Wait, aren’t good performance ratings leading to a promotion? That’s not quite the case, and definitely not guaranteed.
#1, Performance rating is the result of impact – what impact was achieved;
#2, Promotion is the result of behavior – how the impact was achieved.
There are many factors that affects a promotion decision:
- Sustained performance at next level over a period of time
- Visibility to promotion decision makers. They might not be your immediate manager, and most likely aren’t going to be, but need to know and support your case. Make sure you have tangible impact to show first.
- For more senior levels, there needs to be a business need for your organization to justify the role at higher level, and someone who can take care of your old job in some cases
- Assuming you’re qualified, and there is an opportunity. Your career aspiration and desire to grow, apparently, will not happen unless you tell them you are interested more explicitly
I learned the lessons the hard way earlier in my career.
Years ago, when I first became a senior engineer on my team which had an important goal to deliver in a short time (isn’t it always like this?). As the senior person on a team of 5, I was held accountable and worked in the graveyard to ensure every single aspect of the project is taken care of. I was the super hero under spot light, and received appraises from engineering and product managers. The project landed with solid impacts. Thus I received strongly exceeding ratings and big bonuses (See Rule #1). What about the promo I’ve been waiting for? It did not happen until later I learned:
- You need to to effectively lead other peers, influence partners, and empower junior engineers to contribute and to grow, instead of taking most of the work yourself. You would be the single point of failure if you had to take a leave/vacation or change jobs.
- Detach yourself from the problem space so you can look at the entire battlefield. What are the business goals behind this project; Are there alternative ways to better achieve the business goals.
- If you have to push yourself and work really hard to deliver the impact, this is unlikely to be sustainable in the future. Wait to get more experiences, which will enable you to be more relaxed and achieve the same result.
Thus Rule #2, the behaviors you manifested while achieving the impact lead to promotion.
Years later, after making these mistakes, I’ve figured out that it doesn’t matter what problem you are trying to solve, what’s important is the business result. For example, those who put out the most urgent fires at work get strong rating, preventing fires in the first place usually correlates with promotions. See “The Goal is not the Goal”
And that’s when I started mastering Engineering Leadership.
For example, as an engineering leader, you should always be willing to be held accountable on the outcome, but should also detach from the immediate problems both mentally and physically, being away from operational details and pressing deadlines, you’ll find that it’s easier to see strategic priorities and alternative best approaches. Ultimately, you as the leader need to own the overarching goals and be ready to maneuver or pivot in direction.
As you consistently deliver solid impacts that drive key business metrics; build sustainable and strong teams; also find more time available for yourself and family, you are ready when the opportunity knocks.