Promoted, but not happier? Stop climbing, start growing.

You fall for the promotion trap. But it is about time to get out of it.

Promotion. A shiny reward for success in many businesses.

It is standing on a pedestal and inviting spectators to bow in front of it. It is desirable. It provides you with status, money, and a new email signature.

You want to hop on the bandwagon. You wish to become promoted like many other colleagues before. It is your ticket to happiness at your job.

So, you work days and nights. You are unstoppable. You want to prove to everyone that you are the next. In a bit, your boss notices and promises you six more months at this speed and you get it.

“Yes, I can do it!” You take on more stress, cancel weekends, and shorten sleep. You keep on running in the race, as the competition is fierce. In the end, you are successful. The boss gives you a new salary and responsibilities. It is done.

You are promoted, now what?

If you are promoted for the first time, it is new and sexy. You feel important. Yet, you entered a promotion circle. In the corporate environment, there is no other way than to be promoted.

I worked in my company for six years. I managed to be promoted four times. My resume has all the fancy titles from a senior role to a manager and eventually to a director.

Did the promotion make me happier? Yes and no.

In the short term, I was happy about my increased salary. In the long term, I felt I didn’t grow anywhere. The new email signature did not save the fact I felt stuck. I could relate to Danielle Bayard Jackson:

“You’re trained to think, ‘Get the promotion, and you’ll be happier and have more money.’ It’s just not true.”

I learned that the promotion did not equal happiness. That was disappointing. I always wanted to climb the ladder. I thought that the higher I was, the more successful I became. It is a deceiving trap for promotion.

Promotions for a sake of getting more money don’t usually work in the long term.

The reason is that the agenda and responsibilities don’t change much. If you are a project manager and get a senior project manager role, the scope of work might not change at all. You do what you are already good at.

You can be promoted to a management role. As a result, you have your agenda and on top of that team administration. You will hardly manage one or the other well.

What does promotion bring to you?

Promotion is appealing. But you need to manage your expectations.

If you think that promotion grows your skills, you will be disappointed. The title does not magically change you. The promotion itself won’t influence your skills.

It is valid to desire more money. You work, and you feel you want to be valued. You ask for a salary increase.

If that is not possible for your position, you must get a promotion to reach the next salary level. You work for money. Your salary is an external factor that motivates you.

The grass is not greener when you are promoted. If you want to grow your skills, any position is suitable for it. It does not matter if you work for one year or five years. There is always the potential to learn more.

So, to avoid disappointment think about these questions:

• Do I want more money? More perks?
• Do I want more responsibilities?
• Do I want to grow my skills?
• Do I want to move to a different department?
• Do I want the promotion because it is an offer I can’t say no?
• Do I want to become an expert?
• What can the promotion give me I don’t have now?

When you understand what you want, it is time to think about how you can achieve it. Promotion can be a good way, but perhaps not the ultimate goal.

I always wanted to do organizational development. I tried to find a job in such a field. But companies refused me as I didn’t have relevant experience. So, I started working as a data analyst. I spent two years hunting for a management position. It would allow me to have a saying in company processes. I eventually achieved that.

Sadly, it wasn’t what I expected. I did not have any decision power, and no one was interested in “my organizational stuff”. I was disappointed — three years in vain. The only option was to become an associate director. But I would have to hunt for another promotion. So, I got to the point I wanted to quit the job.

Yet, I felt I didn’t want to leave my team. I decided to work for them. I dedicated my time to their development. It paid off. By growing my team skills, I was growing my abilities and influence in the organization. Finally, I realized I didn’t need any promotion to grow. So, I stopped focusing on climbing.

You don’t have to climb the ladder to grow your skills.

Every job is tiring after some time. You reach the level at which you feel you have nothing else to learn.

That is not true. There are so many things you can learn every day. I like to say that every day is a special day.

Your motivation fluctuates with time.

I don’t know anyone who is motivated 100% all the time. You experience peaks and drops like in life.

The whole point is to be aware of what you like and dislikes about your job. If you don’t like it and hope that promotion helps you to like it, it won’t work.

Money makes you happier for a bit, but not motivated. You need to ask yourself what you want and whether the company can give it to you. In a lot of cases, there are some possibilities. In others, though, you have to seek a new job.

For me, it was crucial to learn that I could always be better. I knew the job up and down and thought the promotion would give me something new.

No, it wasn’t the promotion. But it was my interest and desire to learn.

Your work can give you opportunities, but don’t wait for them. Create them for yourself. That’s what will grow your skills. Find your motivation and your desire to challenge, study and innovate.

Final thought

The promotion is great. It is a confirmation of your professional experience. It can help you grow your skills.

But like with other things, your active participation is needed. A new email signature won’t give you much. It is your interest and motivation to get to know different points about familiar topics.

Yet promotion makes you sometimes work longer and gives you little pleasure. Try to speak with people in higher positions about how they work.

Are they happy?

It will help you to manage your expectations and avoid disappointment. If you can get both — more money and happiness, go for it. If the promotion can give you only one of them, then I would think about what is more important. Good luck!

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