Adding on to that, if we're talking leadership roles within the parks like BigThunderMatt brought up, then most of the managers I work with weren't promoted at all; they were hired straight into the leadership positions. Only one actually worked in the area previously, and only a few more worked for Disney beforehand. So it's not necessarily about getting promoted, it's about getting hired. Not to mention that it doesn't matter if you're knowledgeable about the department you're hired for or not. One of my attractions managers was transferred to custodial a few weeks ago. Managers are trained to know about the CMs they're in charge of, the rules they're supposed to be following, and how to deal with them if they break the rules. Basically, managers are there to make sure Disney policies are followed, so if you want to make changes, that's not the best role to aim for, although managers do have more sway with higherups than bus drivers.
