Promotions in big Tech

Promotion Is About Leadership, Not Just Metrics

One of the most fulfilling parts of my time at Amazon hasn’t been $$ savings or defect reduction. It’s been promoting multiple L6s and L7s into larger leadership roles.

When evaluating promotions, I didn’t optimize for timelines, attrition risk, or a single standout accomplishment. I looked for leaders who:

• Carried the brand with them
• Delivered team outcomes consistently
• Operated beyond their immediate scope

That last one is often underrated.

I’ve seen many people hit their goals and still miss a promotion. Why? Because they were narrowly focused on their scorecard and missed what the business truly needed.

I call it business sense, and it has three parts:

1. See the unseen
2. Bring attention to it
3. Help solve it

Many strong performers are good at the first two. The ones who become unstoppable do all three. At senior levels (L6 — and certainly L7), this becomes non-negotiable.

Promotion is rarely about a single halo achievement. It’s about consistency and the trust you build with your manager, peers, and stakeholders. It’s about showing up every day as a business leader — not just a functional owner.

Ownership isn’t a slogan. It’s a differentiator.

I’m grateful to the leaders who trusted me with larger and more complex charters — and who allowed me to coach others into their next chapter. Watching those leaders succeed in bigger roles has been far more rewarding than any metric on a dashboard.