How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. How do you manage…
John Borrowman, CPC
Borrowman Baker, LLC
Gallatin, TN
One reason you’ve stayed is that it always looked like there was another rung on the ladder. But is there? Maybe it’s time for a closer look.
Sometimes certainty can slip into assumption, and you might not notice. If you’re facing a decision point in the form of a review, now is the time to prepare. Even if you’re not, a careful calibration never hurts.
Begin by reviewing your notes from the last conversation with the boss that discussed upward advancement. (You do keep notes, don’t you?) Read them a couple of times and recall anything else that you discussed. What has been the evidence since then? If changes were promised, were they made? Have any obstacles appeared that should be taken into account?
Check to see if the goalpost has moved. If the goalpost is “Partner”, it’s admittedly difficult to articulate precisely where it is. You can tell a lot, though, about whether the boss makes a genuine effort to explain or whether the answers you get continue to go in circles.
All things being equal, the goalpost isn’t likely to have moved very much, if at all. On the other hand, mergers, acquisitions, and reorganization can all move the goalpost in subtle ways you might not notice. Mergers & acquisitions can have effects that trickle down to revenue generation expectations. Reorganizations can move bodies around to the point that the goalpost disappears altogether.
In the end, you may conclude there’s another rung on the ladder, but that you’re not sure it’s worth waiting to get to. In that case, it’s time to evaluate your options. Contact us for a confidential discussion of your future.
John Borrowman
