To secure a promotion, proactively take on responsibilities associated with the role you aspire to, even before receiving the title. Consistent, sustained performance and ownership of broader team issues are key, demonstrating capability and readiness for advancement.

Phil Eaton recalls how a junior developer at Linode, Drew DeVault, used clear logic and dogged persistence to reshape the engineering team’s architecture and decision-making culture. Eaton learned that you don’t need seniority to drive change—you need preparation, the will to debate, and the judgment to know when to push and when to let go.