Being promoted is something almost every employee aspires to. Recognition brings a raise, new responsibilities, heightened confidence, and opportunities for growth—who wouldn’t welcome that?
What employees often overlook, however, is that promotions don’t always follow a job well done. While excellent performance is the #1 prerequisite, it’s equally important to communicate and advocate for your work to justify your candidacy for the next level.
Recently, I worked with a coachee preparing their performance review and promotion case. They work for a well-known corporate with strong values around transparency, equity, and diversity. Yet, like many others, they felt stuck and unclear about the promotion process and criteria.
This inspired me to share the strategies we discussed, which can help anyone prepare a strong case for promotion.
While a job well done is absolutely the most important thing and is the number 1 pre-requisite, employees often still need to communicate and sell their work to justify their candidacy for promotion to the next level.
Two Essentials for Promotion
For an employee to be eligible for promotion, two things must be true:
1️⃣ Consistent Performance at the Next Level: You must already be delivering at the level you seek to be promoted to.
2️⃣ Business Scope at the Next Level: There must be a role or expanded responsibilities available to justify the promotion.
1️⃣ Business Scope
Before aiming for promotion, discuss with your manager or advisor if there is scope within the team for you to take on more responsibility.
Is there room for growth within your current role, or would you need to move teams or organizations?
Are there opportunities to expand your scope—more responsibility, complex projects, or leadership roles?
This clarity is vital not just for your employer but for you. Without sufficient scope, you risk being promoted into a role where you cannot fully deliver, leading to frustration and potential underperformance in the next review cycle.
2️⃣ Deliver High-Impact Work
Once you’ve confirmed there is scope, your focus should shift to consistent, high-impact performance. This requires intentionality, and I recommend following these steps throughout your performance period:
10 Steps to Promotion Success
1. Understand Metrics and KPIs (The “What”)
Know how your team measures success—both the metrics and the tools used to track them. For example:
Sales KPIs: Revenue attainment, upsells, renewals, new accounts.
Non-Numeric Success: Customer testimonials, product complexity, client challenges solved.
Stay on top of your progress with regular check-ins and updates.
2. Understand Level Expectations (The “How”)
Beyond KPIs, understand the behavioral attributes expected at each level—e.g., leadership, collaboration, communication, and technical expertise.
Review company documentation on level expectations.
Align with your manager to ensure these are ambitious yet realistic goals.
Discuss with your manager, if it feels realistically ambitious. More specifically, gauge if it's in line with your current skillset - so it’s not way over your head - but also provides the stretch opportunities, the challenges, and the next level scope - so you are not bored, can grow and develop, and eventually deliver at the next level. Where there are gaps, ask your manager and advisor to help fill them.
3. Plan Deliverables and Estimate Impact
At the start of your performance period:
List your planned deliverables and forecast their impact.
Align with your manager to ensure expectations are clear and appropriately challenging.
Feel free to download our FREE OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) Templates to help you outline your objectives, key results, and impact effectively. Use it as inspiration to stay focused and aligned! 👇
4. Understand the Process
Get clarity on timelines, milestones, and required templates for submission. Inquire about:
Deadlines for reviews and submissions.
Who submits and presents your promotion case.
Unspoken prerequisites (e.g., consecutive “above expectations” ratings or senior endorsements).
5. Know the Stakeholders
Understand who sits on the calibration committee and ensures visibility of your work. This isn’t about “visibility for visibility’s sake” but rather ensuring relevant leaders are familiar with your contributions.
6. Solicit Feedback and Build a “YAY Me” Folder
Regularly ask for feedback from peers, managers, and clients, and save it in a dedicated folder. This builds your case for promotion and gives you a morale boost on tough days.
7. Prepare Your Promotion Rationale
Craft a succinct and structured promotion case, focusing on:
Key deliverables.
Impact achieved.
Alignment with KPIs and level expectations.
Even if your manager handles submission, preparing this yourself ensures your contributions are well-represented.
8. Build Sponsorship
A sponsor—someone who advocates for you in decision-making rooms—can be invaluable. Sponsors naturally emerge when you:
Deliver high-impact work.
Build relationships with leaders in your organization.
Demonstrate openness to feedback and new challenges.
9. Follow Up Without Overdoing It
After submitting your case, follow up tactfully without appearing overly focused on the promotion. Trust the process, and focus on delivering excellent work in the meantime.
10. Relax and Re-Center
Promotion processes can be stressful. Once your case is submitted, take time to ground yourself. Whether it’s yoga, a nature walk, or dinner with friends, prioritize activities that help you recharge.
Hi! I'm Merve. 👋 I help leaders build high performing teams, amplify their business impact, and advance their careers.
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