To push back on grunt work without being confrontational, use humor and framing. Tell your manager they only get a few "shit work tokens" per month. This reframes the dynamic, makes them conscious of the cost of their ask, and is hard to argue against without them looking like a jerk.

Don't wait for a promotion or for the perfect role to be created. The most effective path to leadership is to proactively identify and take on critical, unowned tasks within your organization. This demonstrates value and allows you to carve out a new role for yourself based on proven impact.

To get promoted, excel at your 'day job' for credibility, but actively seek out the messy, hard problems others don't want. Raising your hand for these challenges demonstrates leadership, builds confidence, and earns you more responsibility.

Don't just do your job well; actively seek out and solve your manager's biggest pain points. Ask them, "What are your three biggest problems? Which one's worst? I want to work on that." The person who repeatedly solves the leader's most pressing issues becomes the obvious choice for promotion.

The best defense is a good offense: be so busy with valuable projects that you can't take on more. If that fails, become a "porcupine" by showing friction and pushing back. A manager will almost always choose to assign undesirable tasks to the path of least resistance—the compliant "squirrel."

By taking on undesirable but necessary tasks, you become highly valuable to your manager. This builds leverage, as even a self-interested leader will want to retain and reward someone who makes their life easier and solves their problems.

To pivot from a tactical role you dislike (like BDR) to a strategic one you desire (like Rev Ops), first achieve undeniable mastery in your current position. This on-the-ground credibility is the key to convincing leadership to give you a shot at a more strategic role.

The best way to secure a promotion is to demonstrate you are already capable of handling the role. Be transparent with your boss and HR about your ambition. Then, start taking on responsibilities of the higher-level position. This combination of clear communication and proven competence makes you the obvious choice.

Don't wait for a promotion or new job opening to grow. Proactively identify other teams' pain points and offer your expertise to help solve them. This proactive helpfulness builds relationships, demonstrates your value across the organization, and organically opens doors to new skills and responsibilities.