7 Strategic Steps to Get Promoted in 2026

Career coach Andrea Wasserman advises that the time to secure a promotion for 2026 is right now, not at the end of the year. Wasserman, who has led large teams at Verizon and Yahoo, explains that leaders form strong impressions of employees' readiness long before performance reviews begin. To advance, employees must be proactive rather than waiting for certainty or formal feedback cycles. The core strategy involves seven specific actions: aligning work with business priorities, understanding evaluation metrics, establishing proactive communication, building cross-functional visibility, taking ownership of business problems, tracking impact in real time, and avoiding hesitation. These steps help build credibility and position employees as strategic assets, ensuring they are seen as promotion-ready when decision-making occurs.

Many employees begin the year focused on personal goals, but Andrea Wasserman warns that this approach can appear myopic. To increase chances of promotion, high performers must first understand the company's goals and establish how they will support them. This requires paying close attention to leadership messaging, annual priorities, earnings calls, and kickoff meetings.

Promotions rarely result from doing a job well in isolation. Instead, they come from delivering results that matter in the current business context. Employees should take the time early in the year to connect their role to organizational priorities and the success of their leaders. Being explicit with a manager about how work ladders up to these goals is essential. People who align early are viewed as strategic rather than reactive.

It is a common misconception that strong performance speaks for itself. Wasserman emphasizes that what an employee considers strong performance may not align with what the manager wants to see. January is the ideal time to ask clarifying questions about expectations, scope, and what 'excellent' means in practice. Understanding what leaders value during promotion decisions allows employees to focus their energy effectively.

Furthermore, promoted employees rarely wait for formal check-ins to surface progress. They manage the narrative throughout the year by sharing brief updates, flagging wins in real time, and articulating challenges with solutions before they escalate. Establishing this cadence in January builds trust and positions an employee as someone who operates independently and reduces friction for the team.

Promotions often require support from multiple people, not just an immediate manager. Wasserman advises employees to be intentional about cross-functional visibility by looking for opportunities to collaborate across departments and support work with broader organizational impact. Building advocates in other parts of the organization takes time and should start early in the year.

Leaders also assess readiness for promotion by watching how employees respond to ambiguity. Taking ownership of a problem that is not officially yours is a powerful way to demonstrate potential. High-potential employees notice gaps and take responsibility for improving something that affects the business. This should be viewed as an investment in long-term career growth rather than a demand for immediate reward.

Waiting until performance review season to assess accomplishments is a mistake, as details are often a distant memory by then. Wasserman recommends tracking impact in real time, ideally on a weekly basis. Capturing feedback, metrics, and examples of progress ensures that performance conversations are grounded in reality and keeps the focus on results rather than just effort.

Finally, employees should resist the urge to 'wait and see' in January. Hesitation can cost months of opportunity. The employees who advance use the beginning of the year to set direction, establish credibility, and signal how they intend to operate. By the time others start thinking about advancement, these employees are already being seen as obvious candidates for promotion.