Set yourself up for a promotion: 6 months ahead

Six months gives you time to find out what it takes to get to the next level, build your evidence, act on feedback, and bring your manager on the journey. If your company has a formal review process, start at least one cycle ahead.

Mary ·

Before You Start

Goal: Leave with a step-by-step plan to work up to a promotion over the next six months.

Read: How to Get a Promotion — Members are encouraged to read beforehand, but a quick recap at the meeting works too.

Meeting Agenda · Approx. 60 mins

  • Member Updates · 10 mins
  • Icebreaker · 10 mins
  • Key Takeaways · 5 mins
  • Activities · 20 mins
  • One Action · 10 mins
  • Wrap-Up · 5 mins

👋 Member Updates · 10 mins

Go around your Circle and share personal updates. Keep them brief and focused on significant changes or important decisions since the last time you met. It's OK not to have one every month. If you have a One Action update from last time, share that too.

🧊 Icebreaker · 10 mins

Invite everyone in the group to share. Keep answers to one or two minutes per person.

Think of the last time you got a promotion. What did you do to set yourself up for success?

🔑 Key Takeaways · 5 mins

Read these aloud as a group, then move on to the activities.

  • Find out what the next level requires and put it in writing. Ask your manager, "What would I need to demonstrate to be promoted to [role]?" Follow up in writing to confirm what you discussed.
  • Start early. If your company has a formal review cycle, start talking to your manager about getting promoted at least one cycle early, so your manager has time to build support for you. Source
  • Make your manager's priorities your own. Keep checking in on their top goals and hitting them fast and well, so it's obvious to them that you're a great candidate for advancement.
  • Make sure your manager sees your potential, not just your results. Managers' ratings of your potential strongly predict who gets promoted. Ask your manager, "How do you see my potential for [role]?" Source
  • Ask for feedback and act on it. After every big project, ask your manager, "What did I do well, and what would you have done differently?" Source
  • People with sponsors are promoted at nearly twice the rate of those without. A sponsor is a senior leader who speaks up for you when you're not in the room. Get on the radar of someone who can do that. Source
  • Become visible to your boss's boss. Your manager's boss could be a powerful sponsor when promotions are next discussed. Figure out if they have a deciding voice. If they do, volunteer for projects that put your work in front of them. Source

🏋️ Activity 1 · 10 mins

Map Your Next Six Months

  1. Write the role you want next and the date you'd like to be in it. Line the date up with your company's review or promotion cycle.
  2. Write what it takes to get there. Use the job description, ask someone in the role, or write the question you'll ask your manager. Then list 3 requirements you already meet, with one example of evidence for each, and 2–3 gaps.
  3. Sketch your six months:
    • Months 1–2: Start a wins log, find out what the next level requires and your manager's top 2–3 goals, and ask for feedback on a recent project.
    • Months 3–4: Take on one stretch project that supports your manager's goals, closes a gap, and puts your work in front of their boss. Get to know a potential sponsor.
    • Months 5–6: Share your results, ask how your manager sees your potential, and make the ask.

Discuss as a group:

  1. Which requirements do you already meet, and what's your best evidence?
  2. What are your manager's top goals right now, and how does your work support them?
  3. Which gap matters most, and who in your Circle or network could help you close it, or speak up for you?

🏋️ Activity 2 · 10 mins

Draft and Practice Your Promotion Conversation

  1. Write your script (3 mins). Jot down three parts:
    • Opening: "I'm aiming for [role] and I'd like your help getting there."
    • Your case: 2–3 accomplishments with specific results, tied to your manager's goals.
    • Your ask: "What would it take for me to get to [role] by [date]? Where do I stand today? How do you see my potential for the role?"
  2. Role-play in pairs (2 mins each). One person plays the manager and the other delivers the script. The manager responds with one realistic pushback, such as "Let's revisit at the next review cycle," "There's no budget for new roles right now," or "What makes you ready now?" Swap roles. In a group of three, the third person observes.

Discuss as a group:

  1. What felt strong about your opening?
  2. What's one change you'll make to your script?

Optional take-home practice: Paste your script into an AI tool and ask it to respond as a manager who pushes back twice. Revise your script based on what you learn.

🎯 One Action · 10 mins

Commit to one concrete action — big or small — you'll take before next meeting. Go around the Circle and share (1 minute or less per member). Vocalizing it helps hold each other accountable.

Have your promotion conversation with your manager using your script, then send a short note afterward confirming what you discussed. Or, if you're not ready for that yet, ask your manager for their top 2–3 goals this half and for specific feedback on your most recent project. Come ready to share how it went.

📅 Wrap-Up · 5 mins

Before you break, plan your next meeting and close on an energetic note. Go around your Circle one by one and finish the sentence:

Now I am feeling… (choose one word).

  • Set the day, time, and location
  • Choose the next topic or resource
  • Confirm who's leading the discussion
  • Decide how you'll stay in touch in between