Latest / The Promotion Memo with Fexingo: Getting Visibility, Sponsors, and Executive Presence / How an Employee Got Promoted by Writing a Career Roadmap
Transcript
- Lucas: So there's this moment a lot of us hit — you're doing good work, you're hitting deadlines, your manager seems happy — but when promotion time comes, it's like the criteria are written in invisible ink. Luna: Oh, the 'just keep doing what you're doing' black hole. I've been there. Lucas: Exactly. And today's story is about someone who refused to wait for clarity. Her name is Priya, she was a mid-level product manager at a mid-size SaaS company — think a few hundred employees, growing fast. She'd been in role about eighteen months, and she noticed that the jump from PM to Senior PM was this opaque wall. Luna: So what did she do that was different from just asking her boss for a list of requirements? Lucas: She wrote the list herself. But not just for herself — she wrote a career roadmap document. I'm talking a detailed, multi-page guide that spelled out: here are the specific skills you need to demonstrate, here are the projects you'd need to lead, here are the measurable outcomes that signal you're ready for Senior PM. Luna: Okay, that's ambitious. Did she do this in secret or get her manager involved? Lucas: She did a first draft on her own — based on job postings for Senior PM roles at competitors, internal feedback she'd gathered, and her own understanding of the product. Then she scheduled a meeting with her manager and said, 'I want to make sure I'm investing my energy in the right places. I put together a draft of what I think the Senior PM bar looks like — can you help me pressure-test it?' Luna: That framing is key. She's not demanding anything — she's asking for coaching. Makes it easy for the manager to say yes. Lucas: Right. And her manager was actually impressed — he said, 'I've been meaning to create something like this for the whole team.' So Priya's document became the starting point for the team's official promotion rubric. Luna: So she essentially wrote the job description for her own promotion. How long did it take for her to actually get promoted? Lucas: Six months. But what's interesting is that she didn't just wait — she used the roadmap to pick the right projects. For example, one of the criteria was 'demonstrated ability to influence without authority across engineering and marketing.' So she volunteered to lead a cross-functional launch that required her to negotiate timelines and resources. Luna: She turned a vague competency into a concrete action plan. That's smart. But I'm wondering — could this approach backfire? Like if the roadmap doesn't align with what leadership actually values, you might get labeled as someone who doesn't get the big picture. Lucas: That's a real risk. The key is to anchor the roadmap in observable business outcomes, not just personal development. Priya's roadmap included things like 'increased user retention by X percent through feature adoption' and 'reduced time to market by Y percent.' Those are metrics that matter to the company, not just to her career. Luna: So it's not a wishlist — it's a strategic document. She's saying, 'Here's how I'll contribute more value, and here's the recognition that should come with it.' Lucas: Exactly. And that's the core insight: she solved a problem her boss didn't have time to solve. Her manager had ten direct reports, he wasn't going to write custom roadmaps for each of them. But Priya gave him a template he could use for everyone. Luna: Which also made her look like a leader. She wasn't just thinking about herself — she was thinking about the team. Lucas: And that's a big part of why she got the promotion. When the VP of Product saw the roadmap, he said, 'This is exactly the kind of strategic thinking we need from Senior PMs.' She'd already demonstrated the role before she had the title. Luna: I love that. And it reminds me of something we talk about a lot on this show — the idea that promotions are often more about visibility and solving a real organizational need than just grinding harder. Lucas: Speaking of which — you know, we deliberately keep this show ad-free. No sponsors, no interruptions. It's a choice we made because we think career advice shouldn't be broken up by pitches for mattress companies or meal kits. Luna: Yeah, if this show has helped you think through a career move, or given you a framework you've actually used — that's exactly why we do it. And listener support is what lets us keep it that way. Lucas: So if that resonates, the link is buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure, no perks — just a way to say this matters. Luna: Alright, back to Priya — I want to talk about how she actually structured this roadmap, because I think listeners could use a template. Lucas: Good idea. She organized it into three columns: Skill, Evidence, and Target. For example, under 'Strategic Thinking,' she listed 'wrote a product roadmap for the next two quarters' as evidence, and 'roadmap approved by VP and used by the team' as the target. Luna: That's concrete. Not 'demonstrates strategic thinking' — it's 'here's the artifact you'll produce.' Lucas: Exactly. She did the same for 'Cross-functional Leadership' — evidence would be 'led a project with engineering, design, and marketing,' and target was 'project shipped on time and met OKR targets.' Luna: And I assume she had a timeline column too? Like, 'by end of Q2, I will have done X'? Lucas: Actually, she didn't put a timeline on the first version — she wanted to focus on the bar first. But after her manager reviewed it, they agreed on a six-month check-in to assess progress. That check-in became the promotion conversation. Luna: So the roadmap itself became the agenda for the promotion discussion. That's brilliant — you're not asking for a favor, you're reviewing a plan you both agreed on. Lucas: Right. And one other thing — she shared the final version with her peers on the team. Not as, 'Here's how to get promoted,' but as, 'Here's a framework I found helpful — feel free to use it.' That built a lot of goodwill. Luna: That's smart. It also positions her as a mentor, which is another Senior PM competency. Did anyone else on the team end up using it? Lucas: Three of her five peers adapted it for their own goals. And one of them, a junior PM, used it to get clarity on what he needed to work on — he told Priya it saved him months of guessing. Luna: So the roadmap became a team asset. That's the kind of leverage that gets you noticed above your pay grade. Lucas: Exactly. And I think that's the big takeaway here — you don't have to wait for someone else to define the path. If you can articulate the path in a way that solves a real problem for your manager and your team, you're already demonstrating the leadership they're looking for. Luna: I'd add one caution, though — make sure you're not writing the roadmap in a vacuum. Priya succeeded because she validated it with her manager early. If she'd just dropped it on his desk without a conversation, it might have felt presumptuous. Lucas: Great point. The framing matters: 'I want to make sure I'm focusing on the right things — can you help me calibrate?' That's humble, collaborative, and shows initiative. It's hard for a manager to say no to that. Luna: So if someone's listening and thinking, 'I should do this,' what's the first step? Lucas: Start by gathering data. Look at job postings for the role you want, especially at your own company if they're public. Look at what your peers who got promoted did differently. And most importantly, ask your manager: 'What does success look like for the next level?' If they give you a vague answer, you have your opening. Luna: Then write the draft, bring it to them, and ask for feedback. That's the play. Lucas: Exactly. And if they say no, or if they're not supportive — well, that's useful information too. It tells you whether there's a real path forward at that company. Luna: That's a hard truth, but a good one. Priya's story worked because her manager was open to it. Not every manager is. Lucas: True. But even if your manager isn't receptive, the exercise of writing the roadmap clarifies your own thinking. It helps you articulate your value, and it gives you a document you can use in interviews elsewhere. Luna: So it's a no-lose move. Either you get a clearer path to promotion at your current company, or you get a clearer sense of what to look for in your next role. Lucas: Right. And that's the spirit of this show — small proactive moves that compound over time. Priya didn't wait for permission. She created clarity for herself and her team, and that got her promoted.