Eric William Cunningham

I've sat in the room where promotions get decided. Now I write the playbook. Author of Get Promoted + Execution. Practical career tips, daily.

[Eric William Cunningham @CunninghamBooks]

Most people think promotions go to whoever works the hardest.

I've sat in the rooms where those decisions get made. Hard work usually isn't what tips it. Trust, visibility, and judgment are.

Here you'll get practical career tips, what gets said behind closed doors, and the employee vs. leader mindset.

Books: Get Promoted and Execution 👇

https://t.co/yBO9Iw0w8R

[Eric William Cunningham @CunninghamBooks]

Here's a question I ask myself: if I owned this assignment, would the person who gave it to me feel free to focus elsewhere? When they have to keep a backup plan in their head, the work is costing more than the hours on the clock.

[Eric William Cunningham @CunninghamBooks]

Bad news rarely gets easier to deliver because you waited.

If a commitment is at risk, tell the right person while there's still time to respond.

Explain what changed, what you know, and what help or decision you need.

[Eric William Cunningham @CunninghamBooks]

Myth: If the work is good enough, it will speak for itself.

Reality: Work doesn't speak. People interpret evidence. Make the outcome clear enough that the people responsible for decisions can understand what changed because of your contribution.

https://t.co/cFaQ5eAQWH

[Eric William Cunningham @CunninghamBooks]

I've replayed conversations on the drive home and realized I was sharper than I needed to be.

Maybe you have too.

The next day, I can go back and say, “I didn't handle that well.” It doesn't erase the moment, but it gives the other person a chance to work with me again.

[Eric William Cunningham @CunninghamBooks]

A meeting starts before everyone sits down.

I try to read enough, ask a question, or find the missing context beforehand so I can actually help once we're in the room.

Ten quiet minutes of preparation can change the whole conversation.

[Eric William Cunningham @CunninghamBooks]

“I could do that job” may be true. The harder question is whether the people choosing can picture it.

You might ask for a piece of the work, do it well, and invite honest feedback. Not to put on a show. To learn what the role really demands and let others see you learning.

[Eric William Cunningham @CunninghamBooks]

I’ve brought the Get Promoted books, free resources, Book Three waitlist, and future updates together in one place.

If you’d like to explore the series, download the Promotion Readiness Checklist, or be first to hear about Get Promoted: The Decision, visit: https://t.co/kW5v8BKx9o

[Eric William Cunningham @CunninghamBooks]

A handoff isn't complete because you clicked Send.

Did the other person get what they need to act? Do they understand the deadline and the open question?

I try to make the ending of my part usable for whoever comes next.

[Eric William Cunningham @CunninghamBooks]

When I was younger, I thought finishing the assignment was the whole definition of being dependable.

I see it a little differently now.

Did the person who gave it to me have to keep checking? Did I tell them early when something changed? I want them to have one less thing to worry about because I took it on.

[Eric William Cunningham @CunninghamBooks]

Have you ever walked into a meeting and realized the real question wasn't on the agenda? I have. It helps to do a little listening before everyone gets in the room.

Sometimes I read the background. Sometimes I ask the person affected what they're worried about. I don't always get it right, but I usually arrive with a better question.

[Eric William Cunningham @CunninghamBooks]

Honest question for the career-book crowd: do you read them or listen to them?

I ask because Get Promoted is on Audible now, and I'm curious how people actually take in this kind of book. If you listen, what speed do you play it at?

[Eric William Cunningham @CunninghamBooks]

I have written work emails that were thorough and somehow still unclear.

There was plenty of background, but the reader had to hunt for the point.

Now I try to put the useful part up front: what changed, what I need, and when. If you need the whole story, I'll give it to you.

[Eric William Cunningham @CunninghamBooks]

Strong performance answers one question: Can you do the job you have? Promotion asks another: What happens when the scope gets wider, the information gets worse and the consequences get larger? Build evidence for the second question before you need it.

[Eric William Cunningham @CunninghamBooks]

I wrote Get Promoted: Execution about the work people see before a promotion decision: preparation, communication, judgment, and follow-through.

A promotion conversation may happen on one day. The examples people bring into that room were built over many ordinary days. That's the part I want to help you think through.

[Eric William Cunningham @CunninghamBooks]

There's a kind of exhausting work that starts with a solution before anyone has agreed on the problem. I've been part of it.

I try to slow down just enough to ask what we're trying to change and what we still don't know. It can feel like a delay. Usually it saves us one.

#GetPromoted

[Eric William Cunningham @CunninghamBooks]

I used to think taking initiative meant being the first to volunteer. I've learned to ask one more question: would this actually help? Sometimes the useful move is a small fix nobody noticed yet. Sometimes it's giving someone else the room to lead. I don't think initiative needs an audience.

#GetPromoted

[Eric William Cunningham @CunninghamBooks]

The phrase “that's not my department” can be technically true and still leave someone stuck.

When an issue falls between teams, I don't have to take over. I can help find the right person, explain the handoff, and check that someone picked it up. Small move. Big relief for the person waiting.

#GetPromoted

[Eric William Cunningham @CunninghamBooks]

An exciting assignment can bring out our best work. I get that. The ordinary ones tell a story too. How do you handle the Wednesday afternoon task nobody is going to applaud? The person who depends on your work still feels the difference.

#GetPromoted

[Eric William Cunningham @CunninghamBooks]

Some days I can't answer a question right away. You probably can't either. A quick note saying, “I have this and I'll get back to you tomorrow,” can be enough to let someone else keep moving. People don't need us glued to our inbox. They do need to know they haven't been forgotten.

#GetPromoted