It’s a misconception that promotions are decided late in the year. If you want to end 2026 with a bigger title, the time to lay your foundation is now. By the time the year-end performance review cycle starts, leaders already have a strong impression of who’s operating at the next level and who isn’t.
Throughout my career, leading large teams at companies like Verizon and Yahoo, and now providing career coaching to ambitious leaders, I’ve seen the same pattern repeat itself: The people who advance don’t wait all year for certainty, perfect conditions, or formal feedback cycles. They use the beginning of the year to strategically position themselves.
This doesn’t mean demanding a promotion immediately, or raising your expectations at the wrong time. It does mean being intentional, thoughtful, and proactive.
Here are seven actions that consistently put employees on a promotion path before most of their peers even realize the race has started.
1. Anchor your work to what the business actually cares about this year
Many employees start January focused on their own goals. Speaking that way too often can make you seem myopic or even selfish. High performers start by understanding the company’s goals and establishing how they’ll support them.
Pay attention to leadership messaging, annual priorities, earnings calls, kickoff meetings, and how success is being defined at the top and by your own manager. Promotions rarely come from doing your job well in a silo. They come from delivering results that matter in the current business context and are important to the success of your leaders.
Early in the year, take the time to connect your role to those priorities and people. Be explicit with your manager about how your work ladders up, listen, and adjust where needed. People who align early are far more likely to be seen as strategic rather than reactive.
2. Get clear on how you’re evaluated
Many employees assume strong performance speaks for itself. It doesn’t. More importantly, what you consider a strong performance may not be the performance your manager wants to see from you this year.
What matters is how performance is measured, discussed, and compared. January is the right time to ask clarifying questions about expectations, scope, and what “excellent” actually means in practice.
This doesn’t mean asking for a promotion conversation immediately. It means understanding what leaders value when they’re making promotion decisions so you can focus your energy accordingly. Employees who do this early avoid spending months excelling at work that doesn’t meaningfully factor into advancement decisions.
3. Establish a proactive communication rhythm with your manager — and don’t make it all about you
Employees who get promoted rarely wait for formal check-ins to surface progress or concerns. They manage the narrative throughout the year and consistently demonstrate a commitment to the business and the team.
That can be as simple as sharing brief updates, flagging wins in real time, and articulating challenges (and, ideally, solutions) before they escalate. January is the right moment to establish this cadence, when habits are still being formed and expectations are being reset.
Leaders notice which team members make their jobs easier, and which ones are catalysts for confusion and drama. Clear, timely communication builds trust and positions you as someone who operates independently, reduces friction for everyone, and thinks ahead. That makes you promotable.
4. Be intentional about cross-functional visibility
Promotions often require the support of multiple people. Yet many employees stay narrowly focused on their immediate manager. While leading with influence is always important, it’s especially critical during this time. Building advocates in other parts of your organization, with both peers and more senior leaders, takes time. Start now.
Early in the year, look for opportunities to collaborate across functions, contribute to shared initiatives, or support work that has a broader organizational impact. This isn’t about overextending yourself. It’s about choosing exposure deliberately and nurturing important alliances.
5. Take ownership of one problem that isn’t officially yours
One of the fastest ways leaders assess readiness for promotion is by watching how employees respond to ambiguity. High-potential employees don’t wait to be told exactly what to fix, let alone how to fix it. They notice gaps, raise their hand, and take responsibility for improving something that affects the business or the team.
This doesn’t mean creating extra work for yourself indiscriminately. It means choosing one meaningful issue where you can add value, demonstrating sound judgment in how you approach it, and then communicating the results with transparency.
Don’t expect to be immediately rewarded for your efforts just because you took on work that isn’t in your job description. Consider the contribution as an investment in your longer-term career growth.
6. Track your impact as it happens
I’ve seen too many employees wait until performance review season to assess their work and reflect on their accomplishments. By then, details are a distant memory, and momentum is lost.
Start tracking your impact in real time, especially early wins. Aim to do this weekly, so your work is fresh in your mind. Capture feedback, metrics, and examples that show progress over time.
You don’t need a fancy system for this. Just pick a record-keeping method that works for you and stick to it.
This habit makes performance conversations easier and more grounded in reality than if you’re belatedly trying to recall a year’s worth of action all at once. It also forces you to stay focused on results rather than effort and to recalibrate if you’re finding yourself very busy, yet not producing in the ways you know will matter.
7. Resist the urge to “wait and see”
January often brings a sense that it’s too early to push, ask, or assert oneself. In reality, that hesitation can cost you months of opportunity. Just remember there’s a balance: While you have every right to understand expectations and express your aspirations, avoid creating a perception that you’re impatient or overly focused on yourself.
The employees who move ahead don’t rush, but they also don’t sit back. They use the beginning of the year to set direction, establish credibility, and signal how they intend to operate.
By the time others start thinking about advancement, these employees are already being seen as obvious candidates for promotion.
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