Promotions Are Earned Between Review Cycles

“Success is where preparation and opportunity meet.” — Bobby Unser, race car driver

Most employees think promotions are decided during appraisal season. Almost none of them realise the amount of discussions that goes behind identifying talent that deserves the growth. 

When the discussion reaches a conference room after weeks of reviewing employees and the work they've done over the past year, most decisions are already obvious.

The honest insider truth is - Promotions are earned quietly, months earlier. In small moments and honest work that nobody claps for.

My Damascus moment!

A few years ago, one of my team members asked me directly: “What do I need to do to get promoted next cycle?”

It was a fair question. He was smart, reliable, and hardworking. But I realized something uncomfortable.

I had not been explicit enough about what “next level” actually looked like. After all, we did have a well-defined career ladder in our company that was available to all employees. I assumed he would refer to it and chart his course.

Managers make this mistake all the time. We think career growth is visible because we can see the entire road map.

Employees only see the next turn.

As a petrol-head and a racing fanatic, I admire Lewis Hamilton. In one of his interviews, he spoke of the effort and months of preparation that goes into making the team and him successful. What we see on race day is a result of thousands of tiny adjustments, unfailing coordination with several teams, and many hours spent in understanding the machine and anticipating everything that can go wrong and proactively fixing it.

Career growth works the same way. Promotions are rarely about one brilliant project.

They are about performance that can be consistently replicated and scaled up. Many times, it looks like this:

• Better judgment

• Stronger communication

• Broader influence

• Ownership under pressure

• Helping others succeed

In leadership speak, this means 'Can this person already operate at the next level consistently?'

Not occasionally, but consistently.

Growth vs Tenure

Early in my career, I used to focus too heavily on output. Are we busy enough? Are doing a lot of things? 

Now I look for trajectory. Where are we headed to? What do we want to achieve?

Most employees are excellent worker bees. They do just what is necessary, and stay inside their lane.

The rest begin connecting systems:

• They improve processes

• Mentor teammates

• Simplify ambiguity

• Influence stakeholders

• Reduce friction for others

And when they do this, over and above what they are expected to do, consistently, that is a leader right there.

The Pitfall

Many managers wait until appraisal season to discuss growth, when expectations are already high. If you are one of them, the bad news is - This is too late.

The good news is - You can change it. 

Cultivate the muscle to have growth-oriented conversations throughout the year with questions like:

• “What skills would make you undeniable?”

• “What visibility are you missing?”

• “Where are you still depending on instructions?”

• “How can you create impact beyond your assigned work?”

These conversations shift employees from task ownership to organizational thinking.

A study published in Harvard Business Review found that employees who receive regular developmental feedback are significantly more engaged and more likely to remain with their organization.

If people are able to see a visible and achievable path to tangible growth, they are going to be committed to the vision and mission of their company. People stay when growth feels real, and leave when recognition is mere lip-service.

What fixed me!

I stopped treating promotions like rewards. I started treating them like readiness assessments. If and when an team member showed the ability to perform at a higher level consistently, they were promoted. 

Quarterly review sessions were clearer, less based on chance, or emotions, and fairer. The results were instantaneous. When I removed guesswork from growth, team members were more motivated and we grew both as a team and individually.

Takeaway

• Promotions are earned long before appraisal season.

• Consistency matters more than isolated brilliance.

• Managers must make growth expectations visible.

• The best leaders build future capability, not just current output.