How Do You Get Promoted at Pie Insurance, Alliant Credit Union and Bectran? Inside 3 Career Growth Models

Amid economic uncertainty and AI acceleration, many employers are taking a cautious approach to hiring, focusing on targeted, high-impact roles in 2026. While this trend might make it harder for jobseekers to find new positions, there is a silver lining: Internal mobility is on the rise.

According to CTO Magazine, employees at companies with strong internal mobility programs stay 60 percent longer than their peers, and report feeling more engaged and bought in on the company mission. Employees who work for companies that prioritize upskilling and clear paths to promotion are more likely to gain valuable cross-functional skills that will have a positive impact on their employer’s business — and their career — for the long-term.

Want to know what it’s like to work somewhere with sponsorship that sticks? Look no further than the following three companies. 

 

Pie Insurance offers workers’ compensation and commercial automotive insurance for small businesses.  

 

What makes promotion criteria feel fair and clear?

Promotion criteria feel fair when they are tied to visible impact, not just role tenure or subjective perception.

At Pie, the clearest signals are when expectations are defined in terms of scope, complexity and business outcomes — for example, leading cross-functional initiatives, influencing decisions across teams and delivering measurable improvements to the business.

When people know what level of ownership and impact defines the next level, they can intentionally grow toward it. This has been my experience at Pie.

Which learning program most changed your capability — and what measurable outcome followed? 

The learning experiences that most changed my capability were those that combined systems thinking with real execution on complex platforms.

Leading implementations such as Zuora billing and a claims adjudication ecosystem required translating business goals into technical delivery across engineering, marketing, customer support underwriting, finance, operations and claims teams. That experience strengthened my ability to align cross-functional stakeholders around a clear execution plan and drive large initiatives to delivery.

The measurable outcome was stronger cross-team alignment and faster decision-making, which helped unblock and advance critical platform initiatives across billing and claims operations.

 

What manager or mentor behavior consistently accelerates growth?

The managers who accelerate growth do three things consistently: Create stretch opportunities before someone thinks they’re ready. Provide direct, actionable feedback rather than vague encouragement. Advocate for their people in rooms they are not in.

 

 

Alliant Credit Union provides banking, loans and investment services to members nationwide.

 

What makes promotion criteria feel fair and clear?

In my experience, promotion criteria at Alliant have felt fair because they’re tied to skills, experience and demonstrated impact, rather than visibility or who you know. Advancement hasn’t been automatic, you have to show you’re ready and capable of taking on more responsibility. I started my career here as an individual contributor and worked my way into leadership. Along the way, I learned that if you want to grow, you need to be intentional about it; know where you want to go, seek out opportunities and be willing to stretch. I’ve received guidance and support from leaders, but ultimately, my path has been my responsibility to own. The expectations were clear to me, depth in your craft matters, but so does being well‑rounded and able to lead people effectively. That combination of clarity, accountability and personal ownership is what has made growth feel earned and meaningful in my experience.

Which learning program most changed your capability — and what measurable outcome followed? 

In my experience, growth at Alliant has come from company‑funded leadership development paired with real stretch opportunities. We’ve had structured curricula for managers and my team and I also established the Alliant Leader Academy (ALA) to connect leaders across the organization and work on initiatives that strengthen the business. I’ve completed the program myself and it reinforced enterprise thinking and leadership capability. Alongside formal programs, I’ve benefited from managers who provided timely feedback, encouraged autonomy and supported learning through experimentation. Those experiences enabled me to grow from an individual contributor into senior leadership and lead efforts that improved the employee and manager experience. More recently, I’ve leaned into AI learning through internal councils, applying it in my role while helping others do the same.

 

What manager or mentor behavior consistently accelerates growth? 

The manager behavior that has most consistently accelerated my growth is timely, in‑the‑moment feedback combined with a regular one-on-one cadence. Having space to reflect, talk through challenges and get honest input, outside of formal review cycles, has made development feel continuous rather than episodic. Equally important, has been trust — being given autonomy to make decisions, take risks and learn through experience, with support when needed. That balance has helped me grow confidence, stretch into new areas and take on increasingly complex work.

 

 

Bectran is a SaaS platform that automates credit management, collections and accounts receivable operations.

 

What makes promotion criteria feel fair and clear?

For us, promotion criteria feel fair and clear because they’re based on consistent growth and how someone shows up over time, not one-off achievements. We look at effort, ownership and how well someone embodies our Corporate Character — the traits and behaviors that reflect how we work at Bectran. 

The evidence comes from defined career paths, performance metrics tied to role expectations and observable Corporate Character behaviors, which together help guide promotion decisions and identify the people we want to continue growing here.

 

Which learning program most changed your capability — and what measurable outcome followed? 

Leading hands-on HR projects, especially around employee relations, benefits and process improvements, most improved my capability. After taking ownership of those initiatives, I became more confident making decisions, anticipating issues and supporting leaders more proactively.

 

What manager or mentor behavior consistently accelerates growth?

In a fast-paced environment, growth accelerates when managers and mentors set clear direction, provide the right resources and trust people to take ownership. While check-ins may not always be constant, managers are accessible when needed and focus more on guiding than hand-holding. That balance of trust, support and accountability helps people grow quickly and confidently.