Choosing a Lateral Move Over a Promotion
Offered a promotion into management on a team they didn't feel aligned with.
BEFORE
Offered a promotion into management on a team they didn't feel aligned with.
QUESTION
Am I chasing the promotion, or the actual work I want to be doing?
EXPERIMENT
Asked for a short trial project on the team they were more curious about before deciding.
DISCOVERY
The lateral team's problems interested them far more than the promotion's scope did.
DECISION
Took the lateral move instead of the promotion, with a plan to revisit advancement in a year.
NEXT
Not every 'yes' should be to the bigger title — sometimes the better next step looks sideways.
THE USEFUL PART
Not every 'yes' should be to the bigger title — sometimes the better next step looks sideways.
This is a fictional demonstration story used to illustrate a pattern — not a real client account.