Navigating mixed signals on promotion paths, am I missing something, or not getting the full story?
A few years ago, I was an Engineering Area Manager in an advanced technology group at a large manufacturing company. My team was responsible for building and testing specialized systems (electrical controls, etc.). One of my major assignments was to evaluate and improve our operating model.
After a deep analysis, I recommended outsourcing much of our work and ultimately disbanding the department. Over the course of about two years, I successfully executed that plan. This included transitioning work externally and relocating every member of my team into other roles within the company.
After that, my manager began discussing next steps for me. In some 1:1 conversations, he encouraged me to move into a Project Engineer role (which is considered a leadership-track position). However, in other conversations, he would suggest I should move into a Design Engineer role first.
This back-and-forth concerned me. It felt inconsistent, and at the time I interpreted it as either uncertainty or possibly prioritizing others for limited leadership slots.
Eventually, I chose to move into another group that offered a more direct and clearly defined path into a Project Engineer role, which I achieved.
Later, once I started participating in higher-level strategy and HR discussions, I realized something important: in this organization, advancing to Senior Project Engineer or Engineering Manager is significantly easier if you have Design Engineering experience. Without it, progression is still possible, but typically takes much longer (sometimes close to a decade in-role).
In hindsight, it seems like my previous manager may have been trying to guide me through the internal “rules of the game,” but I didn’t fully understand that at the time.
Now I’m in a new situation that feels somewhat similar.
I’m currently a Project Engineer, and I’ve been very intentional about asking my manager what I need to do to reach Senior Project Engineer. The feedback I get is generally vague:
“You’re not there yet” or “Focus on finishing Project A or B”
At the same time, He tells me that I’m overloaded and effectively operating at the level of an Engineering Manager based on my responsibilities and direct report load.
This disconnect is frustrating. On one hand, I’m being told I’m not ready. On the other, I’m being told I’m already carrying work at a higher level.
I want to keep progressing, but I’m starting to feel like I’m not getting the full picture again.
How do you differentiate between “developmental feedback” vs. organizational politics or constraints?