If you want a promotion, treat it like a project

Promotions rarely happen because someone “finally realizes” you’re doing great work. More often, they happen when your impact is visible, aligned to business goals, and easy to advocate for. The good news: you can start building your promotion case long before a formal review cycle.

1) Get crystal clear on what “promotion-ready” means

Before you sprint, make sure you’re running in the right direction.

• Ask your manager: “What does someone at the next level do consistently?”
• Request the rubric if it exists (competencies, scope, leadership behaviors).
• Translate vague expectations into observable outcomes (e.g., “leads cross-functional work” → runs weekly stakeholder syncs, unblocks dependencies, drives decisions).

Tip: If your company doesn’t have a rubric, create a simple one yourself with 5–7 bullet points and validate it with your manager.

2) Build a one-page “Impact Log” (and update it weekly)

When review time comes, memory is unreliable—documents win.

Your log can be a running list with:

• Outcome: What improved?
• Evidence: Metrics, time saved, revenue protected, quality gains
• Scope: Teams/customers affected
• Your role: What you did (not the team)

Examples:

• Reduced onboarding time from 10 days to 6 days by rewriting SOPs and training leads.
• Prevented a high-severity incident by implementing monitoring + escalation criteria.

3) Choose “next-level” work that creates leverage

Being busy isn’t the same as being promotable. Target work that:

• Solves a persistent problem (quality, churn, cycle time)
• Influences multiple stakeholders
• Creates reusable assets (templates, playbooks, automation)

Rule of thumb: If the work still matters 3 months from now, it’s probably promotion-relevant.

4) Make your impact visible—without feeling salesy

Visibility isn’t bragging; it’s context.

• Send a monthly update: 3 wins, 1 lesson, 1 next focus
• Share credit intentionally: name collaborators and stakeholders
• In meetings, frame contributions with outcomes: “To reduce rework, I…”

5) Convert “I want a promotion” into a shared plan

Try this script:

“I’d like to work toward the next level in the next 4–6 months. Can we agree on 2–3 outcomes that would make you confident recommending me?”

Then schedule a midpoint check-in to assess progress against those outcomes.

Quick self-check

If a senior leader asked your manager, “Why should we promote them?”—could they answer in two sentences with metrics?

What’s one project or behavior you’re working on right now to make your next-level impact undeniable?