Stop chasing promotions: Here's what works for career growth

I learned something painful about career growth when someone I was mentoring came to me frustrated last year.

"I've been hitting my numbers for three years straight," she said. "But I feel stagnant. What am I supposed to do next to actually grow to the next level in my career?"

That conversation made me realise I didn't have a good answer for her. I could see she was talented and hardworking, but I couldn't give her a clear roadmap for what came next.

After studying how people actually advance in their careers across industries, I found a pattern. The people who build lasting influence follow four specific stages. I call it the RISE framework.

The problem with most career advice

Most career tips focus on tactics: "Network more," "Ask for a promotion," "Make yourself indispensable."

All this advice assumes the same thing: get promoted as quickly as you can, or jump companies for bigger titles. But this approach backfires. When you focus only on getting the next title, you miss learning the skills you actually need. Then you get the promotion but struggle because you're not ready for it.

The people who advance sustainably don't just climb faster. They understand that career growth follows a predictable sequence of value creation. Try to skip ahead, and you'll struggle in your new role.

The RISE framework: Four stages of real growth

R – Reliability in role, or get really good at your current job first

This isn't about working 80-hour weeks. It's about being predictable.

The people who advance aren't always the most talented initially. They're the ones who deliver consistently.

One team member showed me what this looks like. Over 18 months, while others had good quarters and bad quarters, this person delivered the same quality every time.

When we needed someone to run our new enterprise programme, they were the obvious choice. Not because they asked for it, but because everyone trusted them to do it well.

The test: Can your boss predict how you'll perform next quarter? If not, focus here first.

I – Influence on team, or how to make the people around you better

Once you're reliable, you earn credibility. Now it's time to help others succeed. This stage works when team members start looking beyond their own tasks.

For example, when someone on our marketing team noticed new hires struggling with our tools, they started helping during breaks instead of just focusing on their own projects.

The impact was clear: New people got productive faster. The whole team's work improved.

They didn't ask for recognition. The results spoke for themselves.

The test: Can you point to specific people who got better because of you?

S – Solve company problems, or fixing problems outside your job description

Most careers stop here. People wait for permission to solve bigger problems.

But companies need people who think like owners. Who see what's broken and care enough to fix it.

Our proposal & RFP process was a mess. It took our teams 8-10 days to respond to potential customers. Everyone knew it was broken, but it wasn't anyone's "official" job to fix it.

Then someone from our team did something different. They mapped out the whole process, found the problems, and proposed a solution. More importantly, they volunteered to make it happen.

Six months later, we respond to proposals in 2 days instead of 8. Our win rate went up 15%. 

The test: What company problem would you work on in your free time? That's your signal.

E – External recognition, or share what you've learned with others

The final stage changes everything. You become known outside your company.

This isn't about social media followers. It's about having insights worth sharing—knowledge that only comes from doing the hard work of the first three stages.

I started experiencing this when I began sharing what we learned about revenue operations at a few industry events. Other companies reached out to understand our approach. Occasionally, publications asked about our experience with scaling revenue processes. It showed me how sharing genuine insights can open doors you didn't expect.

The test: What lesson from your experience would genuinely help other professionals?

The one rule that speeds everything up

"Your manager's success is your success. When you help them win, you win too."

Here's the most important insight: Work with your manager, not against them.

The biggest mistake ambitious people make is treating their boss like an obstacle. They create fights that hurt their own advancement.

Smart professionals understand this: Your manager's success is your success. When you help them win, you win too.

This doesn't mean being a pushover. It means aligning your growth with what the company actually needs.

What to do right now

The RISE framework isn't a timeline. It's a way to figure out where you are and what to focus on next.

Ask yourself:

• Reliability: Am I consistently delivering what my job requires?
• Influence: Who could I help get better at their work?
• Solve: What company problem really bothers me?
• External: What could I teach other people in my field?

Pick one stage at a time. Master it completely before moving to the next.

The real difference

Most people try to skip ahead. They want the influence of stage four while still struggling with stage one reliability.

But sustainable career growth doesn't work that way. Each stage builds the foundation for the next.

The professionals who build lasting influence don't rush. They earn each level through real contribution, not just ambition.

What stage describes where you are right now? And what would change if you focused completely on mastering it before trying to advance?

The answer to those questions will determine whether you stay stuck like so many professionals do or build a career that compounds over time.

(Vipin Thomas is the Business Unit Head at SparrowGenie.)