How to Get Promoted at Work

It’s January 23… and you’ve wrapped up one year and launched headfirst into another one. And buried within the holidays and celebrations is an end-of-the-year touchpoint. In that touchpoint discussion, managers will give feedback, a compensation review and sometimes a promotion.

It’s the “sometimes” that has created tension inside organizations. And while we work with many people to prepare for the end-of-year conversations, we also start coaching with people when they didn’t get what they want.

Promotions, or the lack of them, create tension in organizations, hard feelings between managers and employees – and a lot of misunderstanding with everyone. In fact, the tension around it has increased in recent years.

People managers feel like they get asked about promotions 3x more often than they used to. Most feedback sessions lead to “what’s in it for me,” and many employees want to meet frequently to be sure that their “promotion” and advancement is on track. Managers say that the language has shifted from “What’s my next opportunity?” to “You need to promote me” and “You owe me a promotion.” That’s a pretty demanding employee!

Employees are worried about falling behind. They’re worried about an increased cost of living. They want to hold onto the more flexible lifestyle and work style, and they’re impatient about getting to the next opportunity. They’re trying to shift the timing from when they want it to when the company is ready to do it.

That suggests that some employees don’t really understand how the timing of promotions works.

And the answer is: it depends.

There are some concepts that are universal for all companies.

Promotions never happen because an employee asked for it. Promotions happen on a company’s time and when an opening or increased responsibility call for it.
Promotions are rarely the sole decision of one leader.
Promotions are best impacted by what you do vs. what you ask for.
Promotions are more relational than transactional.

The concepts may seem clear. They may also seem rigid as if there’s little you can do to influence them in your favor. It may feel like there’s an invisible playbook inside a company, and some people seem to have one and you don’t. It’s more likely that some employees seek guidance and coaching and developed their own playbook for career advancement.

Here’s how we’d guide you to do the same.

How to Get Promoted at Work: Appreciate Feedback. Act on It.
Even though you aren’t in charge of when promotions happen, pay attention when these touchpoints occur. Even if you weren’t promoted, your career was discussed. Managers are most likely to share their thoughts –and the sound bites of others – as they go through a review.

Don’t challenge your manager’s perspective. Seek to understand it. If you come across as defensive or resistant, you won’t get much more. When you have constructive feedback, act on it. Not by trying to prove a leader wrong, but more by trying to shift an impression.

It doesn’t matter if impressions are accurate. It’s someone else’s perspective. And they have a right to it. You need to change it, not debate it.

In a coaching session, we ask you: what feedback you’ve gotten recently and what you’ve done with the feedback. Everyone answers the first question. Most people say “nothing” on the second one.

How to Get Promoted at Work: Managers vs Coaches.
Everybody has a manager, not everybody has a coach within that manager. And that’s OK. You shouldn’t put your career opportunities in the hands of one person anyway. Most promotions are decided by committee. But you should be savvy about where you stand with the manager you have.

In a coaching session, we ask you: where you stand in a manager’s pecking order. Are you the right-hand person for your manager? If not, are you second? And if not, chances are your manager may not be your best advocate. You have plenty of support in your current role. You just might not have the coach who’s going to help you move beyond it.

If there were an invisible playbook, page two would tell you to build an internal network. Build champions and coaches inside an organization, and they will support your future steps.

How to Get Promoted at Work: Results Speak Loudest.
There is an “I’m owed” mentality that is showing up in touchpoints. And it doesn’t fare well in a corporate setting. Promotions start with company needs, not individual ones. They will align, and promotions are likely. But you do more to promote yourself by your work vs. your words.

In a coaching setting, we talk to you about how you position your work and your brand. And this is often where some employees outshine others. They know how to package themselves more effectively. And instead of talking about what they should get, they talk more about what they’ve done.

How to Get Promoted at Work: Stop By, Say Hi!
We are still adjusting to new ways of working. The advantages of flexibility outweigh the trade-offs for most employees, but promotions are about visibility and relationships. And if they don’t know you…they don’t promote you. That’s not your manager’s responsibility, it’s yours. No matter how you’re working, you need to put added effort into relational time with your leader and others.

While we’ve heard a lot about how much employees need flexibility in their schedules, we’ve also heard what leaders say about adjusted work environments.

“If I’ve seen you in three Zoom meetings with 10 other people, I don’t know you.”

We know that promotions start with relationships. To promote you, I don’t just need to know your work. I need to know you to endorse you within the company.

Promotions are key points across a career, and as a result, they get a lot of attention. But worry less about timing and more about effort. Because there’s a lot you can do to greatly improve your chances.

If your year-end touchpoint didn’t go as you had planned, let’s talk about how you can proactively improve your opportunity.

How to Get Promoted at Work: Your Time vs. Their Time

You believe you are ready for a promotion.

You have delivered strong work, accepted additional responsibilities and waited for the next step. Your performance review arrives, but the promotion does not.

The disappointment is real.

It can feel as if the organization does not recognize your contribution or your manager has failed to advocate for you. Sometimes that interpretation is accurate. But often, the employee and the organization are operating on different timelines.

You are thinking about when you are ready to move.

The organization is also considering whether a larger role exists, what the business needs, how your readiness compares with other candidates and whether leaders are prepared to support the decision.

Understanding that difference does not guarantee a promotion. It helps you focus on what you can influence.

You can advocate for your career without assuming you control the organization’s timeline.

How to Get Promoted at Work: How Do Promotions Work?

Promotion decisions vary across organizations, but they usually involve more than strong performance in a current role.

Decision-makers may consider:

The organization’s current needs
Whether a larger role exists
Budget and headcount
Performance over time
Readiness for broader responsibility
Skills required at the next level
Leadership potential
Feedback from multiple stakeholders
The employee’s visibility and reputation
The strength of other candidates
Succession and workforce plans

In many organizations, a promotion is not the decision of one manager. The manager may recommend the employee, but other leaders, human resources or a review committee may also influence the outcome.

That is why doing strong work matters, but it may not be the only factor.

How to Get Promoted at Work: Performance and Promotion Readiness Are Different

Strong performance means you are succeeding in your current role.

Promotion readiness means there is evidence that you can succeed with greater scope, complexity or responsibility.

The distinction matters.

An employee may be exceptional at delivering individual work but have limited experience influencing others. A strong manager may need to demonstrate readiness to lead multiple teams. A technical expert may need to communicate recommendations to broader business audiences.

Ask yourself:

Am I performing well in my current role?
Have I demonstrated skills required at the next level?
Have I handled broader or more complex responsibilities?
Can other leaders describe my contribution?
Do I understand what success looks like in the next role?
Is there an organizational need that aligns with my readiness?

A promotion is not simply a reward for what you have done. It is also a decision about what the organization believes you can do next.

How to Get Promoted at Work: Your Timeline and the Company’s Timeline

Employees naturally think about advancement through a personal lens.

You may be ready for more responsibility. You may need higher compensation. You may feel behind peers. You may have stayed in the role longer than expected.

Those concerns matter.

But companies usually make promotion decisions through a business lens.

They may be asking:

Do we need this role?
Is the work expanding?
Can we fund the position?
Does this person have the required capabilities?
Who else should be considered?
What happens to the employee’s current responsibilities?
Will the organization support the decision?

The two timelines align when employee readiness meets organizational need.

How to Get Promoted at Work: Should You Ask for a Promotion?

Yes, employees should discuss advancement with their managers.

Managers cannot support goals they do not understand. A thoughtful promotion conversation can clarify expectations, identify development priorities and help both people understand the path forward.

The problem is not asking.

The problem occurs when the conversation begins and ends with a demand for a title.

A better approach is:

“I am interested in taking on broader responsibility. I would like to understand what the next level requires, where you believe I am ready and which gaps I need to address.”

This communicates ambition while inviting useful feedback.

How to Get Promoted at Work: Ask About Readiness, Not Just Timing

“When will I be promoted?” asks the manager for a date they may not control.

“What would I need to demonstrate to be considered ready?” creates a more productive conversation.

Useful questions include:

What distinguishes strong performance in my role from readiness for the next one?
Which capabilities should I strengthen?
Where do I need broader experience?
Who should understand my work?
What feedback are you hearing from others?
What opportunities would allow me to demonstrate readiness?
How will we evaluate progress?
When should we revisit the conversation?

The answers may not be what you hoped to hear. But specificity gives you something you can act on.

How to Get Promoted at Work: Appreciate Feedback. Then Use It.

A performance or promotion conversation often reveals how leaders currently experience you.

Some feedback will feel accurate. Some may surprise you. Some may feel incomplete or unfair.

Your first responsibility is to understand it.

Ask for examples:

“When have you seen that behavior?”
“What impact did it have?”
“What would a stronger approach look like?”
“Who needs to experience something different from me?”
“How would you know I had improved?”

Understanding feedback does not require accepting every conclusion without question.

You can respectfully add context, correct factual errors and seek a broader perspective. But debating every point in the moment can make it difficult to learn what is shaping the decision.

How to Get Promoted at Work: Perception Is Data, Not Always Truth

The original article argues that employees should change impressions rather than debate them.

That idea needs nuance.

A workplace perception may be incomplete, outdated or influenced by bias. It should not automatically be treated as an objective truth.

But perception still matters because it affects decisions.

If leaders believe you are not strategic, not collaborative or not ready for broader responsibility, you need to understand what created that impression.

Then determine whether you need to:

Change a behavior
Communicate your work more clearly
Seek broader feedback
Correct inaccurate information
Build experience in a missing area
Address bias through the appropriate channel

The goal is not to accept every perception. It is to understand what is influencing your career and respond intentionally.

How to Get Promoted at Work: Show What You Did with the Feedback

A common development gap is receiving feedback without demonstrating change.

If a manager tells you to communicate more strategically, what will you do differently?

You might:

Lead with the recommendation instead of the background
Connect updates to business priorities
Reduce technical detail for senior audiences
Clarify the decision you need
Anticipate stakeholder concerns
Offer options and tradeoffs

Then return to the manager with evidence:

“You asked me to communicate at a more strategic level. In the last two project reviews, I began with the business implication and recommendation. I would appreciate your feedback on whether the shift is coming through.”

That response demonstrates self-awareness, action and accountability.

How to Get Promoted at Work:Your Manager May Not Be Your Career Coach

Every employee has a manager. Not every manager has the time, skill or perspective to become a strong career coach.

Your manager still plays an important role. They evaluate performance, assign work and may advocate for advancement.

But your development should not depend on one person.

Build a broader network that includes:

Mentors
Former managers
Cross-functional leaders
Project sponsors
Trusted peers
Professional coaches
People who understand the next level

Different people can offer different forms of support.

A mentor may help you interpret the organization. A sponsor may advocate for you when opportunities are discussed. A coach may help you identify patterns and prepare for important conversations.

How to Get Promoted at Work: Build Advocates Across the Organization

Promotion decisions often involve people beyond your immediate manager.

Leaders are more comfortable supporting someone whose work and judgment they know.

That does not mean networking for the sake of collecting contacts. It means building credible working relationships across the organization.

You can do that by:

Contributing to cross-functional work
Sharing useful expertise
Following through on commitments
Helping other teams solve problems
Communicating progress clearly
Participating thoughtfully in meetings
Asking for perspectives from people outside your function

Your reputation becomes stronger when several people can describe your contribution firsthand.

The goal is not to make yourself visible everywhere. It is to make your value visible where it matters.

How to Get Promoted at Work: Results Speak Loudest When People Understand Them

Results matter, but they do not always speak for themselves.

You may need to communicate:

What problem you solved
Why the work mattered
What role you played
Which obstacles you overcame
What changed because of your contribution
How the result supports organizational priorities
What the experience demonstrates about your readiness

This is not bragging when it is accurate, relevant and appropriately timed.

It is helping decision-makers understand your impact.

How to Get Promoted at Work: Keep a Record of Your Accomplishments

Do not wait until the performance review to reconstruct a year of work.

Maintain a simple record that includes:

Major projects
Measurable outcomes
Positive feedback
Expanded responsibilities
Problems solved
People developed
Cross-functional contributions
Examples of applied feedback
Skills strengthened
Recognition from customers or colleagues

This record helps you prepare for development conversations and identify patterns in your contribution.

It also makes it easier to build clear career stories for internal interviews.

How to Get Promoted at Work: Visibility in Remote and Hybrid Work

Flexible work can reduce spontaneous access to managers and senior leaders.

But visibility is not the same as office attendance.

Employees can build visibility in any work environment by being intentional about communication and relationships.

Consider:

Scheduling purposeful one-on-one conversations
Providing concise progress updates
Participating actively in virtual meetings
Volunteering for cross-functional work
Asking for opportunities to share results
Building relationships beyond scheduled group calls
Making ownership and follow-through visible

Avoid equating physical presence with commitment. What matters is whether the right people understand your contribution, judgment and readiness.

How to Get Promoted at Work: What to Do When You Are Not Promoted

Ask for the Decision Criteria

Understand what influenced the outcome.

Request Specific Feedback

Move beyond general statements such as “You need more experience.”

Ask what kind of experience and what evidence would demonstrate readiness.

Clarify What Is Within Your Control

Separate the development gaps you can address from structural factors such as budget, timing or the absence of an open role.

Agree on Development Actions

Identify assignments, experiences or behaviors that will strengthen your readiness.

Establish a Follow-Up Date

Do not leave the conversation open-ended. Agree on when progress and opportunity will be discussed again.

Evaluate the Pattern

One delayed promotion does not always mean the organization lacks opportunity.

Repeated vague promises, shifting criteria or unequal standards may signal a larger problem. If expectations remain unclear after reasonable effort, decide whether the organization can support your goals.

How to Get Promoted at Work: Warning Signs the Promotion Path May Not Be Real

Pay attention when:

Leaders cannot describe the requirements for the next level
The criteria change each time you meet them
Your manager repeatedly promises a promotion without a process or timeline
You are doing the higher-level role indefinitely without recognition
Feedback remains vague and unsupported
Opportunities consistently go to others without explanation
Bias or favoritism appears to influence decisions
The organization has no realistic path for advancement

Career ownership includes recognizing when further effort inside the same system may not change the outcome.

How to Get Promoted at Work: Development Can Continue Before the Promotion

A promotion is one form of advancement. It is not the only form of growth.

While timing remains uncertain, you can continue building readiness through:

Stretch assignments
Broader stakeholder exposure
Cross-functional work
New technical or leadership capabilities
Mentoring others
High-visibility communication opportunities
Acting responsibility during a temporary assignment
Feedback and coaching

Development strengthens your options whether the next opportunity appears inside or outside the current organization.

How to Get Promoted at Work: Focus on Readiness, Relationships and Results

You cannot control every promotion decision.

You can control how intentionally you prepare.

Build the capabilities required at the next level. Develop relationships with people who understand your work. Communicate results in a way that makes your contribution clear. Seek feedback and demonstrate what you have done with it.

Then have the conversation.

Your timeline matters. So does the organization’s.

The strongest promotion strategy prepares you for the moment when the two align, while helping you recognize when they may never align where you are.

As always, we’re here when you need us!

Want a free 15-minute consultation with us to see how we can help you or your leaders? Book a call now!