What are the unwritten rules of career development?

This week, Adam has a crank theory. But it's based in experience!

As we progress in our careers, we go from "unwritten but self-imposed" rules ("I did XYZ so I deserve a promotion") to "written rules" ("The written career matrix says I need to do XYZ at this level") back to "unwritten but reality-tested" rules. This third phase becomes more important as you get into more senior, leadership, and unique roles... like, for example, a lot of roles in Scaled CX.

Dee and Adam talk through some unwritten rules we've learned in our careers. Things like:

• What it means to make work lighter for other people
• Why emotional regulation is so important in crucial career conversations
• Who you need on your side in a promotion panel
• How to navigate the feedback vs. the "feedback behind the feedback"
• How to balance craft skills with organizational savvy
• Why promotions don't always go through the first time
• How to avoid letting ratings and promotions affect your identity

Some reflections from this episode that you may find helpful during this performance season (or prepping for the next one)

First, there are going to be written rules, guides, or matrices at most organizations that are large enough (and they don't need to be THAT large), but remember that checking the boxes on that matrix usually isn't enough to automatically be promoted. You need to show consistent performance AND behavior such that your manager will sponsor you and their peers will approve during a promotion panel. This usually isn't as complicated in more junior roles (and there's less scrutiny) but for more senior roles, leadership roles, and unique roles like those we have in Scaled CX, plan as if that's how it's going to work.

And be patient: your promotion may not go through the first time for many reasons.

We recommend looking at other people who are getting promoted. Or if getting promoted means getting on certain projects, look at the people who are taking on those types of projects. How are they doing it? It's not just because they're on interesting projects. Maybe there's something about how they communicate, how they drive impact, or how they mobilize others.

Don't be the tree silently falling in a forest. Keep a "brag book" or "portfolio" of accomplishments across the year: praise from clients and peers, measurable outcomes you drove, etc. so you can easily remind yourself and your manager (and arm them to make the case to their peers).

Focus on giving your leader more leverage: the easier you make their jobs, the better. That could mean looking at what's on their plate and helping them take it on, or it could also mean working independently but keeping your leader informed on your decision and thought process. Remember that the more senior you get, the more decisions you make per day... and that applied to your leader, too. So the more you can help take decisions off their plate, or provide options and tradeoffs, the more leverage you provide. This doesn't mean "always come with solutions" but it means often you don't actually need your leader to make every decision. You often have more perspective to frame the options.

And help your team publicize your accomplishments throughout the year so people know what impact you're driving and you stay top of mind.

Gut check whether what you're doing truly aligns to organizational priorities (OKRs, etc are a good clue) and be honest about HOW they align. If it's not a clear and simple story, you might be focused on work that doesn't actually drive as much impact as you assume.

Be someone that others want to work with. That doesn't mean you need to be a "personality hire" or be "fun" but it does mean being someone that doesn't create a high amount of friction with the people you collaborate with. Build rapport and get to know them and what they care about. Partner with them to get things done, although of course you could take it too far and say yes to everything, which throws you off your ability to drive impact and focus. Healthy conflict framed in a collaborative way is still okay! There's a balance.

This also applies to communication. Progressing in your career means communicating in a way that's simple and clear. You can have the best ideas in the world but you also need to get good at communicating AND executing them to progress more quickly.

It also means balancing your craft skills (ex. instructional design expertise) with business and organization savvy: translating your expertise to the goals of the organization and in some cases being willing not to optimize for technical precision but business impact. Even though you have expertise in your field, that expertise isn't everything you need to be seen as more senior and strategic, and can even hold you back if you're optimizing for the wrong things. Rather, be the person who uses your expertise to make customer-centric and business-centric recommendations.

For promotions especially, it's helpful to know how the process actually works behind closed doors. Who's on the panel? How do you get pitched? Do the people on the panel already know who you are and your reputation or are they learning about you for the first time? This isn't about gaming the system but rather about making it easier for your manager to concisely explain your promotion case, not also introduce you and your role to their broader peers. And if the promo doesn't go through the first time, see if your manager is willing to be candid about what happened in the room or what you need to work on for next time!

As Dee mentions in the episode, feedback can be a gift or a grift. Sometimes the feedback you get can be self-serving for the people giving it, so you'll need to decide whether that feedback is truly something you can implement and what it will actually drive to do that. For example, women in the workplace are sometimes given feedback that they're not humble enough. But that's often just sexism disguised as feedback!

Finally, remember your rating is not your worth. Promotions are not your worth. It's great to be recognized for your accomplishments, and most of us want to feel a sense of growth and accomplishment, but sometimes we treat this process as "if I get this rating, I'll be enough." Or "If I get this promotion by this time, I'll be enough." At the risk of sounding a little therapy-speak, you are already enough. So it can be helpful to separate the pragmatic aspects of performance season from who you are and how you feel about your career and identity.

See you next time!