Do You Really Want That Promotion?
You may get vertigo when climbing the corporate ladder.
It seems that it is universally assumed that we should all be wanting to further ourselves, enhance our careers and get promoted to a position of greater authority, with a better job title and an improved salary. But have you ever stopped and thought about what a promotion would really involve and if you actually want it? <br/><br/> Here we look at some of the things that may mean getting a promotion does not necessarily result in you having the job of your dreams. <br/><br/> People Management <br/><br/> Depending on your company and it's structure an internal promotion may result in you managing more people, whether it is your first experience of people management or it means having a greater number of subordinates. This is not ideal for all employees or even companies. Take for example an engineering firm, an engineer might be performing exceptionally well and their bosses might feel they need rewarding for this performance so offer him or her a promotion to be head of the team. However, what if they do not have the skills to be a manager of people and their talents lie in the nitty gritty of engineering? The team as a whole might then start to underperform, the promoted manager could be unhappy in their new role and look to leave. In this example it would be better if there was a dual hierarchy within the company, where the employee who performed well was able to receive recognition through an improved title, pay and responsibility but still focus on engineering so the company did not lose those skills. <br/><br/> Increased Responsibility <br/><br/> One facet of a promotion to a more advanced role is that your level of responsibility may increase. For some this is a good thing, it can motivate them to continue to perform well, yet for others this can have a negative effect. It can lead to extended working hours to ensure that these more important tasks are completed. It can also be a stressful experience. This stress can come from both the complexity and importance of the tasks but also the level of expectation that surrounds their new position. Having a new office with a luxury office chair, a fancy new job title and a bigger pay packet can lead to a perception that your colleagues anticipate you getting stronger results, but without actually having the where with all to produce them. <br/><br/> Too Many Meetings <br/><br/> A rise up the ranks can require you to be aware of more and more of the activity of other areas of the business. Climbing the corporate ladder can lead to an individual's calendar being full of meetings leaving little time to get any actual work done. This can be incredibly frustrating if critical deadlines are looming and you are stuck in a cross functional planning meeting discussing trivia like who will buy office supplies. Having to sit through the presentation of endless facts and figures can also be excruciatingly mind numbing and will seem like a far cry from the glamour you envisaged when you first heard your ritzy new job title. <br/><br/>
About the Author
Sam Qam has been promoted many times. He went from an intern who had to buy office supplies to head of department with a luxury office chair in less than 5 years.
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