If You’re Stuck In Your Career, Watch This

Advancing in your career can feel unclear, especially when companies don’t publish guidelines for promotions. After two promotions and plenty of observation, I developed a four-step framework that helped me progress—and I’m currently working through step 3 for my next promotion.

1. Settle Into Your New Role

• Become a sponge: Absorb company culture, learn processes, and understand how success is measured.

• Identify key players: Befriend high performers—both peers and managers. Mimic their behaviors to succeed.

• Don’t bite off more than you can chew: Learn to collaborate effectively and communicate with your team rather than trying to do it all independently.

2. Become Effective and Identify Key Impact Areas

• Understand KPIs: Find processes or areas that align with company goals and focus on them.

• Get feedback: Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback and use it to improve.

• Take initiative: If you see something that needs fixing, act on it—even if it means asking for forgiveness later.

3. Develop and Implement Impactful Actions

• Communicate to leadership: Present a clear, detailed action plan to your manager. Align your efforts with business needs.

• Work intelligently: Avoid stretching yourself too thin. Use methods like Pomodoro 🔗 to stay productive without burning out.

• Advocate for yourself: Regularly showcase your work and communicate your promotion intentions to leadership.

4. Get Promoted

• Evangelize leadership: Act like you’re already in the next role—lead and teach others.

• Handle rejection well: If you’re denied, learn from feedback, iterate on your approach, and keep improving.

• Focus on soft skills: Build relationships, practice communication, and develop your leadership presence.

• Align with timing and structure: Understand the promotion cycle at your company, and be ready when the time is right.