Career Growth in a Remote Environment

Most people ask for a promotion wrong. Here's what I learned from the other side of the table. When I was leading large teams, I sat through dozens of these conversations. Most started the same way: "I want to be promoted." Full stop. No context. No questions. Just the ask. They hadn't done the homework. A promotion isn't a reward for loyalty. It's recognition that you're already operating at the next level. But it also needs to structurally exist. If the role doesn't exist, you can't be promoted into it. Full stop. That leaves only two paths: the company creates a new position (which means headcount and budget in the next planning cycle), or you step into a role that opens up because someone leaves. Most people never ask about this. They assume the path exists. It often doesn't. So here's how to have the conversation: Frame it around clarity, not entitlement. Say: "I'd like to understand what the pathway looks like for me to progress to [next role]. Could you share when the promotion cycle starts, how the process works, and what's expected at that level?" Then follow up: "What are the non-negotiables for this role? What will those approving the promotion look for that's not optional in their eyes?" If your manager gives you something vague, e.g., "you need to be more visible", or "you need to speak up more" don't leave it there. Make it objective. Ask: "How would that look in practice? How would you know when someone is delivering that?" What to cover in the conversation: 👉 Timing: When the process starts and ends. 👉 Criteria: What they'll measure you against. 👉 Stakeholders: Who needs to see your impact. 👉 Structure: Does the role you're aiming for even exist today? 👉 Objectivity: Is the feedback measurable and specific, or just vague words? If your manager isn't forthcoming, talk to peers who've been promoted recently. Ask them: Who influenced the decision? What did they wish they'd known? That intelligence is often more useful than anything your manager will tell you. I'm walking through exactly how to navigate this on Feb 26: https://lnkd.in/gSWuhjxg ❌ The old assumption: Ask for the promotion and hope for the best. ✅ The reality: Understand the game, ask the right questions, and build your case before you ever walk into the room. What's the one thing you wish you'd known before your last promotion conversation?

How to ask for promotion and actually get it: most people ask based on time served, hard work, personal need, or comparison to others. Manager hears give me more money for same work. What works: I've been operating at next level for six months here's evidence here's what I'll deliver if promoted. Start six months before: ask manager what does success look like at next level what would I need to demonstrate. Create promotion document tracking expanded responsibility, measurable impact, leadership demonstrated. Update weekly. Six months gives time to close gaps build evidence. Understand what next level requires: don't guess. Next level isn't do current job better it's do different work. Ask explicitly what's difference between senior and lead at this company. The conversation: email schedule thirty minutes. Opening want to discuss promotion been preparing six months. Present case over past six months operating at next level here's evidence with impact. Connect to requirements when we spoke you mentioned next level requires X Y Z here's how demonstrated. State what you'll deliver if promoted. Handle objections: need more consistency ask what specific areas over what timeframe. Budget tight ask when next cycle can we get agreement in principle. Not ready ask what specifically missing create development plan. Get specific feedback, create action plan, set deadline to revisit. ------------------------------------------------- Follow me Dan Murray for more on habits and leadership. ♻️ Repost this if you think it can help someone in your network! 🖐️ P.S Join my newsletter The Science Of Success where I break down stories and studies of success to teach you how to turn it from probability to predictability here: https://lnkd.in/d9TnkzdH

The worst time to ask for a promotion? 𝘙𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦. If you walk into a 1:1 and say: "So… am I getting promoted?" You're probably getting a vague answer: "Not yet." "Let's revisit next quarter." "Keep doing what you're doing." That's not feedback. That's a stall. Because by the time you're asking, the decision is already being shaped — in rooms you're not in, by people you may not even know. After 17 years in HR, I've seen what actually works: 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝟲 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆. Not "Am I getting promoted?" but "What would it take for me to be ready for VP?" That question changes everything. It shifts you from waiting to preparing. 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝗽𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱. Ask for specific feedback. Act on it visibly. Let your manager see the growth in real time. 𝗖𝗶𝗿𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲. "Based on what we discussed, here's what I've done. I'd like to talk about timing." Now you're not asking for a favor. You're presenting a case. Promotions don't go to the person who asks at the right moment. They go to the one who's been building the case for months. 💬 Have you ever asked too late — and realized the decision was already made? ♻️ Share with someone preparing for that conversation ➕ Follow Gabriela Birova for leadership shifts that get you promoted

Want to get promoted? Ask for THIS, not THIS ❌ Most people ask: "What do I need to do to get promoted?" Smart people ask: "What problems keep you up at night that I could solve?" The difference? One is about YOU. The other is about VALUE. Early in my career, I took a job as an office manager for one of Egypt's most powerful CEOs. I was overqualified. Underpaid. Insulted, honestly. My ego said: Walk away. My dad said: Put your head down and prove your worth. I chose the latter. Instead of complaining about my title, I asked myself: → What does he need that nobody else is providing? → Where are the gaps I can fill? → How can I make myself indispensable? Within 2 years, I wasn't managing his office. I was traveling with him on corporate acquisitions, writing speeches, and building strategy. Here's what changed: -I stopped waiting for someone to hand me a better role. -I started creating value that demanded recognition. The promotion playbook: 1. Study the business, not just your job description – Understand the bigger picture 2. Solve problems before they're assigned – Initiative beats permission 3. Make your boss look good – Your success is tied to theirs 4. Document your impact – Keep receipts of the value you create 5. Ask the right question – What matters most to the business right now? Promotions don't come from doing your job well. They come from doing what others won't. Don't ask for opportunities. CREATE them.

People think the best time to ask for a raise is during a performance conversation or promo. It’s not. That’s actually way too late. *Now* is the best time to start planning for your next raise or promotion. Here’s why: We don’t ask for a raise in a one-time conversation. Instead, we build a case for a raise over the 3–4 months leading up to a comp cycle. There are three key components: 1) Highlight the value you bring  2) Understand your company context 3) Validate your external market value Today, I'm going to break down step 1, but will follow this post with breakdowns of steps 2 and 3 over the next few weeks. **How to Highlight the Value you Bring** *Close out Q1 with a narrative:* What did you deliver against (or exceed)? Write it down the story of your Q1 in plain language. Then, share it with your manager and key stakeholders. *Name what will change in Q2:* Expanded scope? New partners? More complexity? Document these changes and then align with your manager and stakeholders on expectations and what “great” looks like. *Lean into skill building to drive future value:* What skills do you think are most relevant in your role for the 12 months? Do you have a concrete plan on how you’re going to build them? If yes, amazing, talk about it. If not, make it. Remember, many comp decisions are actually based on future value the org thinks you can deliver in addition to past achievements. *Build internal advocates (“diagonal” relationships):* Your manager is the key decision maker for raises and promotions, but their peers play a huge role. Is one of your manager’s peers a key internal customer for your work? Focus on that relationship and make sure the wins make their way back to your manager, too. Nurture these “diagonal” relationships as a matter of career hygeine. If you take one action from each of these areas over the next few weeks, you’ll be in a very different place by the time decisions are made. Because the “raise or promotion conversation” isn’t one meeting. It’s the 90+ day campaign before it. Save this for yourself and share it with friends and colleagues who feel like they're "on the cusp" of their next raise or promo. What has helped you in the past leading up to a promotion?

I got promoted 4 times in 3 years - all while working remotely. Not despite being remote. Because I learned how to work strategically while being remote. The problem isn't remote work. It's remote workers who don't understand how to create visibility from home. Most people make these critical mistakes: They disappear between meetings. Out of sight becomes out of mind when you're not intentionally staying visible. They only communicate when asked. Waiting for your manager to check in instead of proactively sharing updates and wins. They treat video calls like phone calls. Not optimizing their setup, background, or presence for maximum professional impact. They avoid informal interactions. Missing the virtual water cooler moments where relationships actually develop. Here's what actually works for remote career advancement: 1/ Send weekly impact summaries to your manager and skip-level. Not just task updates - business impact in language they understand. 2/ Over-communicate your availability and responsiveness. Be the person who replies quickly, joins calls early, and follows up consistently. 3/ Create virtual visibility moments. Volunteer for cross-team projects, speak up in large meetings, share insights that help others succeed. 4/ Master the technology. Your video presence, audio quality, and digital communication skills become extensions of your professional brand. The companies and managers worth working for judge you on results, not where you sit. If your current leadership team can't see your value through a screen, that's not a remote work problem - that's a leadership problem. Find teams and managers who align with this principle. Once that happens, everything else becomes about execution, not location. The formula for remote promotion is exactly the same as in-person: Do exceptional work and communicate it effectively. The tools are just different. I'm living proof that remote work doesn't limit career growth. It just requires a more intentional approach to visibility and relationship building.

How to position yourself for a promotion without asking for one. You want the promotion. But you don't want to ask for it. Here's how to make them offer it to you: 1/ Start Acting Like You're Already in the Role Don't wait for permission to lead. Take on responsibilities one level above your current role. Mentor junior team members. Lead meetings when appropriate. Propose solutions to problems leadership is facing. ↳ Show them you're already operating at the next level 2/ Make Your Manager Look Good Promotions happen when your manager advocates for you. Make their job easier. Keep them informed without micromanaging them. Deliver results they can report up the chain. Solve problems before they become their problems. ↳ When you make them successful, they'll want to keep you and promote you 3/ Document Your Wins Keep a running list of your accomplishments. Projects you led. Problems you solved. Impact you made. Share these in 1-on-1s and performance reviews. "Here's what I delivered this quarter. Here's the impact it had." ↳ Make it easy for them to justify promoting you 4/ Build Visibility With Leadership Don't just do great work. Make sure the right people see it. Volunteer to present in leadership meetings. Share project updates with stakeholders. Engage in company-wide initiatives. ↳ You can't get promoted if leadership doesn't know who you are 5/ Ask Strategic Questions Instead of "Can I get promoted?" Ask: "What does the next level look like? What skills or experience would I need to get there?" This shows ambition without desperation. And it gives you a roadmap. ↳ Then go execute on that roadmap 6/ Fill a Gap Leadership Hasn't Filled Yet Look for problems the team is facing that no one owns. Process improvements. Cross-team coordination. Knowledge gaps. Step in and own it. When you solve a problem leadership didn't know how to solve, you become indispensable. ↳ Create value they can't ignore 7/ Be Patient, But Strategic Promotions take time. But if you've been doing all of this for 6-12 months and nothing is happening? It's time to have a direct conversation. Or it's time to explore other options. ↳ Don't wait forever for a company that won't reward you The best promotions don't come from asking. They come from proving you're already operating at the next level. Do the work. Make it visible. Let them come to you. 💾 Save this if you're ready to level up.

Want to get promoted? I’ve promoted dozens of people in my career - here’s the playbook that actually works: 1️⃣ Track your wins. Keep a private doc with metrics, initiatives, and results. Update it weekly. Promotions aren’t just about effort, they’re about impact you can prove. 2️⃣ Ask this magic question early: “What would make you say yes to my promotion in 6 months?” This flips the conversation from vague to specific. It gives your manager a scoreboard, and you a strategy. 3️⃣ Operate at the level you want, before it’s on your title. Want to be seen as a senior or lead? Start leading meetings, mentoring peers, solving cross-functional problems. Show judgment beyond your current scope. 4️⃣ Make your manager your partner, not your obstacle. They likely want you to succeed. Make it easy for them to advocate for you. Remind them of your progress. Share updates tied to business goals. 5️⃣ Avoid the top promotion killer: invisibility. Don’t assume hard work speaks for itself... instead, speak for yourself. Build relationships outside your immediate team. Get known by decision-makers. 6️⃣ Handle feedback like a future leader. Don’t deflect or get defensive. Say thank you. Show you listened. Implement fast. Great leaders grow visibly, and quickly. 7️⃣ Don’t wait for the perfect timing. There’s no official “promotion season” at most companies. There’s only evidence and momentum. Build both. If you’re ready to move up, make it undeniable. Promotion isn’t a reward. It’s recognition for the level you’re already operating at. ♻️ Share this with someone you know who's ready to step up!