Latest / The Promotion Memo with Fexingo: Getting Visibility, Sponsors, and Executive Presence / How One Employee Got Promoted by Establishing a Career Feedback Loop
Transcript
- Lucas: You've been asking for feedback, but are you actually using it to get promoted? Because there is a big difference between hearing 'great job' and systematically turning that praise into a promotion case. Luna: I think most of us have had that experience where you walk out of a performance review feeling good, but then nothing changes. The feedback just kind of evaporates. Lucas: Exactly. And that is exactly what happened to Sarah, a marketing manager at a mid-size tech firm. She was getting consistently positive reviews, but three years in the same role, no promotion. She realized the problem wasn't the feedback itself—it was that she wasn't closing the loop. Luna: Closing the loop meaning you don't just receive it, you act on it and then you circle back to the person who gave it to show you took their advice? Lucas: That's exactly right. And Sarah built a really simple system. Once a quarter, she would send a brief survey to her manager, two peers, and two direct reports. It asked three questions: 'What should I start doing? What should I stop doing? What should I continue doing?' She'd then compile the responses into a one-page tracker. Luna: So it's almost like a mini 360, but initiated by her. That takes a lot of the awkwardness out of asking for feedback all the time. Lucas: It does. And here's the key: she didn't just collect the feedback. She would identify three action items per quarter, write them down, and set a reminder to revisit them in a month. Then, before the next quarterly check-in, she'd send a brief update to each person who gave feedback, saying 'Based on your suggestion, I started leading the weekly stand-up meetings. Here's what happened. Would love any further thoughts.' That's closing the loop. Luna: That's brilliant because it makes the feedback giver feel heard and invested in your growth. They become a kind of informal sponsor. Lucas: Exactly. Within nine months, Sarah had documented improvement in three key areas: communication, cross-team collaboration, and strategic thinking. When she went to her manager with a request for promotion to senior marketing manager, she didn't just say 'I've been doing a good job.' She had a one-page summary of specific changes she'd made based on feedback, with measurable outcomes. Her manager was impressed. Luna: So the feedback loop becomes your promotion narrative. You can say, 'Three months ago, you told me I needed to be more visible with stakeholders. Here's exactly what I did, and here's the result.' Lucas: Right. And the beauty is that this works regardless of level. You could be an individual contributor or a team lead. The structure is the same: collect, prioritize, act, communicate. The closing step is what most people miss. We tend to think the loop ends when we've made the change. But it actually ends when the person who gave the feedback sees that you took it seriously. Luna: I've noticed that many managers give feedback and then never see if the person followed up. They just assume. So when you actually circle back, you stand out. Lucas: Exactly. Sarah's manager told her later that the fact she consistently closed the loop was one of the main reasons she was promoted. It showed she was coachable, proactive, and results-oriented. All traits you want in a senior leader. Luna: So let's break down the mechanics. How often should someone do this? Because quarterly sounds reasonable, but if you're in a fast-paced environment, maybe more often? Lucas: Start quarterly. That gives you enough time to actually make changes and see results. If you do it monthly, you risk burnout and the feedback might be too granular. Quarterly is that sweet spot where you can aggregate themes. For example, if two people both say 'you need to speak up in meetings,' that's a clear theme. Then you can design one action—like committing to speak first in the next three meetings—and track it. Luna: And what about the format? You mentioned a survey. But some people might feel awkward about putting things in writing. Could you do it verbally? Lucas: You can, but I'd recommend writing it down. A simple email or a shared doc. Writing forces clarity and gives you a record. For Sarah, she used a Google Form that fed into a spreadsheet. It took her maybe 10 minutes per quarter to send out the survey, and another 20 minutes to compile and analyze. That's thirty minutes per quarter. A tiny investment for a potential promotion. Luna: That's a great return on time. Now, I imagine some people worry that if they ask for feedback too often, they'll seem needy or insecure. How do you avoid that? Lucas: The framing matters. Sarah introduced it as 'I'm working on a personal development project and I'd value your input on three quick questions.' She was upfront that it was part of her growth. Most people love being asked for advice—it's flattering. And when you close the loop, you reinforce that their advice was valuable. That builds your reputation as someone who is serious about improvement. Luna: So you're essentially creating a feedback culture around yourself, one person at a time. And that naturally leads to visibility and sponsors. Lucas: Exactly. And that brings us to a natural point. If you've found this episode helpful and you want to see more content like this, listener support is what keeps our podcast ad-free and focused. A couple of dollars a month at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo genuinely makes a difference. It helps us invest in better research and bring you more real-world cases like Sarah's. Luna: Yeah, we really appreciate it. And we're able to keep the episodes concise and actionable because of that support. Lucas: So back to the feedback loop. One thing Sarah did that I think is crucial: she didn't just collect positive feedback. She specifically asked for constructive criticism. Her survey had a question: 'What is one thing I could do differently to be more effective?' That's where the gold is. Luna: Because if you only ask 'what am I doing well,' you get nice words but no growth edge. You need the uncomfortable stuff to actually improve. Lucas: Right. And when you act on that uncomfortable feedback and then close the loop, you show real humility and drive. That is exactly what managers look for when deciding who to promote. Luna: So for someone listening who wants to start this tomorrow, what's the single first step? Lucas: Send a one-time email to three people you trust—a peer, your manager, and maybe a mentor— asking: 'What's one thing I could start, stop, or continue to be more effective?' Then pick one action, do it for a month, and follow up with each person. That's the minimum viable feedback loop. Luna: And the closing step is the real differentiator. Most people will never do that. So you'll automatically stand out. Lucas: Exactly. Sarah's story shows that you don't need a formal process or approval from HR. You can initiate this yourself. It's a self-advocacy tool that builds your case for promotion over time, rather than scrambling to gather evidence at review time. Luna: That's a great reminder that career growth is often about the small, consistent actions rather than one big dramatic move. Lucas: Absolutely. So if you're feeling stuck in your role, start building your feedback loop today. It might just be the lever that moves you up.