Positioning Yourself for Promotions and Opportunities
Series: Career Planning, Development & Advancement – Insights from the Purpose to Performance Podcast
Promotions and new opportunities don’t always go to the “best” person in the room. They often go to the person who is most visible, most prepared, and most trusted to step into the role.
From my coaching work and podcast interviews, one theme comes up again and again: career advancement doesn’t happen by chance. It happens when you position yourself with clarity, confidence, and intention.
The Myth of Hard Work Alone
Many mid-career professionals assume that working hard and delivering results will naturally lead to recognition and advancement. While performance is essential, it’s not enough on its own.
Research by the Corporate Leadership Council shows that performance accounts for only about 10% of the reason people get promoted. The rest comes from factors such as visibility, perception, and alignment with organisational needs.
As Marina Sancho, Director of Customer Growth at Mentorloop, reflected in her own career:
She realised that moving up wasn’t just about doing her job well; it was about showing others the potential she had for the next role. (Paraphrased)
Making Yourself Visible
Visibility is not about self-promotion for its own sake. It’s about making sure the right people know your skills, contributions, and ambitions.
Jonathan Goring, Executive Director and Head of Operations for Neom, shared how building trust over time with senior stakeholders positioned him for opportunities. He explained that the biggest career moves he made came not from applying formally, but from being recognised by leaders who had already seen him deliver and trusted his capabilities.
Practical ways to raise your visibility include:
- Volunteering for high-profile projects.
- Sharing thought leadership internally or externally.
- Speaking up in meetings and offering solutions.
- Building strong relationships with decision-makers.
Shaping Your Personal Brand
Every professional has a brand, the reputation that follows you when you’re not in the room. The question is whether you are shaping it intentionally.
Lynn Scott, Leadership Coach & Author of “The Effortless Leader Reveolution“, admitted that early in her career she didn’t think about her brand. But she came to understand that people form impressions based on consistency, reliability, and how you make them feel. Her learning was that you can influence your brand by aligning how you show up with how you want to be perceived.
As a coach, I often help clients articulate three key elements of their personal brand:
- Strengths – What do you consistently deliver?
- Values – What do you stand for?
- Impact – What’s the difference you make for others?
A Personal Reflection
Early in my career, I thrived in a small, fast-growing company. As a bright, confident, and enthusiastic team member, I was regularly selected for new projects, which accelerated my rise into management.
But as the company grew larger and more complex, with more formal systems and ambitious peers, I found it harder to stand out. My progress stagnated and I became frustrated.
A senior mentor gave me advice that changed everything:
- Make your team independent. Advancement required proving that my team could thrive without me. At first, this felt like making myself redundant, until I realised it was what made me promotable.
- Demonstrate next-level capability. I had to show that I possessed the attributes and competencies needed at the next level, not just excellence in my current role.
- Signal my ambition. I needed to let senior leaders know I was hungry to progress, almost to the point of applying pressure. This was uncomfortable for me, as humility comes naturally, but it was vital.
Once I absorbed these lessons, my career accelerated again, eventually taking me all the way to the C-suite.
It’s a lesson I often share with clients today: being good at your job will not, on its own, get you promoted. You need to make yourself visible, valuable at the next level, and unafraid to show ambition.
Aligning with Organisational Needs
Even the most talented professionals can miss out on promotions if they are not aligned with what the organisation needs next.
Chiara Massironi, reflecting on her transition, realised the importance of understanding not just her role, but how it fit into the bigger picture. She recognised that career growth depended on showing how she could help the organisation meet its evolving challenges.
This means paying attention to strategy, listening carefully to leaders’ priorities, and positioning your contributions as solutions to the organisation’s biggest problems.
Building Advocates and Sponsors
Promotions rarely happen without advocates. Mentors, sponsors, and trusted senior colleagues can play a crucial role in opening doors and endorsing your readiness.
On the Purpose to Performance Podcast, several guests highlighted how their careers were accelerated because someone influential went out of their way to recommend them.
As Alex Christopherson, international music producer, DJ “Taches”, Entrepreneur & Creative Professional, put it:
“Opportunities come through people. Someone believing in you enough to connect you to the next step, that’s what makes the difference.”
A Coaching Perspective
In my coaching practice, I’ve helped ambitious professionals position themselves for promotions by focusing on three areas:
- Clarity – Defining the role they want and the strengths they bring.
- Visibility – Developing strategies to showcase their contributions.
- Influence – Building relationships with the people who can open doors.
One client, a high-performing operations manager, felt overlooked for promotion despite strong results. Through coaching, she learned to articulate her career ambitions, showcase her achievements more confidently, and seek opportunities to work cross-functionally. Within six months, she was promoted into a leadership role that had previously felt out of reach.
Practical Steps to Position Yourself
If you’re aiming for promotion or a new opportunity:
- Clarify your goals. Know what role you’re aiming for and why.
- Audit your visibility. Who knows about your ambitions? Who needs to?
- Refine your brand. What three words do you want colleagues to associate with you?
- Seek advocates. Identify mentors or sponsors who can champion your progression.
- Prepare your case. Be ready to demonstrate how promoting you helps the organisation achieve its goals.
The Takeaway
Promotions and opportunities aren’t just rewards for past performance. They’re votes of confidence in your future potential. Positioning yourself is not about politics or self-promotion, it’s about clarity, visibility, and alignment.
As my podcast guests reminded me, career advancement doesn’t happen by chance. It happens when you step forward with intention.
Ready to Position Yourself?
I’ve helped hundreds of ambitious professionals clarify their brand, expand their influence, and secure promotions or new opportunities.
If you’re ready to take control of your career advancement, let’s talk.
