Promotions are based on Impact, not just people skills
If you're looking to get more resources and manage a team, tell a story about how you'll create more impact.
Client: I want to become a people manager. I’ve gotten great performance reviews. My partner teams tell me I’m a great collaborator. I’ve mentored interns each summer. However, I’m not considered for manager roles. What am I doing wrong?
A few years into my PM role at Thumbtack, the company was growing, and I wanted to manage a team of PMs. I brought up the topic regularly with my manager, who agreed I was ready. I supported the work of other functional leaders and built trusted relationships. I volunteered to help recruit and onboard new hires for PM, engineering, and design. I managed summer interns. Everyone loved working with me and thought I’d be a great manager. Yet I wasn’t getting any closer to managing a team.
It turns out I was investing in the wrong work and narrative. Businesses (and therefore leaders) will invest in you because they believe you can deliver more impact with more resources, not because you are a great people person.
While it matters that you are not difficult to work with, the bar is not difficult to clear. The truth is that bar is much closer to “You won’t be so horrible that people will leave” than “You will be an amazing manager.” In fact, the more impactful the potential work you’re leading, the lower the bar on people management skills. This is why we often see those who drive impact at all costs get promoted, while those who try to clean up the damage get a smile and a pat on the back.
It turns out that the calculus is based on impact and timing.
Is there scope in this area for more people to do work without stepping on each other’s toes?
Does the work lead to more impact than if I put those people somewhere else?
Will I accelerate the time to impact with more resources here, and would that benefit the business?
When it is clear that you can unlock more business impact with more people, that is when the management conversation gets traction. It can be surprising how much leaders are willing to “change the rules” to ensure that the most impactful projects get resources. When you’re working on a project that promises impact, it does not matter that you’ve just joined the company 3 months ago, the people you need are currently on other teams, or you don’t have any previous experience in this domain. Leaders invest in the people who make the business case for more resources.
Build The Business Case
If you want to move into a manager position, focus on expanding scope and building a business case for more resources in your area of responsibility.
Come up with new opportunities in your area that will bring in new users, increase revenue, or save operating costs.
Expand the scope of possibility to your manager’s purview, then your skip manager. Generate more ideas.
Float these ideas by people you trust at the company. It doesn’t matter what role they are in. In fact, get feedback from a variety of people across functions, seniority, and tenure.
Narrow down to 1-2 ideas that are getting the most interest from others. Bring a group of people together to prep a business case (you’ll likely need to rope in a researcher, product manager, or data analyst). Use AI to help fill the gaps.
Pitch the idea(s) as a part of more formal planning cycles or reviews. Get time with more senior leaders 1:1 to get their buy-in.
Most resourcing decisions are made during planning cycles. Therefore, getting started 1-2 months before an official planning cycle will give you the runway to get your idea resourced more easily! If you fail one cycle, learn from it and try again the next. The action of building and pitching new ideas will allow you to build a reputation as a person who has ideas to grow the business, making it more likely that you’ll get considered for a manager role.
Yue’s Coaching Corner
My birthday is coming up at the end of the month. As a gift to all my readers, I am offering my book, The Uncommon Executive: Breakthrough to the C-suite as a Minority at $2.99 (Kindle) and $9.99 (paperback) for the next two weeks. It contains hard-learned lessons and mindsets on executive leadership and is the book I wish I had while struggling against the double ceiling as a woman and minority.
We kicked off the Sept cohort of The Uncommon Executive Leadership Accelerator this week. A curated group of product, engineering, and sales leaders joined to accelerate their career trajectory by building critical leadership skills like executive presence, advocating for their ideas, and strengthening relationships. Learn more and enroll for the Jan 2026 cohort here!
Expand Your Possibilities
While you’re pitching new ideas to get more resources, also invest in building strategic relationships with leaders in growing areas of the business. Create time on your calendar to do intro conversations, grab monthly coffee, and catch up with leaders you don’t see often after a group meeting. By keeping you top of mind for a large group of leaders, you increase the chance that you are considered for new opportunities.
I also encourage leaders to attend networking events or find speaking opportunities whenever possible. Building your external brand and awareness increases your value perception internally and gets you on the radar of other industry leaders and recruiters. Even if you’re working at a company experiencing hockey-stick growth, it is still valuable to expand your surface area for luck outside your current company. It’s important to build the door for alternatives, particularly at more senior levels. The truth is that Director and VP-level jobs are few and far in between, especially in the current business environment.
That’s all folks! See you next week at 3:14 pm.
Yue
Do you think there's a tipping point when you're telling your story (example - updating your bullet points) where your actual achievements over a long career come across as unrealistic?
I've had a significant impact across several organizations, and I try to outline it in writing. However, when I read through it, I wonder if it's believable to a younger hiring manager who hasn't had the same experience.
So true. Getting promoted is not about filling the "Checklist" or doing great at your task, which are defined in the job description. It's all about finding the next growth lever for the business.
If you find a business opportunity that gives your team a positive ROI and you have proved yourself that you can execute, everything is possible.