Climbing the Corporate Ladder... In Heels

Last Friday at around 2pm, I was sitting at my desk working hard on a budget, deep in thought, and sans heels, which I kicked off underneath my desk. My boss came over and asked if he could talk to me for a minute. I said "sure", quickly gathered my shoes, kind of embarrassed that I had been sitting barefoot at work, and asked if I should bring a pad of paper. He said "no, the CEO and I just want to speak with you for a minute." At this point, my heart sank-- what had I done wrong? Its Friday at 2pm, prime time to lay people off, I thought. As we walked my boss proceeded to tell me that "since Joe's traveling makes me so excited, he thought maybe I'd like to spend some time in Poland or Russia working on foreign acquisitions". Now I am thinking, ok, hes telling me crazy places so that when they say they are sending me to somewhere crappy in the mid-west I wont feel that bad.

I get to the CEO's office and he shuts the door. They proceed to tell me that I am not in trouble, that they appreciate the hard work that I do here on a daily basis and are giving me a promotion to senior level and a raise. WOW! THAT WAS UNEXPECTED. They told me that my immediate boss had gone to management and put a case together about why he thought that I deserved to be promoted in advance of yearly promotion time. To say I was grateful would be an understatement. I really appreciate that my company recognizes you when you work hard for them. They are quick to tell you when you've done something well, and always give the recognition to the person that deserves it. That means a lot in corporate America today... as not many companies stand behind their employees like that.

The raise & bonus eligibility will also take a huge weight off my shoulders in a few months when Sara moves out. More money means that I can take a roommate if I want to, but now, I am not as desperate as I was. What a sigh of relief.

I think its true what they say, that the world doesn't owe you anything, but sometimes, if you work really hard, and your kind.. good things happen when you least expect it. That being said, its still hard to climb the corporate ladder without kicking off your heels!