Latest / The Promotion Memo with Fexingo: Getting Visibility, Sponsors, and Executive Presence / The Promotion Memo That Gets You Promoted
Transcript
- Lucas: We have talked a lot about sponsorship and visibility in recent weeks, but I think we have been treating them as separate skills. They are not. The bridge between being good at your job and getting promoted is usually a single document: the promotion memo. And most people write it wrong. Luna: Because they treat it like an extended cover letter or a resume update, right? Lucas: Exactly. They list responsibilities. They say 'I managed the team' or 'I increased sales by ten percent.' That is data, sure, but it is not a business case. A business case answers the question: why does promoting this person make financial or strategic sense for the company? It is a different genre of writing entirely. Luna: So instead of asking what I did, you are asking what value I created that aligns with their next big goal? Lucas: Precisely. Let us look at a specific case from a senior engineer I worked with last year. His title was Senior Software Engineer, and he wanted Director. He wrote a memo that listed every bug he fixed and every feature he shipped. It was impressive, technically speaking. But his VP skimmed it and said, 'This is just a list of work done. It does not tell me why I need to create a new role for him.' Luna: That is brutal. Because from the VP’s perspective, creating a new role is a risk and a cost center. If the memo doesn't de-risk it, it gets rejected. Lucas: Right. So we rewrote the memo together. We stopped talking about code. We started talking about organizational leverage. Instead of saying he fixed latency issues, we framed it as: 'By reducing API response time by two hundred milliseconds, we reduced cloud infrastructure costs by four hundred thousand dollars annually and improved customer retention by one point five percent.' Luna: Okay, now I see the difference. One is technical output. The other is business outcome. Lucas: And here is the critical part that most people miss. The memo needs to be written so that it can be forwarded. Your direct manager might support you, but the decision happens three levels up. If your memo is full of jargon or internal references, the senior leader won't read it. They will forward it to HR with a note saying 'figure out if this is true.' You lose control of the narrative. Luna: So the audience isn't really your boss. It's the committee that hasn't met yet. Lucas: It is the committee. And that changes the tone. You cannot sound like you are asking for a favor. You have to sound like you are presenting a solution to a problem they already have. For example, if the company is trying to improve cross-team collaboration, your memo should highlight how your new leadership style has already solved friction between Engineering and Product. Luna: That feels counterintuitive. Usually, people feel like they have to prove they are humble enough to deserve the promotion, so they downplay their achievements. Lucas: That is the humility trap. There is a difference between arrogance and clarity. Arrogance is saying 'I am the best person for this.' Clarity is saying 'Here is the evidence that I have already performed at the next level.' You do not need to be loud. You just need to be specific. Vague claims get ignored. Specific numbers get filed. Luna: What about the structure? Do you recommend a standard template, or does it vary by industry? Lucas: The structure is surprisingly consistent across finance, tech, and consumer goods. I call it the problem action impact framework. But it needs to be tighter than a standard case study. Section one is the Current State. You briefly describe the challenge the organization faced before you stepped in. Section two is the Intervention. What did you specifically do? Not 'we worked on,' but 'I directed,' 'I negotiated,' 'I designed.' Luna: And section three is the Impact, which ties back to the first section. Lucas: Yes. And then, and this is crucial, there is a fourth section called Future Scope. This is where you project your value. You outline the risks of leaving the current structure in place, and the opportunities unlocked by promoting you. It shows you are thinking strategically, not just transactionally. Luna: I love that. Because it forces you to articulate what the job actually looks like, rather than just inheriting someone else's definition of it. Lucas: It does. And it protects you from scope creep later. If you define the future scope clearly in the memo, you have a baseline for your first ninety days. Without that, you are just agreeing to do more of the same work with a higher salary. Luna: How long should these memos be? Because I know people get intimidated by blank pages. Lucas: Two pages maximum. One page is often too short to provide sufficient evidence. Three pages is too long for executives to digest during a busy quarter. Two pages allows for a strong executive summary, detailed evidence, and a clear conclusion. Use bullet points. Use bold text for key metrics. Make it skimmable. Luna: Skimmable is the keyword. If they have to hunt for the win, they will assume there isn't one. Lucas: Exactly. And let us talk about timing. Many people wait until their annual review cycle to write this. That is a mistake. The best promotion memos are drafted months in advance. You start collecting the data in January for a promotion discussion in June. You build the narrative while you are doing the work, not after the fact. Luna: So it becomes a running document, almost like a living portfolio? Lucas: It is a living portfolio. Keep a folder of wins, metrics, and positive feedback from stakeholders. When it is time to promote, you are not scrambling to remember what happened six months ago. You are assembling a pre-written argument. This reduces anxiety and increases confidence. Luna: That makes sense. Confidence comes from preparation, not bravado. Lucas: Always. Now, there is one more element that trips people up. The alignment with company goals. You need to explicitly link your achievements to the public statements made by your CEO or board. If the company is focusing on sustainability, and you led a green IT initiative, highlight that connection. Show that you are not just a good employee, but a strategic asset. Luna: It’s like speaking the language of the C-suite. You are translating your daily work into their strategic priorities. Lucas: Yes. And that translation is what separates managers from leaders. Managers track tasks. Leaders translate tasks into outcomes. Your memo is the proof of that translation. Luna: If someone is listening who is currently stuck in a role they love but want to move up, where should they start today? Lucas: Start by auditing your last six months of work. Identify three projects that had measurable business impact. Write one paragraph for each using the problem action impact framework. Then ask yourself: would my VP be able to use these paragraphs in a conversation with the CFO? If not, rewrite them until they are. Luna: Simple, actionable advice. Just three paragraphs, tested against the CFO lens. Lucas: Three paragraphs. That is all it takes to start building the case. The rest is just filling in the details. Luna: I think a lot of people underestimate how much power good writing has in a corporate environment. It feels like soft skill, but it is actually hard currency. Lucas: It is hard currency. In a world of noise, clarity is rare. If you can provide clarity about your own value, you become indispensable. Luna: Before we go, I want to pause for a second. If these conversations about career strategy and visibility have helped you think through your next move, the way these stay ad-free is listener support — buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. That's F. E. X. I. N. G. O. If today was actually useful to you, buying me a coffee helps keep the signal clean and the research deep. Lucas: Appreciate it. And thanks to everyone who supports the show. It lets us dig deeper into these topics without chasing clicks. Luna: Back to the topic though. Do you think this memo approach works for lateral moves as well, or is it strictly for upward mobility? Lucas: It works for lateral moves too. Sometimes you need to justify a transfer to a new department. The memo becomes a pitch deck for why your existing skills solve their specific problems. It frames the move as a benefit to them, not just a desire for you. Luna: So it’s less about climbing and more about positioning yourself where you can have the biggest impact. Lucas: Exactly. Whether you are going up or sideways, the logic is the same. Prove you have already solved the problem they are facing. Document it clearly. Present it confidently. Luna: I wonder if companies will ever adopt a standardized format for this, so candidates don't have to reinvent the wheel every time. Lucas: Maybe. But until then, the people who take the time to write a sharp, specific memo will always have an advantage over those who rely on vague promises. The market rewards precision. Luna: So the real secret isn't working harder. It's writing smarter. Lucas: Working harder gets you noticed. Writing smarter gets you promoted. The trick is knowing which one you are doing. Luna: Let’s hope more of us start choosing the latter. Lucas: Agreed. And if you do write that memo, try to make it so clear that even a distracted executive can see the truth in it. That is the ultimate test of executive presence.