But the company’s promotion process was largely secret, and no one could really tell me what I needed to do to be worthy. One boss said my job performance was already there, but my role wasn’t big enough. The next said my role was big enough, but I needed to be better at it. As years passed and I didn’t get the tap on the shoulder, I became obsessed with what I saw as my own overwhelming failure to achieve. Every decision I made hinged on whether it could get me promoted.
