This is a wonderful professional experience share from Alenna Merihew that I have to share with a broader audience. She shared it in October 2023 on LinkedIn—
Want to know who really holds the keys to your next promotion (after yourself)? Hint: Not your manager.
Assuming you have great performance reviews, the required capabilities, and your manager’s support, the biggest hurdle actually is a leader that sits one, two or even more levels above you.
I learned this the hard way when my first promotion was nixed by a senior partner in my office.
My mentor shared that in the annual performance review meeting the head of the office “James” (name changed) hadn’t supported me for the accelerated promotion.
I had met James only a handful of times during the year, primarily at team dinners. I was confused.
I naively asked, “What? Why? I’ve barely interacted with him. And there was other support from folks in the room, right?”
“Yes, but…” [pause] “…there wasn’t much we could do.”
My mentor shared some more about what I should focus on to get promoted during the next round in 6 months, but I can’t recall any of that now.
What was seared into my soul that day was the realization that one senior person in that group was able to make a decision on my future with minimal information, and most likely a biased perspective. And, the folks that supported me either couldn’t convince him or weren’t willing to go to the mat on this one for me.
Were they intimidated by him? I can’t say for sure, but it is highly likely.
I had always been a high achiever, but I got slapped with the reality that in corporate, your progress can literally come down to who you know and what they 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 they know about you.
The bottom line: Doing a great job delivering and showing the competencies necessary for the next level is a pre-requisite to career progression. AND, in the complex matrix of corporate hierarchies, VISIBILITY and CONNECTIVITY can matter as much as competency.
Ideally, we blow this up and create a more equitable approach, but in the meantime, we need to understand the field we play on and operate in a way that will benefit us.
First, let’s acknowledge that the higher-ups are the ones making decisions. They do this based on broader organizational needs, and they hold the keys to the limited number of promotions and salary increases that can happen every year. In short, they play a pivotal role in your career advancement.
So what can YOU do?
Step one, no matter what level you are, is to create a map of the people you need to support you. Then, write down their motivations, what influences them and who they have strong connections with in the organization.
Ultimately, this is about identifying who you need to be in your “alliance,” as well as who might have the power to hold you back. Once you’ve mapped this out, then you build your strategy of connection and influence.
This is not an intuitive task for many, so if you have a trusted work friend, sit down and help each other unravel what’s happening in your organization.
Let me know how it goes.
Key Point
I’ve been writing, speaking, and sharing stories lately about why it’s essential for agile folks (Scrum Masters, Coaches, consultants, practitioners, etc.) to be able to articulate, show, demonstrate, and confirm their value in their organizational contexts.
More than essential, it’s crucial!
A critical aspect of that is finding your allies and building trusted alliances with folks who understand and will lobby for your value.
I haven’t been amplifying that aspect enough of late, so I thought I’d do it now—inspired by and thanks to Alenna.
Stay agile and allied my friends,
Bob.
BTW: here’s an excellent book recommendation on this topic. Somewhat dated but still incredibly relevant.
https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Allies-Building-Alliances-Bring/dp/1118247922