"My current job suits my needs but I'm unsure of the growth prospects inside the organisation." - I've been hearing this a lot lately. But guess what? Every year your colleagues and friends are getting promoted but not you. I know you're happy for them but it's only human to feel a bit of jealousy... Why couldn't that be me? My friends seem to be taking elaborate trips all the time, having fun with their family and kids, working in their dream jobs AND getting raises. Sounds familiar?
Then strikes the economy card- I live in the west where growth is slower than most Asian countries. Of course my growth is slower..!
And then the self-assurance - Oh but my friends in Singapore and Tokyo work so hard and till ungodly hours! I am happy in my job. In fact, in this economy, I am lucky to have a job!
And thus rests the hopes and dreams of a promotion... and along with that, the ones of the dream house... with a swimming pool in the backyard, and the green lawn where you could sit and sip several glasses of lemonade on a sunny day as you hear the birds chip and the kids play. And now you knock yourself out of the reverie with the espresso sitting on your desk, as you curse your manager for not recognising your efforts.
If this sounds familiar, you might be suffering from the syndrome of getting stuck!
Now let's think for a minute. What did you do to deserve the promotion that your co-worker got? You may think that you did your job really well... but did you make yourself redundant in your position, AND make your manager's job redundant?
You see, many of us believe that doing our jobs well makes us promotion worthy. The truth however is that doing our manager's job well makes us promotion worthy. Why should a company give you more responsibility and money when you're just doing your own job well? Would you have done that?
I guess that covers it for many of us, but if you believe there are other reasons why your growth has slowed down, do write back to me. Or if you've found a way to get unstuck and get promoted, let me know what worked for you. You know I read all emails.
