6 Clear Reasons You Shouldn’t Take That Promotion Right Now
The subtle signs it’s not the right career move
Hands up if you want more money.
How about more power? Authority? Responsibilities?
If any of the above tickle your fancy, you might be primed for management. Or at least, you might think you are.
Because getting promoted is the goal, isn’t it?
But maybe it’s not the logical next step for you after all. Not because you’re not ‘management material’, but because you’ve got different priorities right now.
I’ve been in and around leadership, both as a leader and coach, for the best part of two decades. And I’ve seen first-hand the damage to a person’s self-esteem and career trajectory when they take the wrong promotion at the wrong time.
But how can you know if taking a promotion is the right move for you?
Start by considering these ideas below.
#1. You love your current job
The quickest way to ruin the enjoyment of a job is to become a manager of it.
Because managing a sales team and working as a salesperson are not the same thing. Not even close. They can both be fun, depending on who you are and what you enjoy about work.
But be honest about your strengths and weaknesses, and what you want from your job. Some people love the fingertip feel. Does this promotion add more of what you know you like, or more of what you don’t?
And a promotion should be a step on your career path, not a diversion from it. In his book Someday is Today, author Matthew Dicks talks about why, despite being a very popular and effective teacher, he’s never taken a promotion. For him, it’s simple:
“It is always better to be earn less money and be happy and effective in your position… Find the thing you you do best and embrace it. Hold onto it with all of your might. Know thyself, and you will be a happier, more effective employee with enormous job security and the respect we all deserve.”
Life isn’t a novel, it’s a choose your own adventure RPG. Don’t stop doing something you love because you feel like you have to.
#2. You’ve got different goals
Unless management is part of your career plan or you want to learn the skills for running your own business, consider skipping it.
Otherwise, you run the risk of moving in the wrong direction. And it might take years to recover.
As Neil Gaiman says about his writing career:
“Imagining that where I wanted to be was a mountain… A distant mountain. My goal. And I knew that as long as I kept walking towards the mountain, I would be all right. And when I truly was not sure what to do, I could stop, and think about whether it was taking me towards or away from that mountain.”
He turned down countless promotions and writing-adjacent jobs like editor and journalist so that he was never off the path towards being a writer.
Don’t start climbing the wrong mountain. Future you will thank you.
#3. You’ve had a lot of managers in this role
There’s always a reason people quit.
Sometimes a company will bring in a new manager to take over a struggling department or project. You’re doomed from the start. It’ll be a lot of pressure, stress, and setbacks for little to no benefit. You won’t learn a lot (as there’s already problems in place you’re inheriting), and you won’t feel good about it as there won’t be many wins to grab ahold of.
Many other factors influence retention. Is the supervisor impossible to work with? Are managers set up to fail (and expected to just be a figurehead for that failure)? Are you expected to achieve the impossible?
Do your research and look carefully for red flags. It might not be that you aren’t a good fit for a management position. Just not this management position.
You can always look elsewhere if you think you can find a better fit.
#4. You’re a lone wolf
Perhaps you’re not a people person. And that’s OK. You don’t need to be. But it helps. Because it’s a strong tool in your repertoire. Not having it means needing something else to compensate. As you can’t escape the fact that leading is a people-facing skill.
And maybe you are a people person, but you’re also a high achiever. Having to be accountable for the slow coaches and less-motivated might drive you potty. Do you really want to be answering to the CEO about Kevin, and how his performance is so sluggish?
Speaking to Forbes, career consultant Ann Latham, president of Uncommon Clarity, Inc., put it like this:
“It’s difficult to have a sense of accomplishment because helping a team to succeed often seems like an intangible task. If you’re the kind of person who measures your success in lines of code or high quality design or other deliverable tasks, you might find that your success in doing performance reviews and managing employees might not be as fulfilling.”
If the thought of having to slow down to work through teaching moment and developing others makes your eyeballs itchy and your skin do a rolling boil, you might prefer to stay where you are.
#5. You’re not influential
Leadership is more than a title.
If you are hoping that becoming a manager would make you more valuable, improve your status, or increase your power, recognise these are the wrong motivations. Not only because they’re shallow foundations to face the earthquakes of responsibility management brings.
But also because they’re mirages.
Because if you struggle to get people following you right now, a promotion won’t change that. Sure, authority has some leverage. But if that’s all you’ve got, you’re going to struggle.
“When you project authority and make demands, you get compliance from your people. When times get tougher or when you’re not winning, you can also get frustration, resentment and disengagement… True leadership comes from influence and inspiration.” — Forbes, Why Influence Beats Authority
When you use influence instead — such as modelling the behaviour you want to see, or setting a standard with your actions— people want to align themselves with you.
So try to build your influence muscle first. Once you’re a little more savvy you can revisit leadership.
Because trust me, and I can’t stress this enough: managing without influence is like snowboarding on an ironing board. Technically, it’s possible. Technically. But it’s going to require a lot of effort, and a lot of looking like you don’t really know what you’re doing.
#6. You’re not sure if management is for you
Some people want to give it a try and see how it goes. But if you’re already unsure, give it a pass.
The stress of management can take its toll on anyone. And on those gritty days when the world is burning, and everyone is looking at you for answers, you’re going to need an extra gear or two to get through. If you don’t already have a good bank vault full of motivation and drive stored up, it’s going to feel like crying curry tears in a sauna.
It. Will. Suck.
Without the self-belief that this is something you want to do for a long time, you’ll struggle. The challenges you face won’t seem like necessary setbacks on your journey to learn. They’ll feel like judgements that you aren’t cut out for this. That you’re a failure. That your effort has been wasted.
You’ll be like a javelin thrower who arrives at the Olympics, opens their bag and finds nothing but dry spaghetti. You haven’t even got the tools to compete. Let alone win!
Aim instead at things that you reckon would be for you, and will give you a sense of purpose.
We’re on this Earth for such a limited time. Don’t waste it doing something that doesn’t make you feel awesome.
Conclusion
You don’t have to take that promotion right now. In fact, maybe you’re actually better off if you don’t.
But ‘not right now’ doesn’t mean ‘never’. You can always revisit promotions in the future. Because who you are today isn’t you tomorrow, or you next year.
Some signs you’re probably better off not taking the promotion:
- You love your current job
- You’ve got clear goals (and management ain’t one of them)
- The turnover is high
- You’re a lone wolf
- You lack influence
- You’re unsure if management is even for you