Skip to content

Proven Steps to Unlock Your Next Promotion

1 min
promotion  ✺  unlockpromotion  ✺  mentorship  ✺  workvisibility  ✺  earntrust

Promotions don't come to those who wait,

They come to those who act.

7 proven steps to unlock your next promotion - in collaboration with Caleb Mellas:

1️⃣ Take Ownership

→ Familiarize yourself with your company's promo process → Have a conversation with your manager and share your ambitions → Discuss your strengths and weaknesses, then act on feedback

2️⃣ Assess and Track Progress

→ Line up past and current experiences with promotion requirements → Align with your manager on what is met or yet to be (use traffic light colors) → Use this to guide future work and regularly review progress with your manager

3️⃣ Make your Work Visible

→ Keep track of your achievements in a brag doc → Review your work (in progress and completed) regularly with stakeholders → Seek continuous feedback on work and impact

4️⃣ Level Up Your Thinking

→ Spend time with peers at the next level to learn how they think → Identify what you need to start doing to show next-level thinking → Tackle each project with next-level mindset

5️⃣ Seek Opportunities and Deliver Impact

→ Ask your manager what you can help them with → Find problems or opportunities other senior peers are talking about → Get involved with key organizational goals or programs

6️⃣ Earn Trust

→ Deliver on commitments and speak up if something is off track → Manage Up - Ask yourself: "What would I want to know if I were my manager?" → Help others in as many ways as you can

7️⃣ Tap into Mentorship

→ Learn from their experience (technical, functional, or leadership) → Get objective feedback on progress and growth → Act as a sounding board for ideas and provide support

PS: Drive your promotion as a program.

Next