I Thought the Only Way to Get Promoted Was Hard Work, Until I Learnt...

For years, I was the poster child for the "work harder" mentality. First one in, last one out. Weekends? Optional. Lunch breaks? Those were for the weak. I was convinced that if I just put in enough hours, enough effort, enough everything, that promotion would eventually materialise on my desk like some corporate fairy godmother had waved her magic wand.

Spoiler alert: it didn't.

After watching colleagues who definitely weren't burning the midnight oil climb the ladder faster than me, I had to face an uncomfortable truth. Hard work matters, but it's only part of the equation—and possibly a smaller part than I'd been led to believe.

So what changed? Let me share the three strategies that transformed my approach and finally helped me advance.

Build Strategic Relationships (Not Just Friendships)

Early in my career, I believed the myth that office politics was a dirty game played by people who couldn't succeed on merit alone. I couldn't have been more wrong.

According to research by Deakin University, about 67% of Australian professionals believe "who you know" matters more than "what you know" for career advancement. But here's the nuance I missed: strategic relationship-building isn't about schmoozing; it's about creating genuine connections with people who can advocate for you.

I started setting up coffee meetings with colleagues from different departments. Not to extract value, but to understand their challenges and find ways our work could intersect. These relationships evolved naturally, and soon I had allies across the organisation who understood my value and could speak to it when I wasn't in the room.

Solve Problems Nobody Asked You to Solve

Perhaps the most transformative insight came from reading Adam Grant's research on "givers" in his book Give and Take. While selfless giving without boundaries can lead to burnout, proactive problem-solving targeted at organisational pain points creates disproportionate value.

I started paying attention to challenges that frustrated multiple teams or caused recurring issues. Instead of just handling my assigned tasks, I developed solutions to these broader problems.

Make Your Work Visible (Without Being That Person)

According to research from the Australian HR Institute, nearly 60% of Australian professionals who received promotions actively made their achievements known to management. Meanwhile, many hardworking folks toil away in obscurity, assuming their manager naturally keeps track of every contribution.

Spoiler alert 2: they don't.

I learned this lesson the hard way during a performance review when my boss seemed genuinely surprised by several major projects I'd completed. "I had no idea you handled that," she said. That's when it clicked—I needed a system to document my wins.

The trick is doing this without becoming insufferably self-promotional. For me, that meant sending brief weekly update emails outlining completed projects, challenges overcome, and goals for the coming week. Instead of saying "Look how amazing I am," I framed it as "Here's where we stand on our priorities." Same information, different packaging.

When promotion discussions rolled around, these initiatives became powerful evidence that I could think beyond my role and create company-wide impact.

The irony wasn't lost on me. By focusing less obsessively on my individual output and more on these three strategies, I actually accomplished more while working less.

Hard work still matters—it's just not the whole story. As it turns out, getting ahead isn't just about working harder; it's about working smarter in ways that many of us weren't taught.