Doing The Most Without The Title? Turn Extra Work Into Your Next Promotion

Dear Fairygodmentor®, I’ve Been Doing My Boss’s Job All Summer While They’re Out. How Do I Ask To Be Paid—or Promoted—for It? – Doing The Most Dear Doing The Most, Congratulations!!! No seriously. Someone trusted you with a ton of responsibilities above your pay grade. That’s usually good news. The question isn’t whether you can do the work. It’s whether this opportunity is actually leading somewhere. The Opportunity Test Not every stretch assignment deserves your stretch. Ask yourself four questions: 1. Is this temporary …or permanent? There’s a huge difference between “Can you cover while she’s on maternity leave?” and “Can you just keep doing this?” Temporary opportunities build resumes. Permanent “temporary” just builds resentment. 2.  Are you learning… or just carrying? This one’s huge.  If you’re:  • leading meetings • making decisions • presenting to executives • managing relationships • learning budgeting that’s leadership experience. If you’re simply doing twice the work…that’s workload. Those aren’t the same thing. 3. Does leadership actually see it? If nobody knows you’re doing it…it doesn’t exist. Visibility matters. You’re not bragging. I’m talking about visibility. As Muhummad Ali said “It ain’t braggin’ if it’s the truth.” I share this sentiment in my book Show Your Ask . It shouldn’t sound like “Look what I did.” Instead, it should sound like, “I’d love to share what I’ve learned while leadin…