> When you’re an employee, it feels like your manager’s job is to keep you happy and give you what you want. Exactly, that's why you go get a competing offer w

> When you’re an employee, it feels like your manager’s job is to keep you happy and give you what you want. Exactly, that's why you go get a competing offer when you do not feel heard from your manager regarding what will make you happy. Especially when you have said career conversations with them and no progress is being made and you're tired of waiting because they are too busy "serving an entire team". > If the person is deserving of the promotion then withholding it just because is silly. But in the real world that doesn’t really happen. This happens all the time. People who are more "visible" or "political" can often see promotions before those who may actually deserve them waiting patiently in line. Also fiscal years and promotion cycles are a thing. So it does happen in the real world all the time. Why do you think boomerang employees are a thing? > If you start giving out promotions to people who seek competing job offers, you’re telling the team that the promotion path is not based on merit or performance, but rather on your ability to hold your manager over a barrel with threats of quitting. It's really not. If you see it that way, I think you're part of the problem. It's your direct telling you they do not feel heard and this is how they are resorting to being heard. This is usually a last resort for many people. You can "honor" it in many ways. You can decline it because you have no tools to address their concerns, you can accept it because you do have a tool to address their concern, or you can even let them know they are on the path and work with them to make sure they reach that destination. It doesn't even have to be tied to a promotion either, but for many bigger companies that's one of few tools they have to address them. Often they don't play ball and lose the tribal knowledge as well causing even worse issues for the team than just "resentment". Too many great people are lost this way. I'd argue that retaining employees is infinitely better than hiring. Who is going to train the new hires? A manager's first priority is results. Their second priority? Retaining their people.