📈Climbing Higher: Why Pursuing a Promotion Matters

Securing a promotion is not just a career milestone—it’s a transformative event that brings a multitude of benefits, both professionally and personally. Beyond the obvious financial uplift, promotions often come with increased autonomy, the opportunity to lead larger projects, and the platform to influence significant decisions. This elevation in status can dramatically increase your professional network, open new doors for future career moves, and provide a profound sense of accomplishment and validation of your skills and efforts. However, understanding how to navigate the path to promotion can be complex and nuanced. Let’s turn to five insightful articles by our esteemed authors–Reid Hoffman, Erik Torenberg, Nikhyl Singhal, and Cedric Chin.

🧠 About the Authors

All of these four authors have successful careers spanning various industries such as entrepreneurship, technology, and management consulting. From startup founders to senior leaders, they possess rich experiences and insights accumulated over their professional journeys. It can be stated that they all have ample experience in climbing the career ladder. The following lessons from their articles are designed to elevate your career trajectory and prepare you for advancement.

🔖 5 Lessons From the Articles

1. Winning Careers Are Always in Permanent Beta: Constantly Evolving

In “The Startup of You,” Reid Hoffman draws from his extensive experience in the startup world to offer a groundbreaking approach to career development. He advocates treating your career as a startup, emphasizing agility, continuous innovation, and strategic networking.

💡Here Are the Highlights:

Embrace the Mindset of ‘Permanent Beta’

The idea that like startups, one’s career should always be in a state of evolution and constant testing is central. This mindset encourages continuous learning, adaptability, and resilience, which are crucial for career advancement. It’s about staying nimble like Netflix and always treating each day as if it’s “Day 1”, as Amazon does, thus constantly looking for opportunities to improve and adapt.

Amazon is never finished: it’s always Day 1. For entrepreneurs, finished is an f-word. They know that great companies are always evolving. Finished ought to be an f-word for all of us. Are area all works in progress. Each day presents an opportunity to learn more, do more, grow more in our lives and careers.

Build Genuine Relationships

Effective networking isn’t just about collecting contacts; it’s about forging deep, meaningful connections that can lead to mutual benefits. Prioritizing quality relationships over quantity, and focusing on helping others before seeking help, can greatly enhance your reputation and visibility within an organization. These relationships often lead to endorsements and support when promotion opportunities arise, making you a more compelling candidate for advancement.

Old-school “networkers” are transactional… relationship builders, on the other hand, try to help other people first. They don’t keep score. Relationship builder prioritize high-quality relationships over a large number of connections.

Take Intelligent Risks

Embracing intelligent risks involves evaluating opportunities where the potential rewards justify the risks. This strategic risk-taking shows your capability to handle uncertainty and make decisions that can significantly benefit the organization. Demonstrating such qualities is essential for promotion, as it reflects a readiness to take on higher-level responsibilities where risk management is often a critical component of the role.

The Volatility Paradox: Small Fires Prevent the Big Swan. “The Age of the Unthinkable” argues that we should expect to see more black swans in our lifetime.

⚒ How to Apply:

1. Set Short-Term Goals: Instead of only setting long-term goals, focus on achievable short-term goals that contribute to your larger career objectives. This keeps you motivated and makes the journey manageable.
2. Attend Networking Events: Participate in industry meetups, conferences, and workshops to connect with peers outside your organization, which can open up new opportunities for learning and advancement.
3. Develop a Contingency Plan: Always have a Plan B in mind for critical decisions. This shows foresight and preparedness, qualities valued in leadership roles.

Need advice that fits your situation? Baystar is always here to help.

The author has provided more details. Continue reading to find your answers👇

2. 10x Better Product: Get So Good They Can’t Ignore You

Erik Torenberg’s article, ‘See Your Career as a Product,’ explores the metaphor of treating one’s career like a product, emphasizing the importance of building personal “moats” and utilizing “loops” for sustainable career growth.

💡Here Are the Highlights:

Prioritize Developing Specialized Knowledge and Skills

The concept of “Get So Good They Can’t Ignore You” emphasizes the importance of becoming exceptionally skilled in your area of expertise. This differentiation makes you a more valuable asset to any organization, akin to a product that is 10x better than its competition. This unique positioning not only makes you indispensable but also opens up more opportunities for promotion and career growth.

When building products, you first want to focus on having a solid product that’s 10x better than the competition. Only after you have that do you begin doubling down on marketing, PR, and other growth tactics — the common advice is to nail retention before focusing on growth. Similarly with careers, you want to Get So Good They Can’t Ignore You (10x better product) before doubling down on networking (marketing & PR).

Building and Utilizing Career Loops

Career loops are iterative processes that not only retain value but also enhance it over time, creating new opportunities and resources. These loops are analogous to growth loops in product marketing, where the output from one cycle feeds into the next, amplifying impact and results. The article identifies four primary types of career loops: Specialized Knowledge/Skills, Financial Capital, Brand/Legibility, and Unique Network Access/Strength. Each of these loops has the potential to reinforce and enhance the others. For example, specialized skills can improve your brand visibility and increase your network’s strength, which in turn can lead to more financial capital. To effectively build career loops, one must focus on developing deep and rare competencies (Specialized Knowledge/Skills) that provide distinct value in the marketplace. This foundational loop acts as a magnet, attracting other valuable loops. Career loops should be strategically cultivated to ensure that each element reinforces the others. For instance, leveraging a strong personal brand can enhance network strength, which then feeds back into opportunities for further skill enhancement and financial gain.

Loops come from the literature of growth and marketing (as well as Kevin Kwok’s excellent twitter feed). The basic idea is that the best companies not only understand their “funnels” (where their users are coming from and convert down the stack), but also their loops (the process by which one cohort of users not only retains but leads to an additional cohort of users). Loops, in other words, are what lead to sustainable, compounding, growth. Building a funnel without a loop means you have to keep pushing to get output, and, at some point, that becomes unsustainable, especially if your funnel is disrupted. … I posit there are four different types of career loops, or assets:

• Specialized Knowledge / Skills (“Get So Good They Can’t Ignore You”)
• Financial Capital ($)
• Brand / Legibility (ability for your skills/assets to be widely recognizable)
• Unique Network Access/Strength

_These loops are reinforcing — having one of each affords you more of the other. _

⚒ How to Apply:

1. Focus on Developing Specialized Knowledge and Skills

• Invest in Continuous Learning: Stay current with industry trends, technologies, and skills. Take courses, attend workshops, and pursue certifications relevant to your field.
• Seek Challenging Projects: Volunteer for projects that push your boundaries and allow you to showcase and enhance your capabilities.

2. Maintain and Expand Your Career Loops

• Regular Self-Assessment: Periodically evaluate how your career is progressing in terms of skill development, network strength, financial stability, and brand recognition.
• Adapt and Pivot When Necessary: Be ready to change your strategy based on market conditions, feedback from your network, and your own career aspirations.

Need advice that fits your situation? Baystar is always here to help.

The author has provided more details. Continue reading to find your answers👇

3. Focus on Developing and Harnessing Superpowers Instead of Promotions

Nikhyl Singhal’s article, ‘5 Rules That Will Drive a Long, Healthy Career,’ offers comprehensive career advice, particularly for product managers, but is also applicable to anyone looking to enhance their career longevity and success. It introduces five key rules that serve as guidelines for navigating professional growth thoughtfully and strategically.

💡Here Are the Highlights:

Manage Your Career Like a Product:

Just as a product evolves through different phases, your career progresses through acts, from learning to leading to giving back. Invest in acquiring high-quality feedback, akin to gathering customer data, to drive your growth.

If you are a product manager, you develop a skill set around guiding a product from start to finish: You understand what it means to create a vision, develop a strategy, and formulate tactics. After a product is released, you make improvements before releasing the next version, then make tweaks and improve it, then wash and repeat. You might ship a feature based on today’s customer, but you have your eye on the overall market and whether the next customer will find it valuable as well. I don’t think you should treat your career much differently. If you are presented with an opportunity, consider how it will service your goals over the long term – the skills you will gain, how it will impact the breadth of your playbook, and how it can create more opportunity through roles down the line.

Prioritize Career Additive Transitions

Avoid being narrowly focused on promotions as the sole indicator of career progression. Instead, ensure that each career move adds value to your overall narrative and skill set. Emphasize storytelling in interviews to showcase your growth, adaptability, and resilience. Don’t dismiss opportunities solely based on the product or company; focus on how they contribute to your long-term career trajectory.

Concretely, consider viewing your career through the lens of your next employer. Ask yourself, Is what I’m doing today going to make sense for the future? Is it going to set me up?

Bet on Yourself

Understand that you are ultimately responsible for your career success. Don’t solely rely on company structures or managers to propel you forward. Take proactive steps to identify opportunities for growth and advancement.

I find too often that people put too much stock in their company or manager to pull them forward. The thinking goes, If I do well, then my manager will promote me – and more wins at my company will be valuable to my next employer. So it’s fine to outsource my career.

⚒ How to Apply:

1. Iterative Improvements: Seek to constantly improve through learning and new experiences. Identify areas for growth and actively pursue them, akin to how a product undergoes various iterations before it meets market needs.
2. Strategic Moves: When considering a job change or a new role, evaluate how it will add to your career narrative. Will it expand your skills, increase your visibility, or open new networks? Make moves that build upon your previous experiences and contribute to your overarching career goals.
3. Self-Advocacy: Regularly communicate your achievements and aspirations to your superiors. Make a case for why you are ready for more responsibility or a higher position.

Need advice that fits your situation? Baystar is always here to help.

The author has provided more details. Continue reading to find your answers👇

4. Entering Act II: Soft Skills Become Critical to Your Success

This article by Nikhyl Singhal, titled “Three Crucial Skills that Leaders Must Develop to Become Executives,” explores the key transitions and skill sets necessary for leaders aiming to move into executive roles.

💡Here Are the Highlights：

Career Phases and Skills Development

The career trajectory is divided into three acts, each roughly spanning 15 years：

• Act I focuses on transitioning from an individual contributor to a leader by refining core skills, managing teams, and eventually managing managers.
• Act II, which follows approximately a dozen years after starting work, marks the transition from leader to executive.

Different skills are required in Act II compared to Act I. To ascend to an elite professional role, individuals need to recognize that the skills that led to success in Act I might not suffice for Act II. It’s crucial to adapt and develop new skills.

Break your career into three phases, roughly 15 years in duration. Most people start slowly but eventually hit their rhythm and drive impact, which could be defined in terms of skills, compensation, scope, or amount of learning. For simplicity, consider a “leader” as a director in a large company, and “executive” as a VP. Note that we are living longer these days, so even after 30 years in the workplace, you can start a second career, which is shown as Act III.

Challenges of Act II and the Importance of Soft Skills

Act II presents unique challenges where career growth becomes highly inconsistent. Many individuals stall or decline in their progression. Growth in Act II necessitates taking risks and embracing new challenges, which often means changing jobs. However, the fear of risk and loss can lead to stagnation. Soft skills become increasingly critical in Act II. While hard skills are essential early in one’s career, soft skills like self-awareness, influencing others, and managing emotions are paramount for success in later stages.

Though a successful career requires a blend of soft and hard skills, when you start out, hard skills are considerably more important. But as you head into Act II, your soft skills are more critical to your success. In fact, the professional world is littered with insanely talented leaders who never became executives because they simply didn’t learn how to improve themselves, influence others, or manage their emotions.

Team Building and Trust

As individuals progress towards executive roles, the ability to build and trust teams becomes essential. Effective leaders understand the importance of recruiting and managing talented individuals. Trusting one’s team, even without full context, is crucial for scaling oneself and taking on larger responsibilities. Developing skills in prioritization, efficient time management, and making decisions through delegation rather than micromanagement are essential for continued growth in leadership roles.

Though managing and trusting people is vital for all leaders, I think many people can be mediocre-to-average managers and still become leaders in a company. Management skills aren’t as important as measurable impact. For many leaders, they don’t need a great team around them—they just make the important decisions and ensure the leader works hard enough to avoid dropping any balls. So to scale yourself, you will need to recruit leaders who can work and thrive under you, likely from outside the company. And you’ll need to learn to trust them, even when you don’t have full context.

⚒ How to Apply:

1. Actively assess where you stand in your career journey and identify which phase (Act I or Act II) you are in.
2. Prioritize the development of soft skills such as self-awareness, influencing others, and managing emotions, as they become increasingly crucial for success.
3. Develop your ability to delegate tasks and trust your team members to handle responsibilities effectively, even in your absence.

Need advice that fits your situation? Baystar is always here to help.

The author has provided more details. Continue reading to find your answers👇

5. Build Rare and Valuable Skills to Secure Great Job

Cedric Chin’s article, ‘If You want a great career, Go After Rare & Valuable Skills,’ primarily discusses the importance of cultivating rare and valuable skills to build a sustainable and secure career. He introduces the concept of a “career moat,” which represents an individual’s ability to maintain a competitive advantage in the job market to protect long-term employment and financial stability. Chin also explores different strategies to acquire these skills, emphasizing the necessity of non-linear career paths that involve deliberate practice and strategic moves within one’s career.

💡Here Are the Highlights:

Focus on Skill Rarity and Value

The core idea here is to differentiate oneself in the job market by developing skills that are both rare and valuable. This involves identifying abilities and expertise areas that are in high demand but low supply. For instance, in the tech industry, this might mean specializing in emerging technologies such as quantum computing or blockchain, where experts are scarce but the impact and demand are potentially high.

The rareness × value of your skills is what keeps you employed, after all. It’s what allows you to find new employment when you move, it’s what determines the quality of the roles you apply for, and it’s what gives you security if you’re ever at risk of losing your current job.

Analyze the Market and Industry

Keeping a pulse on industry trends is vital. This involves not only following current developments but also predicting future directions. Professionals can use resources like industry reports, market analysis publications, and forecasts to understand where their industry is headed and which skills will be most valuable.

Alex’s strategy is built around prediction: it’s not yet clear that her field is valuable or lucrative, and she’s able to build her skill before it becomes obvious to the masses that it is. There’s some foresight needed for this strategy, and some risk, but if it pays off, Alex would be very comfortable indeed.

Pursue Unattractive but Valuable Skillset

Often, the unattractiveness of a skill stems from its perceived complexity, the steep learning curve, or the specialized knowledge required. These barriers deter many, leading to a shortage of experts. By mastering such skills, you position yourself as one of the few proficient professionals, commanding a premium for your unique capabilities.

In contrast, my current career moat was built off the back of a geographical bet: that startups in South East Asia would expand to multiple regional markets in pursuit of growth, and that the ability to run offices in these markets was a rare and valuable skill. Most people aren’t comfortable moving to a foreign country, aren’t able to adapt to uncomfortable new cultures, or aren’t willing to learn to deal with corrupt, foreign bureaucracies. But I was perfectly willing to do all three things, and I’ve gotten quite competent at it after three years at my last job. My moat exists for as long as I’m able (or willing!) to move.

⚒ How to Apply:

1. Self-Assessment and Goal Setting: Start by evaluating your current skill set and compare it against industry standards and future trends. Identify gaps and opportunities where you can develop skills that are both rare and valuable within your field. Set clear goals to acquire and master these skills through targeted training and professional development.
2. Stay Informed: Regularly read industry publications, attend conferences, and participate in professional groups to stay updated on emerging trends and technologies. Understanding the direction in which your industry is heading can help you anticipate the skills that will be most valued in the future.
3. Leverage Unattractiveness as a Competitive Advantage: Since fewer professionals are likely to pursue these unattractive skills, becoming proficient in them can make you indispensable to your organization. This indispensability can translate into higher job security and better opportunities for advancement.

Need advice that fits your situation? Baystar is always here to help.

The author has provided more details. Continue reading to find your answers👇

Key Lessons You Can Take Away

1. Winning Careers Are Always in Permanent Beta: Constantly Evolving
2. 10x Better Product: Get So Good They Can’t Ignore You
3. Focus on Developing and Harnessing Superpowers Instead of Promotions
4. Entering Act II: Soft Skills Become Critical to Your Success
5. Build Rare and Valuable Skills to Secure Great Job

Reference

• Tags:
• Career Advancement
• Promotion Strategies
• Career Success