What, me worry? Promotions and confidence

We’re already into another promotion cycle. Perhaps you’ve reached the senior band (or higher) and are content to stay there. Since most software companies don’t require progression beyond the senior band, promotions are no longer a concern of yours; you can just continue to do your job well. However, for everyone seeking a promotion, life can be full of worry.

What do I need to do to get promoted? How do I gain and maintain the support of my manager? Will my coworkers support my promotion? Why are others getting promoted instead of me? So many concerns.

I lay out the basics for getting promoted to each level in Level up. However, to gain and maintain support for promotion from your manager and coworkers, you need to leave little doubt, including not doubting yourself. You must build confidence in your ability to perform at the next level. Yet worrying about the perception of your manager, coworkers, and your own performance only diminishes your confidence. How do you overcome these obstacles to reach your career goals? Don’t worry, I’ve got you.

The easy way

An easy way to build confidence in performing at the next level is to be an overconfident person. However, overconfident people wouldn’t bother reading this. (They think they know everything.) You could fake overconfidence (“fake it till you make it”), but you’d have to fake it confidently, which gets us back to square one. Sometimes I’m jealous of overconfident people, but I know they often get themselves into trouble, so maybe this way isn’t the best way.

Another easy way to build confidence in performing at the next level is to go slowly. Don’t push to get promoted. Instead, gradually take on more responsibilities until you’re comfortable with all aspects of the next level. At that point, you will be naturally confident and ready for a promotion. Unfortunately, reorgs, available assignments, and other factors may delay your promotion so long that your management treats you as stuck at your level and perhaps even manages you out of the company. There must be a better way.

The better way

A better way to build confidence in performing at the next level is to focus on one thing you can be confident about: your ability to figure things out. There are thousands of engineers in the level above yours. Ask yourself, “Can I figure out what those thousands of engineers are doing?” You sure can. They’re not all geniuses. You’ve met some who are fools. You’re fully capable of figuring out their jobs. Let that feeling of confidence sink in.

Now, you can push for and take on next-level assignments. Sure, there are many aspects of those assignments that are beyond you right now, but you can figure them out. Some key points:

• Directly ask your manager, lead, and/or PM for next-level assignments. People can’t read your mind or instinctively know what you want. If you want to be promoted, tell your manager at your next one-on-one meeting, and ask for next-level assignments knowing you can figure things out. For more on creating and driving a career plan, read What’s your career plan?
• Acknowledge unfamiliar aspects of assignments. Coworkers can tell when you’re unsure. Pretending you know what you don’t damages your credibility and makes you lose confidence—two things you’re trying to avoid. Instead, say, “I’m not sure about this. Let me check into it.” You can even ask teammates to investigate it for you and report back. These actions demonstrate confident leadership and your ability to deal with ambiguity.
• Ask for help. Make use of your manager, mentor, and colleagues. Give them context as needed, tell them what options you’re considering, and then ask for their guidance. They will be flattered that you respect their expertise and advice. The context you provide shows your understanding and thoughtfulness, ensuring that their time is well spent. You’ll learn more, get better results, and avoid wasting your team’s time. For more on this, read When to ask for help.
• It’s okay to fail; what matters is how you respond. No one is perfect, and managers don’t expect perfection (quite the opposite). Notice patterns and try to detect failures as early on as you can. When problems inevitably arise, let those who are impacted know immediately (shows confidence and maturity). Then understand what went wrong, secure the help you need, and fix the problem so it won’t recur. For more about responding well, read I messed up and You’re late.
• Seek understanding. When taking on a next-level assignment, you want to do more than complete it successfully. You want to learn how to do the next-level job. That means understanding the reasoning and nuance behind the decisions you make so you can apply that logic to future assignments. When you ask others for help and find solutions that work, be sure you internalize the why as well as the what.

Get on my good side

Now that you’re taking on next-level assignments with confidence (“Yeah, I can do that; what I don’t know, I’ll figure out”), how do you gain the support of your manager and coworkers for your next promotion? Doing great next-level work is a necessary step, but it’s not always sufficient to land that promo.

To win over your manager and other decision-makers, you can try flattery (“Oh, that’s so smart!”) and acquiescence (“Yes, I totally agree”), but those don’t work on everyone, and some people find that behavior transparent and weak. Instead, stay true to your values and principles while remaining open-minded.

“But what if what I think is right runs counter to what my leadership desires?” For that, you need to know your audience and frame your message. You must know what’s important and unimportant to your manager and other key decision-makers in your organization (the people who influence promotions). Those opinions won’t always align, so make it your business to know each person’s point of view. Then talk about your values in terms that align with those people’s values (called “framing”).

For example, say you value engineering quality and minimizing technical debt. Your boss values new features that drive customer engagement. Instead of suggesting that your team cut features and focus on quality, point out the time a key feature had to be rolled back due to quality issues, and then suggest that all new features have checks in place to avoid future rollbacks and loss of customer engagement. Listen intently to counterarguments from your boss and others. If they make good points, acknowledge them and adjust your position as needed. Regardless, you will gain respect for advocating strong principles, listening and adapting, and caring about your manager’s priorities.

Knowing your audience and framing your message allows you to stop worrying about saying and doing the right thing to get your promotion. Instead, you say and do what seems right to you but frame it around what’s important to those who influence promotion decisions.

Nobody’s perfect

You deserve the promotion you seek. Given the opportunity, you can learn what to do and perform well at the next level. There’s nothing to worry about since you know you can handle the job if given the chance.

Tell your manager that you’re interested in a promotion and ask for next-level assignments. Approach those assignments with confidence: “I can do that. What I don’t know, I’ll figure out.” Acknowledge when you don’t know something, and reassure people that you’ll solve the problem together. Ask for help, providing context and options so experienced folks feel appreciated and respected, thereby getting great results without wasting time. Notice problems early, acknowledge them, and fix them so they don’t recur. Seek to understand the why as well as the what so you can apply what you learn successfully to future situations. Stay true to your values and principles, framing them in a way that resonates with your manager’s values and the values of those who influence promotions.

Feeling confident, staying true to yourself, and delivering next-level results will make a great impression on your management. Sure, you’ll make mistakes—no one is perfect. But soon you’ll earn that promotion on your terms with the full support of those around you.