The 7 reasons managers get promoted (and others don’t)
Hey In-The-Makers,
Welcome back to In The Making, where progress beats perfection, and the best leaders know they’re never done learning.
I’m not a guru, just a guide sharing what I’ve learned (and unlearned) from a decade in the messy, brilliant world of leadership.
I’m back in London this week running workshops with the incredible MDs across Sony Music Publishing Global (I’ll share some pictures on Instagram soon because their office does take the crown for the coolest).
Today we’re talking promotions, and more specifically, why some managers rise through the ranks faster than others.
I’ve been on both sides of the promotion conversation. I’ve been the one nervously waiting to hear if I got it, and the one sitting across the table, deciding who gets it. After this, and now training over 10,000 managers, inside organisations like Amex and the Ministry of Defence, I’ve started to notice a pattern.
It’s rarely the loudest person in the room who moves up. And it’s not always the one with the longest experience, either.
It’s the ones who’ve quietly mastered a handful of distinct skills, the things that make senior leaders look at them and think, “They’re ready.”
So here are the 7 things they do (that most managers don’t).
The 7 reasons managers get promoted
1. They own problems, not tasks
Anyone can tick off a to-do list. But when something breaks, that’s where real leadership shows up.
Average managers rush to fix what’s visible. They patch, smooth, and move on.
Great leaders pause. They get curious. They want to know why.
I once worked with a marketing team that kept missing client deadlines.
On the surface, it looked like a workload issue. The classic… Too many projects, not enough people.
But when one of the team managers started digging deeper, she found something else entirely. Every department had their own adhoc system.
The designers tracked work in Monday.com. The copywriters used a shared drive. Account managers kept everything in their inbox.
The real problem wasn’t resource, it was systemisation and ownership. No one owned the handover points between teams. There was no single source of truth for client information. So she mapped them, fixed the system. Then, like clockwork, they could get back on top of deadlines again.
Owning problems, not just tasks, is what turns chaos into clarity, and managers into leaders.
2. They give credit generously
Insecure people hoard praise. High performers elevate others. When you make others look good, you build quiet power. Senior leaders notice that.
I’ve always tried to remove myself from the spotlight as much as possible with my team. When something goes well, I try instead to shine it on the people who made it happen.
Do this: Publicly recognise others’ contributions. It strengthens your influence more than self-promotion ever will.
3. They manage emotions under pressure
Calm is power.
The leaders who stand out are the ones who regulate before they react.
Research backs this up. One study points out that leaders who can recognise, manage, and respond to their own emotions are far better placed to guide others.
They take ten seconds before responding, even when frustrated. That pause communicates authority. Emotional control builds respect.
Do this: Before replying in a tense moment, take a breath. Decide whether you want to react now, or wait until your emotions have calmed a little.
4. They do the work that matters
Average managers chase busy work because it feels safe. They tick boxes, join every meeting, and say yes to everything that crosses their desk.
Yet, the greatest managers know that “busy” is the enemy of “impact.”
A manager from a creative agency told me recently she’d finally started asking herself one daily question: “What truly moves the needle?”
And within weeks, she’d stopped three weekly meetings, delegated two admin tasks, and freed up hours a week, which she used to rebuild her team’s client process.
Do this: Each morning, before you open your inbox, ask: What’s the one thing I could do today that would genuinely move us forward? Start there.
5. They think long-term
High performers play chess. They zoom out when everyone else reacts.
I see this difference most clearly in boardrooms. The managers who rise are the ones who can link today’s decisions to next quarterly or yearly outcomes. They don’t just fight fires, instead they prevent them by designing systems.
We’re not paid to put out fires. We’re paid to make sure fewer start.
Do this: Every quarter, map your team’s goals directly to the company’s North Star. You’ll instantly make better strategic decisions, and you’ll start being seen as someone who leads beyond your remit.
6. They build trust upward
Your boss’s experience of working with you is your invisible performance review. The managers who get promoted don’t just execute orders, they make their boss’s life easier.
When I was an Ops Director, my most trusted managers were the ones who pre-empted my needs. They didn’t wait to be asked for updates; they'd already sent a one-page summary with risks and solutions. I never had to chase them, and that trust made them indispensable.
7. They seek feedback early
High performers chase discomfort and never shy away from feedback.
Inside Fresh Start (My six-week leadership programme for new and emerging managers) I teach this shift, getting all managers to start asking their team: “What’s one thing I could do better next week?”
That’s what leadership growth looks like: not waiting for validation, but actively inviting reflection.
If you want to build that same feedback rhythm inside your team, the next Fresh Start cohort opens in Jan, you can join the waitlist here.
Final Thoughts
Most people think promotions are about experience. They’re not. Rightly or wrongly, they’re about perception, the perception of how you think.
The managers who move up aren’t the loudest, or the ones clocking the longest hours. They’re the ones who’ve learned to slow down, zoom out, and think like owners.
And that’s what I want for you.
See you next Tuesday 👀
H x
P.S. If this hit home and you want your team to start thinking, and leading, at this level, I run practical, no-fluff workshops that build confident, accountable managers.
They’re the same sessions I’ve delivered for Sony Music, Amex, Abercrombie & Fitch and so many more, and they’re completely tailored to your team.
See the workplace training we offer here.