10 actions you need to take today if you wish to be promoted in 2024

You own a car dealership.

You employ 12 people. 8 of them are selling your cars.

John is your best salesman.
John sells 3 cars per week on average.
Mark is also a salesman but, on average, he sells 1 car per week.

When the time comes to pick someone to manage the entire sales team, whom would You chose?
John or Mark?

Which choice would disrupt your business the least?

It's all about risk, isn't it?
If you had asked me 10 years ago, I would proudly tell you one should make the choice that feels most fair.
But! After 7 or so years in the corporate world I can tell you what you probably already know - there is nothing fair in business.
If you're in any type of decision making position, you probably have a list of priorities, and let's be honest - fairness is nowhere to be seen on it.
And that is mostly because fairness is subjective.
The decision John perceives as fair wouldn't be the same as the one Mark does. Let along the entire team, company, or the business owner.

In the abstence of the one true answer that is both fair and right, we dive right into the nuances of personal perception, and that's where the perception your actions will determine your outcomes.
And, if right now you're thinking "but I only have control over my own actions, I don't control people's perception of them", you really need to keep on reading.

Action 1: Make sure this is where you want to grow.
While obvious, many of us fall into the sunk-cost trap - I've invested a lot of time and effort here, so I might as well keep going. However, the sunk-cost fallacy is indeed a fallacy. Before you continue pushing forward, make sure this is exactly what you want and you would be happy to invest even more efforts in this job and this company.

Action 2: Understand where you stand in the eyes of your peers and managers, and find the perfect balance.
A long time ago, the company I was working for created a brand new position that was overseeing certain processes in the business and needed to implement some difficult changes.
My manager at the time was one of the wisest people I've met in my carreer and I had (and still do) immense respect for her and her opinion of what is right. She hired someone for that job, someone I wasn't quite fond of at the time. To add insult to injury, that person took over some of my responsibilities, but I didn't really say anything at the time.
Jumping forward to a few years later, my manager was no longer in the company and we were having one of those mentor-to-mentee conversations. In the context of the conversation, I jokingly said 'you really shoud've put me in that job'. To my surprise she didn't laugh, on the contrary, she said 'yeah, that would've been a good idea, I wonder why didn't I do that'. Then she became silent and her mind went somewhere. After a few minutes she came back and told me 'you see, that would've never worked, the people didn't see you as a boss but rather a friend.' What she meant was that I was too close to too many people and none of them would've supported the changes needed to be made if they came from me.
I was taken by surprise, it never occurred to me that being close to people would turn into a negative. In fact, to my recollection, up to that point it had always helped me collaborate and deliver projects on time.
I did think about it though, and (as always) she was right. If you can't fire someone without having a conflict of interests, you're not the right person to promote.
Your managers need to know that you have the company's interests as your first priority, not your friends'.
As for your peers, if they believe you're 100% loyal to them, no matter what, they won't follow you if you make a decision that hurts their interests personally. Instead, they would argue with you, they would feel betrayed, and all of the sudden you would become one of those people 'who change as soon as they become manager'.

As difficult as it sounds, you can't be too close to neither side of the equation, you need to be in the middle, keeping the balance, and being able to make tough decisions when needed.

Action 3: Make sure your line manager is on your side.
There are few things better than having a line manager who is looking out for you. And there are very few things worse than you two pulling in different directions.
You need to have the right relationship and it's your responsibility to set the right expectations.
Make sure your LM feels respected and included in what you do. They need to understand that you see them as a mentor, as someone who is there to teach you, not to control you. Be honest, share your plans for growth early on and ask them for advice on how to get there.
I've seen a few types of relationships between a line manager and direct report. The most common are 2: the first is where the direct report exists to support the goals of the line manager, the second is where the line manager exists to support the direct report in delivering their work. I can write a whole article for how to deal with the first kind. Long story short - you can't change people, so you need to either change the relationship or the line manager.
It is in your power to make your relationship

Action 3: Find out who makes the decisions when it comes to promotions and salary increases.
Quite often our direct line managers have little to do with organisational changes. When it comes to salaries, what I've seen most often is that the Head of function (whatever that might mean in different companies) is given a budget to distribute across everyone in their area of the business.
Every company is different when it comes to processes but one thing is the same - the HR team would know what has happened before. Possibly your own line manager would too. You need to learn who would make the decision when it comes to your future if you don't know already. And assuming doesn't work. You need to know. Start having those conversations now. And if you're not in the position to have them, start building the relationships.

Action 4: Build a strong relationship with your HR rep/People Partner.
The HR team could be your biggest allies when it comes to your career growth. They would know how the budgets for next year are going to be distributed before you. They would know as soon as someone starts planning a new position in the company. They would be the first to learn if someone hands in their resignation.
Yes, getting into office politics is something most of us would avoid at all costs. Heck, same goes for real politics as well.
Are you a straightforward person? Do you base your decisions solely on logic? Well, good for you! So am I! And that's why we're both f*cked. That is why both at work and in local government other people decide what happens to us while we sit back and follow our moral compasses.
Yes, the view from that high hourse is great. The self-righteous feeling that you're not one of them helps you sleep better. I get it.
Now move on. We all live in the real world. And, if someone is willing to do something you're not, they're probably going to get different results than you, right?
And, no, I'm not telling you to abandon everything you stand for. I'm telling you to build a good relationship with your HR rep! It's not that hard. Get to know them, build a shared vision for what you both believe in and take actions to get closer to that vision. It's what politics is all about - shared interests.

Action 5: Go to the office. Eat the stupid pizza.
Many of us are very lucky. For the first time in human history workers can deliver everything needed from them from the comfort of their own home. Judging by LinkedIn polls some people would rather cut off their foot than step back into an office ever again.
However, evolution is a sloooow process. To this day I can't step on a boat without feeling like donating my lunch to the fish near me. If you don't share my suffering, congrats, you're literally more evolved than I am. As a species we've been on boats for thousands of years, yet 1/3 of us still get motion sickness.
And just because you can join in your daily stand ups in your underpants, you believe the business world has evolved overnight to accept that? Absolutely not.
Relationships are built in person. Always have and probably always will. Or at least you and me won't live to see a time when that's not the case. Out of sight, out of mind is the mantra for every decision maker when it comes to distributing responsibilities.
You're doing a great job? Meeting and exceeding targets? You're a great team player? Well, fantastic! Now why would anyone want to change that? If you are doing your job well, every manager with half a brain would want you to continue doing exactly that.
I've seen many people get promoted over the years. Some for merits, most for political reasons. It's all about trust. And trust is built slowly, but more importantly in person.
The quickest way to make a good impression? Well, do you know who's obligated to go to those pizza parties we all avoid like the plague? Middle management, senior leadership, and HR. There is no better chance to have informal conversations and make a good impression. All you need is a foot in the door of the room decisions are made in. You need as many people as possible to know you, to know your name, and to know you are a decent and trustworthy person. It's cheesy, it's obvious, and yet so many of us just don't make the effort.
Go to every social event or in-person meeting you can. Arrive a bit earlier in the room. Introduce yourself. Talk to as many people as possible and show each of them you're a person worth remembering.

Action 6: Social initiatives and company culture
Social responsibility is a pain... for someone. Not that it's something negative, of course it's not, but unless you work for Twitter back in 2019, chances are there isn't an entire department working on it. If you work for a small-to-medium company, I bet there is someone who got that work on top of whatever was already on their plate. Demands for inclisuvity, environmental responsibility, and a good social image towards businesses increased dramatically over the past decade. Most companies haven't been able to catch up and the genious strategy they use is to push the responsibility to their employees. Employee-led initiatives are a trend that is here to stay. Sure, with the global economy being out of shape, the budgets have been cut but the call-to-action is still strong. Are you passionate about equality, inclusivity, the environment, wellbeing, or anything that could help shape the company culture? Maybe think about joining an existing group or even forming one yourself? It's a good way to put your name out there and become a central figure in the business. That's two birds, one of them is people noticing you taking initiative, the other is making an ally from that someone responsible for those initiatives in your company.
Other opportunities might include:
- company newsletter (get on that, help with the content, or become an editor)
- show-and-tell/townhalls - be there, show engagement, ask questions. Why not even present something?
- wellbeing sessions. If you have them, join them.
- LinkedIn and social media. If your company is active online, show your support. It's a very easy and visible effort.

Action 7: Be genuine. Go the extra mile. And make sure everyone knows it.
If a tree falls in the forest, does anyone care?
So, you're an A-player. You go above and beyond. But does anyone really care?
In a company I was working for, at some point it became obvious that we need to develop some sort of formal career progression framework. Promotions felt sporadic and people didn't know exactly what to do to get ahead in their careers. So, as the Learning and Development Manager at the time, I volunteered to solve this. I spent 2 months of my life researching, and developing a framework that was fair, would work well for the company, and I had consulted everyone in a leadership position to make sure this is what we need. My deadline was the 23th of June. We had a week in Greece planned and my leave blocked way before I started working on this. Anyways, it was important to me to finish the project on time, as it affected virtually everyone in the company. So we paid double for a room that was good to work from, and I spent every day working while my friends were at the beach. So, on the 21st I was having final calls with my stakeholders to decide how we'll proceed with the role-specific aspects of the framework when all of the sudden one person started turning the conversation in another direction. 'This seems very complicated' he said. 'We probably shoudn't be implementing that, as it would never work'. By the end of the day 3 more people reached out to agree with him. So, after 2 months, countless hours, and 1 ruined vacation, a project that was as close to done as it could get got scrapped. Which happens. About 7 months after that, in February, I got a new line manager and as I was onboarding her to what I've done so far, I sent her my framework. All files, all details, everything. I told her that I would really like to see this through and asked her to take a look. She didn't really say anything and I got focused on other things so time went by. Well, by October that year my manager and the person from the meeting who claimed the framework was too complicated had started developing a new career framework. Only nobody thought to include me in the process. When I found out I did think on it and came to the conclusion that my work was probably not that good and they didn't want to offend me, or something like that.
Guess what framework was introduced to the entire company 2 months later. Did you guess? Yes, it was the same one I developed. The one that was too complicated and would never work. Sure, it was an improved version. But then again, they had months to do so.
I don't really mind that bit, I was paid for that work and I did it so everyone can benefit from it. What still leaves a bad taste is the fact I didn't even get a simple 'thank you'. A few of my colleagues that I was consulting with when I was developing the framework reached out to me privately to say they're sorry things worked out that way. But that was about it. And my manager was still able to look me in the eyes and act as if nothing had happened. I can't say I have any regrets but if I was back in that moment now, I would send an email to the senior leadership of the company with the 2 frameworks next to each other and offer to buy a beer to anyone who can spot 10 or more differences between them.
A very long story, I know. The point of it?
Always make sure everyone who needs to know knows it's your work, your ideas, and your contributions. That is how you get noticed. It's not enough to just do it - you need to say it, you need to point it out as frequently as needed to make sure it's clear. You're the one contributing. Because whenever a great piece of work is delivered there is usually a long line of people trying to figure out how to take credit for it. And you won't even be in the room when they do it.
Being great is just not enough, it's your responsibility to make sure everyone knows it.

Action 8: Make sure you have every promise in writing.
I was in my last company for 5 years. I got promoted twice to entirely new positions. In that time I had a total of 5 different line managers. And my line managers reported into 4 different managers of their own. It was mostly due to structural changes and people leaving the business. If half of what was discussed and agreed on had happened, I would, well... I would still be working there.
There are formal performance management processes for a reason. Use them! Most of us see the conversations we have as an agreement and feel cringy about insisting to have it formally added somewhere. It might seem like we don't trust the other person or that we're following the rules too strictly.
Let me ask you this - why do you think it's possible for you to get a promotion? It must be because you got that impression from somewhere, right? Could be a conversation you had. Could be that you exceeded in all of your objectives and that is what usually happens in your company? Maybe you achieved everything listed in the career path for your position and there is a natural step forward? Whatever the reason, there is one. And if you don't have it in writing, right next to your formal objectives for the next period, chances are you're chasing the wind. If tomorrow your line manager changes with someone new, you're starting from scratch with the new person. It would be much better for you if you can show them documentation that supports whatever you're telling them.

Action 9: Have a great network of people on all levels.
The best person to have in your network is the one above your line manager. The second best

Action 10: Ask for it.
Ah, the dreaded conversation. Chances are no one will initiate it if you don't. It's just the way it is. Shia LaBeouf put it way better than I ever could, and if you need a refresher, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXsQAXx_ao0&t=3s
Book a meeting, start a conversation, send an email - whatever you need to do, just get it over with. Take the first step. Now.
We often forget how little other people care about us, and if you're having some sort of anxiety when you think about taking an action, first, I promise, nobody cares. But second, here is a list taking you through everything you need to prepare for that meeting:
1. Your biggest achievements in the recent months/years. Why it's the next logical step for you yo get promoted. People forget. Especially if they don't have an incentive to remember. So, just remind them. Don't go back too far. If something happened 3 years ago, 99% of the time it's no longer relevant.
2. What is your desired outcome of this meeting. Be extremely specific.
3. If you get a negative response, you need to be quick in going back with 'Ok, then let's agree on what I need to do/achieve/complete to get to that desired outcome'. And, obviously, have that in writing. Don't let them turn this into a conversation about why something can't happen. It's a conversation about how and when it will happen.
4. Ultimatums rarely work. Don't use them. It's not an if-else situation. It's a now-or-later at best.

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