Runs on PeoplePlaybooks / Capability · 2 min read
The promotion conversation
Don't wait to be noticed. Ask what the next step looks like, agree the evidence, and make it easy for your manager to make the case.
The problem
“I want a promotion but don't know what it actually takes”
In the model
In 30 seconds
- Most people wait for a promotion to be offered. The ones who get it usually asked, early.
- Turn "you're not quite ready" into specifics: what would ready look like, and by when?
- Your manager has to make the case to others. Give them the evidence to win it.
The situation
You think you're ready for the next step. Your manager says "soon", "keep doing what you're doing" or "not this cycle". You don't know what's missing, so you can't fix it.
What's really going on
Promotion criteria are often vague, even to managers. Your manager may want to back you but not know how to argue it, or may not have realised you want it. Waiting politely leaves the decision to whoever happens to remember you when the moment comes.
Nothing comes for free. A good manager will guide you and fight for you, but the ambition, the evidence and the first move have to come from you.
What to do
- Say it out loud. "I'd like to be ready for [next role] within a year. Can we work on that together?"
- Ask what ready looks like. Use the career ladder as the shared language. "What would you need to see me do, consistently, to back me for it?" Push for two or three specifics.
- Agree the gap. Which of those can you already show? Which do you need to build? Who else's view matters?
- Collect the evidence as you go. Keep a simple log: what you did, the outcome, who saw it.
- Check in every quarter, not every year. "Here's my progress against what we agreed. What's changed?"
- Make the case easy to make. Before the decision, give your manager a one-page summary they can use with their peers.
How you'll know it's working
- Clarity: you can name the two or three things that stand between you and the next step.
- Evidence: your log has examples for each of them.
- Alignment: your manager's view of your progress matches yours.
- Care check: you're growing towards the role, not just chasing the title.
What to say
To open the conversation:
"I want to be honest about my ambitions: I'd like to work towards [the next role]. What would you need to see from me to back me for it, and can we check in on it every quarter?"
If the answer is "not yet":
"That's fair. What's the most important thing I'd need to show, and how will we both know when I have?"
Try this week
Write down the role you want next, and book a conversation with your manager about it.
Think about it
If a promotion came up tomorrow, could your manager explain in two minutes why it should be you?
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