3 Steps to Speed Up Your Next Promotion

WHERE TO: You earning a long-sought-after promotion.

WHERE FROM: Years of working diligently but not getting promoted.

WHERE NEXT: Taking strategic actions and building relationships which will ensure your efforts translate into increased responsibilities, challenges, and compensation.

Have you been eyeing a promotion this year?

You aspire to get increased responsibilities, new challenges, and a higher salary. Hard work is essential, but it is not the sole factor that will help you achieve your goals. There are steps you can take to increase your chances of being promoted sooner rather than later.

Here is what you can do to speed up the process:

1. Be Clear With Your Manager About Your Goals

How can you expect your manager to know you want a promotion if you don’t tell them? In an upcoming one-on-one meeting, mention that you are interested in growing your role and want to discuss what that would look like. The rest is all about how you present your desire for growth.

You should frame your aspirations in a way that aligns with your manager's goals and the company's objectives. For instance, stating that you want a promotion to earn more money is self-serving. Instead, express your desire for growth because you envision yourself in a management position supporting and mentoring younger colleagues, the same way previous managers have supported you. This altruistic approach makes you more attractive for future leadership positions. It also gives you a better chance of being perceived as a dedicated employee, rather than a money-seeking individual.

But it is not only your manager who needs to be convinced. Promotions often involve several stakeholders, and you need to assist your manager in building a case in your favor. Why not offer to help them build it? Remind them that you are working towards becoming one of the top candidates for promotion when an opportunity arises and that you want to ensure no one on a promotion panel blocks you because they are unfamiliar with you or your work. Even if you are not promoted in the immediate future, let them know that you are dedicated to this goal and want leaders in the organization to be aware of your contributions.

Lastly, emphasize how your objectives align with your manager's goals. A primary sign that a manager is successful in their role is fostering their direct reports’ growth. Allude to that in your conversations and how you getting a promotion will reflect positively on them. This will help them be more invested in your advancement because it fuels theirs.

2. Develop an Action Plan

Now that your intentions are clear, develop an action plan to achieve them.

Do not expect your manager to do the majority of the work. Instead, take the initiative and identify areas where you need to improve in order to be considered for promotion. Categorize the skills according to themes, such as leadership, process improvement, or stakeholder management. Share this list with your manager and ask for their feedback. Are there any other items they would add or anything they would adjust?

Once you have agreed on the items on the list, review your progress monthly during your one-on-one meetings. Avoid bringing up the topic every time you meet, but aim for a regular cadence that allows you to keep it top of mind without being pushy or annoying.

As a product professional, your manager will likely understand your need for regular feedback to iterate on your work. Select the first area of improvement and outline what actions you can take to prove you have mastered that skill. During your regular discussions, share what you have done to progress towards your goal. Double-check that your manager agrees you have shown advancement, and establish a shared understanding of when an item can be checked off the list. If something is hindering your progress, ask your manager for guidance on how to overcome it. Repeat this for all other capability gaps you need to improve.

In the meantime, be aware of potential opportunities within the organization that can help you develop the skills you are working on. For example, if you need to show your ability to improve internal processes, look out for discussions of upcoming process changes. When you hear team members talk about their desire to improve something, volunteer to assist and potentially facilitate some of the meetings on the proposed changes. If your help isn’t required, ask how to be involved next time.

3. Recruit Advocates

While your manager is aware of your progress, they are rarely the sole decision-maker when it comes to promotions. Typically, these decisions are made collectively with other leaders from the company. Your goal is that other members of that promotion panel agree emphatically that you deserve the promotion because they too have confidence in your abilities and skills.

Ask your manager to identify other promotion gatekeepers with whom you should build relationships. Engage in conversations with them and aim to understand their incentives, so that you can support them in advancing towards their goals. Make the best of opportunities to shine in front of them, and try to create occasions to help their team members. Both of these will increase your visibility and hopefully their appreciation for what you provide.

By working on this, when your manager suggests you for a promotion, other leaders will be familiar with you and be more likely to support the nomination.

If the above steps resonate with you but you are struggling to take action towards your next promotion, I am here to assist. I work with people to help them be awesome and get recognized for it. I offer coaching sessions, both one-on-one and in groups, to help professionals like yourself advance their careers and achieve their desired goals. Check out my packages and pick the one that is right for you.

Your next promotion is right around the corner. What are you doing to make sure you get it?

You can also reach out to me [email protected] to discuss where you want to go and get resources to help you get there (or anything else like feedback about this post)