Managerial Musings With Kim Scott & Dick Costolo 5 | 26

On this episode of the Radical Candor podcast, management expert and former Twitter CEO Dick Costolo joins Kim for Managerial Musings. Kim and Dick answer listener questions, read between the lines and offer advice for your trickiest workplace problems.

Listen to the episode:

Radical Candor Podcast Episode At a Glance: Managerial Musings

Dear Managerial Musings,

I’m in a bit of a predicament at work that I’d love to get your advice on.  

Background

I am a senior manager at a large company. For the past year and a half or so, I have been working with my manager on getting promoted. She told me that I was doing well, and at one point said she was “sitting on her hands” waiting to promote me, once she had the money in her budget.

Then, my manager left the company, and a promotion was made available. Given the conversations I’d had with my manager, I figured that I would be the obvious choice. Instead, I was passed over for someone else. 

I began working with my new manager to understand opportunities for advancement and shared that I had been working with my old boss on getting promoted to a director-level position. This was news to her, so she said she would talk to her boss in order to see what was possible. 

This resulted in me meeting 1-1 with my boss’s boss.  

Dialogue

Her: I did not know that you were up for a promotion, so that wasn't even on my radar when I was planning these changes.

Me: That's disappointing, and I'm not sure what happened. That said, I understand that what's done is done, and I'm more interested in what I can do moving forward.

Her: Honestly, even if I had known, I still think I would have made the same decision. I've been hearing that you've been saying things like "This company owes me" and that your "trust is broken."

Me, internally: Wut. I did not say that.

Me, out loud: I'm not sure where that's coming from, because that's not how I feel. 

Her: Well, leaders in this company must be all on the same page and are supportive of the changes that are being made. I know that you and I don't work very closely together, and we're not in a lot of the same meetings, but when we have been in meetings together, I've seen you be very positive and collaborative. So I haven't seen it, but the rest of the organization must see that side of you. I think you're a very valuable employee, and I'd be devastated if you left.

For personal reasons, finding another job is not an option for at least another year. So, I'm very curious to hear your thoughts and advice on this. Is there anything I can do to make this situation better? 

Thank you again!

About Dick Costolo:

Time magazine named Dick Costolo — former Twitter CEO — one of the 10 Most Influential U.S. Tech CEOs. In his speeches, Dick Costolo calls on his experience as a digital entrepreneur, business executive, and surprisingly, his experience as an improvisational comedian to deliver entertaining, insightful speeches with a powerful message about the future of social media and the Internet. He is a digital entrepreneur who has launched a series of highly successful ventures like the advisory and investment firm called 01 Advisor.
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Episodes are written and produced by Brandi Neal with script editing by Amy Sandler. The show features Radical Candor co-founders Kim Scott and Jason Rosoff and is hosted by Amy Sandler. Nick Carissimi is our audio engineer.

The Radical Candor Podcast theme music was composed by Cliff Goldmacher. Order his book: The Reason For The Rhymes: Mastering the Seven Essential Skills of Innovation by Learning to Write Songs.

 
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