Many of us, especially those who excelled in structured environments like school, carry a particular model of the world into our careers. We tend to believe that advancement, like getting good grades, is the result of a fair, well-calculated, numerical system. Do task A, get 10 points. Do task B, get 20. Rack up enough points, outperform others on the scorecard, and a promotion is the logical outcome. This is the GPA model of career progression.
But the reality of the workplace, especially when it comes to decisions like who gets promoted or why a customer buys your product, is often starkly different. It’s far less about a transparently calculated score and far more about something much more human, and therefore, much more opaque.
The Human Element
The first thing to internalize is that decision-makers—your boss, your boss’s boss, the investor, the customer—are human. Humans are not consistently rational creatures. If people can be wildly irrational with their own life savings in the stock market, driven by euphoria or panic, how can we expect them to be purely logical, spreadsheet-driven entities when deciding on your career or a purchase?
The truth is, many decisions are born from an impression, a feeling. The reasons, the justifications, often come later. They are constructed, sometimes unconsciously, to support a conclusion that was already forming. No one likes to admit they operate on gut feelings, especially in a professional context, so a narrative is woven. But it’s often story first, reasons second.
What truly sways these human decision-makers? It’s rarely just about the tasks you ticked off. It’s about deeper, less quantifiable factors:
- Trust: Does your manager trust you? Not just your competence, but your judgment, your loyalty, your character.
- Shared Values: Do they see you as “one of them”? This isn’t about blatant cronyism, but a subtle, often subconscious, recognition of shared values, perspectives, or even a sense that you remind them of a younger version of themselves. They’re investing in someone they feel they understand and can count on in a less tangible way.
Playing the Real Game
If the scorecard isn’t the whole game, what is? It’s about understanding the human landscape you’re operating in. The most effective way to get promoted isn’t just to be a flawless task-completion machine. It’s often to help your manager succeed, to help them get their promotion or achieve their key objectives.
This requires you to:
- Think From Their Perspective: What are their pressures? What problems are they trying to solve? What keeps them up at night?
- Expand Your Scope: Don’t just focus on your assigned tasks. See the bigger picture. How does your work contribute to your team’s and your manager’s goals?
- Collaborate Proactively: Offer solutions to the problems your manager cares about. If you can make their life easier and help them achieve their aims, you become invaluable in a way that transcends simple task execution.
Misconceptions That Hold You Back
Understanding and navigating this human element often bumps up against several widely held, and in my view, damaging, misconceptions.
- Misconception 1: “This is just sucking up or playing politics.”
Many, particularly those conditioned by systems that reward individual, measurable achievement (like the exam-based education systems), recoil from this idea. They see it as distasteful, a deviation from a “fair” world where merit is objectively rewarded. They believe the “school system” – the world of perfect scores and clear rubrics – is how things should be.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth: the “school system” is largely an artificial construct. The world of human interaction, of unspoken cues, of trust built through nuanced relationships – this is the default state of human affairs. It’s not an aberration; it’s the reality. Learning to navigate it isn’t about abandoning principles; it’s about understanding the reality. - Misconception 2: “Maintain strict boundaries; work is just work.” The modern emphasis on work-life balance and professional boundaries, while important to prevent burnout and avoid office politics, can sometimes be misused. It can lead to a reductionist, almost mechanical approach to colleagues. “They are my upstream; they give me X. I am midstream; I process X and give Y to downstream.” While professionalism is key, treating your colleagues – including your boss – as mere cogs in a machine is a mistake. They are people. Perceive their emotions, understand their pressures, listen to their joys and frustrations. You don’t need to be best friends, but recognizing their humanity builds the kind of rapport and understanding that oils the wheels of collaboration and trust. Don’t “gear-ify” yourself or others.
- Misconception 3: “I’m paid X, so I’ll only do X amount of work/thinking.”
Many employees feel that thinking about their boss’s problems, or going the extra mile beyond their explicit job description, is uncompensated labor. “They don’t pay me enough to worry about that.”
This mindset, while understandable from a purely transactional viewpoint, is incredibly shortsighted. It ignores the power dynamic inherent in most employer-employee relationships. The employer generally holds more bargaining power. If you rigidly stick to “I’ll only do more if you pay me more first,” you’re likely to find yourself in a stalemate.
The reality is, you often need to be proactive, to demonstrate your value and potential before the greater compensation comes. It’s not about being exploited; it’s about strategically investing your effort to build the trust and demonstrate the capability that leads to greater opportunities and rewards. Those who only focus on the immediate direct exchange often miss the bigger game.
The world of work, like much of life, is governed by these less obvious, more human dynamics. Recognizing this isn’t about cynicism; it’s about effectiveness. It’s about understanding that true advancement often comes not from acing a test, but from building trust, understanding people, and helping them succeed.