You got passed over for a promotion. Now what?

by Leif Babin

It happens all the time. A peer gets selected over you. Someone from the outside comes in. You’re frustrated. You feel undervalued and disappointed by the lack of recognition of your efforts. Maybe even angry.

Now you have a choice.

Some people let emotions take over. They get bitter. They burn bridges. They quit—either physically or mentally. They stop giving their best effort. But it always comes back to haunt them. In doing so, they prove exactly why they weren’t the right person for the job. But it always comes back to haunt them.

So, you’ve got to take ownership. If you want to earn the next promotion, you have to prove—beyond a shadow of a doubt—that you deserve it.

Here’s how:

Perform.

If you’re not executing at the highest level in your current role, why would anyone put you in a bigger one? Execute and exceed expectations.

If you aren’t winning, stop complaining and start executing. Take Extreme Ownership of problems and implement solutions to accomplish your mission and win. That’s step one in understanding how to get promoted at work.

Put the team and mission first.

Stop thinking tactically about whether you got the immediate recognition of the effort you think you deserve. Start thinking strategically about how you can better support the team and improve your contribution to the overall mission.

It’s not about you—it’s about the team and the mission. When you help the team win, when you make those around you better, people notice. You won’t have to advocate for yourself. Others will do it for you – and that is infinitely more powerful.

Make your boss look good.

The best leaders take things off their boss’s plate. Jamie Lynn Cochran is the perfect example of this, and it’s how she became our Chief Operating Officer here at Echelon Front. She solved problems, sought out more responsibility, and made herself indispensable. The more you can handle without having someone looking over your shoulder, the more likely it is that people will see you as the person they’d like to promote.

This isn’t brown-nosing. It’s effective leadership. Build good relationships with your boss and lead up the chain of command. In order to be a good leader, you must also be a follower, and that’s a surefire way to stand out as a candidate for promotion. 

Be Patient.

Think strategically because moving up the chain often takes time. If you keep performing, supporting the team, and taking ownership, opportunities will come—often better than the ones you thought you lost.

I saw these dynamics play out with my friend and the commander of Delta Platoon, SEAL Team Three, Seth Stone. When he came back from Ramadi, he became the new Commander of Task Unit Bruiser, only to be sidelined in an admin role. He was frustrated, but he stayed in the game. When the time came, he was given command of a critical SEAL sniper task unit—a bigger and more impactful role than he could have imagined.

Once you become aware of the best ways to get promoted at work, promotions become an afterthought. It’s just the result of the right actions. 

If you perform, put the team and mission first, make the boss look good, are patient, and don’t burn bridges, you radially increase your chances and opportunity for how to get a promotion. This helps not only you but also ensures that the whole team accomplishes the mission. 

At Echelon Front, we’ve distilled these lessons and teach leaders how to move up to the next level through role-playing exercises on our Extreme Ownership Academy. If you want to earn the next promotion, you can train the skills to prove you deserve it.

Stay patient, keep performing-well, think long term, and you’ll create opportunities for yourself by caring for the team and mission.