The Surprising Question That Could Make or Break Your Next Big Opportunity
When someone offers us something that checks the conventional boxes—better title, more money, increased visibility—we feel this pressure to say yes. We worry that if we don’t jump at it, we’re somehow failing or being ungrateful or not ambitious enough.
I saw this pattern constantly during my time at the global marketing agency where I started my career. Talented people would accept promotions or lateral moves that looked perfect from every angle, only to find themselves miserable six months later. They’d gained something professionally but lost something personally, and they couldn’t quite put their finger on what went wrong.
