Making the Case for Your Promotion – Coaching for Leaders

May Busch: How to Get Promoted

May Busch is the former Chief Operating Officer of Morgan Stanley Europe. She was promoted 10 times during her 24-year career at Morgan Stanley. Today, she's an executive coach and mentor, helping professionals overcome (often hidden) obstacles, advance to the next level in their careers, and reach their full potential.

May is the author of Accelerate: 9 Capabilities to Achieve Success at Any Career Stage and the creator of the How to Get Promoted Course*.

In this conversation, May and I discuss the key principles that professionals should consider when advocating for their next promotion. We explore a few of the mistakes that some people rely on — and how to do better through your track record, business case, and future thinking. Plus, May shares several tactics that will help you get visibility on what senior leaders are thinking.

Key Points

Being a culture carrier is a wonderful place to be in an organization, but it’s not enough for promotion.
Threatening to leave can work in some cases, but it’s not laying the groundwork for long-term trust.
Your track record should include your accomplishments, experiences, strengths, and skills. Others who are close to you can often help you be more objective on what these are.
Ultimately a promotion is a business decision. Help more senior leaders make the business case for why you are the right decision.
Perceived risks about you might be fair or not. Regardless, responding in a matter-of-fact manner to concerns is more likely to help you alleviate them.