I've seen it happen so many times...
As the "Season of Promotions" at a company comes to an end, some developers begin complaining that they deserved a promotion (or a raise).
They feel as if they’d earned the right to a promotion and that they were being unduly skipped over for some reason.
As a seasoned developer who’s worked in teams, led teams, and has managed other developers, I've found that, in most cases, that those developers haven’t done what’s needed to deserve a promotion.
I always fight for the success of my team members and those I manage, BUT there’s a reality that I sometimes find hard to communicate because it seems to go against general working culture:
Just doing your job and existing as a non-problematic employee RARELY correlates to a justification for getting a promotion or raise.
At the time of this writing, it's the end of the year and as is the culture of most companies, end-of-the-year reviews are beginning, and employees are making their case for why they deserve a good end-of-the-year rating AND why they should soon be in consideration for promotion opportunities.
So, it got me thinking, "What keeps developers and engineers from being considered for promotions?
In this blog, I’d like to share some of the key reasons why YOU may not be ready for that promotion that you’ve really been wanting. This blog is for the early professional and for the seasoned developer. Experience levels may differ, but I have found these reasons tend to be universal.
1. You don't take initiative
I've been there.
Imagine this: Your dev team lead gathers the team and shares that there’s some task or activity the team needs to complete, but no one wants to do it. In this case, it's a seemingly pointless task that's either low-hanging fruit or a complete deviation from the team’s normal work.
Your team lead then asks who’d be willing to own this task, and no one responds. After a brief but incredibly awkward silence, one team member reluctantly accepts.
You might be thinking you've dodged a bullet, but in reality, you've missed out on an opportunity.
As my manager, Neil Giarrantana, often says:
"The world is run by those who show up."
Often, the difference between a good developer and a great developer is that the great developer takes initiative when no one else is willing to.
If you want to stand out amongst your peers OR if you want your team lead or manager to notice you and your growth potential, take the initiative to solve problems and tackle tasks whenever possible.
If you’re not sure how to take the initiative, here’s a simple way to start...
Approach your team lead or manager and ask them this question:
"Is there anything I can help you with to make your life easier?"
Let's be honest, that's a terrifying question.
It opens you up to almost anything, BUT it shows that you’re taking an active role in seeking growth in your team or in your organization and you're willing to do what others aren’t.
Taking the initiative to work on tasks no one wants to tackle, solving problems before they happen, or assisting your leadership where they need, can have a HUGE impact on your overall career development and can increase your chances of getting a promotion.
2. You don't own your mistakes
Never have I heard a person say:
"Thank you for blaming someone else and preserving your image of innocence. I’m so thankful to know that [insert some problem] was someone else's fault and not yours."
It’s human nature, however, to blame others when we perceive an issue or problem not to be our fault. This is mostly because we’ve learned that the consequences for making a mistake rarely tend to be good.
What I’ve found time and time again, is that those who are willing to own their personal mistakes, and even their team's mistakes, tend to be the ones who end up getting better opportunities.
This is because a person who’s willing to own their mistakes is also a person who takes personal responsibility for any work that they may be involved in. They see a mistake not purely as a failure, but an opportunity to grow.
Mistakes are inevitable and no matter how careful we are as developers or engineers, sometimes, even seemingly good decisions lead to problems we couldn’t have anticipated. There are many times when we initially might not believe an issue to be our fault, only to find out later that we had a hand in the matter.
And sometimes it really isn’t our fault.
But even if it isn’t, how does blaming others benefit you or your team?
Let me ask you a question:
Would you enjoy working under a manager or leader who always blames you or your teammates for things going wrong (even though it may not be your fault)? Is that someone you would trust or want to work under or alongside?
Your answer is likely no.
Knowing that your manager is likely to use you as a "scapegoat" at any given time does not make you feel safe or secure working with them.
Similarly, if you’re a developer who always finds a way to blame others when a problem arises, there’s a good chance others may not want to work with you.
If you’re not sure whether or not you own your mistakes, I encourage you to look back on how many times you’ve said something like:
I'm sorry. I think that might’ve been my fault. Let me look into that.
or
Oh! My bad! I'm not sure if I caused that issue but let me look into it to see what I can do.
If these types of phrases seem foreign to you, I encourage you to start practicing owning your mistakes instead of finding ways to blame others.
3. You don't prioritize your personal growth
Take a moment and answer this question:
What skills are you currently focusing on to grow in your career?
If you weren’t able to answer this question within a short period of time, there's a good chance you’re not currently prioritizing your personal growth.
As Zig Ziglar once said...
If you aim at nothing, you'll hit it every time.
Without a doubt, it’s extremely common for developers to solely focus on their tasks in their role.
If your role is to build new features, you build new features.
If your role is to fix bugs in production, you fix bugs in production.
When you’re just doing what’s expected of you in your role, you’re bound to forget what skills you’re gaining in the process.
If you’re not even sure what skills you’re trying to gain, how can you communicate what skills you have gained to someone else?
If you’re not sure what skills you’re gaining, how can you be sure you’re meeting the requirements you need to be promoted?
Of course, you can always get lucky, but rarely have I seen luck be the contributing factor of why a particular individual got a promotion to the role they desired.
If it's your goal to be promoted, take some time to consider what skills you’re attempting to expand in your career. Once you identify those skills, spend some time to make sure you're aligning your day-to-day tasks, weekly goals, and extracurricular training to build those skills in a demonstrable and trackable way.
4. You don't share your accomplishments
I'm going to try to keep this point as short and as to the point as possible.
Share what you've accomplished with your manager or leader as often as possible.
The most heartbreaking thing I’ve seen happen on the job was to see a stellar, impactful, hard-working, and accomplished developer passed over for a promotion because their leader was unaware of the INCREDIBLE things they had accomplished.
I 110% support individuals having a heart of humility but I also 110% support individuals who are fans of their own work.
You cannot depend on other people to praise your accomplishments, so whenever possible, share your achievements with your manager or leader.
If you receive a glowing positive email from someone on or outside of your team, politely ask them if they can forward that email to your manager.
Whenever you receive accolades or earn a certification, share that success with your leader as soon as possible.
It can be extremely hard to share your accomplishments with your manager without feeling a bit "haughty" or "prideful", but remember, it's no one else's responsibility to share those things for you.
As a mentor once told me...
Advocate for yourself!
It's always great when someone shares your victories on your behalf, but you can't always depend on that. Always ensure that you share what you've accomplished with your manager or leader, no matter how big or how small it is! It goes a long way!
5. You aren't bringing value to the table
I'm going to ask you three questions:
How have you increased the revenue of your company while in your role?
How have you decreased overhead (overall spending) of your company while in your role?
How have you brought quantifiable value to your company while in your role?
If you’re anything like me, you probably don't like thinking about these questions, but if we're being honest with ourselves, these are some of the MOST important questions we should be asking ourselves when considering if we deserve a promotion.
In most cases, a job promotion also comes with some form of financial incentive or increase. This means that your promotion should be preceded by you adding some form of value to the company.
Your direct value can be a difficult thing to quantify, but overall, you should be able to find ways to explain your value to those who are considering you for a promotion.
Consider these questions:
Did you reduce the overall cloud spend on your cloud provider by refactoring some code on a server?
Did you implement a feature that would help your company reach more customers?
Are you mentoring and upskilling other developers on your team so they are being more productive?
Each of the above things are valuable, and if you've done anything similar, document it so you can share how you've added overall value to your company.
This can be a more difficult task for those still early in their career, but for those leaning toward more senior roles, having an idea of how you add value is incredibly important.
If you don't know where to start to quantify your value to your company, have a frank conversation with your manager or leader and ask them how you can add more value to your team or company. Their answer will likely reflect what they see as value and if you focus on improving in those areas, you'll have a greater chance of getting that promotion.
In no way is this list exhaustive, but from my experience, these have been top reasons why I’ve seen developers miss out on opportunities they otherwise might qualify for.
If there’s anything on this list that you're doing that might be hindering you from your career goals or slowing your opportunities at promotion, realize that all of these things are within your power to change.
Remember, this is an ongoing growth process. One day, you'll have all of the above list fixed and then the next you might forget to share your accomplishments and need to restart that habit again.
By reading this blog and being willing to hear a different perspective, I believe you’re one step closer to that promotion you're hoping for.
Don't give up and keep on pushing forward!
So, what do you think?
What do you think is stopping developers from deserving a promotion?
Do you agree or disagree with my list?
All the best,
Bradston Henry
Special Thanks to Beatriz Marie Dedicatoria for editing this blog.
Photo Credits(Order of Appearance):
Cover Photo by Min An
Photo by RODNAE Productions
Photo by Designecologist
Photo by Karolina Grabowska
Photo by Edmond Dantès
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya
Top comments (7)
Great address sir Bradston! you know, I was eager to read this after you so apprehensively announced it on Linkdin, but I must say with all humility , that I do all of these things effectively naturally. Or at least I don't remember when I learned to do them. A few things extra that I do is subterfuge, black-mail, cloak and dagger, debauchery, and scandal. Like whatever I see on an Aaron Sorkin show.. I do that.
To the point. Agree 110% with you at every point. These were the reasons why I got a promotion the last period.
Thanks @yuridevat ! These have had a huge impact on my personal career trajectory!
P.S. Congrats on your promotion last period!! 🎉
Thanks, Bradston.
Great points and advice on how to fix.
Great article Bradston! It may be highlighting the "no" in promotions, but I feel that reading about what "fails" helps guide with what "works".
Thanks much @kayea! I always try not to be too negative but felt that this may be the best way to communicate it. Just hoping it helps someone out there!