Creating a Transparent Promotion Process

Promoting the Wrong People at Work: Why it Hurts and How to Fix it I'll never forget the time my manager promoted his friend (Let's call him Steve) to a senior position, even though Steve had only been with the company for 6 months and had little relevant experience. At first, I tried to give Steve the benefit of the doubt. But it soon became clear he was in over his head. Steve struggled with basic tasks and made sloppy mistakes that cost us time and money. Morale plummeted as our team cleaned up after him again and again. I brought my concerns to my manager, but he brushed me off saying Steve just needed more time to adjust. After a year of this, three of our top performers had quit due to frustration with Steve. It was a painful lesson on the high cost of promoting the wrong people for the wrong reasons. Unfortunately, many organizations make Steve's mistake: promoting underqualified candidates to management roles. This happens for various reasons - favoritism, rushed hiring, lack of succession planning, or plain old bias. But whatever the cause, it almost always backfires. Unqualified managers demoralize teams, drag down performance, and drive away talent. Employees lose faith in leadership judgment and become disengaged. Customers and clients suffer from subpar work. In fact, research shows that putting the wrong leaders in place is one of the top reasons companies fail to meet their goals. Promoting unprepared people also stunts their career growth. Like Steve, they end up stressed and overwhelmed, forced to learn management skills on the job. And without proper coaching, they develop bad habits that get harder to fix over time. This cycle hurts everyone involved. The costs of promoting the wrong people into management roles are clear. But what's the solution? Here are three steps organizations can take to do it right: 1. Institute fair, unbiased promotion practices based on merit, not favoritism. Make sure qualified candidates from all backgrounds have an equal shot. 2. Invest in management training and leadership development programs. Identify high potentials early and give them the skills to succeed. 3. Have open conversations about advancement. Tell employees what it takes to get promoted and give honest feedback on development areas. Following these steps will lead to qualified managers, engaged teams, and an environment where the best talents rise to the top. Leading a team is tough; don't set anyone up to fail. Promote the right leaders at the right time, and everyone wins. #leadership #culture #workenvironment

Just by being Black, the level of latitude you're given for behaviour – especially behaviour deemed "bad" – is often completely different. The consequences are harsher and the scrutiny is sharper. Take disciplinary matters, for example. Black employees are often judged more harshly for the same behaviours as their white counterparts. A Black professional might be labelled “difficult”, “angry”, “intimidating”, or “unprofessional” for expressing frustration in a meeting, while a white colleague might be excused as “passionate” or “assertive”. You know the type of comments – “Elizabeth is just expressing how she feels,” or “Johnny was just a bit hot under the collar.” The disparity isn’t just anecdotal – it’s backed up by research into workplace racial bias. Then there’s career progression. Black employees are frequently held to higher standards to earn the same recognition. Feedback like, “You need to prove yourself more” or “be more of a team player” is often levelled at those who have already delivered exceptional results. Meanwhile, others are promoted based on potential or likeability rather than consistent performance. Not sure if this is (or has) happened in your workplace? 1) Look at patterns in employee relations cases – Are Black employees disproportionately disciplined or receiving harsher feedback compared to their peers in similar roles? 2) Examine promotion criteria – Are Black employees expected to overperform just to be considered for opportunities, while others get ahead based on vague ideas of potential or even subpar performance? How do performance and potential ratings for Black employees compare with others? 3) Observe how behaviours are labelled – Is there a difference in the language used to describe similar actions? Are words like “angry” or “unapproachable” disproportionately applied to Black colleagues? For Black women, how are their traits described compared to non-Black women? For Black men, what “advice” is given under the guise of mentorship to ensure they aren’t perceived as “intimidating” or “scary” – particularly when they express frustration or anger? To address this, the first step is noticing the patterns (or not dismissing or acting defensively when it’s pointed out), the second is to question and avoid making assumptions that it is an “unfounded accusation” and the third? Well, that’s up to you. You can either take action or ignore it. I say that only because too many organisations are still struggling to get past the first step 🤷🏾♀️ 📹 Sterling K. Brown

✨ New resource: a PM Performance Evaluation template Throughout my 15+ years as a PM, I’ve consistently felt that ladder-based PM performance evaluations seem broken, but I couldn’t quite find the words to describe why. Early on in my PM career, I was actually part of the problem — I happily created or co-created elaborate PM ladders in spreadsheets, calling out all sorts of nuances between what “Product Quality focus” looks like at the PM3 level vs. at the Sr. PM level. (looking back, it was a non-trivial amount of nonsense — and having seen several dozens of ladder spreadsheets at this point, I can confidently say this is the case for >90% of such ladder spreadsheets) So that led me to develop the Insight-Execution-Impact framework for PM Performance Evaluations, which you can see in the picture below. I then used this framework informally to guide performance conversations and performance feedback for PMs on my team at Stripe — and I have also shared this with a dozen founders who’ve adapted it for their own performance evaluations as they have established more formal performance systems at their startups. And now, you can access this framework as an easy to update & copy Coda doc (link in the comments). How to use this template as a manager? In a small company that hasn’t yet created the standard mess of elaborate spreadsheet-based career ladders, you might consider adopting this template as your standard way of evaluating and communication PM performance (and you can marry it with other sane frameworks such as PSHE by Shishir Mehrotra to decide when to promote a given PM to the next level e.g. GPM vs. Director vs. VP). In a larger company that already has a lot of legacy, habits, and tools around career ladders & perf, you might not be able to wholesale replace your existing system & tools like Workday. That is fine. If this framework resonates with you, I’d still recommend that you use it to actually have meaningful conversations with your team members around planning what to expect over the next 3 / 6 / 9 months and also to provide more meaningful context on their performance & rating. When I was at Stripe, we used Workday as our performance review tool, but I first wrote my feedback in the form of Insight - Execution - Impact (privately) and then pasted the relevant parts of my write-up into Workday. So that’s it from me. Again, the link to the template is in the comments. And if you want more of your colleagues to see the light, there’s even a video in that doc, in which I explain the problem and the core framework in more detail. I hope this is useful.

As a junior lawyer, I had to piece together information on how to get promoted. In case it helps somebody going through the process for the first time, here’s what I’ve learned going through 4 rounds of promotion cycles (most successful, some not): 1️⃣ Most people start the promotion process too late. The best time is 6-12 months before the application date. This gives you enough time to gather evidence of your achievements, work on any shortcomings in your promotion application and align with your manager / stakeholders before budgets and resourcing are locked in. 2️⃣ Promotion policies can contain 10+ criteria to meet, but trying to address them all in an application with a word limit will dilute your message. Instead, choose 3-5 criteria that you can craft a strong narrative around. 3️⃣ It's hard to remember and quantify your accomplishments if you aren't tracking them throughout the year. Setting up an ongoing tracker early is helpful (I use Microsoft Planner), especially around those 3-5 criteria you've chosen. 4️⃣ It’s okay to try for a promotion before you feel completely ready. Even if your first attempt is unsuccessful, you'll learn things from the experience that will make it harder for them to say no the second time (like I did). Better to apply a year early than a year late. 5️⃣ Understand that there are things outside of your control in determining whether your promotion will be successful or not (e.g. budget and resourcing constraints, stakeholders who aren’t fond of you for non-work reasons, economic conditions etc). The goal is to focus on the things that are within your control and maximise your chances as much as possible. Here’s what the timeline / process can look like using these principles: 🔹 1 year out- Learn about your organisation’s promotion process (deadlines, forms to submit, promotion criteria, stakeholders in the approval process) 🔹 6-12 months out - Have a discussion with your manager to let them know that you intend to apply for the promotion, identify any areas you may need to improve on, and agree on goals to achieve that would maximise your chance of success in the application. 🔹 6 - 12 months out - Choose a few promotion criteria to focus on and set up a system to track and quantify your contributions towards those criteria in your current work. 🔹 1 month out - Write up a draft promotion application (ask your colleagues if they can share theirs) 🔹 2-4 weeks out - Remind your manager and ask if they could review and provide feedback on your draft application. 🔹 Submission before the deadline. 🔹 If unsuccessful, follow up for feedback and agree on a plan for improving your application for next time. Anything else you’d add? ----- Next week, I’ll be sending out a step-by-step guide on how to apply for a promotion with practical examples to the 7,782 people on my mailing list. If you're interested, I hope you'll subscribe via my website or the link in my profile and give it a read.

🙋♀️Imagine a company proudly announcing that 40% of its new hires are women. On the surface, it seems like a triumph for diversity. But as you dig deeper, you see those women concentrated in HR and marketing, while engineering and leadership roles remain largely male. This is what I call the Inclusion Illusion, where diversity metrics look good on paper, but the deeper work of equity is missing. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 Diversity brings people into the room, but equity is what ensures they can thrive once they’re there. True inclusion isn’t about representation alone; it’s about ensuring everyone can contribute, be heard and grow. Without equity, diversity efforts can feel hollow and superficial. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘆 Recently, SHRM decided to drop "equity" from its diversity framework. While this might seem like an easier approach, it risks sidestepping the critical work equity requires. SHRM's decision, to me, reflects the discomfort many organisations face when it comes to grappling with equity. 𝗘𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 In my experience, I’ve seen how diversity initiatives can fall flat without a commitment to equity. Numbers alone don’t create change, systems do. True equity requires addressing the structural barriers that keep people from advancing and it goes beyond simply counting who’s in the room. Here’s how I believe leaders can move beyond diversity numbers and create meaningful change: • 𝙴̲𝚡̲𝚊̲𝚖̲𝚒̲𝚗̲𝚎̲ ̲𝚜̲𝚢̲𝚜̲𝚝̲𝚎̲𝚖̲𝚜̲ ̲𝚏̲𝚘̲𝚛̲ ̲𝚋̲𝚒̲𝚊̲𝚜̲:̲ I’ve seen how subtle biases can influence decisions around hiring, promotions, and leadership opportunities. Leaders need to actively review their processes to uncover and address these hidden biases. • 𝙰̲𝚖̲𝚙̲𝚕̲𝚒̲𝚏̲𝚢̲ ̲𝚖̲𝚊̲𝚛̲𝚐̲𝚒̲𝚗̲𝚊̲𝚕̲𝚒̲𝚜̲𝚎̲𝚍̲ ̲𝚟̲𝚘̲𝚒̲𝚌̲𝚎̲𝚜̲: It’s not enough to have diverse people at the table, they need to be heard. When we ensure that everyone’s ideas are valued, innovation and creativity thrive. • ̲𝚁̲𝚎̲𝚍̲𝚒̲𝚜̲𝚝̲𝚛̲𝚒̲𝚋̲𝚞̲𝚝̲𝚎̲ ̲𝚙̲𝚘̲𝚠̲𝚎̲𝚛̲:̲ Equity means sharing leadership. Underrepresented groups need access to the same mentorship and advancement opportunities as everyone else. •̲ ̲𝙲̲𝚛̲𝚎̲𝚊̲𝚝̲𝚎̲ ̲𝚊̲𝚌̲𝚌̲𝚘̲𝚞̲𝚗̲𝚝̲𝚊̲𝚋̲𝚒̲𝚕̲𝚒̲𝚝̲𝚢̲:̲ It’s critical that teams are held accountable for practicing inclusive behaviors. This means setting clear expectations and following up with real consequences for failing to meet them. • 𝙵̲𝚘̲𝚜̲𝚝̲𝚎̲𝚛̲ ̲𝚙̲𝚜̲𝚢̲𝚌̲𝚑̲𝚘̲𝚕̲𝚘̲𝚐̲𝚒̲𝚌̲𝚊̲𝚕̲ ̲𝚜̲𝚊̲𝚏̲𝚎̲𝚝̲𝚢̲: People can’t thrive if they don’t feel safe being their true selves. I’ve seen how creating an environment where people feel they can speak up without fear of judgment leads to stronger teams and more authentic collaboration. The goal isn't perfection. It's progress. It's creating workplaces where everyone, regardless of their background or identity has a real shot at success and fulfillment. What do you think? #leadership #DEI #highperformance #culture

Your competence at work is judged in seconds. Even when you over-deliver, you can be underestimated. Every day, false assumptions about you are made: — Polite = Weak — Older = Not agile — A foreign accent = Less capable — Introverted =  Not a strong leader — Woman =  Softer voice, less authority It's not just unfair. It's exhausting. So the question is: How do you beat biases without changing who you are? Here’s what I recommend: 𝟭. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 → Speak about impact, not effort. → Articulate your value proposition. →“Here’s the problems I solve. Here's how. Here’s the result."  If no one knows what you bring to the table, they won’t invite you to it. 𝟮. 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 Silent excellence is wasted potential. → Speak up when it feels risky. → Build real not just strategic relationships. → Share insights where people are paying attention. You don’t need to be loud. You need to be seen. 𝟯. 𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 The traits that trigger assumptions? Those are your edge. → Introverted? That’s deep listening. → Accent? That’s global perspective. Don’t flatten yourself to fit. Distinguish yourself to lead. 𝟰. 𝗢𝘄𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 → Say “I recommend” not "I think.” → Hold eye contact. Take up space. → Act like your presence belongs (even when others haven’t caught up.) Confidence isn’t volume. It’s grounding. Bias is everywhere. But perception can be changed. Don't let other people's false assumptions define you. Do you agree? ➕ Follow Deena Priest for strategic career insights. 📌Join my newsletter to build a career grounded in progress, peace and pay.

Companies worldwide have already begun their performance of allyship - in support of Women's History Month and IWD by supporting the women they employ, few of whom hold senior leadership roles. For leaders and companies serious about creating opportunities for women, here's what actually works: 1️⃣ Stop treating gender equity like a special initiative you champion in March with a panel discussion. That's not structural change. That's performance. 2️⃣ Implement structural transparency in compensation, promotion criteria, sponsorship pathways, and decision rights. If the path to advancement is unclear, it's by design. So interrupt it: Publish salary bands. Make promotion criteria explicit. Remove the mystery that keeps power concentrated. Opportunities are not created by inspiration. They are created by incentive structures and accountability. 3️⃣ Dismantle informal gatekeeping. When advancement depends on informal networks, "culture fit," or proximity to power, women lose. Especially women of the Global Majority, mothers, and those who don't perform leadership in historically masculine ways. 4️⃣ Sponsor women. Women are over-mentored and under-sponsored. They don't need more coaching on navigating broken systems or building confidence. They need power. Share power. 5️⃣ Redistribute care work. Women carry the invisible labor that keeps companies running - organising events, emotional support, administrative tasks no one gets promoted for. If it's not in the job description and it's not compensated, stop expecting women to do it. 6️⃣ Hold men accountable for equity work. Gender equity isn't a women's issue - it's a power issue. If only women are responsible for fixing it, nothing changes. Men need to do the work, not delegate it. 7️⃣ Importantly, women are not a monolith. Women are not only white, slim, heterosexual, or non-disabled. They are also Black, Indigenous, Latina, African, Asian, fat, short, queer, disabled. They have straight, curly, and afro hair. They don't sound alike and they have opinions that differentiate them from a doormat. 📍For women seeking workplace progression, some advice using my Three Clarities framework: 1️⃣ Identity: Know who you are. Stop asking for permission. Start building leverage. 2️⃣ Context: Understand the system you're in, know what it rewards, then adapt strategically or leave. 3️⃣ Power: Know what you can influence. Build power. Secure sponsors. If no one is speaking your name in rooms, your effort is invisible. Control your narrative. If you don't define your story, others will. To manage your expectations: you can do everything right and still not advance, because the system wasn't designed to reward you. That's not on you! That's the system behaving as designed. Believe it and know when to exit. Don't stay loyal to systems that don't invest in you. Sometimes progression means climbing the ladder, and sometimes, the courage to leave. - #RightsJusticeAction #LinkedInNewsEurope #IWD26

Today is International Equal Pay Day. The shorthand we often hear is that from this point in the year, women are effectively working for free compared to men. To be clear, this is based on a global average of women earning around 20% less than men worldwide. Equal Pay Day marks the point in the calendar when, if women received the same amount daily as men, their earnings would stop (even though they continued to work) while men would continue earning until 31 December. It’s a symbolic date, set by the UN, designed to highlight the starkness of the issue of the gender pay gap (not a reflection of the exact gap in every country). Big picture, women’s average earnings are lower because of things like:- unequal pay in some roles, fewer women in senior and higher-paid positions, career breaks linked to care-giving, and the undervaluing of sectors dominated by women. In many parts of the global south, the gap is compounded by high levels of informal work, lower access to education, unpaid care burdens and in some cases even legal barriers to women working or owning assets. Looking through the lens of the workplace, why should businesses care about this on top of all the other competing commercial priorities? Because pay isn’t just a number on a payslip, it’s a cultural signal of who and what we value. If women see inequity, trust and loyalty erode. When fairness is visible, engagement, retention and performance grow. Equal pay is not just about justice, it’s a business advantage. What can companies do? ➡️ Audit progression data, not just base salaries to check if there is any gender inequity in how quickly people are being promoted ➡️ Make criteria for promotion transparent and consistent ➡️ Review how bonuses and performance rewards are allocated to ensure these are being done fairly ➡️ Track who gets the stretch projects and visible opportunities and ensure that women aren't being stuck with more "unpromotable" tasks ➡️ Nurture a culture where fairness is visible day-to-day, not just in reports ⚠️ Get ahead of the curve to prevent future gender pay gaps and ensure parity on new joiners and their pay - because some studies are showing that young men are getting few roles and lower pay in certain sectors Instead of only fixating on pay gap data perhaps a helpful question for leaders is: 👉 How many of our people feel their work is valued and rewarded fairly today? ❓ What are your thoughts, what do you think will move the needle? Comment below!

Something feels off, but the paperwork already landed on your desk. You open the file. It is a promotion. It was never posted. And the employee already said yes. Here is the situation. A manager submits promotion paperwork for one employee. The role was never posted internally. Other team members are qualified and would expect a fair shot. The manager already told the employee. The employee accepted verbally. Now HR is expected to process it. This is where HR earns their paycheck. Not because the answer is obvious. But because every option has a cost. Here are the three paths most HR teams face in this moment. 𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔: 𝗣𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. You stop the process. You explain the fairness concern. You risk frustrating the manager. You risk disappointing the employee. But you protect the integrity of the process. 𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗕: 𝗘𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽. You document what happened. You bring the decision forward. You ask leadership to review and approve or redirect. You slow things down. But you create transparency and shared accountability. 𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗖: 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. You approve it as submitted. You tell yourself management owns the decision. You move on. But the rest of the team is watching. And trust does not bounce back easily. None of these choices are clean. This is why backdoor promotions are so tricky. They create winners and quiet resentment. They test how serious the company is about fairness. They put HR in the middle of relationships, not just policies. If you are early in your HR career, this is a defining moment. Not because of what you choose. But because of how you explain it. Documenting your reasoning matters. So does consistency. So does the courage to slow things down when needed. The best HR pros do not just process decisions. They protect the system everyone else depends on. So what would you do if this landed on your desk tomorrow? 🟧 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘂𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝗛𝗥 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿? Join the waitlist for my upcoming course designed for HR pros who want to build the skills, improve visibility, and get promoted in 2026. Clear steps. No fluff. 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀. #HRCareers #EmployeeRelations #HRLeadership

When the wrong people get promoted, the best people do not complain loudly. They start leaving quietly. Promotion decisions send a powerful signal inside any organization. They tell employees what truly matters. Is it performance, integrity, and collaboration, or is it visibility, politics, and proximity to power? In my HR experience, I have seen talented professionals slowly disengage after watching repeated promotions that did not reflect contribution. Not because they were jealous of someone’s growth, but because they lost confidence in the system itself. I remember a situation where a highly capable employee stopped participating actively in meetings after a promotion decision that surprised the entire team. His performance did not drop immediately, but his energy did. Within months, he moved to another organization where his work was recognized differently. Moments like these reveal something important. People rarely leave organizations only for better pay. They leave when fairness begins to feel uncertain. Promotions are not just rewards. They are messages about what behavior the organization truly values. When leadership consistently rewards merit, teams compete in healthy ways and trust grows stronger. But when promotions appear disconnected from contribution, silence replaces engagement. From what I have observed over the years, the cost of one unfair promotion can be the quiet exit of several strong performers. Leaders must therefore ask themselves an honest question. Are promotion decisions strengthening trust in the system, or slowly weakening it? Because once trust disappears, talent follows. From your experience, what matters most in promotions, results, leadership behavior, or visibility? #FutureOfWork #Leadership #CareerGrowth #WorkplaceCulture #HRInsights #TalentRetention #CorporateCulture #Meritocracy #ProfessionalGrowth