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 leading this project.”
4. Is there an exit strategy? This is where most people get stuck.
Ask:
“What does success look like?”
“When will responsibilities transition back?”
“How will this experience factor into future opportunities?”
If nobody can answer…that’s information.
Don’t let a temporary opportunity quietly become your permanent job description.
The Career Investment Test
Every extra assignment is one of the two things.
A Career Investment
It gives you:
• new skills
• visibility
• relationships
• measurable wins
• promotion stories
OR
Career Debt
You invest time.
Your company collects interest.
You get tired.
Nothing changes.
So when should you ask?
It shouldn’t sound like “I’ve been working really hard.” Instead, it should sound like “I’ve successfully led X over the past three months, improved Y, reduced Z, and I’d love to discuss how this experience positions me for future leadership opportunities.”
That’s a completely different conversation. You’re not asking for gratitude. You’re simply presenting evidence. Facts, not feelings.
Never confuse being indispensable with being irreplaceable. Indispensable employees often get more work. Irreplaceable leaders get more opportunities.
Be like the Beyoncé song; be Irreplaceable.
You got this!
Sincerely,
Your Fairygodmentor®
About Joyel Crawford
Joyel Crawford is an award-winning career and leadership development professional and the founder of Crawford Leadership Strategies, a consultancy that develops empowered, results-driven leaders through engaging leadership development coaching, training, and facilitation.
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