How I Used My Voice to Score My Biggest Promotion
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We
Crossed
A
Year’s
Time
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My protégé and I were thriving with our respective brands, until –
O N E C H A O T I C D A Y
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He
Decided
To
Resign
And move on from an Agency side
To
The
Brand side
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The boss was caught a bit off guard with the move as he proved to be one of the company’s key player in a very short span –
He was being looked upon as one of the key candidates who could potentially take over the digital department, hence the company felt a blow here.
But NEVERTHELESS, they accepted it and moved on –
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This
Is
Where
Things
Got
Tricky
For
Me
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I was the only one qualified enough to run both brands at the time, but the ground reality was that my brand was already taking up more than 1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1 hours a day –
Every
Goddamn
Day
–
So how on earth would anyone expect me to take on both of the brands?
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But
They
Did
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The boss gave me the reigns, introduced me to a new trainee and left for a week’s vacation –
Everything that could go wrong
Did
Go
Wrong!
I had to catch up to whatever was going on with the other brand and understand the direction it had adapted since I last worked on it.
Simultaneously, I had to mentor the new trainee, a driven lady, but absolutely RAW.
I was put in C H A R G E to coordinate directly with the brand manager which heavily intimidated me at the time –
I was scared as hell of communication screw ups –
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+ I had to catch up and inform the CEO about everything happening with the brands as he switches to active mode under the absence of my boss and his COO.
And onTOP of that –
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I
Caught
A
Really
Bad
Throat
Infection
That took away my voice
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forcing me to whisper my way through the days and keep the brands running
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It
Was
BRUTALLY
EXCRUCIATINGLY
PAINFUL
!
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!
!
Keeping everything functional with the design team –
Mentor a newbie with no voice –
And have the communication channels open with the decision makers –
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But I made it happen!
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It was B U I L T in me to do it all along –
To be able to jUgGlE all the responsibilities T H R U S T upon me –
To be bruised –
Battered
Demolished
Left with no words
And still be able to cross the finish line
Tracking the next finish line to be crossed!
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But it happened!
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Because
I
Made
It
Happen
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A week swiftly passed by and the BOSS was back at the office.
Unlike previous times, he didn’t call me first to pat me on the back and celebrate the progress of the curve I just climbed.
Instead it was after H O U R S that he ranggggggg and invited me for a cup of tea which I switched to my delightful 3rd cappuccino of the day –
The Boss
‘How many things from your new calendar should I take back?’
Me
‘None’
The Boss
‘I expected that!
The Brand Manager’s happy, the CEO is euphoric and I’m in love.
You’ve taken a big turn in my absence and it’s leading you to an unexpected spot.
A place where only decision makers stand.
I’m not gonna ask you if you’re ready to stand there, because you’re already standing there.
Welcome to the big dogs!’
Now this is the cinematic version of how the actual conversation went down but the gist of it was exactly this –
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180 days passed by and we finally made our way to the annual appraisals and awards night.
Had great food, beautiful company, hell of a time and then the ceremony.
I was called out last as one of the only three people to receive a double promotion and was named the new Digital Head to drive the department in the next phase.
But the nods didn’t end there –
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I
Took
Away
The
Passion
And
Wisdom
Awards
Of
The
Night!
And after eight years in the company’s history
-
Became
The
First
Person!
To join the two bosses in their annual Oman trip –
To present the yearly strategies for the Omani Brands
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Toooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much and aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall of this happened in a single night –
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But
It
Took
Countless
Nights
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To make it happen on a single night
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And
After
Many
Years
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I felt calm
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Went back home –
Shared the accolades with my parents –
They still don’t completely understand what I do –
But it was absolutely okay because I could see it in their eyes how they were amazed at their son, once labeled by his teachers as a no good mediocre child who’s never going to amount to much –
But
There
I
Was
After many years
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Sleeping peacefully
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With
Only
One
Thing
On
My
Mind
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I
Made
It!
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Eff you all!
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The only way to grow at your current position is to –
S
E
A
R
C
H
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What
More
Can
You
Do
At your current workplace
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I
Promise
You
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There’s always something more that you can do –
You
Just
Need
To find out what it is
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Chat with your colleagues –
Discuss with your boss if he’s the one running the company and if not –
Then make your way to the SHOT CALLER and force out a meeting to get what you want!
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In my case –
I already played my part in the game and set the opportunity in motion to knock at my door with no choice but to rise up to the challenge and prove my worth in my own eyes –
I
Wasn’t
Born
This
Way
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It was slowly E N G R A V E D upon me by my circumstances –
But once the circumstances arrived –
I was ready to FACE them –
And
Take
Back
What
Was
Mine
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My
Identity!
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P.S. over the course of my pitch to my current employer, followed by a subsequent rise to lead the digital department, I’ve built quite a relation with my boss based on nothing but trust which I’ve sketched out here –
