Simon Lepkin on Simon’s Blog

[Simon Lepkin]

Thanks for reading, Isaac! Your comments are a gold mine as always, so allow me to plug your writing (https://medium.com/@isaac.adams) in case other folks are interested in it.

I absolutely agree that the manager's authority and power vary wildly. I've seen the whole spectrum between "My manager refused to submit me for promotion" and "My manager focused all their energy on getting me this promotion". Ultimately, what really matters is learning where the bottleneck was, and learning how to get past it next time. Even if your manager is powerless, they're an essential (but not the sole) resource in that learning process.

I really like the suggestion about asking how calibrations went. Some of the specifics of that meeting will be guarded, but it's worth digging for whatever details you can.

I certainly agree that there are situations in which you need to change your manager (or company) in order to achieve the progress you deserve. But some people default to this strategy whenever they encounter resistance, so I try to gently nudge them towards getting along rather than getting out. Of course, some other people lean too hard the other way, so I nudge them the opposite direction!