The Leader Mindset #33

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From Quiet Quitting to Quiet Promotions: The Leadership Playbook for Talent Mobility

Remember when “quiet quitting” was all the rage? We were flooded with stories about employees doing the bare minimum, emotionally checking out, and simply coasting through their days.

That period tested everyone. We were coming out of COVID, returning to offices, and trying to find a new rhythm at work.

Fast forward to today, and a different challenge is emerging. The job market has hit a prolonged pause. Across industries, the new mantra seems to be “no firing, but no hiring.” The result?

• External hiring is slow

• Internal promotions are rare

• Headcount budgets are frozen or shrinking

In this environment, I’m starting to hear a new story. With hiring freezes in full effect and budgets tightening, we’re seeing the rise of something called quiet promotions.

In the media, quiet promotions often carry a negative tone. They’re portrayed as leaders expanding someone’s role without offering financial recognition. But I believe there’s another side to the story.

For many leaders, it’s not about choice but necessity. Training budgets have been cut, promotion opportunities are limited, and high performers are growing restless as they try to regain momentum in their careers.

As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention. Out of today’s constraints, leaders are discovering creative ways to stretch, grow, and develop their people, even when the org chart stays the same.

The Leadership Challenge in a Stalled Talent Market

Waiting for the next opening isn’t a development strategy. And hoping your best people “hang on until things loosen up” is wishful thinking. Whether you want to admit it or not, your top performers will always have options.

High achievers don’t just crave higher pay; they crave carprogress. When they stop seeing opportunities to grow, disengagement creeps in. And if we’re not careful, that’s how quiet quitting makes its return.

Now, I can already hear the skepticism. Some of you are probably thinking, We don’t have time for this. Others might worry that expanding roles without changing pay will only frustrate high performers and drive them away.

You’re right; adding more work or silently adding someone else’s duties at random or without discussing what’s in it for them will lead to quick disengagement. So, let’s not do that. Instead, let’s explore how to transform quiet promotions into a thoughtful, creative development strategy that drives meaningful growth for employees and yields significant dividends for the organization.

Here’s How to Do It Right:

1. Redefine what development means.

Career growth isn’t always vertical. I’ve always said that careers are more like a lattice than a ladder. Lateral stretch assignments, cross-functional projects, or taking the lead on a new client initiative often teach more than a new title ever could. Start preaching this idea to your teams!

2. Be transparent about the situation.

Tell your people the truth. Acknowledge that formal promotions may be limited right now, but explain why you’re giving them this developmental assignment and what they’ll get from it. When people understand how it prepares them for future opportunities, it builds trust and motivation.

3. Make growth visible.

If someone takes on more, recognize it. Highlight their expanded scope with higher-level leaders. Connect their new responsibilities to a clear learning goal or a future career path. Quiet promotions shouldn’t feel invisible; they should feel purposeful.

4. Balance stretch with support.

Giving people more work and labeling it as development is not what we're talking about. Growth shouldn’t feel like punishment. Offer coaching, feedback, and check-ins along the way. The best development happens in that sweet spot between challenge and improvement.

5. Follow through when things improve.

When the labor market eventually loosens, and it will, ensure that quiet promotions turn into real ones. A temporary creative fix that heightens development becomes powerful when it leads to tangible advancement later.

Let’s Make Quite Promotions Happen

We’ve gone from quiet quitting to quiet promotions, and the difference between the two comes down to leadership.

When leaders shift their focus from viewing development as a title-based process to recognizing it as a core aspect of everyday leadership, people grow even when the organization can’t.

So yes, hiring is frozen. But your development and talent mobility shouldn’t be.

Be the leader who helps people move forward, even when the org chart doesn’t.

Share in the comments how you are developing your people despite a smaller budget, fewer promotions, and increased workload.

Let’s learn from each other.

Andy Noon, PhD

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Andy