Don’t Take Promotions That Draw You Away From Your Strengths

When you’re offered a promotion at work, it’s hard to not let your excitement get in the way of good judgement. However, sometimes a promotion is not always a good fit, and creativity blog 99U suggests you think twice before you say yes to a promotion.

Picture: Egan Snow/Flickr

99U points to the satirical but still useful Peter Principle, which says that when people get promoted they often go beyond their means and can’t actually do the job. The lesson is that if a promotion doesn’t fit into your skill set, it’s probably not worth it, even if the pay is a lot higher:

If the newly offered promotion involves much of the same skill set with a minimal addition of new skills, then it’s likely a good fit. If however, the new position would draw you away from your core strengths, then perhaps you should reconsider. Either way, it’s important to examine whether any new competencies are ones you feel capable of acquiring. If you feel like you’d be a quick learner, then it might be worth rolling the dice. If not, then perhaps you should pass and wait for a more fitting assignment to come along.

If you’re in line for a promotion, it’s worth thinking about whether it’s something you’ll really be good at. It’s easy to just just accept a promotion right away, because it gets you further along in the company, but if it’s not a good fit, it might end up getting you in more trouble than it’s worth.

“The Peter Principle” and Other Reasons To Think Twice Before Accepting a New Promotion [99U]