10 reasons why some people get promoted fast and often (2024)

Some people seem to be on a fast track on their career, collecting promotions and taking up greater responsibilities on a pace that most people can just dream of. When you look at them going from the sidelines, it seems that they must have found some secret formula of skills, connections, mindset and pure luck to pull off their quick ascend towards the top. And you are not so far away from the truth. There is definitely something going on with these high achievers that enables them to pull of these feats and secure their quick promotions.Here are 10 reasons that I figured out while building my career, promoting people, doing research for my upcoming book, and talking with people who have been on both ends of the stick: getting promoted, and promoting employees by themselves:

1. They know what they want: They have a vision of their career; they set goals, and they plan their future. They are people with a direction for their career, and they make clear plans on how they should advance towards their goals. They are not afraid to set high targets to push themselves to become more.
2. They have made a clear decision to commit to advancing their careers. They aren’t waiting around for being promoted, but they take the responsibility to advance their careers into their own hands. Their plans and actions are aimed at making an impact, delivering excellent results, extending their responsibilities, and thus placing them as the top candidate for the next promotion possibility.
3. They take full ownership of their work, prioritize, focus, and deliver great results.They take the responsibility to get (the right) things done, regardless of the challenges and problems they face, and they always aim to deliver excellent results and delight their customers. They are problem solvers and never complain or leave things for someone else to deal with. Thus, they become the go-to persons for everyone needing great and reliable results without any hassle. They also get organized and know how to prioritize the high value work and focus on it.
4. They are always looking at the bigger picture. They look to understand what really matters to the company and how they are contributing to it. They look for the underlying reasons why their work is important, and who it is important to, and then look for the ways to provide more value for all the stakeholders. They are also willing to sacrifice their personal comfort and results for bigger benefits for their team and company.
5. They are always looking for growth and improvement.This mindset goes through everything in their own work and extends to their companies. They are constantly looking ways to improve their own skills and productivity, and they do the same for the teams and companies they are working in. They do not settle with what they got, but they always look for possibilities to grow. They are also not afraid to speak their minds when something is not working as it should, and they see a possibility to improve. These people are also not relying their company to provide the training and knowledge they need, so they spend some of their free time and resources to get better at what they do.
6. They are constantly gathering more responsibilities.They look to get more on their plate, to make an impact, and to show that they can create more value by doing additional things also outside their current jobs. They are good in choosing the right additional responsibilities, so that they are aligned with their next targeted promotions steps. Well-chosen additional responsibilities will demonstrate, that they can create more value for the company in the new (higher) positions, than they can in their current job
7. They lead with their actions and set an example– even if they do not have a title for it. Their mindset is always “us” before “me”, and they look for ways to influence the surrounding people to create better results together. They start to take responsibility for the overall results, and they take the lead without needing an official position for it.
8. They get connected.They look to make connections with various people on different levels of the company, even with those that are not directly linked to their own job. They find ways to provide value to people they interact with in exchange for their knowledge and insights. They are not afraid to ask for help or mentoring even from the people on a much higher level on the corporate ladder than themselves. They are also not afraid to tell the right people about their career aspirations.
9. They are constantly preparing themselves. They are making sure that they learn the skills and mindsets needed for their next career steps. They are always looking for opportunities for advancement and making plans how to run and improve the teams and departments they are interested in. They know that when they see an opportunity for career advancement, they have to jump on it immediately and show what they got – and they make sure they have enough to show to secure the opportunity.
10. They will make the hard decisions, take decisive actions– and they are not afraid to cause some waves. They are willing to go to tough negotiations with their management on the right moment to advance their cause, and if this does not work out, they are eager to look for more opportunities outside their current companies. They are not afraid to stand their ground and talk their minds, even if this means that they will step on some toes. They do not get stuck in their positions and companies because they are afraid of the change.

Promotions are not given – they are most often taken by those who know what they are doing and have prepared for them. This is a reason why those who are committed and know what they are doing have a huge advantage over everyone else. They are taking responsibility and initiative into their own hands while everyone else is waiting around, doing their jobs well, and just hoping to get promoted some day for their efforts. There is no saying, that people would not get promoted without all of the above, as they surely are. However, these are things, that the top achievers are putting together to advance their careers with speeds that are sometimes hard to understand for colleagues watching them go.

How do you think, you are doing with these 10 points? Do you have some additional thoughts or insights on the topic? What is your secret for constantly nailing promotions and advancing your career?

This article was originally published in my Leadership & Career Management Blog at: www.eotsc.com/blog: