Good Enough, but not ‘The One’
In my previous career the opportunity arose to apply for a significant promotion at work, when my wonderful manager decided it was time for greener pastures and unexpectedly resigned.
I was asked to step into my bosses shoes as a ‘temporary fill-in’ whilst also being offered the opportunity to formally apply for this newly advertised role. It was a leadership position I had often been seconded to during periods of leave as the 2IC in the team and was very familiar with the responsibilities. I was thrilled and submitted my application to HR with no delay.
The handover was seamless. There was continuity for the team. Everything was working well. For a short while.
The problems that can follow when an organisation has a highly capable interim option –
The hiring process can slow down, and even grind to a halt.
You might not be paid the salary that goes with the job – you are told the experience is the reward!
Your substantive role isn’t backfilled properly – you are working harder than ever across! A two for the price of one for your company!
You have no certainty over your future with the organisation – and the longer this continues, the more your confidence wavers, the less credible you start to feel.
Weeks turned into months. I would ask for an update on my application only to be told things were ‘working really well’, and the feedback from the Executive about my performance had been really positive. As each week went by, I questioned my skills and abilities that little bit more, feeling like an imposter at the Boardroom table. Even after my first and second interviews had taken place, there was radio silence, only ‘hopes for an outcome soon’.
Yet I ACCEPTED the situation and allowed it to go on (seemingly) forever.
In the end, I didn’t get the job. Almost five months of acting in the role, for an extra $50 a week, and it went to an external candidate. Deep down I already knew, but it was still a kick in the teeth.
What happened next?
I cried. A lot. I felt great shame as I made my way around the office. Every sympathetic look or kind word made me shrink further. I made myself smaller and less visible. I knew I couldn’t stay, and I started to job-hunt. At the same time, I made other major life decisions I had sat on for a while.
Decision leads to action.
And then…
I quickly fell pregnant with my first child. My new manager became one of the best mentors I’ve ever had, and I’m pleased to call her a friend years later. I welcomed the slower pace of my substantive role as I struggled through 20 weeks of morning sickness. I went on maternity leave and just as it ended, my manager resigned and made the recommendation I be appointed to her role. I was once again asked to act in the role and invited to apply for it, only this time I was to be ‘paid properly’ and offered an extra $35,000 a year.
I declined after spotting a leadership role that paid more, was part-time with flexible working from home options, and reported to someone who wanted me in the role so badly he pulled all the strings going to get me in front of Deputy CE the day after he’d met me. All of this took place within a week.
The truth is, if I could go back and do it again, there’s not much I’d change. Nothing before is ever wasted; it’s all part of the journey that brought you here today.
The lesson? What often appears as a setback or great disappointment, in hindsight, paves the path to something better.
My advice to you is this:
Know and believe your worth and value, so you can say ‘no thank you’ to deals that sell you short.
No promotion or job offer is ever worth compromising your self-respect for.
Never work for anyone who doesn’t back you fully, and believe you are The One.
If your current situation has you feeling like you are Good Enough, but Not The One, or you’d like to equip yourself with the confidence and clarity to avoid falling into a Good Enough trap in the future, I’d love you to book in for one of my free 30-minute coaching sessions, where together we’ll work through a Career Crossroads Analysis, with no obligation or strings attached.