The Mistake That Almost Cost Me My Promotion
The Mistake That Almost Cost Me My Promotion A few months ago, I was closer to a promotion than I had ever been. My performance numbers were solid. My manager trusted me. Colleagues often came to me for help. In my mind, the promotion felt almost guaranteed . And that’s exactly where the problem started. The Silent Mistake I Didn’t Notice I didn’t fail at my job. I didn’t miss deadlines. I didn’t create conflict. Instead, I made a much quieter mistake: I assumed my work spoke for itself. I believed that if I kept delivering results, leadership would automatically notice my growth, my effort, and my readiness for the next role. So I focused on execution—and completely ignored visibility. No regular updates. No clear communication about impact. No conversations about future responsibilities. I stayed in my comfort zone, thinking humility was the safest option. It wasn’t. The Wake-Up Moment During a routine feedback discussion, my manager said something that hit hard: “You’re doing gr...