Promotion Can Be Disguised As Demotion-Pay Attention
Sometimes beautiful things don’t come in attractive packages.
In the world of work, embracing change or reassignment can be very tough.
But I have also learnt that if you muster the courage to accept a new role or responsibility, that could become your springboard to fulfilment, growth or promotion.
Somewhere in 2019, I was the Editor for an Online News portal of a top media house in Ghana.
For some weird reason, my CEO felt my unit wasn’t delivering to his expectations.
It was a shock to me because I knew how much work my team was doing and how we were beating the competition.
One day I was called to the HR’s office and told that I had been reassigned as Night Editor in the Newsroom, and so I had to immediately hand over my role to my Deputy at the online unit.
If I hadn’t matured emotionally and in the world of work, I would have perhaps resigned.
However, I had come too far to understand workplace dynamics and life itself. So I took it in good faith and went to the main newsroom although that was technically a Demotion.
I was already familiar with newsroom work, so I fit in and gave it my best.
In just a month, I was asked to lead the newsroom because the Head of News was attending a brief international event.
In this brief acting role, I was privileged to attend a management meeting.
At that meeting, the CEO welcomed me and told me that they made the best decision by bringing me to the newsroom, and they saw the value of my work.
After that meeting, he called and asked about my salary, and when I told him, he increased it by about 80%.
After working as a Night Editor in the newsroom, I was again appointed as Business News Editor. Although business wasn’t my terrain, I accepted it and led the team.
Then one day, this same CEO called me and said, he needed me to go back and head the very online unit he once took me from and rebuild it.
In all of these movements, I learnt new things, and I grew and became better at it.
Don’t fight reassignment, sometimes they’ll bring out the best in you and maybe more rewarding.
Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie
Assisting News Editor at Myjoyonline (Joy FM)
