Are all the slots above you filled?

• How fast is your organization growing? If growth is stagnant, new positions might not arise for a while.
• What can you do to stimulate growth or expansion?
• What new markets can you uncover?
• How might your organization re-structure for greater efficiency?
• In other words, can you create a new position for yourself?
• Devising ways to improve the organization is leadership.
• Alternatively, would a lateral move be worth your while?
• How would diversifying yourself prepare you for later advancement?
• Waiting for something to happen is deadly.
• Setting a target date for your promotion and creating an action plan to get there is proactive, much better than merely waiting and feeling powerless.
• How can you offer additional support to one or more of the executives above you to increase your chances of being seen as a successor?
• Eliminate guesswork - What additional experience might get you promoted?
• Find out where senior leaders see the business going and what they see as important in future executives.
• Would more money satisfy you?
• How marketable are you? How dependent is the organization on you?
• In short, how strong is your bargaining power?
• What can you do to increase it?
• To get an independent view, talk to at least 2 headhunters.
• To increase your bargaining power, do things for your internal customers that they value so much that you become indispensable.
• What value can you add that it would be difficult for your internal customers to obtain from anyone else?

See the article: An Engaged Employee's Career for tips on how to take charge of your own career and get yourself promoted.