I‘m a strong believer in taking charge of one’s own career, instead of being told what to do and led around by organizational norms and one’s superiors.

The reason is that I think most superiors out there are not genuinely concerned about their subordinates’ career prospects. The reason is simple – it involves personal benefits.

Take for example, a boss who advices his subordinate to stave off an application for promotion citing the need to have a ’strong case’. On the surface it seems that this superior is well-meaning. However, it could also mean that he doesn’t want to lose a good worker, or that he doesn’t want himself to be overtaken by his subordinate.

I always take superiors’ advice with a pinch of salt. I accept factual comments and listen to their personal opinions, but I would weigh the latter according to what I understand about myself and my own situation. I do not think that anybody else would understand my situation better than myself, and I would always review what was said for any possibility of biasedness due to the bosses’ self-interests.

At the end of the day, the most important thing is whether the worker believes he has what it takes to be considered for promotion – not what the boss thinks. Afterall, its my life, and nobody else besides myself and the people closest to me would be affected whether or not I succeed.

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