Should you step up before landing the promotion?

Mindset Strategy

Tell a room of ambitious women to take on a job before they have the official title, and you’ll get a few pointed looks. We are already lumped with more of the household load, more non-promotable work, more microaggressions… And women are more likely to be overlooked for promotions.

In a world that still struggles to see our value, isn’t it dumb to take on more responsibility for free?

No.

Trust runs both ways

If you’ve watched our mini-masterclass on Influencing Through Common Ground, you’ll know the importance of perspective. When you start from your own, the situation looks obvious: it’s a bad idea to take on extra responsibility without extra recognition. But put yourself in the shoes of someone making promotion decisions, and suddenly it doesn’t make sense to hold back – for two very good reasons:

1. Decision-makers need to know you can do the job

You want to be trusted with more responsibility; they need evidence that you’re ready to take it on. And how do decision-makers build that trust? By watching how you already behave.

No one will take the time to interpret the hidden message behind doing less than you’re capable of. They’ll (quite fairly) assume you’re not ready for more, and turn their focus to those who are. Or worse – they’ll start writing the job ad for an external hire, because they don’t think they have anyone in-house. What a wasted opportunity.

2. Your attitude matters

Is deliberately doing less an attitude you want to embrace?

We get it. Many of us have gone above and beyond and seen all that hard work go unrecognised. But using effort as leverage isn’t the solution. And if holding back is your response to setbacks, it’s worth asking a tough question: Are you really ready to step up?

If you’re feeling overlooked or undervalued, it’s time for a direct conversation about what the path to promotion looks like. Or, if you’ve reached the end of that path, take control of your career and start looking for a new job. Tough, but true.

You don’t need to take on your manager’s job

Stepping up doesn’t mean doing your manager’s work or taking on two jobs. It’s not really about doing more work at all – it’s about how you do it. The distinction is important: We want to operate at a higher level, not take on a higher workload. In practice, it might look like:

Prioritising work against your team or organisation’s goals – even if it means your idea doesn’t get any attention.
Putting your hand up for strategic opportunities.
Looking beyond your individual KPIs and outputs to own the outcome.
Saying ‘no’ to tasks and distractions that don’t move the needle.
Taking control of your calendar.
Cutting the word ‘busy’ from your vocab.
Embracing delegation.
Sending proactive updates so no one needs to chase you.
Helping shape decisions, instead of just actioning them.
Using initiative instead of waiting for permission.
Bringing other people with you, including those who aren’t in your immediate team.
Handling ambiguity, uncertainty and conflict without getting pulled into the drama triangle.
Building relationships with (and influencing) senior stakeholders.
Managing your manager, instead of expecting them to meet all your needs.

Most of these suggestions don’t require extra hours, just a different approach to the work you’re already doing. Some do – but you should be able to free up that time by intentionally cutting back in other, less valuable areas.

Which brings us to a critical caveat: Doing your current job well isn’t enough to land a promotion, but you do still need to nail your existing responsibilities before taking on more. The fastest way to kill trust is to drop the ball – if you overlook the basics or let deadlines and quality slip, you’re sending the wrong message.

Where to start

Operating at a higher level isn’t wasted effort; it’s a head start – you’re honing the skills you need before you need them. So think about your ideal next step, and identify any gaps between where you are and where you want to be. Pick one small tweak to how you work, and immediately start pushing yourself out of your comfort zone.

Then, tell your manager. Share your promotion goal and ask for feedback on the development areas you’ve identified. Treat this as an ongoing conversation – regularly update them on your progress, ask for their thoughts and remind them of your goal.

Come promotion time, you’ll be a shoo-in for a step-up.