Getting promoted at work isn’t about luck or simply being in the right place at the right time. It’s about consistently proving that you’re capable of taking on more responsibility and driving the success of your team and organization. Promotions are earned by those who show initiative, demonstrate discipline, and continually seek improvement.
If you want to stand out as a leader, you must go far beyond fulfilling the basic requirements of your job. You need to own every aspect of your performance, align with your company’s mission, and actively contribute to the success of your team. This means mastering your current responsibilities, seeking out opportunities to add value, and showing resilience in the face of challenges. By embodying these principles, you can position yourself as someone ready to step up and take on greater challenges. Here’s how you can take charge of your career and earn that next promotion.
Own Your Role
Before you can think about taking on more responsibility, you must demonstrate a mastery of the duties you already have. Are you the top performer on your team? Have you mastered the details of your role? If the answer is anything less than a confident “yes,” then you know where to start.. Performance is hands down the number one factor in who is promoted and who is passed over. You must own your tasks, your outcomes, and your mistakes. When you consistently execute your duties, stay ahead of schedules, and own every aspect of your role, you’ll naturally start standing out to your leaders.
Part of owning your role is owning your mistakes as well. Excuses have no place in leadership or career growth. If something goes wrong, own it. Don’t point fingers. Find the solution, execute it, and move forward. That’s how you build trust and credibility with your team and your leadership. Take time to understand every aspect of your role and identify areas where you can improve or innovate.
Lead from Where You Are
You don’t need a title to be a leader. Leadership is about influence, not authority. Start leading from wherever you are in the organization. Take ownership of projects, mentor others, and set an example through your actions. The more you demonstrate leadership qualities, the more you’ll be seen as someone ready to step into a formal leadership role.
When you take the initiative and lead without being asked, you’re showing your leaders that you don’t need to be told what to do—a key trait of promotable individuals. Reflect on how you can create opportunities to lead within your current role and build a track record of impactful contributions.
Build Relationships
Relationships=Mission Success, both for your team and for you personally. Your technical skills and performance are critical, but so is your ability to build positive relationships up, down, and across the chain of command. Being a leader means focusing on what is best for the entire team, not what is best for my own team or me personally. By forging strong connections with your team, peers, and leadership, you will earn their trust and respect, and more importantly, you will learn the best way to support them and the overall mission.
Be a Team Player
Promotions are rarely about individual performance alone. Leaders are looking for people who make the team better. That means prioritizing the team’s mission over your personal goals. Be the person who supports colleagues, shares knowledge, and helps others succeed. When the team wins, you win. When I was helping select future SEAL Officer candidates, one of the most important traits we tried to identify was the ability to lead when you need to lead and to support others when they had good ideas as well. The quickest way to get passed over in this selection process was to be the person who always had to be in charge.
Also, think about how you can lift the burden from your boss. What’s on their plate that you can handle? By taking initiative and making their job easier, you’re demonstrating that not only are you actively seeking increased responsibility, but you are also dedicating your time to helping the team accomplish their goals.
Stay Humble and Coachable
Humility is a cornerstone of effective leadership. If you think you know everything or act like you’re too good for feedback, you’re undermining your own growth and demonstrating to your leadership that you are not ready for the next level of responsibility. Not only should you accept constructive criticism with an open mind, but you should also go one step further and actively seek the feedback of your leadership and your peers. Once you receive the feedback, you must apply it.
No matter how good you are, there’s always room for growth. Humility isn’t just about taking feedback; it’s about actively seeking it out. Surround yourself with individuals who challenge and inspire you, and learn from their experiences and perspectives.
Exceed Expectations
Don’t just meet the standard; raise it. The baseline expectation is doing your job well. If you want to stand out, you need to go above and beyond. Look for opportunities to add value, solve problems, and drive results. This doesn’t mean taking on so much that you burn out; it means being strategic about where you can make the biggest impact.
When you consistently deliver results that exceed expectations, you’re proving that you’re ready for more responsibility. Proactively identify gaps or inefficiencies in your work processes and propose solutions to address them, showcasing your initiative and problem-solving skills.
Communicate Effectively
Simple, clear, and concise communication is a hallmark of good leadership. Are you succinct and clear in your emails and meetings? Do you listen actively to your colleagues and superiors? Communication isn’t just about talking; it’s about ensuring that your message is understood and that you understand others.
Effective communication prevents problems and allows others to execute on intent. How are you communicating with your superiors? Do you prioritize communication with them? As a Troop Commander, I worked directly for the Commanding Officer. I made it a priority from day one to keep him informed of my intent, our Troop’s progress in training, issues I was working through, and anything I needed his assistance or advice on. This, more than anything else I did during my time working for him, built an extreme level of trust between us and gave him full confidence in my decision-making.
Align with the Mission
Understand the goals and priorities of your organization. What is the mission? How does your role contribute to it? When you’re aligned with the larger mission, you’ll be able to make better decisions and demonstrate that you’re invested in the success of the company, not just your own advancement.
Leaders look for people who share the vision and are committed to driving it forward. Show them that you understand and embrace the “why” behind your work. Show them you are 100% mission-oriented.
Embrace the Grind
Promotions don’t happen overnight. They are the result of sustained effort over time. You must show up daily, ready to work hard and give your best. When things get tough, embrace the challenge and view it as a positive opportunity and not a negative one. Adversity is an opportunity to demonstrate resilience and problem-solving skills.
Remember: Discipline equals freedom. The discipline you show in your daily actions builds the freedom to take on larger roles and responsibilities in the future.
Conclusion
Getting promoted isn’t just about checking boxes; it’s about consistently demonstrating that you’re ready for more responsibility. By owning your role, supporting the team, and putting the mission before yourself, you can set yourself apart as a leader worth investing in. Promotions are earned through consistent effort over time. Take ownership of your growth, and the opportunities will follow. As you implement these principles, remember that leadership is a journey, so continue to evolve, adapt, and push yourself to improve.
