One of the most frustrating moments for a manager is advocating for someone’s promotion and hearing, “We need more evidence.” It can feel like the process is working against you, especially when you know the employee is capable and deserving.
What I have learned from sitting in dozens of calibration and promotion discussions is this: the outcome is usually decided long before anyone walks into the room.
When a promotion moves smoothly, it is rarely because someone made a compelling argument at the table. It is because the groundwork was laid months in advance. When a promotion stalls, it is often not because the employee lacks talent, but because the case for advancement was never fully built.
That distinction matters.
HR’s role in these conversations is not to act as a gatekeeper. The role is to ask the questions that ensure promotions are fair, consistent, and tied to demonstrated impact. That protects the organization, the manager, and the employee being put forward.
Promotion decisions are not meant to be subjective judgments based on potential alone. They are meant to reflect readiness for the next level. That readiness has to be visible.
If you are planning to advocate for a raise or promotion, preparation needs to start well before the formal discussion. Six months out is a reasonable benchmark. At that point, strong managers are already asking themselves:
Are expectations for the next level clearly defined and communicated?
Is the employee receiving stretch assignments that allow them to demonstrate readiness?
Is their impact being tracked and documented in concrete terms?
Are gaps being addressed through coaching and feedback?
Do peers and stakeholders see the same level of performance and influence?
When you walk into a calibration meeting with clear documentation and specific examples, you are not asking for approval. You are presenting a case that is grounded in evidence and difficult to dispute.
The most effective managers I have worked with treat promotion preparation as an ongoing practice, not a last-minute scramble. As a result, their people advance more consistently and with fewer surprises.
Many growing organizations struggle here, not because they lack good intent, but because they lack the HR infrastructure to support managers through this process. Clear role expectations, promotion frameworks, and documentation standards do not appear on their own. They have to be built.
When those systems are in place, promotions become less frustrating and far more predictable. More importantly, employees understand what success looks like and how to work toward it.