Promotions are part of working life. You stay long enough, or you prove yourself, and eventually the system rewards you with a new title, maybe a little more pay, and hopefully, a bigger role to play.
But here’s what I’ve seen over the years: not everyone treats promotion the same way.
Some people get promoted because they truly deserve it. They’ve been doing more than what’s asked of them; volunteering, delivering, solving, excelling. And when they finally move up, they take it as fuel. They push even harder, contribute even more, and you can almost see them flying in their role. They don’t just carry the new title, they live up to it.
Then there are the others. The ones who somehow get promoted for reasons that aren’t always obvious. Maybe it’s because of tenure. Maybe just “time served.” Or maybe because they had the right relationship with the supervising manager. It happens. And oh well, what do I know? (LOL).
But here’s the kicker: when the promotion happens, nothing changes. They keep doing exactly what they did before. Status quo.
Fair much?
Watching this unfold is… frustrating, to say the least. Of course we all know the saying: nothing is fair in this world. Still, it nags at you. Why do some people carry the weight of their new title like an amanah (a trust), while others seem perfectly content to just… coast?
Because for me, promotion has never been about the badge or the business card. It’s about responsibility. It’s about being trusted to do more, and to take the organisation a notch higher.
So when someone gets promoted and chooses to just “be the same,” I can’t help but feel it’s a letdown. Almost like betraying the amanah.
The mind-boggling part
What I can’t quite wrap my head around is how easily some people live with it. They go home, sleep soundly (maybe?), and come back the next day as if nothing new is expected of them. No pause, no reflection, no “how do I grow into this role?”
Meanwhile, when others step into something new, the weight of responsibility sits heavy. Questions keep circling in their heads: How do I justify this trust? How do I step up? How do I do justice to this role?
And maybe that’s the difference. Some see promotion as a call to grow. Others see it as just a new line under their email signature.
#YouDoYou… but really?
I get it. Everyone has their own style, their own pace, their own way of working. “You do you.” Sure…
And yeah, that makes sense in life. But in the corporate world? It doesn’t work that way. Because when you move up, it’s not just about you anymore. People depend on you. Teams look to you. The organisation trusted you enough to hand you more.
So if you treat a promotion like it changes nothing, the ripple effects aren’t yours alone to carry. They affect everyone else.
Maybe there will always be people who rise to the challenge, and others who don’t.
But here’s what I believe: A promotion isn’t just a title. It’s a trust. And trust demands more, not less.
So, yeah…
Written by A. Balancing duty in public service and care at home, she writes from the heart of both worlds.