Managing Up
Employee
Executive
Asking for a promotion after being passed over
Someone else got the role you wanted and you need to have the next conversation.
Strategy
Skip the grievance entirely. Ask for the specific gap and the specific timeline. You are gathering commitments, not sympathy.
I want to talk about the director decision, and I am not here to relitigate it. What I want is the gap. What specifically did the person who got it demonstrate that I have not yet? And second: if I close that gap, what is the next realistic window, and will you sponsor me for it?
If they push back
If they give a vague answer like executive presence: "Help me make that concrete. What would I be doing differently in the Q1 review for you to say that box is checked?"
What not to say
- This is not fair
- I have been here longer
- I deserve this
- Should I be looking elsewhere
Follow-up
Thanks for the straight answer. My understanding: I own a cross-functional initiative end to end this half, and you sponsor me in the spring cycle. I will send a plan by Friday.