The boss comes up to your desk in the software development department and asks about a new product you have been working on for the past few months. Last week, he told you the deadline for the software launch was getting close, so you expected this. He then introduces you to Carol from marketing who will be helping with the product roll out and asks you to read her in on the progress that has already been made and where she might best be able to contribute.
He reminds you the launch is not that far off, so identify a couple other people who can coordinate any last minute beta-testing and uncover any new bugs. Your manager also states due to the timeline, meet as often as is necessary but update him every few days. In the meantime, make whatever corrections you need. He states he wants you and the group to get started this afternoon and walks away.
As you are sitting there listening to Carol as she outlines what she believes to be some of the advertising strengths of the new product, you ask yourself, “Was I just promoted?” Though you never received a raise, a title or even a cake.
Well, let’s see, there are four basic functions of formal management:
- Planning. Check! You have been gearing up your end for the deadline and clearing a path for others to work along side you.
- Organizing. Check! You now have Carol on your project management team and are to assess how she can best contribute.
- Directing. Check! A couple other members from the development team of your choosing will follow your lead.
- Controlling. Check! “Make whatever corrections you need.”
Yet the question begs “Am I now part of the management team?” No. You are not. The fact this has been the norm for the past half-year and no one has invited you to a manager’s meeting proves it. You do behave as one and your “team” doesn’t seem to question it either.
This sort of quiet promotion is a common mistake organizations make. In fact, micromanagement is one of the leadership challenges I discuss in my book, The 8 Managerial Challenges. Giving someone the responsibility to carry out certain tasks but none of the authority needed to carry them out is a setup or failure. And if things go south, it could be a convenient for an unscrupulous manager to have someone else to blame.
Is this illegal? No, not really. Is it unethical? Well, probably. But this is common practice for exploitative organizations who try to get things
done on the cheap. They completely drain all the “resources” out of that human. Even what they never paid for.
Can that employee move to another company and claim X number of years of managerial experience? Nope! Just try to explain that one in the interview: you were… but you weren’t. And the old HR will have no record of that employee ever being in management.
And, in the long term, it’s confusing for everyone else. “Do I really have to do what this person says?” will be a common question in the breakroom. Besides, an employee has the right to know who their boss actually is.
There are plenty of good companies that take pride in promoting from within. Think Costco, McDonalds or Cisco Systems. And for those who are promoted within those companies, they tend to stay.
Granted, there need not be a mother hen for each and every project or task. But if it happens regularly enough, then it is an accepted and expected practice. It’s a position that a member of the team finds to be a sort of Limbo in their career.
We often see this play out in restaurants and retail. They are called “key employees.”
Not quite a manager or even a front-line supervisor, just a trusted senior employee with some experience. Often, it’s an heir-apparent for that manager title at a later date, perhaps at another store. But at least even they are GIVEN A KEY to the front door. If that worker’s job includes prepping before store hours, at least they can get inside the building on their own.
So, what is a would-be manager to do? The only thing one can do when assumptions and silent expectations are made is address them directly. Bluntly ask, “Where’s my money?” Okay, that may be a bit of a bull in a china shop approach. But “We need to talk about my position and responsibilities.” Is a great conversation starter.
If that falls on deaf ears, it may be necessary to take the issue up with HR. That's one of the reasons an HR Department exists. But it’s not what that person originally signed up for. Bottom line don’t wait around for some magical ascension, because it isn’t going to happen.
People aren't promoted simply because they're the orange in a basket full of apples. They are given the title and paid for their promotion, because the job now carries greater accountability, responsibility, liability as well as higher production expectations. You know, all the fun stuff no one else wants.
Sometimes, there is a legitimate leadership vacuum, perhaps because the old supervisor retired and someone is asked to temporarily step in. It happens and there’s no harm in taking one for the team. But for how long? And what authority has been granted in the meantime? What support does the legitimate management team offer? These concerns need to be clearly spelled out, not just to the stand-in, but the entire team.
If a senior employee is truly key to the organization’s success, it will step up and do the right thing by promoting that person. And better to do so before they move on to the competition. Who knows, there might even be a cake in the breakroom.
© 2026, Blaine Little is an author, trainer and public speaker and the Founder & CEO of Momentum Seminars Training & Coaching. We help businesses grow by investing in their people. For more on about our programs, visit www.MomentumSeminars.com
This material is an original composition and with the exception of graphics and basic editing, composed without the aid of Artificial Intelligence.