Climb the Career Ladder: 8 Key Principles to Thrive, Add Value, and Get Promoted

At a conference, someone asked me how I’d managed to ascend the career ladder — going from software tester to Manager, then onto Vice President three times, and now working as a consultant for the last eight years.

The person asking had been working hard but was consistently overlooked for promotions and struggled to advance beyond their current level at other companies.

This made me pause and reflect.

At first, I chalked my trajectory up to charm. Then I realised that I don't have that much. So what was it?

After some reflection, I came up with several ideas. These aren’t guaranteed to work for everyone, but they reflect patterns I’ve observed — and some micro-decisions that underpin career growth.

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1. Decide to Thrive

The first step is deciding to thrive. But equally important is defining what thriving means for you.

For some, it’s climbing the corporate ladder. For others, it’s achieving better work-life balance, doing meaningful community work, or simply creating the conditions for happiness.

Until you define what thriving looks like, life tends to push and pull you along someone else’s agenda. There’s nothing wrong with that if it aligns with what you want — but if you want to chart your own course, clarity is essential.

I didn’t decide to thrive until my first son was born. I was 30. That moment was my catalyst, but you don’t need a life event to make the decision. You can decide now.

Paint a picture of your future. Set goals. Define what success means for you. This is your foundation.

👉 See this post on deciding to thrive

2. Is the Ladder Leaning Against the Right Wall?

We’re often told to climb the ladder or run the race — but what if the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall? Or we're running in the wrong race?

Climbing a ladder in the wrong company — or even the wrong role — can be soul-destroying. Before investing years in climbing upwards, ask yourself:

• Is this the company I want to climb in?
• Does the next rungs of the ladder truly align with my goals?
• Are there alternative routes, like technical ladders or specialisms, that suit me better?
• Do I need to climb elsewhere — or build my own ladder entirely?

Clarity here prevents wasted effort. Once you’re sure of the ladder and your definition of thriving, you can start demonstrating value, building habits, cultivating relationships, and ascending the ladder of accountability.

3. Understand You Are a Cost

One principle often missed in career growth: everything inside a business is a cost.

Value — usually financial value — is created outside the company, typically when customers buy your products or services. Everything else is a cost: your salary, your team, IT equipment, travel, training — almost everything inside the business.

To climb the ladder, you must understand how your work contributes to real value. It’s easy to believe that delivering some project internally is valuable, but unless it impacts the bottom line or the customer, it’s a cost.

Many organisations are actually structured in this way with internal teams delivering for other internal teams; be careful to understand it's all cost until the value is generated outside of the business.

The more you understand this, the more you can optimise your work, improve systems, and make yourself indispensable – because you will be able to tie the connections between the work you do, and the value generated.

4. Work on Systems

Career growth is less about individual tasks and more about impact at a systemic level.

To justify higher responsibility — or a higher salary / rate — you need to show how your work adds significant value or reduces costs across the organisation. Small fixes in one team won’t move the needle; the big wins come from systemic improvements.

Identify challenges that span functions: lack of clarity, red tape, competing goals, poor processes, or low-quality work. Solve these problems. Pull the “big levers” that increase value across the organisation.

Systemic work often requires:

• Understanding other people’s roles and challenges
• Strong critical thinking
• Expert communication skills to persuade and align others
• Conflict management, decision-making, and influence
• Being able to see the business as a series of connections, not separate functions

When done well, these systemic levers can transform the business — and your career trajectory.

👉 See this post on Systemic Problems

5. Develop Communication Skills — A Superpower

Effective communication is non-negotiable. As responsibility grows, so does the need to:

• Move people into action
• Resolve conflicts
• Make tough decisions
• Build trust and credibility
• Communicate with clarity

I believe 99% of problems in business are communication-related. Mastering communication helps prevent problems, spot opportunities, and position yourself as a leader.

Strong communication isn’t just about speaking well — it’s about listening, persuading, and ensuring your message drives the desired action.

6. Learn How to Shift Your Own Behaviours

Career growth often demands personal evolution. I talk a lot about the ten behaviours of effective employees — but climbing the ladder requires the ability to adapt, learn, and shift your own behaviours.

This is challenging. Change must come from within. No one can do it for you.

Ask yourself:

• When I’m not influencing people effectively, what behaviour needs adjustment?
• When my presentations lack conviction, what can I change?
• When setbacks deflate me, what habits or attitudes can I shift?

This is learning how to learn (and study) — and learning always produces behavioural change (or it should). It’s the bridge between knowing and doing.

But don’t lose yourself in the process.

7. Relationships for the Win

Work is relationships. Politics is relationships. Success is relationships.

Build strong professional networks without compromising your values. Help others genuinely, and they’ll support you in return. Influence isn’t about manipulation — it’s about trust, respect, and reciprocity.

8. Be Specific

As you climb, clarity becomes a competitive advantage. Being specific and assertive helps:

• Give direction to teams
• Make decisions efficiently
• Communicate your expectations clearly
• Advocate for yourself

Clarity prevents confusion, reduces duplication, and ensures your team understands their role in achieving goals.

Most workplace problems stem from a lack of clarity. Leaders should provide focus, direction, and purpose. The further you ascend, the more essential it is to be clear about:

• Your values
• Your vision
• Your goals
• How you add value

Clarity not only accelerates your progress but inspires others to follow you. Leadership is about attracting followers — and followers choose clarity (and something worth following).

👉 See this post on Clarity, Alignment and Action

Summary

Climbing the career ladder isn’t about luck or charm. It’s about:

1. Deciding to thrive and defining what success looks like for you.
2. Choosing the right ladder and the right race.
3. Understanding your role as a cost and finding ways to create value externally.
4. Working on systems and solving systemic problems to add significant value.
5. Mastering communication to influence, resolve, and lead.
6. Shifting your own behaviours to grow and adapt.
7. Building relationships based on trust, reciprocity, and integrity.
8. Being specific and clear in your vision, goals, and communication.

Follow these principles — and pair them with consistent hard work and micro-decisions — and you’ll position yourself to thrive, ascend, and make a meaningful impact in your career.