You get promoted after you’ve already been doing the job for a while. Start doing the job.

LEADERSHIP

WHAT THIS MEANS

Titles follow behaviour rather than causing it. The decision to move someone up is mostly a recognition of what they are already doing, which means waiting for the title before acting like you have it puts you in a permanent holding position. The order runs the opposite way from how it feels.

Work out what the next role actually involves, not what it is called. Then start doing one part of it now, visibly, without asking permission for the parts that do not require it. Take the boring responsibility nobody wants, because that is usually what makes the decision obvious later.

A QUESTION TO SIT WITH

Which parts of the next role could you start today?

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