How Engineering Managers Get Promoted Without Bragging

And just a few weeks later, that director offered me a senior manager promotion in his organization. And the best part is that it never felt like bragging. So if self-promotion, if going after visibility really makes you cringe as an engineering leader, let me show you the exact move that turned my win into career visibility without the sleazy, arrogant ego trap that so many of us are worried about. And I call this move the Ninja Brag. Okay, sorry, that was totally out of line. I call it the Ninja Brag. Let’s get into it.

And before we start, if the bit that you really hate is knowing that you need more visibility, but just cringing at that idea of talking about yourself, don’t leave this video as a nice idea. I made you a one-page Ninja Brag Guide with the 3 steps we’ll walk through today, plus the questions and some scripting ideas that you can use to turn your next win into a genuine feedback conversation. No victory lap, no look how great I am nonsense. It’s just a better way to make sure that the right people see your contribution and you get appropriate credit for the great work that you do. So grab the PDF at the link in the show description down in the show notes so that you can put this into practice in your own career. So there’s 3 steps to the Ninja Brag process. So we’ll walk through all 3 right now, but let’s agree first that you do need visibility.

You need visibility in your engineering career, especially when you’re going from manager to senior manager to director and beyond, it becomes more and more important. And if you don’t agree with me on that, then you need to go back and watch the video that I’ve already created where we talked about why louder engineers get promoted first, that your reputation is built on results multiplied by reach. It’s a totally separate conversation that I’ve covered in depth in another video, but you need that visibility. So step 1 is to build that list of the leaders and influencers who you want visibility with and book a 15-minute one-on-one conversation with those leaders to share with them a win that you have on a project. Now, maybe I should remind you that you need to create a win first. If you’re not winning at all, that’s on you. We’ve got to create a win.

But I promise you, You’ve got some great work that you can talk about right now. You don’t need to put this on the back burner waiting for another bigger win. Find the thing that’s at the top of the list right now and let’s get started. Book those 15-minute one-on-one conversations with the leaders who you want to build visibility with. Why only 15 minutes? This is not a strategy That you tack on at the end of your recurring one-on-one with your boss or at the end of a mentorship meeting where you’re going to be covering a lot of other topics. It’s not something that you blend with other things. It’s meant to be like a ninja sneaks in. You don’t see them coming. They do what they’re there to do and then they sneak out. And you never saw him leave.

There’s a certain importance in this particular tactic of the ninja brag that we want to come in, deliver this conversation. I’ll share with you exactly how you’re going to do that in just a second. And then we’re going to walk away from that with nothing else that happens. You’re just in and out. It’s a quick conversation. It can even be as short as 5 minutes and still be effective. 15 minutes is plenty of time and don’t let it turn into a 1-hour conversation. 15 minutes or less is the target, and that is on purpose. Step 1, book the 15-minute one-on-one with the leaders you want to build visibility with. If you don’t have access to their calendar, if you cannot get that time, then we need to get you into a position where you can. Ask a mentor for help. Ask your boss for help. Ask your skip for help. Ask a peer for help. Find a way to get on their calendar. This is a conversation that’s meant to be had in real life, one-on-one, not through an email, not through a text message, not on Slack, not in any other forum, not in a group setting. One-on-one. Book the meeting.

That’s the first step. Step 2, we kick off this conversation by presenting the win in the context of the larger project, the larger initiative, the larger objective. Why do we do that? Let me show you why this is important. When you are presenting great work, What everybody’s worried about is coming across as arrogant, or pick a word of choice— slimy, sleazy. These are all words that I hear from leaders who are afraid to go get visibility. I don’t want to come across like that guy. I don’t want to be bragging all the time like that girl. I understand we don’t want to be on this What you want is to come across as humble, right? Maybe confident, not arrogant. So how do we capture the essence of that humility while sharing something that’s a big win? This may feel contradictory. It’s like, How do I go talk about my, my great work, talk about my wins without triggering that sleaze button? And I get that. It’s kind of a weird thing. Well, this is why presenting in context of the greater initiative is important, because when you’re over on this side, okay, when you’re on the arrogant and sleazy side, here’s what that usually sounds like. It’s, hey, I’m better than Zach. I’m better than Zach. And you probably are, by the way. I’m better than Zach. You’re putting your win or your great work in comparison to something that’s lesser. And when you do that, if you initiate the conversation in a way that’s comparing your results to someone else, then you’re going to come across like you are arrogant, slimy, and sleazy. That’s the right side of this.

But if you want to march your way over to the humble and confident side, that sounds different. That sounds like, hey, we have a big goal. We have a big goal on this project. We want to accomplish something that’s an industry first. As you know, so-and-so leader, our team is working on a piece of a big strategy, a big product launch, a big fill-in-the-blank that’s going to create massive value for our customer, for the company. And I’ve been working on this piece of that big initiative, and recently we just had a win. We just scored a touchdown. We just hit the home run on this piece of that bigger picture. Do you see the difference? It’s not about I’m so good and everyone else on the team is not. That’s the territory of arrogance. It’s Hey, boss. Hey, director. Hey, VP. Hey, CTO. I wanna share with you a victory that we just had, this little battle that we won in the context of the war that we are waging right now. The one game that we are winning in this tennis match that has multiple sets to play. Pick a metaphor. I want you to understand that it’s the framing as this is a small piece of the Bigger thing that allows you to present the win on this side, the humble and confident side of the energetic spectrum.

That’s the key to step 2. When you go in to have this conversation, it’s not about comparison to someone else. It’s about framing your victory in the context of the big vision for your team. That is the shift, and that sets the stage for us to now move into the 3rd step, which puts the icing on the cake. And again, most people don’t take action on this because they get hung up with, Zach, what do I actually say when I get into the room, when I step into that meeting? The words just don’t come out of my mouth. And that’s usually where this can get awkward.

And when it gets awkward, then you don’t execute and you don’t get the results. So I’ve put the Ninja Brag into a one-page PDF. Like I said, the 3-step sequence is there, and I’ve included a bunch of examples with some exact scripting, some exact questions that you can use and how to present the win, and then how to execute this 3rd step. Of asking how you could multiply the impact. So grab a copy of that and use it before your next conversation with someone who has a big influence over the future of your career. That PDF is linked below.

Step 3, like I just said, is to make the ask. What are you asking for? You’re not asking for a promotion. You’re not asking for attaboys. You’re not asking for a spot award or some sort of special recognition. You’re not even asking for visibility or sponsorship at all. What you’re doing is asking for feedback. You’re asking for feedback. Feedback is the key. Hey, boss, what advice do you have for me on how we could take this win and multiply the impact even further. Hey, Mentor So-and-so, what mentorship can you offer me about how to take this win and spread the impact across the organization in a bigger way? Back to this spectrum. Let’s look at another dimension. On this left side is a fixed mindset, and on the right side is somebody who has a growth Mindset. You want to convey to that leader that you have a growth mindset. And what do growth mindset people do? They ask constantly for feedback on how they can grow.

So I’m coming to the leader, I’m presenting the win in the context of the larger objective, and then I’m asking for feedback On how that win could have been even better. And here’s the thing, this is a genuine ask. This is not just a tactic. It’s not just manipulation at all, because if they have an idea for you on how you could take a great new design or a really interesting architecture solution for something that no one else could solve, or an innovative and patent-worthy idea that you’ve created, and it’s already great in its own right. But if that leader who has more experience, who has seen, you know, bigger problems and solved across a bigger scope than you have, if they can see a way to take that further, you want to know. You want to know so you can do it and, and do it well and get an even bigger— Impact. Return. So the ask is genuine. The ask is real. But notice what happens when you make that ask is you get an immediate shift in their mind from being someone who’s on this side, arrogant and sleazy, and nobody wants that, to saying, oh my goodness, this guy who is winning, this girl who is very confident, is asking now For how they could have done even better. That is the key.

We want to come in and ask for feedback, not something for your career now. I’m not asking for promotion. I’m not asking them to go tell somebody else what I did. I’m not asking them to sponsor me for something in this conversation. I’m asking them What could I have done even better? I get asked a lot why this is called a ninja brag, and part of it is because it’s, it’s stealthy. You don’t see it coming when you’re on the receiving end. All right, your mentor, your boss, the people you’re talking to, they’re not going to see this as a tactic. If you come in with genuine energy, sincerity, the actual humility that I know is your values, they’re not going to see this as a tactic because it isn’t. At the end of the day, it’s using something that you would want to do anyway, but just using it intentionally.

But there is this kind of, hey, I never saw it coming ninja aspect. But the other reason I call it the ninja brag is because it reminds me of some really interesting reading that I did years and years and years ago about sword making and just the, the really treasured and amazing history of the craftsmanship of making samurai swords or different types of weaponry and, and folding metal and that whole process and the artistry involved in making swords. And if you think about being an apprentice who’s learning how to make a sword, a samurai sword, and you’re watching the master work and it’s just Incredible, and it’s such a high level of skill, and it’s incredibly difficult labor. It’s hard work, right? And to master that skill takes years and years and years. Well, as an apprentice, you know, and making it even to that journeyman level, and you’re getting to the point where you can make a really excellent weapon. The swords that you are making are fantastic, and they’re worthy of the name of your Master that you’re learning underneath. Well, what would you do as that apprentice? You’re going to bring that work, the best sword you’ve ever made, to your master, and you’re going to present it to him or her, and you’re going to say, what do you think? How is this work? What could I have done better? Is there anything that you can see? Where there’s still a flaw, where there’s still room for me to improve. What should I be doing to become in the likeness of the work that I’ve seen from you? That humble posture of bringing your best work to the master and asking for genuine feedback on what you need to do next to continue to improve, that’s the kind of energy that we want to bring here. Now, don’t Overdo the metaphor, right? It’s not like you’re seeing these people at work as your masters and you’re just the apprentice. I understand that you do incredible work and that you are deserving of that recognition in your own right.

But we want to take that humble approach in asking for feedback. And here’s what’s amazing: when that more senior leader sees your work, they see that sword presented and they pick it up and they look at your work and they say, “Wow!” This is really great. This is already at the level where you’re no longer an apprentice. You’re ready for something more. It’s time for you to move on and go sell your own swords, become your own master. Well, that’s what happens when you use the ninja brag. They’re going to see your wins, see your leadership, see your impact, and eventually they’re going to look at it and say, wow, this, this person is ready. This person is ready. And so you only You not only get the benefit of their support in how you could make a bigger impact, but you get the benefit of that positive reputation, that visibility that you need so that they can go on their own into that room where you’re not there and speak to your name and say, they’re ready now. If you’re doing Really good work, really strong work, but you’re still feeling overlooked when the promotion decisions are getting made. Those leaders and mentors are not putting your name at the top of the list. The Ninja Brag, this tool, it might be one piece of the puzzle for you. Go put it into practice. But on a call, we can look at your specific situation. We could figure out exactly what’s holding you back. You could think of it as the, the full picture on the outside of the puzzle box. We’ll identify What are the roadblocks?

What’s that number one bottleneck restricting your growth? And map out a simple plan for your next move. Uh, in other words, like, let’s get you the actual puzzle pieces. So you’ve got one today. The Ninja Brag could be a piece you need to put in place, but there are others. Let’s get that entire picture and all the pieces for you. There’s no pressure. If you book a call, you’re going to leave knowing what to focus on next, whether you work with me or not. So if you want to do that, Then grab some time. Let’s book a call. We’ll put a link here in the show notes, in the description down below. You can grab 15 minutes and we will support you in figuring out what is that place where you’re stuck. And of course, where does the ninja brag fit into your strategy? I hope this helps you put it into practice. The more times you do this, the better. And if you’re worried about like, oh, I did it once, can I never do this again? Absolutely not. I’ve got an amazing leader named Cam that I’m working with right now. And when Cam learned this strategy, he booked a whole lineup of meetings and started executing on this Ninja Brag strategy. And he came back and said, now what? I said, really simple. 4

Go get another win and book the meetings again. You cannot overuse the Ninja Brag strategy. I guarantee it. The reason I say that is because most of you aren’t going to do it at all. Just being honest. So here’s my challenge to you. Get out there, go ninja brag on your wins. Don’t forget to crush comfort, create courage every step of the way, and I’ll see you in the next video. Let’s do this.