awesome advice! I will totally save this for my info to success binder.

you make some really great points. Its actually interesting that you should reference Gen Y being more open b/c I totally believe that. Our generation, more than any other I feel, understands that its important to have people who know more around you. We see the benefits in asking for help and we don't undercut the helper but reward them with our accomplishments and recognition of their help. Like you said, generations before us were very skeptical of helping in fear of being trumped.

We are a one for all and all for one type generation and that feels great! Your advice clearly proves this... Wishing you success in your new position!

jrandom: the problem is that your current position may have nothing to do with the next position up.

For example, in my position as a computer programmer, the next position above mine is team leader. Unfortunately, being a team leader involves dealing much more with people rather than computers. And I'm not much of a people person. As a result, I don't want to be promoted (and shouldn't be)

Promoting people based solely upon their execution at their current job is a disaster waiting to happen.

In my opinion, people should not be promoted until they have shown that they can do EVERYTHING their boss does, except for taking the final responsibility. No one can be prepared for that. But at least they will have all of the mechanics of the position down before they get promoted.

Congrats, Harry!

@Scott - I'm with jrandom partially on this one. While being forward thinking and doing all the things Harry described is great, if it's being done to the detriment of your current position, then that to me shows an inability to manage (whether it be time, people, etc).

Going above and beyond what you were hired to do is awesome and should be done (and itll get you that promotion). But part of going above and beyond means first accomplishing what you were hired to do.

Who said getting promoted was easy? You'll need to do your current job, AND go above and beyond to take on leadership roles.

But really, it shouldn't be that bad. A good manager will give his employees the opportunity to lead, and factor that into their workload.

The point is that an employee must show that they can handle at least some of the responsibilities of the next position up, before they get promoted.

Just doing your current job extremely well isn't enough.

And this isn't just an IT thing. A great salesman doesn't necessarily make a great manager. The same for a welder, a carpenter, a stockboy, a cashier, an accountant... pick your profession!

I have to say this advice is right on. I've done it... well kind of. If you want to get ahead you must volunteer, accept a mentor, and look at the big picture. It works, it really does. You can even get to the top without a degree if you are willing to prove you've got what it takes.

Basing promotion on current levels of competence is asking for trouble. Read the Peter Principle. A great programmer gets promoted to team leader. He is not a leader and does a mediocre job. So now you have lost a great programmer and gained a mediocre motivator. Never to be promoted again.
Now to promote based on characteristics and interests is different. A person striving for the next level and displaying the needed abilities should be promoted.