How to Navigate Internal Promotions

I was promoted 3x in five years at Microsoft. That led to ~$200k+ of additional comp. Here are 6 principles I used to make it happen: First, some context: Promotions at Microsoft happen in two ways: 1. Internal level bumps 2. Traditional role changes Two of my promotions were level bumps and one was a role change. All three came with increased responsibility and compensation. On to the principles. 1/ Get Clear On Where You're Going I spent my first six months figuring out exactly where I wanted to go. That way I could quadruple down on my goal. The relationships I built and projects I took on all happened with that goal in mind. Compounding applies to careers too. 2/ Be Vocal About Your Goals! I told everyone about my plan: "I want to be a Director of Partner Development." I brought it up in my 1:1s. In my performance reviews. And in convos with colleagues. People can't help you if they don't know your goals. 3/ Build Up Your Social Capital I identified people who could impact my ability to get promoted. I'd talk to them about their challenges and goals. Then I'd work to help solve that problem or support their initiatives. When you show up for others, they show up for you. 4/ Create A Specific Plan With Management Every quarter, I'd ask my manager 3 questions: 1. What skill gaps do I need to fill to get this promo? 2. What results do you need to see as evidence? 3. What projects can I join / start to get those results? Then I'd get started. 5/ Overdeliver On Value And Results I consistently came in over quota. I helped my teammates level up. I helped colleagues on other teams solve problems. Asking for a raise is a lot easier when you generate 10-100x+ what you're asking for. 6/ Ask For The Promotion Finally, make the ask! When the job becomes available, let everyone know two things: 1. You want it. 2. How they can help you (putting in a good word, etc.) Too many people don't get promos simply because they don't ask or ask at the wrong time.

Sometimes the ladder isn’t broken. It’s just crowded. And you’re stuck waiting for someone to move so you can grow. But here’s what I tell engineers in that position: If the promotion path is blocked, build your own momentum. Here’s how to do it, without waiting for someone to hand you a title: 1. Identify your gap, not just your frustration. Are you missing scope? Visibility? Sponsorship? Name what’s holding you back so you can target it directly. 2. Expand your impact horizontally. Own a cross-team project. Lead a migration. Mentor a new hire. Show that you can scale your influence even without a title change. 3. Track everything. Not just outcomes, but feedback, decisions, and leadership moments. You’re building a case, not a wish list. 4. Communicate your growth goals. Let your manager know exactly what you're working toward. Ask what would make you undeniable. Then go do it. 5. Document your wins like a promotion packet. Don’t wait for review season. Keep a running doc with measurable outcomes, team impact, and business value. Because here’s the truth: You don’t need a new title to operate at the next level. You need consistency, clarity, and a story that shows you're already there. When the opportunity finally opens up, you'll be ready. And if it doesn't? You’ll be ready to walk into the next one with receipts.

Over the past six years at Microsoft, I’ve been promoted four times, moving from L59 to L63. My manager told me that promotions are all about showing your intent and backing it up with action. This was one of the biggest lessons that I learned early in my career which helped me achieve these promotions. Let me share a story about two junior engineers who joined after me. We’ll call them A and B. Both came from excellent colleges. Engineer A ► Promoted after 1 year Engineer B ► Promoted after 2 years Engineer A’s Approach (First 2 Weeks): - Asked me how promotions work at Microsoft. - Inquired about what actions are needed for career growth. - Spoke with managers and senior engineers to gather insights. After gathering this information, Engineer A developed these habits: - Went the extra mile after completing his tasks. - Reviewed others’ pull requests (PRs) and asked questions. - Was always eager to learn more and enjoyed collaborating. - Regularly discussed various concepts used in our projects. Engineer B’s Approach: - Started thinking about promotions after 6-7 months on the job. - Had a strong work ethic and completed all tasks efficiently. - Focused solely on doing his tasks well without understanding the bigger picture. - Built a good reputation for reliability but didn’t show intent for the next level. When Engineer B asked me how to move to the next level, I explained it this way: "You don’t get promoted because they expect you to level up after the promotion. You get promoted because you’re already performing at the next level. The promotion should feel like the obvious next step to your leaders." The key difference between A and B’s approaches is simple: – Don’t wait for months to start thinking about promotion. Begin early by understanding what’s required. – Connect with managers and senior team members to gain insights and guidance. – Take initiative, help others, and see the bigger picture. Show that you’re ready for more responsibility. Start performing at the next level now, and the promotion will follow naturally.

“I saw the manager role posted… how can I be considered for a growth position like that?” That’s what an employee recently asked me. They weren’t complaining. They weren’t politicking. They were curious. Motivated. Honest. It sparked a great conversation and reminded me how common that question really is. Most people don’t know how to grow within their organization. So they wait. Or they hope someone notices. Or they assume their manager will champion them when the time comes. The problem? That’s not a strategy. It’s a gamble. A mentor once told me something that stuck with me early in my career: "If your growth depends entirely on someone else pulling you forward, what happens when that person leaves the company?" You have to own your career. And when someone asks me how to do that…especially in a small to midsize, fast-moving company…I share the same framework I’ve used for over 20 years: Exposure. Results. Opportunity. I call it the ERO Framework. It’s not a buzzword. It’s a reliable path to internal growth. Exposure Who knows about the quality of your work, your potential, and your leadership capacity? Not just your direct manager, but their manager, peers in other departments, and key decision-makers. This isn’t about self-promotion. It’s about visibility with humility. Maximize hallway conversations. Be present in cross-functional meetings. Share insights after a project. Set up a lunch or coffee with someone you admire internally. Results Here’s where many fall short. Most people focus only on the results their immediate manager asks for. But what about the goals that matter to senior leadership? To the business overall? Ask your manager, "What does a home run look like this quarter?" Then dig deeper. Learn what success looks like from a level or two above. Deliver on both. Opportunity Promotions require motion. Something has to open up…a new initiative, someone moving up or out, a team expanding. Pay attention to where the energy and growth are happening. Then, express interest before a role is posted. This doesn’t have to be a big ask. Just a conversation: "I’ve been thinking about how I can grow here and where I can be most valuable. I’d love to be considered if the right opportunity opens up." Here’s the truth. Most people hope their work will speak for itself. But hope is not a plan. Exposure. Results. Opportunity. ERO. It’s a mindset and a strategy for growing inside your current company. For those pursuing growth outside their current organization, I use a different approach. That path involves positioning, branding, and network-driven discovery. But for internal growth in small to midsize companies…ERO is what works.

If you want to be promoted by December, here's what needs to happen by August 15th. And no, it's not about crushing your Q3 targets (those are table stakes). After 25+ years watching promotion decisions get made, I can tell you exactly how the timeline works—and why most people miss their window by months. The reality: Your promotion gets decided 4-6 months before it's announced. And for promotions to Managing Director the process can truly start up to 24 months in advance. Which means if you're just now "proving yourself," you're already too late for this cycle. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂: 𝗧-𝟭𝟴𝟬 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀: Level up. Start visibly operating at the next level. Don't wait for permission. Your boss needs to see you in the role before they can advocate for it. 𝗧-𝟭𝟱𝟬 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀: Build your coalition. Identify 3-5 stakeholders who'll be in the room when your name comes up. Get on their radar with strategic value, not just good work. 𝗧-𝟭𝟮𝟬 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀: Demonstrate future impact. Not your accomplishments—your future impact. "Here's what I'll deliver in the new role" beats "Here's what I did last year" every time. 𝗧-𝟵𝟬 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀: Make THE ask. Have THE conversation. "I'm ready for X role. Here's my plan for the transition. What do you need to see to make this happen?" Make your boss your co-conspirator, not your judge. 𝗧-𝟲𝟬 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀: Lock in sponsor support. Your direct boss proposes. Their boss approves. Their boss's boss signs off. Know who these people are and what they care about. 𝗧-𝟯𝟬 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀: Navigate the politics. This is when competing interests surface. Budget constraints. Peer jealousy. Organizational restructures. Stay visible, valuable, and above the fray. The painful truth? Most people start this process too late and are left frustrated when they find they've missed the boat and have to wait a whole 'nother cycle before trying again. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸: 1. Map out your promotion timeline working backwards from your target date 2. Identify exactly who needs to say "yes" (hint: it's rarely just your boss) 3. Schedule a strategic conversation about "future opportunities"—not a performance review Remember: Promotions aren't rewards for past performance. They're bets on future potential. And that bet gets placed long before you think it does. 🎯 Question for my network: When did you realize you'd missed your promotion window? What would you do differently knowing this timeline? ----------------------------- ♻️ Share with someone who needs to start their promotion campaign NOW, not in Q4 ➕ Follow Courtney Intersimone for more insights on executive advancement and leadership mastery

You don't have to quit your job to reinvent your career. I know my content might suggest otherwise — I talk about leaving banking, saying no to big tech, building on the side. But not every path looks like mine, and I want to keep this corner of the internet nuanced. Let me introduce you to Ed Essey. He's a Senior Director at Microsoft who's been there for 20 years and grew his Instagram to 100K+ last year within a few months. We initially connected because he said my story resonated with him. I was surprised — on paper, we couldn't be more different. I'm a "job hopper" who's bounced between banking and tech. Ed built his entire career at one company. But here's what he did inside Microsoft: → Worked on early products like InfoPath and Office Server → Moved into parallel computing in DevDiv → Taught design thinking to 22,000 engineers over 200 days → Built cross-functional influence across the org Every time he got an external offer, he went to his manager and said "I want to work on different problems." And his manager shaped his role around that. He didn't need outside leverage. He just articulated what he wanted to learn and why it mattered to the business. The teaching stint is what resonated most with me. He was terrified of public speaking but said yes anyway. That year completely rewired his confidence and gave him the foundation for later building his personal brand outside the company. Internal pivots don't get the same attention as external ones because they feel less exciting. They're harder to execute but can be more powerful. You don't always have to blow everything up to grow. Sometimes the opportunity is already where you are. If you're thinking about switching things up without leaving your job, I asked Ed to break down how he navigated internal pivots throughout his career in my newsletter this week: https://lnkd.in/eviQgRVv

🧩 “What do I do when my manager is the gatekeeper for my promotion?” One of the most common promotion questions women submit to me. Meaning: the managers control the projects, the visibility, the introductions, the narrative… and somehow your name never makes it past their door. And sadly, the advice women usually get is useless: “Have an open conversation.” Sure! 😅 Because gatekeepers have a long history of saying, “Thank you for your honesty, I will now reduce my own control.” Most women respond to gatekeepers by becoming even better “good soldiers.” We over-deliver. We make their life easier. We wait to be endorsed. Psychologically, it makes sense. 🧠 When someone controls your access to resources, your nervous system shifts into compliance mode, after all, you don’t want to threaten the person who holds the key. Especially as women, we are socialized to believe loyalty will be rewarded. However, If your visibility ONLY flows through your manager, you don’t have a promotion path but a dependency relationship. Here are five ways to handle it without becoming either a doormat or a rebel: 1️⃣ Stop treating your manager as the only audience. Your work needs more witnesses than one person. Build lateral visibility: peers, cross-functional leads, project owners, internal clients. Quietly and Consistently. 2️⃣ Diagnose their incentive, not their personality. Is your boss blocking you because they’re insecure? Maybe. But more often, it’s structural. If you are too valuable where you are, promoting you creates a gap for them. Your growth must solve a business problem bigger than your current role. 3️⃣ Map the real decision-makers, not the org chart. Who influences the promotion decision besides your boss? Who trusts your boss? Who benefits when you move up? That’s your stakeholder map. That’s YOUR real org. 4️⃣ Give your manager the words. Most women bring a list of tasks... No, bring a promotion story: What changed because of you, why it matters, and what you’re ready to own next. If they’re the gatekeeper, hand them a script they can forward easily. 5️⃣ Remove the emotional leash. This is the hardest one... When your boss becomes the sole validator of your progress, your confidence shrinks inevitably. Build external mirrors. Mentors. Sponsors. Data. Confidence is not a feeling, but an output. The reality is that people promote what they can explain and defend. 📅 If you want to design your 2026 promotion story instead of hoping your gatekeeper grows a conscience, join us on Thursday, 26th February: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸: 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆. Join here 👉 https://lnkd.in/dn8DzbwB 👈 We’ll build together: • Your 2026 promotion story • Your stakeholder strategy • Your 90-day visibility plan Because the goal is not to impress the gatekeeper. 👊 The goal is to stop living behind their gate.

Looking for a promotion? There are three things that need to be true... Most people (my younger self included) focus on just one. --- Early in my career, I believed if I worked hard, delivered results, and “earned it,” the promotion would come. When it didn’t, I was frustrated - maybe even resentful. I didn’t get it. But since then I’ve learned a hard truth: ✅ Being ready for a promotion isn’t enough. It’s just the first of three requirements. ✅ --- In order to grow within an organization three things must be true: 1️⃣ You’re Ready You’re performing at a high level and showing you can take on more. But "readiness" isn’t just about what you think - your supervisor has to see it too. Use your 1:1s and reviews to calibrate expectations and align on what “readiness” looks like. 2️⃣ The Business Has a Need Even if you're ready, there may not be a need for someone in a bigger role. You might hit a ceiling - not because of your talent, but due to org structure or stage. When that happens, external growth may be the right next move. 3️⃣ The Business Has the Ability Budget freezes, internal rules, or financial constraints may prevent the business from acting - even if the need is real and everyone agrees you deserve it. --- So what can you do? ➡️ Crush your current role. ➡️ Keep your manager in the loop as your readiness builds. ➡️ Start a deeper conversation about business need and ability. That last step is the one I missed for much of my career. Because the truth is: ➡️ You might be ready before the business is. ➡️ And even when it’s ready, it might not be able to act. Knowing that early lets you make the best decision for you. Stay and align your timeline - or seek out a place that’s ready for you now.

“You’re doing everything we asked for. But we can’t promote you this cycle” The promotion landscape is no longer what it used to be, and I'm seeing this play out in real-time. This conversation around delayed promotions is happening more frequently than ever with: Meta limiting manager promotions Amazon expanding team spans Google launching new efficiency drives And more... These aren't isolated incidents - they're signals of a shifting landscape. I had a chat with a Senior Engineer last week who's been crushing it - launched high-visibility features, reduced 30% AWS spend, even revamped their org's processes. Yet, they got the "not this cycle" talk. Here's what I wish someone had told me earlier: 1. Its not always about you - Sometimes promo freezes can’t be disclosed - New leadership can raise bars midway 2. Working harder is a trap and is often the wrong answer. I learnt this the hard way. During my early days, I doubled down on coding after missing a promotion. More features, more oncall, more everything. Result? Burnout, not a promotion. 3. Switching companies may do more harm than good -- Calculate the real cost of leaving (unvested stock, new manager, institutional knowledge, relationships) -- Current market conditions 4. Use a pressure release valve -- Talk to peers who’ve been there -- Reach out to people you admire / idolize -- Take a few days to process What actually works? There's no magic potion - but start with what you can control. 1. Document your wins & impact (not just features shipped) 2. Build your support network 3. Focus more on strategic impact. Shift from "I'll handle it" to "Let's think this through" 4. Ask more “Why”. Redirect from "What needs to be built?" to "Why are we building this?" I've been on both sides of this conversation now. The hardest truth? Sometimes the timing just isn’t perfect. Macro conditions, org changes, and leadership decisions can overshadow individual performance. To those facing this: You're not alone. Your career isn't determined by a single promotion cycle. P.S. If you're encountering a similar situation, my DMs are open. Sometimes you just need someone who's been there to listen.

SDRs – want to promote to AE in 2025? Here’s the harsh truth you need to hear: You’re not entitled to a promotion. Hitting quota? Great, but so what. 18 months in role? Nice, but so what. Want it badly? So does everyone else. The reality is: AE promotions are earned, not given. It’s not about tenure or expectations—it’s about readiness and value. Companies promote the best candidate for the role, not the longest-serving or loudest. Here’s how to make sure that's you: 𝟭. 𝗗𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘀 Consistency matters more than occasional heroics. → Crush your quota quarter after quarter, not just once. → Prove you can perform under pressure and sustain high output. 𝟮. 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽 𝗔𝗘-𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 It’s not just about filling the pipeline—it’s about understanding deals. → Shadow AEs to learn closing techniques and deal progression. → Practice objection handling and nurturing your own leads. 𝟯. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 You need people advocating for you. → Build relationships with AEs, hiring managers, and other leaders. → Show your initiative by stepping up beyond your current responsibilities. 𝟰. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴-𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 Impatience is the enemy of progress. → An extra year as an SDR is nothing in the grand scheme of your career. → The jump from SDR OTE ($85K) to AE OTE ($180K) is worth the wait. 𝟱. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 Sometimes the market isn’t in your favor. → Opportunities might be limited due to market conditions. → Companies may prioritize external hires for strategic reasons. It’s frustrating but don’t let it derail you. Focus on what’s in your control. The path to promotion isn’t about entitlement—it’s about earning it. Master your craft, outwork the competition, and make yourself undeniable. I promise you, it’s worth the work and the wait. This is your year—go get it.