“I want a promotion.”

It’s something I’ve heard a lot as a manager. Sometimes it comes from a place of ambition, sometimes frustration, often a bit of both.

What I’ve learned is that the best next step isn’t to talk about titles or levelling frameworks straight away. It’s to start a conversation about what progression actually means to this person, right now. And to really listen.

Before we even get into goals, I like to use an exercise inspired by Katie Dill’s wonderful “recognition languages” piece, which I’ll link to in the comments. This helps translate “I want a promotion” into something far more tangible.

I’ll ask the person (usually in advance of our next 1:1) to prioritise which of these elements would feel most impactful, if I could wave a magic wand, and change for them today:

- Higher salary
- More stock options
- Greater responsibility
- Increased autonomy
- More recognition/encouragement
- Greater impact on the business or customers
- Higher status
- A new job title

The order matters less than the conversation it sparks. Instead of defaulting to “they want to be a Staff Designer, so they need to demonstrate x, y and z,” we get clarity on what they care about and why.

I might learn they’re moving house and a salary bump would help their mortgage application, or that they’re craving more ownership because they feel like their learning has plateaued.

Whatever the underlying reasons, this often leads to a deeper conversation, and more actionable outcomes. Here’s why:

1️⃣ It helps people feel heard and understood. This builds longer-term trust and connection.
2️⃣ It creates a clear map of what’s meaningful. Titles are tough to change, but there may be other more accessible levers.
3️⃣ It nudges self-reflection. Regardless of what future managers, teams or companies value, this gives individuals a sharper compass to navigate their own career growth.

A common assumption is that a promotion bundles everything together, but breaking it apart gives us practical levers to pull in the meantime.

It also helps avoid the awkward situation, I’ve seen multiple times, where someone is promoted to a new level but receives NO compensation changes, usually leading to even deeper frustration than existed before 😅