Straight Truth: Why Am I Being Overlooked For Promotion?
Straight Truth is a series where I take people’s hard questions and answer them in as direct a manner as possible, cutting through the polite fiction of larger workplaces. Jobs and careers are not as “fair” as we hope. I cannot give you justice at work, I can give you the truth as I see it.
Today’s reader question is:
“I am a Senior Engineering Director in a 2Billion revenue heath tech firm. I have prior experiences in Retail, Media and Banking. I have been great in performing all responsibilities provided to me along with adding new responsibilities to my current role. One thing I do not get is why I am getting overlooked in promotions. Should I try for a higher VP of engineering role at new company and if yes, how should I prepare?”
In this short question, many details are missing, so we will have to make some assumptions in answering.
There are two possibilities.
One is that you are being overlooked, the other is that you are being considered but not selected.
Those are different.
Overlooked:
You are doing hard work and hoping to be noticed. At this level, competition for the few available slots is real. Others may be doing a better job showcasing their impact.
Relationships. At this level, people promote those they trust deeply. Your work may be fine but you may not have the relationships. Go build them.
Considered and Passed Over:
You are still doing the types of work that got you to your current level, not the work of the next level. This is a very common reason for middle managers to stall out. You are doing engineering manager work, not showcasing engineering VP leadership.
Straight Truth — you are not as great as you say you are. The way to check this is to go get honest feedback. Yes, ask your manager, but also ask peers for a real review to help you improve. Ask people who do not like you (we all have some) what you could do to improve. Get the truth. We all have areas for improvement — what are yours?
There are no available roles/needs at the next level. Healthcare is not known for its rapid growth. You feel passed over, but have other peers with equal or less experience been promoted?
More Straight Truth: You have a personality flaw. Your work is fine, but you are abrasive, judgmental, volatile, too quiet, or have some other flaw. You find this out the same way as #2 above — 360 degree feedback.
At the next level in your company, they expect broader skills. You are a great engineering leader, but at the VP level, they want finance skills, medical skills, or some other qualification you have not met. Look at others in the role and also ask your manager.
Should You Go Elsewhere?
Not until you know the real problem.
Otherwise, you could move and hit all the same roadblocks. If the problem is you, moving will not help. If the problem is your manager / skip level, or slow growth at your company, moving may help.
You prepare by getting that honest feedback and finding out the truth.
Audience Insights
As will be the case with all posts in this series, I first post my answer, above, on LinkedIn, and then my audience comments. I have consolidated additional ideas worth considering, including:
At the executive level, the ability to effective influence and manage stakeholders is equally as important as delivering results.
Take this a step further and seek out a mentor in a different discipline (e.g. sales, engineering, marketing, product, customer success, etc.) to get a broader perspective of the company and make you a more well-rounded leader.
If your goal is to get to the C-suite, think about how your responsibilities tie to finance/revenue (you need to think and talk in terms of the CEO and the Board) and go on a tour of duty across different functions to understand how the different departments operate.
To effectively navigate the promotion process, ensure you know the following:
Your company process (e.g. how things work, timeline and key deadlines, what your company values).
Is there a need as determined by ambiguity, complexity, and impact.
Role scope (e.g. P&L ownership, cross functional work).
Do you have the needed peers and sponsorship support (skip level).
What is required for the promotion document (e.g. sections, get an example document, proactively write a draft for your manager).
Level Up: Breaking Through to Executive
How to get promoted to Executive is one of the most common questions I get.
My course, Level Up: Breaking Through to Executive, covers the specific standards by which executives are selected and how to manage your promotion process to show you meet them.
Watch the below video clip on “What are the standards of great executive performance” structured by You, Your Team, and Your Company.
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Level Up is a free newsletter from former Amazon Vice President Ethan Evans that breaks down how he succeeded and how you can get to the next level.