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Here's some of my learnings about getting promoted for those that really want to play that game: - Only the perception of your work matters - Attend the socia

Here's some of my learnings about getting promoted for those that really want to play that game: - Only the perception of your work matters - Attend the social events and get in good with the bosses - The countability of your major achievements is important. Make the list long, too long to hold in the mind - At the same time the gravitas of your best achievement is also important since that will be the soundbite that is shared about you behind your back - Get allies who can proselytize about you behind your back - Be the best. The difference between one and two is bigger than that between two and three, as far as promotions go - Take credit for your work (use pronouns I and Me when talking about your work, not We) and do not allow others to take credit for your work - If it's a teamwork situation with other people on your level, don't do most of the work, because the credit will end up being split 50/50 in the eyes of the bosses even if you did most of it - Make a very good first impression - Shape the narrative around the role you played in the success of the mission/team/company - Get the bosses to make a soft public commitment regarding your competence - Even if you have a really good boss, all of the above is still important, because they are fallible humans and aren't omniscient - Actually do good work, it'll make the above easier

goatherders 6y ago
100%. The world is based on PERCEIVED merit and performance. Anyone sitting around bemoaning that no one notices or appreciates them deserves to be left behind.
- alexryan 6y ago
  Genuinely curious. Have you given any thought to the long term consequences of the zero sum game in a society where rapid technological innovation is making it increasingly easy for a single individual to say, release an already developed bioweapon, to end the species?
- amznthrowaway5 6y ago
  Why would someone "deserve" to be left behind for not boasting about their performance? If people are doing good work, they should be rewarded appropriately.
  - goatherders 6y ago
    I agree. But that isnt how the world works. It is impossible to be recognized these days without raising your hand, even a little
    - stefanmichael 6y ago
      Sounds like a problem to be solved, not a problem to accept!
      - goatherders 6y ago
        Maybe. How?
    - vehementi 6y ago
      If you agree then why are you defending that they deserve this outcome?
boltzmann_brain 6y ago
Sadly, I'm not so sure about the last point. I've seen and still see people doing all of the above without doing good work and are considered successful and routinely promoted.
sudofail 6y ago
- Take credit for your work (use pronouns I and Me when talking about your work, not We) and do not allow others to take credit for your work - If it's a teamwork situation with other people on your level, don't do most of the work, because the credit will end up being split 50/50 in the eyes of the bosses even if you did most of it Maybe this is true and maybe it's not, but I can't stand these kind of office politics. I enjoy working with the team and collaborating, and want to see my fellows succeed. With perhaps the exception of level 1-3 IC roles, work is almost always a team activity. Showing proper recognition to those who contributed is the right thing to do. I think there is a second path of staying humble and empowering others. It's the path I've followed and have never had a problem with getting promotions.
- hnracer 6y ago
  I wasn't suggesting to not give credit to others when it's deserved, and I certainly believe in teamwork. What I'm suggesting is to not shy away from taking deserved credit for yourself which many people struggle with. It will prevent you being run over by politicians and becoming resentful towards your workplace. It will also reduce information asymmetries between you and your boss and help you to get that deserved promotion. The cult of "we did X" in workplaces is a tool used by the least productive to play politics and reap credit where it isn't deserved. There is no such thing as "we" anyways. You did Z, and I did Y, and Z+Y=X, and perhaps Z is less than Y, or perhaps Z is more than Y, and without proper attribution (which can only come when you're brave enough to take deserved credit), accurate promotions aren't possible. My suggestion to not do most of the work in a team situation is also a strategy to reduce resentment. There's nothing worse than doing all the work and getting half the credit, only to split a bonus pool 50/50 with someone half as productive as you. It's better to do half the work and have spare time for stuff that you will get credit for
jader201 6y ago
The readings of this post is exactly the reason I loathe the whole drive to get promoted, instead of working to do what makes sense to improve your team, your teammates, and your company. As a manager, my goal is to discern the difference between these two, and will do what I can to support those that focus more on improving the team vs. chasing a promotion by focusing more on showing how they’re better than everyone else. Even if this is more effective strictly regarding getting promoted, I would much rather be — and work with — the type of people that care more about elevating the team.
- Consultant32452 6y ago
  I used to be a "shooting star" developer. I was always the most productive member of my team. I was the go-to person for any complex problem. At some point in my career I decided to change from being a shooting star to being a "rising tide." Instead of being the best individual contributor I focused on making everyone else the best they could be. That's when my income really skyrocketed. My life experience is that there is sort of a karma. I helped a lot of people become better at their jobs and expected nothing in return. Some of those people went off to be extremely successful, and they wanted me to come along with them in making tons of money. Expecting nothing in return is the key. People know if you're keeping score.
  - itsmefaz 6y ago
    you became a manager?
    - Consultant32452 6y ago
      I became a partner in a very small consulting firm. But yes, manager positions were widely available.
  - jameshush 6y ago
    I cannot agree with this enough. I'm 29 years old now, so not particularly old but not 21 anymore. When I was 16 working as a concert promoter all the hard working musicians from my middle of nowhere home town in Canada became successful, either in the music industry or in another industry. I'm still friends with people I let sleep on my floor during those times. On the tech side I've stayed late to help push projects through. People don't forget. I have friends from 7+ years ago, some who's weddings I've stood at. We _still_ talk about the time we made a miracle happen and got the project out the door the night before. We _still_ talk about the time production went down in front of 1,000,000 users and we rage coded a solution together. Compound interest works with relationships just like it works with money. Real trust builds over years. I've been the tag along for a few projects now that I never would have found without being friendly and helpful in the past.
andi999 6y ago
What about the classic: - dont dress for the position you have, dress for the one you want
- andi999 6y ago
  Although as an afterthought I wouldnt know what this would be for a faang company? Black turtleneck? Hoodie? :-)
amznthrowaway5 6y ago
In my experience taking credit for others' work is far more important than doing good work or taking credit for your own work.
vanusa 6y ago
Wow - this advice is definitely spot-on, in terms of helping us reach the desired goal it describes. And yet, in terms of the nuts and bolts of what it suggests we actually do - (not always but in many places) totally indicative of all the preening, butt-kissing, apple-polishing & back-stabbing behaviors that we all know and love -- as ways to get an inch or two ahead in the Great Rat Race: * Get allies who can proselytize about you behind your back * Use pronouns I and Me when talking about your work (not We) and do not allow others to take credit for your work * Don't do most of the work, because the credit will end up being split 50/50 in the eyes of the bosses even if you did most of it * Attend the social events and get in good with the bosses

goatherders 6y ago

100%. The world is based on PERCEIVED merit and performance. Anyone sitting around bemoaning that no one notices or appreciates them deserves to be left behind.

alexryan 6y ago
Genuinely curious. Have you given any thought to the long term consequences of the zero sum game in a society where rapid technological innovation is making it increasingly easy for a single individual to say, release an already developed bioweapon, to end the species?
amznthrowaway5 6y ago
Why would someone "deserve" to be left behind for not boasting about their performance? If people are doing good work, they should be rewarded appropriately.
- goatherders 6y ago
  I agree. But that isnt how the world works. It is impossible to be recognized these days without raising your hand, even a little
  - stefanmichael 6y ago
    Sounds like a problem to be solved, not a problem to accept!
    - goatherders 6y ago
      Maybe. How?
  - vehementi 6y ago
    If you agree then why are you defending that they deserve this outcome?

boltzmann_brain 6y ago

Sadly, I'm not so sure about the last point. I've seen and still see people doing all of the above without doing good work and are considered successful and routinely promoted.

sudofail 6y ago

- Take credit for your work (use pronouns I and Me when talking about your work, not We) and do not allow others to take credit for your work - If it's a teamwork situation with other people on your level, don't do most of the work, because the credit will end up being split 50/50 in the eyes of the bosses even if you did most of it Maybe this is true and maybe it's not, but I can't stand these kind of office politics. I enjoy working with the team and collaborating, and want to see my fellows succeed. With perhaps the exception of level 1-3 IC roles, work is almost always a team activity. Showing proper recognition to those who contributed is the right thing to do. I think there is a second path of staying humble and empowering others. It's the path I've followed and have never had a problem with getting promotions.

hnracer 6y ago
I wasn't suggesting to not give credit to others when it's deserved, and I certainly believe in teamwork. What I'm suggesting is to not shy away from taking deserved credit for yourself which many people struggle with. It will prevent you being run over by politicians and becoming resentful towards your workplace. It will also reduce information asymmetries between you and your boss and help you to get that deserved promotion. The cult of "we did X" in workplaces is a tool used by the least productive to play politics and reap credit where it isn't deserved. There is no such thing as "we" anyways. You did Z, and I did Y, and Z+Y=X, and perhaps Z is less than Y, or perhaps Z is more than Y, and without proper attribution (which can only come when you're brave enough to take deserved credit), accurate promotions aren't possible. My suggestion to not do most of the work in a team situation is also a strategy to reduce resentment. There's nothing worse than doing all the work and getting half the credit, only to split a bonus pool 50/50 with someone half as productive as you. It's better to do half the work and have spare time for stuff that you will get credit for

jader201 6y ago

The readings of this post is exactly the reason I loathe the whole drive to get promoted, instead of working to do what makes sense to improve your team, your teammates, and your company. As a manager, my goal is to discern the difference between these two, and will do what I can to support those that focus more on improving the team vs. chasing a promotion by focusing more on showing how they’re better than everyone else. Even if this is more effective strictly regarding getting promoted, I would much rather be — and work with — the type of people that care more about elevating the team.

Consultant32452 6y ago
I used to be a "shooting star" developer. I was always the most productive member of my team. I was the go-to person for any complex problem. At some point in my career I decided to change from being a shooting star to being a "rising tide." Instead of being the best individual contributor I focused on making everyone else the best they could be. That's when my income really skyrocketed. My life experience is that there is sort of a karma. I helped a lot of people become better at their jobs and expected nothing in return. Some of those people went off to be extremely successful, and they wanted me to come along with them in making tons of money. Expecting nothing in return is the key. People know if you're keeping score.
- itsmefaz 6y ago
  you became a manager?
  - Consultant32452 6y ago
    I became a partner in a very small consulting firm. But yes, manager positions were widely available.
- jameshush 6y ago
  I cannot agree with this enough. I'm 29 years old now, so not particularly old but not 21 anymore. When I was 16 working as a concert promoter all the hard working musicians from my middle of nowhere home town in Canada became successful, either in the music industry or in another industry. I'm still friends with people I let sleep on my floor during those times. On the tech side I've stayed late to help push projects through. People don't forget. I have friends from 7+ years ago, some who's weddings I've stood at. We _still_ talk about the time we made a miracle happen and got the project out the door the night before. We _still_ talk about the time production went down in front of 1,000,000 users and we rage coded a solution together. Compound interest works with relationships just like it works with money. Real trust builds over years. I've been the tag along for a few projects now that I never would have found without being friendly and helpful in the past.

andi999 6y ago

What about the classic: - dont dress for the position you have, dress for the one you want

andi999 6y ago
Although as an afterthought I wouldnt know what this would be for a faang company? Black turtleneck? Hoodie? :-)

amznthrowaway5 6y ago

In my experience taking credit for others' work is far more important than doing good work or taking credit for your own work.

vanusa 6y ago

Wow - this advice is definitely spot-on, in terms of helping us reach the desired goal it describes. And yet, in terms of the nuts and bolts of what it suggests we actually do - (not always but in many places) totally indicative of all the preening, butt-kissing, apple-polishing & back-stabbing behaviors that we all know and love -- as ways to get an inch or two ahead in the Great Rat Race: * Get allies who can proselytize about you behind your back * Use pronouns I and Me when talking about your work (not We) and do not allow others to take credit for your work * Don't do most of the work, because the credit will end up being split 50/50 in the eyes of the bosses even if you did most of it * Attend the social events and get in good with the bosses