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Hey Reader,

A few times a year, design leaders walk into a room and go through every designer on the team.

They talk about performance. They decide on performance ratings. They decide who gets promoted.

Your name comes up.

You’re not there.

And in that moment, your trajectory often comes down to what your manager can say about you in 2–3 minutes.

I just published a new YouTube video: The promotion conversation you never hear (From a UX Design Manager who was in the room)​
and I’m sharing what actually happens in those rooms, and what separates designers who get promoted from designers who get stuck (even when their work is just as good).

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​In this video, I break down:

• Why promotions aren’t a checklist (and what the room is actually evaluating)
• The 4 things that make promotion cases feel “obvious”
• The phrases that quietly kill promotions (“They do great work, but…”)
• What to do this week to make it easier for your manager to advocate for you

If you’re aiming for a promotion this year (or next), this is one of those videos that’s more useful before review season than during it.

​Watch here​

One question for your manager that changes everything: “If you had to make a case for my promotion today, what would you say? And where would you get stuck?”

Try it in your next 1:1 and let me know what happens.