“What do you do when your ‘guaranteed’ promotion suddenly becomes a question mark?”
I was furious on behalf of my client.
Despite the verbal confirmation that she was getting a promotion/raise, her manager was avoiding meeting requests and saying things like, “Well, I need to review your work flow.”
Plus, the timing of the promotion cycle coincided with my client’s return from maternity leave and to make things even more complicated, her replacement had apparently done so well, he was hired full-time.
What was once an “assured” upgrade, was now a potential… firing?! My client was worried she was being squeezed out and understandably came to me with a ton of questions.
After listening to her concerns, I realized she was caught in a classic corporate catch-22: Being told to wait and prove herself while watching someone else actively prove themselves in real-time.
The motherhood penalty was happening right before our eyes.
But here’s what shifted everything: Instead of approaching this defensively or desperately, we flipped the script entirely.
The Strategy: Make It Easy for Them to Say Yes
Rather than pushing for the promotion directly (which could trigger resistance), we developed what I call a “transition dossier.”
The positioning was brilliant:
“I’ve been through maternity leave before. I know transitions can be rocky, but they don’t have to be. Here’s a document to help you leverage what’s best about me for your biggest priorities.”
This wasn’t begging. This was leadership.
The dossier included:
- A one-page executive summary (because nobody reads past page one)
- Quantifiable wins tied directly to the company’s top three priorities
- Clear examples of her unique value—things her replacement couldn’t replicate
- A forward-looking section on how her expertise could drive upcoming initiatives
Key Takeaways:
- Never make them work to promote you. If someone has to dig through your accomplishments to build your case, you’ve already lost. Package your value so clearly that saying no feels harder than saying yes.
- Command the narrative before someone else does. My client’s replacement was sending 1 a.m. emails and copying the boss on everything. That’s his story. What’s yours? Define it before assumptions fill the vacuum.
- Turn disadvantage into expertise. “I’ve done maternity leave before” became a strength, not a liability. What supposed weakness could you reframe as hard-won wisdom?
- Document to defend. In corporate America, if it’s not in writing, it didn’t happen. Verbal promises evaporate. Written records endure.
- Play chess, not checkers. While they expected her to come back defensive or diminished, she arrived strategic and prepared. Surprise is a powerful advantage.
Your Turn:
Think about a time when you felt sidelined or overlooked at work. Instead of waiting for recognition or fighting for visibility, what if you created your own “dossier”?
This week, try this exercise:
- Pick your three biggest wins from the last year
- Connect each one to a current company priority (not your priority, theirs)
- Write a one-paragraph story about each that includes: the challenge, your specific action, and the measurable result
- Save this document. Update it quarterly.
You’re not just tracking accomplishments—you’re building an argument that becomes increasingly hard to ignore.
Remember: The game isn’t fair, but that doesn’t mean you can’t win. You just need to know which game you’re actually playing.
👉 What’s your experience with advocating for yourself at work? Reply and tell me—I read every response.
Now go get paid.
x Claire
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Looking for a job?
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