How do you ever show up again for work when you get passed over for a promotion you very publicly were told was yours? I was told that I was the “new X”, X being the name of my former supervisor who left a couple of months ago. Before X left, he introduced me around to all our colleagues as the person who was replacing him. I soaked up this moment, and worked twice as hard (for no additional pay) doing my job and doing his job, knowing my moment would come when I was officially moved into that position. Doing the best work of my life, I worked seven days a week, ignoring my health and my husband and my sleep needs - because this was my new job! I was awesome! I was going to make this work! I was tired, frankly, but I didn’t want to tell anyone that because it might seem ungrateful. Fast forward to the day of the interview, which was really just a technicality I thought. The “super boss”, the head of everything who was supposed to actually hire me, didn’t show up to my interview. No worries, I thought, because she knows me and she knows my work, and she already has me in mind for the position. I didn’t hear the alarm bells. I chose not to be concerned that she attended every other interview that day but mine. I ignored the signs I should have seen. I made a specific choice to ignore all the bad things I had heard about her behavior, that she makes promises and doesn’t keep them, and that she will ruthlessly hurt staff if it benefits her. I chose to think I was special. I consciously decided that wasn’t going to happen to me. And yet here I am. Not only did I not get the promotion which I’ve worked so hard for, I was told I wasn’t qualified. Salt, meet wound. So how do I now show up at work tomorrow and pretend to not be hearthbroken?
© 2025 Sharon Sandow
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