Latest / The Promotion Memo with Fexingo: Getting Visibility, Sponsors, and Executive Presence / Why Your Promotion Needs a Career Decision Log
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've covered a lot of promotion angles on this show, but there's one tool I keep coming back to in my own career and in talking to managers. It's the decision log. Luna: A decision log? Like a list of what you decided and why? Lucas: Exactly. And it's deceptively simple, but when done right, it can be the thing that tips a promotion conversation in your favor. Let me tell you about Sarah. She was a marketing manager at a large consumer goods company, and she wanted a director role. Luna: Okay, I'm listening. Lucas: Sarah kept a decision log for about eighteen months. Every time she made a significant choice, she'd write down the context, the options she considered, the criteria she used, and what she decided. She'd also note the outcome, even if it was just a guess at the time. Luna: That sounds like a lot of extra work on top of a busy job. Lucas: It's maybe ten minutes a week, but the payoff is massive. In her promotion packet, she included a one-page summary of her top five decisions, each with a one-sentence rationale and the measurable impact. Her VP told me later that it was the clearest evidence of her executive judgment he'd ever seen in a promo packet. Lucas: And honestly, if today's episode helps you think through a career move, that's the kind of value we want to keep bringing. If it was worth a coffee to you, the link is buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. We're listener-supported and ad-free, so every little bit genuinely helps. Luna: Yeah, and we're not selling a course or a subscription. It's just a simple way to keep the show going. Lucas: Right. So back to Sarah. The reason the decision log works is that promotion committees are looking for evidence of judgment, not just execution. Anyone can say they delivered a project on time. But showing how you made a tough call under uncertainty, that's the stuff of leadership. Luna: So what does a good entry actually look like? Can you give us an example? Lucas: Sure. One of Sarah's entries was about whether to launch a new product line in a saturated market. She had two options: go with a bold, high-risk campaign or a more conservative test and learn approach. She laid out the data on consumer trends, competitive activity, and her team's capacity. Lucas: She decided to go with the test and learn, because the potential downside of a full launch outweighed the upside given the uncertainty. And she documented that she'd revisit the decision in ninety days with new data. That's the kind of measured, forward-looking thinking that reads as executive. Luna: So it's not just about being right, it's about showing your process. Lucas: Exactly. And the log isn't just a record for your boss. It's a tool for yourself. When you face a similar decision later, you can look back and see what you assumed, what you missed, and how your judgment has improved. Luna: That's a nice side benefit. But when should you actually log a decision? Is everything worth writing down? Lucas: No, and that's important. If you log every tiny thing, it becomes noise. The sweet spot is decisions that involve significant resources, trade-offs, or risk. Think budget allocation, vendor selection, project scope changes, hiring choices. Those are the ones that show your judgment. Luna: Got it. So what did Sarah do with the log when it came time for her promotion conversation? She didn't just hand over the whole notebook, right? Lucas: Right, she curated. She picked the five decisions that best told a story of increasing responsibility and impact. She wrote a short narrative for each, highlighting the trade-off and the outcome. Then she attached the full log as an appendix for anyone who wanted to dig deeper. Lucas: One thing to watch: don't make it a diary. The entries should be crisp and data-backed. If you write a paragraph per decision, that's fine, but keep it to the essentials. The goal is to make it easy for a busy VP to scan. Luna: That makes sense. But some decisions are confidential or politically sensitive. How do you handle that? Lucas: Good question. You never include something that would breach confidentiality or put a colleague in a bad light. Sarah had one decision about restructuring her team that she deliberately left out. Instead, she focused on decisions that were clean and showcased her strategic thinking. Luna: So it's not a tell-all. It's a highlight reel of your judgment. Lucas: Exactly. And it's not just for promotions. I've seen people use decision logs to prepare for performance reviews, to onboard into a new role, even to build a case for a raise. It's a habit that pays off in multiple ways. Luna: I love that. What's the one thing you'd tell someone to start today? Lucas: Start small. Pick one decision you make this week—something with a real choice involved—and write a single entry. Context, options, rationale, decision, expected outcome. That's it. Then do it again next week. After a few months, you'll have a goldmine of evidence about how you think. Luna: And when a promotion opportunity comes up, you're ready. Lucas: Ready, and with proof. That's the beauty of it. You're not trying to remember what you did six months ago; you have a record that shows your growth in real time. Luna: So what's the one mistake people make? You mentioned logging everything, but is there another pitfall? Lucas: The biggest mistake is being vague. If you write 'decided to go with option A because it felt right', that's useless. You need to articulate the criteria and the trade-offs. That's what demonstrates executive presence. The specificity is what separates a decision log from a to-do list. Luna: That's a great distinction. I'm actually tempted to start one today. Lucas: Do it. And if you want, you can even use a simple spreadsheet or even a note on your phone. The tool doesn't matter, the discipline does. Luna: Well, I think this is one of those episodes that could genuinely change how someone approaches their career. Thanks for bringing it in, Lucas. Lucas: Thanks, Luna. If anyone listening tries this, I'd love to hear how it goes. Maybe we'll do a follow-up in a few months.