The HBR Guides Collection (8 Books) (HBR Guide Series)

Why You Didn’t Get That Promotion

81

ting go. A year later she was promoted to lead a large

operational unit.

Things don’t always work out so well. Ed, a highly pro-

fi cient fi nance manager, had advanced quickly because

of his technical knowledge but recently missed out on

several key promotions. His boss told him not to worry,

everything was fi ne. Still, Ed met with his unit’s HR man-

ager, who advised him to improve his communication

skills. This confused him; he took pride in his ability to

write and speak clearly and devoted a lot of time to com-

municating with his staff. At the suggestion of the HR

manager, he met with three peers to get their opinions.

All three were hesitant to offer their opinions until Ed

probed specifi cally for examples ...