Set aside examples of race, sex, national origin and other forms of illegal discrimination. Consider situations where, simply because of personality and regardless of ability, a person does not stand a strong chance of snagging a promotion.
Does this happen? Sure. Machiavelli advised checking the caliber of the people around a leader. It also makes sense to study the personality types that get promoted in your department or to upper management. For example, if personable back-slappers are favored and you're a brooding intellectual or a quiet engineer, it is unlikely that the promotion boards will suddenly break their pattern and pick you. The same rule applies, of course, if the circumstances are reversed.
This seems staggeringly obvious but I've met people who (1) never looked for a pattern or (2) saw one but believed they would be the grand exception. Years later, they were still waiting for that ship to come in.
There are times when the best promotion strategy is to move on and find a place that is a better fit.
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