How to Motivate a Top Performer — When You Can’t Promote Them

In many work environments, promotions serve as one of the few indicators of career success and advancement. But promotions have a long feedback loop. They often take years to happen, which means they mask the growth happening across the months and years before a promotion is conferred. Promotions are also not entirely under an employee’s or their manager’s control. Sometimes a higher scope of work is not available, or leadership roles are limited in number.