Become the missing puzzle piece – on purpose.

A lot of people think promotions happen because you work harder, longer, louder.

Sometimes they do.

But often, promotions happen because a senior leader looks at you and thinks:

“If this person is in my orbit, my life gets easier — and my outcomes get better.”

Not because you’re a helper.
Not because you’re “nice.”
But because you’re useful in a way that matters.

Here’s one action that is both powerful and fun:

Find what your leader is missing – and fill that gap with your strengths.

Not by guessing what “the business needs.”
But by spotting what your boss and seniors struggle with – the parts of their job that cost them time, energy, attention, or credibility.

Then you step in with something you’re naturally good at (or at least enjoy enough to become good at fast).

That’s the move.

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Step 1: Know your strengths – and what you genuinely like doing

Because the whole point is: you shouldn’t suffer for visibility.

If you’re someone who loves structure, you’ll shine when chaos needs a plan.
If you’re good with words, you’ll shine when leaders need clarity.
If you’re a connector, you’ll shine when teams need culture and cohesion.
If you’re execution-strong, you’ll shine when “ideas” need reality.

Promotion energy is different when it’s aligned with who you are.

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Step 2: Identify the “missing piece” in your leader’s world

This is the part people don’t do.

They focus on their own tasks… and miss the bigger opportunity:
What is your leader carrying that they can’t fully solve alone?

Some examples (simple, real, effective):

• They can’t take vacation because no one can cover the coordination.
  → You step in and run the cadence, prep the meetings, hold the threads.
• They struggle with strategy/storylining.
  → You turn messy thoughts into a crisp narrative and decision paper.
• They have an org gap: a capability missing on the org chart.
  → You build the thing.
• They need community and culture — but don’t have time to orchestrate it.
  → You create the platform, the rhythm, the “us.”

This isn’t about doing their job.
It’s about removing friction from their success.

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Step 3: Make it visible — without making it loud

There’s a difference between showing off and showing up.

If you want this to pay into your promotion cycle, your contribution needs to be:

• Connected to outcomes (not just effort)
• Observable (others can see it happened)
• Repeatable (not a one-time hero moment)
• Creditable (your name stays attached to the value)

This is where a lot of high performers lose out:
They do amazing work… quietly… and then wonder why someone else gets the credit.

You don’t need to be loud.
You just need to be legible.

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Two real examples from my own career

1) “Can you build the missing team?”

My boss had to execute an operating model – which required an additional team that simply didn’t exist. The skills weren’t in the company. The org chart had a gap. A missing puzzle piece.

He asked me if I’d be willing to create it.

Was it my “heart topic”? Not really.
Was it a meaningful puzzle piece in his success? Absolutely.

So I took it.

And I didn’t just “own the topic.”
I built it with my strengths: structure, orchestration, clarity, people.
Result: he reached his goals – and he could clearly link that outcome to my contribution.

That’s how careers move.

2) “I have an idea – let’s build something big.”

What I love is bringing people together. Celebrating. Creating a feeling of “us,” not just individual performance.

So during the tail end of Corona times, I offered to build an event for 1,000+ colleagues across three countries and ten offices – hybrid, coordinated, synchronized.

My senior worked the budget.
I built the machine:

• a core strategic team
• ten execution teams in ten offices
• agenda, timing, technology, cameras, handovers
• games played simultaneously across locations
• aligned responsibilities for what gets sent into the main video conference and when

It wasn’t “just an event.”
It was a visible demonstration of what our team could do – and it became a stage for many people to shine.

And yes: it also paid into my promotion cycle.

Because it was value. At scale. With leadership signal.

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The important warning: Not every leader deserves your extra mile

This strategy only works if you apply it with discernment.

Some leaders will happily offload everything they dislike…
and never invest in your career, visibility, learning, or growth.

So here’s a simple filter:

Before you say yes, ask yourself:

• Does this leader give credit or absorb it?
• Do they develop people or consume people?
• Do they open doors or only use hands?
• Do they do “transaction only” – or do they build mutual success?

If the answer is clear: no, then your smartest move might be a polite no.
(And yes – “how to say no gracefully” is absolutely another article.)

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The takeaway

If you want to get promoted, don’t only be excellent at your tasks.

Be excellent at what makes your leaders win.
And do it in a way that matches your strengths – so it stays fun, sustainable, and uniquely yours.

Because the fastest way to become “promotable” is to become:

hard to replace.