Approached for a promotion that I don't want...

Soldato
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I’m in a bit of a predicament at work and I’m not sure of the best way to resolve it.

I started at my company just under a year ago and joined a team of five others. One of these had been there a little longer than the rest so was being groomed for a senior/team leader position for the team.

I’ve had really positive feedback since being there, so much so that my boss approached me and said they asked me about progressing into the senior/team lead role instead.

The problem here is that I don’t want this position. I’ve been a team lead before in a much more competent team in a far more mature company, with a better support network, and I still left as I found it too stressful and I spent all my time doing the boring admin side of things rather than the stuff I was actually interested in. So I know this move would be a bad one for me, even if it came with a massive rise (which I’m sure it won’t given the current climate, and the fact I’m already on a decent wage).

So far this sounds fairly straightforward, I just turn to him and say thanks but no thanks, right? The problem is that because the rest of my team is less competent, I’m basically doing a large chunk of the senior/team lead work anyway. I started doing this to make my life easier, and to show I was capable, but now others have cottoned on so I’m always the first port of call for any questions for anything the team is doing. So I think even if I say I don’t want the position, I’m still going to end up doing most of it anyway, unless I just start responding with a blanket, “that’s not in my job spec, go ask someone else”, which obviously isn’t going to go down too well (and I don’t want to be THAT guy either).

Any suggestions on how to resolve this situation?

The job market isn’t great at the moment, I’m paid well, it’s a convenient job, and I think I can learn a lot there, so I certainly don’t want to do anything that can put my job at risk.
 
Soldato
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Well I think look at it simply:

a) You refuse it, and you still end up doing the work of someone more senior than you but you don't get paid more for it.
b) You accept it, you still do the work of the new title but you actually get paid for it. Make sure if you accept it you get a payrise too.

So for me I'd take b as long as I got a decent payrise with it. In a private conversation with your manager you're not being 'that guy' to point out that if they expect you to do a more senior role that you should be paid in accordance with that seniority.
 
Soldato
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Give it a go. You'll have a better job title on the CV, more money, more experience, and hopefully a wider skill set. In the future if you want to leave, you'll be able to look at the next tier of jobs- "Senior xxxx" rather than the tier you're on now.

As you say, if you're more competent than the others, you're probably going to end up doing more work anyway. Some people spend years trying to get promoted, only to be thwarted/overlooked/whatever.

Life's short, your career is shorter, and you only get so many opportunities. Take this one.
 
Soldato
Joined
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3,043
Take the promotion and the money and get onto the job sites again. Being the eagle amongst turkeys is great until a project goes bad and you get the fallout from it. Garner as much experience as you can but I'd be looking at the door sooner rather than later when the right replacment job comes up.
 
Soldato
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12,645
I'm going to go against the grain here.

I think you have to be honest with yourself. I've watched, people "wrongly" be rewarded for being great at their job by being moved into management roles. Especially in technology... it seems to regularly go wrong. Many times, this is because of the reasons you've outlined in your OP.

They clearly rate and respect you, so respect them back. Tell them you've had time to think, it isn't really the shape of role you are interested in, but you want to meet them half way and take on aspects of the role - pick those you want - for a rise in line with that uplift.

You've got nothing to lose by doing this.
 
Caporegime
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Llaneirwg
I also wouldn't take it.

If you really are doing the job, then yes take it.
Especially if it comes with more cash

But if you are only doing part of it, and don't want to rest I wouldn't.

Its never happened to me, but if I was asked to 'lead the team' I'd turn it down. I just can't handle that type of role.
 
Caporegime
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58,898
The problem is that because the rest of my team is less competent, I’m basically doing a large chunk of the senior/team lead work anyway. I started doing this to make my life easier, and to show I was capable, but now others have cottoned on so I’m always the first port of call for any questions for anything the team is doing. So I think even if I say I don’t want the position, I’m still going to end up doing most of it anyway, unless I just start responding with a blanket, “that’s not in my job spec, go ask someone else”, which obviously isn’t going to go down too well (and I don’t want to be THAT guy either).

Any suggestions on how to resolve this situation?

Is there any way they can separate the technical leadership part of the role from the people management aspect?

Like if you're the most experienced or competent person and you're doing the more technical stuff anyway or assisting others when needed then it would be right that you perhaps get a job title boost/move up the org chart (if the org is hierarchical) and get more money in order to reflect that.

Some companies (big US tech firms etc..) do seperate the promotional paths people can take into technical and management streams so you can progress and keep doing the stuff you enjoy without having to also deal with irrelevant/non-technical stuff.

There isn't any reason why some senior developer or software architect or whatever needs to manage a team or multiple teams etc.. they can have a technical leadership role, manage the technical aspects of the product, how it is implemented etc.. and have the final say on that... it doesn't mean that the 50+ developers working on it need report to them in terms of going to them for pay rises, holiday requests, sick leave etc..
 
Soldato
Joined
20 Dec 2004
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15,762
Depends if they are going to hire a manager if you don't take the promotion?

If they aren't, then you're going to end up doing the work anyway, without getting paid for it.
 
Man of Honour
Joined
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Vvardenfell
I agree with those who say that if you are already doing most of the job, then go for the promotion. But:

1) Get a full description of the senior role in writing. I cannot emphasise this enough.

2) Expect trouble from the person who thought they were getting the job.
 
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