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀. Team goals will shift. Metrics will change. But if you understand the "why" behind the goals, the actual business problem, you'll stay on track even when everything around you pivots. Don't optimize for this quarter's OKRs, try to optimize for lasting impact. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗯𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺. The engineers who get promoted fastest are solving problems 2-3 levels above their current scope. They see the bigger picture when others are heads-down. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗼𝗿𝗴𝘀. If your impact vanishes when one person leaves, you're not thinking big enough. Create value that multiple teams depend on. 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆. When community and customers trust your technical judgment, when partner teams seek your input before making decisions, when your name comes up in rooms you're not in, that's when promotions become inevitable. A lot of it is about influence, strategy, making others successful through your work, and understanding your company's strict promotion process.

3 insights from $500K in raises my clients landed: 1) Consistency beats overwork every time. Many professionals think promotions are about doing more. But constant overwork creates burnout—not growth. The real key is finding what drives impact in your role: → 1 leadership skill to master → 1 key project to own → 1 strategic outcome to deliver When you focus on these for 12 months, results compound. Because promotions don’t happen from doing everything. They happen when you make a clear, visible impact. Stop spreading yourself thin. Commit to the actions that move the needle. 2) Clarity beats comparison. Too many professionals derail their growth by comparing themselves to peers. It creates second-guessing: → “Am I as good as they are?” → “Do I need to be doing what they’re doing?” The truth: executives aren’t promoted for imitating others. They succeed by owning their unique strengths: → Showing how they solve high-level problems. → Aligning their results with company goals. → Communicating their value clearly and confidently. When you focus on your own lane, you stand out. Not because you do everything better—but because you do it your way. That’s what leaders notice. 3) Strategy beats hard work. Working harder without a plan doesn’t lead to promotions. Doing your job well is important—but it’s not enough. Executives create opportunities through: → Building strong relationships with sponsors and advocates. → Establishing executive presence through strategic communication. → Connecting their results to company success. Waiting in line for recognition rarely works. Leaders notice those who create impact AND ensure others see it. That’s how you position yourself for the next step. Because if you don’t design your own career plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. *** 50,000+ professionals read my weekly playbooks to accelerate their path to VP Get instant access: https://lnkd.in/gkW-XAer

If your promotion is due, or you want to get promoted in the current appraisal cycle, do these 5 things: With the financial year ending on March 31, the next 70-80 days matter more than you think. 1. Document your wins: - Not tasks. Outcomes. - What improved because of your work? - Revenue, efficiency, risk reduction, delivery speed. If it’s not written, it doesn’t exist in appraisal conversations. 2. Speak to your manager early - Clearly convey: “This cycle, I’m expecting a promotion." - Get expectations on record. It’s absolutely okay to be this direct. Many people hesitate or assume their manager already knows their work. Even if they do, give a clear signal that you are actively expecting a promotion. 3. Understand this clearly: Promotions are not a reward for doing your current job well. They’re given based on your readiness to handle the next-level role. Few years back, when I was up for a team manager role, I was already operating in that capacity whenever my manager was absent. Start assuming that role. Show readiness. 4. Identify gaps and close them fast If your manager highlights gaps, treat them like a 90-day plan. No defensiveness. No excuses. Execution beats intent every single time. 5. Increase visibility where decisions are actually made Your manager is usually an influencer, not the final decision-maker. Look for opportunities to present your work to your boss’s boss - reviews, demos, updates. Let the decision-maker see your impact directly. Do this consistently for the next 90 days, and promotion conversations stop being emotional - they become logical. If you have questions about your appraisal, drop them in the comments - I’ll review and respond. #CareerGrowth #Appraisals

I've managed 500+ people teams across multiple continents. Here's what I’ve learned can get you promoted 3x faster: Find the job description of the role above you → start doing it Identify the thing you do that makes the biggest impact → focus on that Find common problems senior managers face → voluntarily resolve them Look at the metrics your boss measures for success by → raise KPIs by 10% more Track your own results for the next performance review → promote your wins You don’t have to wait for an opportunity to arrive before you seize it. Exercising autonomy in your career path is wildly empowering! Take initiative. Create opportunities. Maximise their impact. You control your future.

Salesforce promoted me from SDR to AE 6 months faster than my peers. 8 things I did to accelerate my promotion👇 1. Operational Excellence ↳ I accurately & reliably forecasted my pipeline. ↳ I was always on top of my activities. ↳ Always on top of CRM data entry. (These are table stakes.) 2. Excellent AE Relationships ↳I supported my AEs whenever I could. ↳I aligned closely & regularly in weekly calls. ↳I only spoke highly of them when they were not in the room. (They're your most important stakeholders, treat them accordingly) 3. Leadership Visibility ↳ I scheduled monthly 1:1s with my RVP. ↳ This was free mentoring from a top leader. ↳ I also presented all the good work I was doing. (The truth about corporate: only hard work that is SEEN counts) 4. Strategic Initiatives ↳ I joined the 1st Social Selling program at SFDC in EMEA. ↳ For 2 years I pioneered how we use Sales Navigator. ↳ I enabled hundreds of reps globally. (This was how I got into coaching, btw. Paid off nicely :)) 5. Knowledge Sharing ↳ I shared my best practices in weekly team meetings. ↳ This was much appreciated by my managers. ↳ Knowledge sharing is caring! (Sharing knowledge is a leadership skill, practice it early) 6. Onboarding Support ↳ Several times I volunteered to be "onboarding buddy". ↳ I helped new hires ramp more quickly in the role. ↳ This helped me understand the ROI of coaching. (Tip: find good mentors in your org, game changer) 7. Innovation ↳ I signed up for free trials to test new prospecting tools. ↳ Once I saw results I would share them with manager. ↳ Together we built business cases to get budget. (Tech stack knowledge (TQ) is a competitive advantage) 8. Hiring ↳ More than once I used my LinkedIn brand. ↳ I referred candidates from my network for open roles. ↳ I helped fill the pipeline with the best available talents. (Recruiting is sales tool, as I'm sure you know) See, I was rarely the number 1 top performer... My numbers were always good (an important health factor) but it's not why I got promoted faster than most people. The secret: 1. I became IRREPLACEABLE to the organisation. 2. I always did MORE than just my numbers. 3. I always went the EXTRA MILE. And it paid off handsomely. ✍Comment: what's your best tip for sales promotions? ♻️ Repost to help your sales reps get promoted faster 🔔 Follow Christian Krause for daily tips to hit your quota

As a former Senior Director at L'Oréal, here's 5 of my best practices that led me to accelerate my career and land 7 promotions in under 10 years. #𝟭: 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻. 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻. I stopped being reactive in hoping my work would speak for itself, and replaced that with proactivity and intentional strategy. For example, I didn’t look at internal promotion timelines as an end all. Rather, I used it as fuel to learn what I needed to do to get there sooner than later and mastered that approach. #𝟮: 𝗦𝗲𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲. When you’re faced with obstacles at work, you can either let them overcome you or you can overcome them. I chose option 2. For example, when my boss went on maternity leave without a replacement, I didn't have a direct boss for over 6 months. Instead of seeing this as a challenge that would get the best of me, I used it to step up, show my readiness for growth and collapsed the reporting lines with my senior leaders. This paid off big time in landing my next promotion. #𝟯: 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻. 𝗕𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲. If you’re relying on your boss to do all the heavy lifting for you in driving your promotions, you’re in for a rude awakening. You need to show up for yourself in everything that you do and identify moments to showcase this consistently. This is your career to take control of so don’t stay in the passenger seat. #𝟰: 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀 𝘃𝘀. 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘄. Instead of having ambiguity around what's needed to take on that next level-role, take action to learn where the gaps are and close them. This can be done with a simple example of speaking to people already in that role and cross-referencing it with where you’re at in terms of your own skills and competencies. #𝟱: 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺. Relationships, relationships, relationships. This is your #1 currency in your career and something that is too often neglected in lieu of doing good work and thinking that’s enough. It’s not. The weight that people have and will continue to have in your career advancement is crucial. Don't disregard this. 👇 Be sure to check out my FREE #linkedinlearning nano-course called 𝗡𝗮𝗻𝗼 𝗧𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗙𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿! https://vist.ly/pj9z It's just 11 minutes long and value-packed to change the game for you. You can thank me later! #promotion #careeradvancement #careertips #corporate #careergrowth

I became an Amazon VP 20 years into my career. Meet Ryan Peterman, who became a Meta Staff Engineer in 3 years! He and I have each discovered and used the same process by different names: 1) He says "Exceed expectations at your level." I have called this "Do your job well." Whatever you call it, you cannot approach your manager about growth without first nailing your current job. 2) He says "Be direct with your managers about promotion." I have said, "Ask your manager how you can help the group that helps you grow." Both are conversations about your desire to do more and move up. 3) He says "Find next-level scope." I call my approach the Magic Loop and tell you to repeat asking for growth each time you finish a project or master a new responsibility. Both are about growing your scope to the next level. 4) He says "Maintain next-level behaviors and impact." Again, I say "repeat" the Magic Loop, which includes "Do your job well." Once you have expanded your responsibilities to new, harder challenges, then you must again demonstrate mastery. Ryan is today's Newsletter guest author, and he provides 12 pages of deep detail on how to "Speedrun" the promotion path from entry level to Staff Engineer. Read his article here: https://lnkd.in/g95v2SiW For the IC engineer track, it's hard to imagine going faster than Ryan did, so read his advice. For leaders, here is my actual career in summary: 1993: Engineer 1995: Lead Engineer / TPM 1996: Manager 1998: Director (midsize company) 2000: VP (startup, ~30 team members) 2001: VP (startup #2, ~15 team members) 2004: VP (startup #3, ~15 team members) 2005: Sr. Manager (Amazon, 6 team members) 2007: Director (Amazon, 22 team members) 2013: VP (Amazon, 500 team members) 2020: “Retired” to build my business, age 50 I made it to VP relatively young because I moved up quickly and consistently. Here is how you can move up as fast as possible: 1) Get recognized early. The first 30–180 days in a new role are crucial. Enter with a clear learning plan and work hard. First impressions last. 2) Understand what your manager needs. Do your job well. Ask what else your manager needs, then take care of it. As you get familiar, anticipate those needs without asking. Repeat this. 3) Get recognized. People who share their wins get promoted. Share your wins with your manager, skip-level, and others. 4) Take risks. Big wins require risk. Sometimes you’ll fail and need to recover--but no one builds a standout career by playing it safe. 5) Get specific guidance. This advice is general. To move faster, get targeted help: courses, coaching, and expert materials. For those aiming at executive leadership, enroll in one of my cohorts of Break Through to Executive: https://lnkd.in/gJ-HgWdk