Stop putting your promotion in your manager’s hands

 

If one person is the only one who make or break your promotion, you don’t have a promotion strategy. You have a single point of failure. And I know, that sounds dramatic. But it’s just… accurate.   Because promotions are not decided in your one-on-ones. They’re decided in rooms you’re not in, by people who don’t work with you every day, using criteria nobody bothers to write down.   Your manager is one input into that decision. Sometimes a strong one. Sometimes a weak one. Sometimes they don’t show up to the conversation at all because they’re putting out five other fires. So if your plan is “my manager will fight for me”… you’re exposed.   Let’s change that.   Are you falling into this trap? A high-achieving leader is crushing it. Strong performance. Reliable. Everyone likes them. Their manager says, “You’re doing great, keep doing what you’re doing.” Then promotion season hits.   And suddenly the feedback shifts to: “Not this round.” “We need to see more strategic leadership.” “The timing isn’t right.”   Here’s what’s really happening in most of these cases: It’s not that you’re not good. It’s that your readiness exists almost entirely inside your manager’s head. And in a promotion room, that’s not enough.   Because the higher you go, the less the question is “Did they deliver?” and the more the question is “Do we trust them with bigger scope?”   Trust is rarely built through your manager alone. Your goal is to be an easy “yes” to the rest of your stakeholders, not just one person.   So here’s how you de-risk your promotion path, without adding more stress to your busy day.

The Promotion Bench:Your Career Insurance Step 1: Test whether you’re manager-dependent First things first, let’s make sure you actually have a problem. Answer these quickly, no overthinking: If my manager changed roles tomorrow, would my promotion still have momentum? Can I name three influential leaders who would vouch for me without being coached? Does anyone outside my team understand my impact in business terms? Do I know what “ready for the next level” actually means here, specifically?   If most of those are “no,” you’re manager-dependent. That doesn’t mean you’re behind. It means your reputation hasn’t left your team yet. And reputations that don’t travel don’t get promoted.   Step 2: Identify at least three stakeholders outside your manager This is the part most people skip, because it feels “extra.” This is what it really takes so put in the effort. Choose at least three stakeholders who fit one of these roles: The Decider: close to the promotion conversation, headcount decisions, calibration, or budget tradeoffs. Very often your skip level. The Amplifier: a trusted voice whose opinion carries. When they speak, perception shifts. The Validator: a cross-functional leader who can credibly say, “I’ve worked with them, and I trust them with bigger scope.”   These stakeholders are your future bench.   Step 3: Get on their calendars to build real trust and create shared wins Before you jump into cringe territory let’s be clear. You are not scheduling these conversations to pitch yourself. Ask for favors or tell someone to be your mentor. You’re scheduling them to create familiarity, rapport, and future opportunities to work together.   Because shared wins are what later become proof of your success.   A simple way to request time that doesn’t feel awkward: “I’m aligning my focus to the org’s highest priorities and looking for opportunities to take on bigger scope. Could I grab 15 minutes to get your perspective on where you see the biggest needs right now?”   Your goal in these conversations is to walk away with one of the following: a clearer sense of what they care about and what success looks like a problem you can help solve a chance to partner on something meaningful a way to support their priorities in a visible, measurable way   This is how you stop being “the reliable person on my team” and start becoming “the leader I trust across the org.”   By the way, this is very similar to how you would run a listening tour sponsorship is the added bonus.   Step 4: Create and package proof that travels It’s not enough to have your bench know about your work, you need that reputation to travel. “Proof that travels” is evidence of your impact that holds up in a room you’re not in. It’s based on outcomes, not effort. And it’s easy for someone else to repeat without you standing there narrating your hero’s journey.   The mistake I see is people relying on two weak forms of proof: their own opinion of their impact second or third hand “hearsay”   Strong proof is different. It’s built through cross-functional outcomes and then packaged in a way senior leaders can quickly understand and share.   The simplest version is a five bullets impact brief. Keep it tight: Business problem: What was at risk or stuck? What you changed: The decision, shift, or approach you led. Outcome: What moved (speed, cost, risk, revenue, retention, quality). Why it mattered: Which org priority it supported. Next scope: What you are ready to own next, based on what you’ve already proven.   When you do this well, something powerful happens: your stakeholders start telling your story for you. That’s the point.   Because when your manager is absent, or constrained, or outgunned politically, or your org gets reorganized and you suddenly report into someone new, you don’t have to start over.   Your reputation already exists outside your manager. You’ve built promotion insurance.

Your Next Steps Start with a reality check - are you only relying on your manager for your next promotion? If it’s a yes (or kinda) make an intentional decision to create your promotion bench.   This week, do the simplest version of this. Think of a stakeholder you already worked with recently, supported or have an ongoing relationship with.   Draft your impact brief based on your shared work and share it to get their sign off. Use that document to socialize your impact.