4. How to grow your career and build a path to professional success
- Alexis Booth
- May 6
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 24
In Episode 4, Google Director Sara Shookus joins me to tackle the the big topic of growing your career, drawing heavily on a talk that went internally viral when I was at Google.
In my conversation with Sara, I share the essence of my original talk (which aimed to demystify the performance review and promotion process), and together we explore other forms of career growth - horizontal moves, finding balance as a working parent, and understanding the skills and habits that can get in the way of career success. We also highlight some of our own “Power Moves” that changed the trajectory of our careers.
In this post, I highlight 3 topics from the episode - but there’s plenty more to hear. I hope you’ll check it out. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Inline player below ⬇️
👉 My 3 steps for climbing the corporate ladder
When people used to ask me how to get promoted or achieve top performance ratings at Google, I boiled down upward trajectory into three essential stages, which generally follow a predictable sequence.
Do Amazing Work: Amazing work goes well beyond your job description. It's about pushing boundaries, identifying untapped opportunities, solving significant problems in innovative ways, and driving measurable impact (think revenue, savings, customer satisfaction). You're focusing on the ceiling of what's possible, not just the floor of your job’s core expectations.
Elevate Everyone: Once you've created amazing, novel solutions, the next step is to scale them. Make your work reusable, proactively help colleagues and other teams to benefit by using it, and establish yourself as a thought leader worth following because your ideas genuinely improve work outcomes.
Make Others Notice: Amazing work, even when scaled, needs visibility to have its full impact and gain recognition. Proactively share your successes with senior leaders (inside and outside your org), leverage internal and external platforms (blogs, talks, conferences), and build a network of advocates who understand your contributions.
This framework outlines a path for moving up, which involves being bold and taking initiative, establishing yourself as a leader in both thought and execution, and strategic communication at each step.
👉 Think about sideways moves, too
While my 3 steps focus on climbing up the ladder, career development isn't always linear. As Sara rightly points out, “it's crucial to distinguish between promotion and career progression.” They can overlap, but meaningful growth often happens without a title change.
Especially at a time where promotions are less abundant (let’s be real, the state of the economy today is very different than it was 5 years ago when I first gave my talk), fixating only on moving up can lead to feeling stagnant, frustrated, and maybe even cynical (which - watch out! - is one of the symptoms of burnout!). And ultimately, there are so many other ways you can grow, which can fill your cup and help you be more well-rounded. Some approaches you might consider:
"Sideways" moves: Consider opportunities to lead a challenging project outside your usual scope, or work with a new team, or even consider a change of roles altogether. These moves may not come with an immediate promotion, but they build your capabilities, broaden your experience, and make you more valuable in the long-term.
Build out your toolkit: Focus on going deep on a particular skill or learn a new tool or technology. These can help make you more effective at "Doing Amazing Work" (Stage 1) by tackling different kinds of problems, or "Elevating Everyone" (Stage 2) by learning how to influence different groups.
Figure out what you don’t like: A big part of figuring out what you might want to do next involves learning what you don’t want to do! Trying new things gives you information on what you never want to do again, or that drain you more than they energize you. It’s incredibly valuable to know what paths you don’t want to continue on as you navigate your career.
👉 What to do next
In the episode, Sara and I offer tons of advice on the things that helped us, our reports, and our mentees grow in our careers - and the things that can hold you back.
If you are ready to set out on a journey toward career growth, here's some pointers on what I recommend to do next.
📝 1. Figure out your next career goal(s)
The first step in charting a path forward is deciding on a goal (or a few). Are you trying to move up? Do you want to make a change - like switching teams, finding a new job, or going back to school? You don’t necessarily need a 5 year plan, but having a big picture vision will help you imagine the future, and plan for what's next.
💬 2. Share your career goal(s) with your manager
I encourage discussing your goals with your manager, no matter what they are. But if promotion is on the list, this is a must. Better yet, ask to collaborate on a plan to get there. If you are shooting for a promo - DO highlight when you achieve key elements in the plan - but DON’T badger your manager for updates in every 1-on-1.
🌱 3. Make a plan, and make progress over time
Growth takes time. Everyone I’ve ever managed had to work on something before they could be promoted - and you may need to show stepwise growth to get assigned bigger projects that are promotion-worthy. If you’re looking for a new role, you'll need to search and network, and you may not get the first opportunity you apply to.
🤔 4. Drive impact focusing on “why” - not “what”
Before you focus on “what” to do (or do more of it), pause to think about “why” you’re doing anything in the first place. Focus your time and energy on the biggest problems and opportunities. This is how you deliver value to customers, your boss, and your company’s bottom line. And this kind of impact is what ultimately drives high ratings and promotions.
❤️🩹 5. Take feedback to heart - even when it's hard
While you should always look for opportunities to play to your strengths, your “areas for growth” will likely hold you back until you work on them. This is where your manager or a career coach can offer you invaluable insights and support. You may need to change deeply held beliefs and habits in order to perform at the next level.
🧑🤝🧑 6. Balance career growth with living your life
Growth in your career can be satisfying, and bigger paychecks are rewarding in many ways. But don’t forego personal needs and fulfillment, or the joy of being with family and friends. In my experience, living to work (vs. working to live) makes you prone to burnout and longer-term career dissatisfaction.
👉 Some Final Thoughts:
Growing your career can be incredibly satisfying, fulfilling, and rewarding. But there is no one single path to success. You have a unique set of skills, experiences, and interests. And workplaces are constantly shifting and changing.
Whether you want to move up, across, or find more balance outside of work - you have the agency to make those changes happen. I hope these tips, and my conversation with Sara, help you feel like you’re in the driver’s seat.
💥 Break Out
👉 Listen to the full episode:
