12 Secrets Your Manager Won’t Tell You

1. Get Noticed
↳ Hard work is invisible if no one sees it
↳ Action: Keep track of your achievements and regularly share them with your manager during one-on-ones

2. Tackle Problems
↳ Go beyond your daily tasks and help solve big challenges
↳ Action: When a teammate mentions an issue, volunteer to help find a solution

3. Lead Without the Title
↳ Show you’re capable of more before it becomes official
↳ Action: Take on responsibilities outside your current role to demonstrate readiness for the next step

4. Manage Your Reputation
↳ How you’re perceived can matter as much as what you accomplish
↳ Action: Ask for feedback from peers and managers to understand how others view you

5. Build Relationships
↳ Promotions often come through relationships, not just results
↳ Action: Connect with leaders by initiating conversations and building rapport

6. Be Selective
↳ Working on the right projects with the right people accelerates growth
↳ Action: Ask your manager which high-priority projects would best support the company’s goals

7. Support Your Manager
↳ When your manager succeeds, so do you
↳ Action: Anticipate their needs and offer help on key initiatives

8. Ask Directly
↳ People who ask for raises or promotions are more likely to get them
↳ Action: Document your impact and request a promotion once you’ve demonstrated your value

9. Speak Up in Meetings
↳ Staying silent can be mistaken for lack of leadership potential
↳ Action: Prepare for meetings with the goal of contributing at least once every time

10. Develop Emotional Intelligence
↳ EQ often trumps technical skills as you move up
↳ Action: Invest in training to strengthen your emotional intelligence and leadership skills

11. Stay Open to Opportunities
↳ Sometimes moving on is the best way to move up
↳ Action: Keep your LinkedIn updated and take recruiter calls, even if you’re not actively job hunting

12. Learn from Those Ahead of You
↳ Study the paths of those who’ve been promoted
↳ Action: Ask colleagues or mentors what actions helped them advance


You might not like it,

But the truth is:

Just keeping your head down and doing good work usually isn’t enough to land a promotion.

Use this checklist to make sure you’re positioning yourself for the role you deserve.

Any other tips you would add?