The Promotion’s Not the Point

"If only I got promoted, then...
...I'd be happier."
...My colleagues would take me seriously."
...I could really make an impact."
...I could finally relax."

I hear this often.

But then you know what happens when they do get promoted?

They minimize it.
"Well this is nice an all, but I really should be at the Exec level."
"Well sure I got promoted, but so did Shaun and Linda so it's like nothing actually changed."

Or they tell me they thought it would feel different.

And a wave of sorrow sets in. Because the thing they thought was the solution, turned out to lead to just another cycle of the same old story.

The reason for this let down resides in how we perceive promotions.

When we make the promotion the solution, the sole mission, the key objective...we miss out on the actual point.

The promotion isn't the point. The progress is.

The promotion is the measure of that progress, which is why it is an important milestone.

But when we get so focused on the measure that we lose the motive - the reason for wanting to excel in the first place - the promotion deceives us.

So let's remember the progress. The growth. The process of self discovery and development that our career journey can be. Let's remember the point is that progress.

The promotion is an indicator, but not the point itself.