Framing The Dialog

We cover how promotions actually work, why they’re not guaranteed even if we’re performing well, and how to talk about them with our EM in a way that aligns incentives and builds trust.

• We explain that promotions require both performing at the next level and an organizational need for someone at that level—otherwise even great performers can’t move up.
• We note that promotion discussions require trust; bringing up promotions too early (e.g., in week one) backfires because the manager doesn’t yet know our work or commitment to the team.
• We warn that reorgs can derail promotion momentum when a new manager must advocate for us without shared history; coordinating between old and new managers helps mitigate this.
• We highlight that promotions are meant to signal that we already operate with higher scope, independence, and cross-org trust—not something to wish into existence.
• We emphasize framing promotion goals in terms of increasing team impact rather than title or compensation, since managers (especially in tight-budget environments) prioritize engineers who help them deliver more impact, not those who simply want advancement.