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Missed promotion must not lead to hasty exit

Ajay thought the promotion to the senior manager position was his for the taking. But he was in for a rude shock when one of his colleagues was promoted to the post. Sounds familiar? You might have been piped at the winning post by a colleague who got the promotion you were vying for.

The feedback from your managers assured you that the position was yours and it was only a matter of time. But your calculations went grossly wrong. You are disappointed and your manager’s assurance to put you in a better position fails to cheer you up. You might wallow in self-pity and feel cheated. You may be highly critical of the new incumbent and want to tell the management that you could have been a better choice but are forced to hold your tongue.

The situation could also be a big blow to your ego when managers or colleagues knew that you were vying for that promotion only to be disappointed. You might be thinking of resigning the job but before you take any hasty decision, assess your reaction to the situation and explore better ways to handle it.

The first thing is to give yourself a few days to get over your anger and shock and then have a discussion with your managers, who knows they might jut say that they are planning to relocate you to the head office in a higher position in three months. Or they can give you a honest assessment of the skills you need to move up and provide opportunities to acquire those skills. In retrospect, if you had hastily resigned you would have lost a golden opportunity.When you are discussing the issue with the management, do not adopt an accusatory tone but indicate your acceptance of the situation and seek their guidance on how to be better equipped to get a promotion the next time round. This will certainly give you valuable inputs and indicate the shortcomings you have to overcome and the skills you need to acquire.The feedback you get from your manager might reveal that you are not as good as you think or your contributions are not visible enough or do not have an impact. You might not be projecting the right image to the senior management. Whatever it is, listen to the management’s feedback carefully and avoid blaming others.

The reason you have not got that promotion is even though you are working hard, you are not putting your efforts in the right direction, you might be focussing on getting the job done rather than dedicate efforts towards your career goals. You should probably devote more time on building your network; skills and taking up assignments that will help you learn and advance.

If these reasons for not getting the promotion are unconvincing, you might want to quit your job. Before that, seek the advice of colleagues, and friends who have faced a similar situation or contact a career counsellor. Their advice can provide fresh insights and help you take the right decision.

The decision to quit should not be impulsive or hasty, the wise thing would be to wait. You can wait and watch how the person who was promoted in your place fares. Extend your support and you may learn that he has certain skills and qualities, which you lack. Help him with his work, provide inputs and share your knowledge and expertise with him.

This will not only create a special bond between you but also project your professionalism to colleagues (you did not let the missed promotion affect your work).

Besides if you quit on impulse, you will be seen as giving your own personal career goals priority over the company goals. This opinion about you can get circulated in professional circles, which can be surprisingly small and your career can head to a dead end. Your hasty decision could land you in a worse job, but a wait and watch approach can bring better opportunities.

When you are passed over for a promotion, remember that the organisation after a certain period of time stops investing in you and the management cannot give you the required support and guidance. It is up to you to work for your advancement, seek opportunities to learn and invest efforts in these areas.

Whether you decide to find better opportunities or stay in your job, remember a missed promotion is not the end of the world. You can make efforts to increase your professional worth and when you do get a promotion, use the lessons learnt to excel in your new position.

-The Hindu