How to Step Into a Bigger Role
The best way to get a bigger role is usually to start doing the bigger job before anyone gives you the title.
To step into a bigger role, start doing parts of the bigger job now by helping and developing the people around you, take ownership of problems beyond your own work, tell your manager what you want and ask what it would take, build the skills the next role requires, make your results visible and be patient. Most promotions are earned over the year before the interview.
I have interviewed and promoted many people into leadership roles. The interview matters, but it rarely wins the promotion. The last year does. I look at whether someone made the team better without a title, and I ask the team who they already see as a leader.
So my advice to anyone who wants a bigger role is the same: do the job before you have the title.
Six ways to step into a bigger role
- Help the people around you. It needs no title.
- Own bigger problems. Beyond your own lane.
- Say what you want. And ask what it would take.
- Build the next skills. Not just today’s.
- Make results visible. Quietly, consistently.
- Be patient. The year before the interview counts most.
Help and develop the people around you
The clearest sign someone is ready to lead is that they are already helping others succeed: answering questions, training new people, lifting the team’s energy. If the team already sees you as a leader, the title usually follows.
Own bigger problems
Look for problems beyond your own work that nobody is solving, and take one on. Ownership is the habit that separates people who are ready for more from people who are waiting for it. See How to Take Initiative at Work.
Tell your manager what you want
Many people wait to be noticed. Tell your manager where you want to go and ask what it would take to get there. Then ask for feedback along the way. See How to Ask for a Promotion.
Build the skills the next role needs
The skills that make you excellent now may not be the ones the next role requires. Ask what the bigger role demands, whether leading people, managing budgets or presenting to executives, and start building those skills now.
Be patient and keep going
If you do not get the role this time, ask what to work on and keep doing the job before the title. Many of the people I have watched get passed over came back stronger. The frustration of being passed over can become motivation to improve. See What to Do When You Did Not Get the Promotion.
Stepping up is part of You Are Capable of More: Leadership and my signature keynote, You Are Capable of More. For the bigger picture, read Human Potential: A Complete Guide.
Do the bigger job before you have the title. Help and develop the people around you, own bigger problems, tell your manager what you want, build the next role’s skills, make results visible and be patient. The year before the interview counts most.
Frequently asked questions
How do I step into a bigger role at work?
How do I show I am ready for a promotion?
What do managers look for when promoting someone?
What if I do not get the promotion?
You Are Capable of More
A No-Excuses Guide to Becoming Your Best Self. The bestselling book behind Chris’s keynotes and the 2026 Paris Book Festival winner in the How-To category. Many teams hand a copy to every seller at their kickoff.
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Chris Sund speaks on this in You Are Capable of More: Leadership and You Are Capable of More, for conferences, leadership teams and company meetings.
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