The Introvert Leader

You Didn't Get the Promotion, Raise or Bonus. Now What?

• Austin Hopkins

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0:00 | 8:53

Your performance review did not go the way you thought it would. No promotion, small raise, no bonus, or the numbers just did not match the year you know you had. In this episode, I break down how to respond without damaging your reputation, how to avoid common mistakes, and how to build a real plan so this does not happen again.



Timestamps

0:53 – StoryTime: the 3% raise and the 4K bonus

02:22 – The Reality Check: You did not fail; you did not know the game.

3:40 – What Not To Do After Bad News: 3 mistakes to avoid.

5:22 – The Reflection: Tough questions you need to ask yourself before you make a move.

6:47 – Build a Plan for Next Year: Goal, alignment, checkpoints.

8:00 – Challenge for Listeners: No major career moves for 14 days



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Engage

The Gut-Punch Review

SPEAKER_00

In the last few weeks, you probably had your performance review, and it didn't go the way you thought it would. You didn't get the promotion, you didn't get the raise or the bonus you were expecting, or maybe the numbers just didn't match the year you thought you had. If that happened to you, I know how frustrating that feels. It makes you replay the year, it makes you question whether you focused on the right things. Today, I'm gonna help you figure out what to do next, how to respond in a way that protects your reputation, your momentum, and your long-term goals. Because what you do after this moment will matter more than the review itself. Okay, do me a favor, take two seconds and hit that follow button if you haven't already. I want to make sure you don't miss any of the content I'm dropping this year. I'll never forget the day that I walked into my boss's office for my annual review/slash pay and bonus conversation. I was feeling good. I had my brag sheet in hand, my shoulders were back, had a little swag in my step. I did well over the year. I started a new team from scratch, I exceeded my sales targets by over 100%, and I volunteered for tons of new high visibility projects, like growing our footprint in a new market. We started the review, and I could tell within 60 seconds this wasn't gonna go the way I wanted. My boss starts telling me what I did well, but he almost seems to be rushing through it. You can tell that he just wanted to get to the reasons why I sucked so he could justify the small raise and the shitty bonus he was gonna give me. He goes through each of my opportunities and finally tells me I'll be getting a whopping 3% raise and a 4K bonus. I looked at him confused, almost waiting for him to say, Gotcha, Austin, just kidding, here's your 15% raise and your 20K you earned this year. But no, he delivered the numbers straight face and asked if I had any questions, as if there was anything we could do at this point. I felt defeated. I had spent an entire year busting my ass, going above and beyond, and it basically meant nothing. We wrapped up the meeting and I walked back to my desk, shoulders hunched over and demoralized. I just sat at my desk. I was looking at the Windows lock screen, wondering why did I even choose to work for this company? Now, maybe you've been in this situation. You've waited all year to finally get the pay or the promotion you think you deserve just to find out you didn't get it. If so, this episode is for you. By the end, you're gonna understand what your next move needs to be and how to prevent it from happening in the future. But first, you need to process what the heck just happened. So let's break down the reality of what you just experienced before we go any further. When you don't get the promotion, the raise, or the bonus you thought you were expecting, it almost feels surreal at first. Like, did this really just happen? Did I really get screwed by my own bosses? Am I in the same reality? Now, here's the truth. You didn't fail, you just didn't know how to play the game. It probably feels like the whole year was a waste. It wasn't a waste, it's just information that you can use for the next review. Now, the next thing you gotta realize is your life isn't over. It may feel like this is the worst thing that could have happened to you, and don't get me wrong, it sucks, but let's be really honest with each other. You still have a job, you still have a paycheck, and nothing is final. You can always change this situation. Don't let something like money ruin your entire year. It's a moment and it's a crappy moment, but it's not your final destination. And the next thing you got to realize is that hard work is not enough. Visibility and alignment really matter. So simply working hard, expecting you're gonna get what you want isn't enough. You have to make your goals known, your expectations, and you have to be that high visibility person. I used to think just working hard, keeping my head down was enough, but it wasn't. The work needs to align with what's most important with the company, your department, or your boss. So now that the shock has worn off and the dust is settled, let me help you avoid the stuff that most people do next. The moves that can ruin your reputation, burn bridges, or screw over your career goals. So the next thing I want to do is share the four things you absolutely have to avoid after you get some disappointing news. So the first thing you cannot do is react defensively or emotionally during that conversation. Now you might be tempted, like me, to react in the moment, to say something like, dude, I worked really hard this year and it seems like you don't even care, or I'm tired of the way our company treats their top performance. But don't. Instead, I want you to listen. Ask some clarifying questions, take some notes. The reality is it's too late to change your boss's mind. These decisions already happened four months ago. So don't ruin your rep or your future because a moment of passion or frustration. The next thing you can't do is make a sudden move. Don't threaten to quit, apply for other jobs, or start to badmouth your manager. The emotional actions we take when we're hurt are almost never good. No, I'm gonna be honest, they're never good. They are unplanned and reactive, which means we haven't thought enough down the line. Just because you didn't get the promotion at the time you thought you should doesn't mean you need to quit the next week. You need to take some time. And finally, the last thing you can't do is compare yourself to others. It's so tempting, don't get me wrong, to run around asking people what kind of raise they got or what kind of bonus they got. We want to feel better about our own situation, but comparing literally never works. First, you can't trust what people tell you because most people lie to sound better. Take it from a guy who was a leader for a decade. I saw it time and time again. Second, if someone did get something that you didn't, is it gonna help you feel better about your situation to know what they got? Absolutely not. Of course it doesn't. Now instead, spend all of your energy on your next move. And we covered the four things not to do. Now, I want to let you in on the single best thing you can do next. The best way to move forward effectively is to pause and reflect. Jumping right into the next move ain't the right decision. You have to ask yourself some tough questions. I want you to take two weeks and do some reflection. No more, no less. And I want to share with you the questions I asked myself after I don't get the result I was looking for. Did I have expectations for a specific raise, bonus, or promotion? If so, why? Did I make my goals clear to my boss during the year, aka more than once? Did I show my value throughout the company beyond a question of doubt? What was the one thing that got in my way this year? What will I change moving into the next few months? Did I focus on the work that was most important to the senior leadership team, my boss, or was it just the stuff I thought was important? Did I ask before I went down that path? And finally, is this company the right environment? If everything that I control goes perfectly, is my company able to give me what I want? If not, it may be a sign that you need to move elsewhere. Now, being reactive doesn't help you move up faster or go further. In fact, it makes you, like everyone else, take some time, pause, reflect, and then make your plan. Speaking of a plan, hoping you get paid more or hoping you get promoted isn't a strategy. Having a clear plan before you get started is what separates the average from the great. Here are a few things you can do to make a strategic plan for the next year. The first thing you got to do is you got to figure out your goal for the next review period. You can't just wing this. You need to get specific. What is the title that you want? What's the pay that you're expecting? What's the number for your bonus? Get really specific on what you think you deserve and why. You can't just come up with numbers. There's got to be a why behind it. The next thing you got to do is you got to ask your boss what they need to see from you in order to get to your goal. Once you get aligned on what your boss needs, then you can give it to them. When you give them exactly what they want, they are way more likely to give you what you want. There's no more guesswork. And finally, schedule periodic conversations with your boss throughout the year. I'm talking two to three times minimum. And during those conversations, you're going to talk about your progress, you're going to talk about your expectations, your goals for your promotion and pay. And if you don't share what you want, how can you expect it to happen? You have to be the squeaky wheel that consistently brings up your needs and your wants and then ties them to what your boss needs. That's the way you find success. Now we covered the reality of this situation. We talked about the value of playing it slow and not being reactive. And finally, we broke down how to make a plan to get you what you want for the next year. But before we wrap up, I want to give you a challenge. So here's my challenge: no major career moves for the next 14 days. No quitting, no threats, no impulsive applications, no spamming LinkedIn easy apply. I want you to reflect. I want you to plan, and then I want you to move with a purpose. Let me wrap up by saying, I'm sorry your performance review didn't go the way you wanted to. Don't let this define your next year. Take it from a guy who made that mistake. Don't let it limit your value, and don't let this be what holds you back from getting what you deserve the next time around. I know you have value. You know you have value. Now it's the time to make others know it as well. And I want to say thank you so much for listening. Make it a great day.

Contributor

Austin Hopkins

Host