Why am I not getting promoted? Find the block in twelve questions
Being passed over for promotion stings, and the reasons people are given rarely help. More tenure. Not quite ready. Keep doing what you are doing. None of those tells you what to change.
At most companies a promotion is a bet that you can do the next job, not a reward for doing this one well. This finder scores twelve statements across the four things that bet rests on: evidence that you have already worked at the next level, a sponsor who argues for you, scope beyond your own tasks, and visibility above your manager. You get a readiness score from 0 to 100, your strongest case, and the block, with what to do about it in the next 90 days.
It takes about four minutes and shows your result without an email. If you already manage people, say so on the next screen. The block looks different from a manager's chair.
Promotion Block Finder: why am I not getting promoted
What is actually blocking my promotion, and what do I do in the next 90 days?
What you get
- Your score out of 100
- Which of the 4 results you land on
- Scores across Evidence, Sponsorship, Scope and Visibility
- Your strongest dimension and your gap, and where to start
This is a self assessment of what usually blocks a promotion. It cannot see your organisation, your manager or your record, and it is not career, legal or HR advice. If you believe you were passed over because of a protected characteristic, that is a legal question; talk to HR, an employment lawyer or, in the UK, ACAS.
This is a self assessment of what usually blocks a promotion. It cannot see your organisation, your manager or your record, and it is not career, legal or HR advice. If you believe you were passed over because of a protected characteristic, that is a legal question; talk to HR, an employment lawyer or, in the UK, ACAS.
Your next move
If you do not manage people
Your full result names the block and gives a 90 day plan, month by month, plus the opener for your next one on one. If you have not had a career conversation with your manager in 90 days, start there.
If you manage people
For a manager, the promotion case is a team that runs without you. The span of control calculator and the one on one meeting builder show how close yours is.
Email me this result
Optional. Your score is already on screen. Enter your details and a copy of this result, your score, your level and your four dimension scores, is sent to you.
Done. Your result is on its way.
Related tools
The four results
Every completed run lands on one of these pages, with your own scores drawn from the link the tool gives you. Each one is readable without taking the tool.
- UntestedNobody has seen you do the next job yet. Run a trial.
- UnsponsoredNobody is arguing for you. Start with the career conversation.
- IndispensableToo useful where you are. Hand work off, own a result.
- UnseenThe people who decide do not know your work yet.
Passed over for promotion: the four blocks, and which one is yours
If you were passed over for promotion, and especially if you were passed over for someone you think is less qualified, the question is usually not qualification. It is which of four things the other person had and you did not.
- Evidence. They had already done part of the next job: led something across teams, made a call above their level. You may be excellent in your role without anything to point to beyond it.
- Sponsorship. Someone in the room argued for them. Promotions are decided in meetings you do not attend, and a name nobody says does not get chosen.
- Scope. They owned an outcome. You may carry more work, but work that keeps you busy without changing what you are responsible for makes you harder to replace, not easier to promote.
- Visibility. People above their manager knew their work. Yours may be known only to the person you report to.
How this differs
Most advice on why you are not getting promoted is an article with ten tips, all of them true and none of them ranked. This finder ranks them for you. It scores four blocks separately, names the one to work on first, and ends every result in a 90 day plan rather than a list.
It is not a version of any psychological or HR assessment, and it cannot see your organisation or your record. It is built by a leadership coaching firm that works with the people who make promotion decisions, which is why each result also has a view from the manager's chair.
What happens to your responses
Your score, your result and your dimension scores are shown on screen without an email address. An anonymous copy of the score and the dimension scores, with no name, email or free text, joins the aggregate statistics for this tool, which are published only when a cut has at least 30 completions. Email is optional. Only if you ask for the result by email is it written to your contact record, and only then. The full rules are on the methodology page.
Common questions
Why am I not getting promoted when I work harder than everyone?
Because hard work in your current role proves you are good at your current role. A promotion is a bet on the next one. Extra work that does not change what you own can make you harder to replace, which is a reason to keep you where you are. The Indispensable reading on this finder is that trap.
What should I do if I was passed over for promotion?
Ask for the reason in specific terms: what would you have needed to see from me, and who else was part of the decision? Then find your block. This finder scores four and gives a 90 day plan for the lowest. If you believe a protected characteristic played a part, that is a legal question: talk to HR, an employment lawyer or, in the UK, ACAS.
Why was I passed over for promotion by someone less qualified?
Qualification is rarely the only thing being judged. The person promoted usually had one of four things you did not: evidence of doing the next job, a sponsor in the room, an outcome they owned, or visibility above their manager. Find which one, and you have your plan.
How do I start a career conversation with my manager?
Book it as its own meeting, not the end of a status update. Name the role you want next, ask what they would need to see from you, and ask who else has a say. Write the answers down and send them back the same day.
Will my manager see my answers?
No. Nothing you enter is sent to anyone. An anonymous copy of the scores, with no name, email or free text, joins the aggregate statistics.
Related tools
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- Should I Quit My Job Quiz: the work, the boss, the deal or the mirror4 min. Should I quit, and what exactly would I be leaving?
- 1:1 Meeting Builder and Score4 min. How do I run a one on one that is not a status update, and is mine any good?
- Span of Control Calculator2 min. How many people can I actually lead well, and am I past it?
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The numbers behind this tool
Aggregate results are published at Promotion Block Statistics: Why People Feel Stuck once a cut reaches 30 completions, under the Workplace Reality Index methodology. It is part of the Workplace Reality Index, which is kept separate from the leader indexes. More free tools are at the tools shelf.