Self-Promotion

No one cares more about your career than you do, nor should they.

My first and only “underperformed” annual review came at the 26-year mark with Microsoft. It was my first review as a Partner. And it was totally preventable, simply by heeding the guidance I had followed for so many years.

There is an interesting dual focus when it comes to your work. You have the day-to-day operations that you are doing with your coworkers. And you have the infrequent assessment of that work that determines your rewards, in terms of higher pay and higher levels. The phrase, “Do what you love and the money will follow,” is one attempt to frame a healthy relationship between these two. But if that phrase lands flat with you, you’re not alone. You may, instead, turn to an alternative phrase to capture this relationship: “Don’t hate the player, hate the game.”

I would love for it to be the case that if you simply do your work expertly, you will be rewarded for it. But it is never that easy. You will always have to make a case for yourself. This may again be where you say, “I’m an engineer, not a salesperson.”¹ And I will again respond, “You need to be a salesperson as well.” Here is how you play the long game² with your career advancement, maximizing transparency and minimizing surprises.

It begins with getting in the right mindset. Here’s another oft-uttered phrase of mine³: “No one cares more about your career than you do, nor should they.” That phrase is intentionally harsh, because it is designed to wake you up to the fact that you need to take the driver’s seat when it comes to your career advancement. You don’t control the promotion process, but you can significantly influence it.

Here are the advocates you have for your cause, in order of level of care: (1) you, (2) your manager, (3) your manager’s manager, … (n) your CEO. I have coached many managers about the importance of their role in the advancement of their employees. I emphasize that getting rewards right is a manager’s most important job. But for the purposes of this post, I’m going to be focusing entirely on your #1 advocate: yourself.

1. Don’t artificially limit your scope

2. Drive career conversations regularly with your manager

3. Maximize transparency and minimize surprise

4. Beware the dark side: it is not you vs. your peers