What if I don't want the "next" role?

When I was talking to my relative the other day, he was describing how his bosses have gained a lot of trust in him and are giving him more and more responsibility and more and more autonomy. As someone who leads a team, everything he described and a few other factors pointed towards the possibility that he'll be considered for a promotion soon --- possibly even as soon as the next promotion cycle. But, my relative isn't really interested in the next role.

I can actually understand his position. My background is in software development. For me, my love of programming started when I was in elementary school when I learned BASIC on a Commodore 64. For most of my career, I could never see myself doing anything different than being a technical member of the team. It's only in the past few years that I seriously considered the transition to management…..and that was only because I was getting older and knew that if I was ever going to try management, I needed to transition "soon" or "never". Turns out, I actually enjoy it -- something that has led to this podcast.

So, let's take a look at some of the reasons that someone would prefer to stay in their current role instead of taking a promotion.

If someone is being considered for a promotion, it usually means that they are doing their current job well. But, they may be doing their job well because they are finally in a role that they love; they enjoy what they do and the level of responsibility that they have. If this is the case, why would they want a promotion that takes that away?

Most go into a field for the love of the subject. However, as you move further and further up the management chain, you do less and less "hands-on" work. If you had asked me early in my career, this would be the reason that I gave. I didn't see myself as a manager because I loved doing the actual programming work.

Another reason that someone may opt not to take a promotion that is offered is if the promotion would interfere with their work / life balance. A promotion could require longer or a change in working hours which could reduce the amount of time they have available to spend with their family or on hobbies. Work / Life balance should be important to everyone and I cover it in more detail in Episode 019.

Along those same lines, a promotion may require additional travel. Maybe a promotion includes a change from being responsible for a district to being responsible for a region. This could take you away from personal responsibilities or impact your Work / Life balance.

Even if the promotion does not require more travel, it may require someone to relocate. This could be to move to the location of a new team or it could be to relocate to corporate headquarters. There could be several reasons why someone would not want to move cities.

Someone may also turn down a promotion if they don't believe that the compensation is adequate based on the additional stress and duties. Not every promotion includes a significant raise or an increase in bonuses. Even if someone is ok with the additional hours or additional travel, they may feel like the new pay isn't enough to account for the additional inconveniences.

There are many reasons why someone would opt not to accept a promotion and they are all perfectly valid. It's also fine for this stance to change over time. In the first twenty years of my career, my position was that I never wanted to take a manager role, but along the way, my opinion changed. Now, I've been leading teams for several years, I am glad that I made the transition.

If you feel like you do not want to take a promotion, my suggestion would be to communicate with your manager. Don't just tell them "no thanks" but tell them WHY you are declining. There may be other advancement opportunities that do not have the same drawbacks as the position you are declining.

When I took a management role, I was leading a small team and still able to continue doing the hands-on work of programming. Over time, as my team grew and my skill as a manager increased, I transitioned to more and more managerial tasks and fewer and fewer programming tasks. This transitory role allowed me to still grow my career but address my reservations. That all started by being clear about what I wanted and negotiating for a position that allowed me to get what I wanted.

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