The promises people make
Some people have the best of intentions. Some do not.
Back in 2000, I was working for an equipment development company. The business owner had a lot of hopes for his new company. He wanted to go big.
The promise for me here was to be a partner at the company and have access to resources the company couldn’t cover. We would build great things and expand and become rich.
Of course, I never became a partner, and the company never expanded. And I didn’t become rich. Looking back at this, I now understand some people are not aware of where they are standing. Or they are in denial.
In 2001, I became an employee at a manufacturing company. The constant saying was:
“We have a lot of plans for you and your engineering career.”
And this was a constant for every other employee working at the company.
The engineering manager used to say I could become a trusted employee someday. However, since I wasn’t part of the elite trusted employees, the company could pay me less.
In six years, the engineering manager made different types of promises to advance my career.
“Based on performance you can get promoted into Project engineering.”
“Based on performance you can get promoted into Product design engineering.”
“Based on performance you can get promoted into Maintenance engineering.”
“Based on performance you can get promoted into Development engineering.”
“We can make an experiment and train you to became a Process engineer.”
Maybe there were more, but I don’t quite remember. Still, it was clear that he wanted to squeeze me out in any way possible. For some reason, the engineering manager thought he could deceive me with ostentatious words and language. He had a way with words. I’ll give him that. He could convince people of about anything. There were times when he almost convinced me.
Regardless, I executed my job in the best way possible. I was there to be a professional. My work had a very technical, operative, and analytic problem-solving orientation. So, I learned what was necessary. I did what was necessary to see things through and become successful in the problem-solving required to keep different equipment and manufacturing processes functioning. I don’t want to brag, but I did great. I was at the top of my game.
None of the promises made by the engineering manager became a reality. As it turns out, it didn’t depend on him for me or any of his other subordinates to get promoted.
One of the reasons was the company had a mathematical problem. There were a lot of trusted employees. The corporate officials didn’t want more.
Another reason was it depended on the engineering manager’s boss, one of the VPs of the company. The justification for adding another trusted employee would have to be extraordinaire.
Also, there was an open secret within the company. If you were a man, the promotion may never happen. If you were a woman, it could happen if you accepted to have a night of passion with this VP. So, me being a woman and not wanting anything to do with the VP, I knew a promotion for me was out of the picture.
Still, the engineering manager continued with his promises to me and his other subordinates. He kept lying to our faces for years. I guess he didn’t have any other choice. He needed to keep his people at bay. His objective for us, his subordinates, was to acquire as many more responsibilities as possible.
If the stars aligned, the company could pay us a little more money for successfully acquiring more responsibilities. Just a little more. It wasn’t even a notorious difference in payment terms. As things were, each of us was doing the work of two to three people. Eventually, I left the company. I was at a dead-end job.
In 2008, I became an internet consultant for a localization company. It was then that I started to work online and from home. The company I was working for never promised me anything. Never. Not a single thing. I appreciated this enormously.
In 2014, I started collaborating with a friend at her Marketing agency. Eventually, new promises came my way. My friend promised to pay me for vacation time. This time around, I laughed every time my friend told me. Every time she replied to me:
“You don’t believe me! Why don’t you?!”
And, yes. That was my first reaction. I don’t believe people when they promise me something.
I kept working for my friend at the other businesses she developed over time. The promises kept coming, and those even evolved. At some point, she wouldn’t pay vacation time anymore. She would make me a partner in one of her business ventures. This time, I didn’t laugh. This time, she presented a plan. Still, I had my doubts. She offered me a 50–50 engagement.
Over time, my friend’s promises kept coming. She presented another plan. This time, I wouldn’t get 50%. I would get 25%. I didn’t laugh and kept my doubts.
In the meantime, around 2016, I acquired two new long-term clients. They never promised me anything. They pay by project, and things go pretty straightforward. I know what they want from me. They know what they can get from me. It’s just business as usual.
In 2021, my friend came to me with another project. This time, she didn’t make promises. She established that I should price my work, or we could make arrangements for royalties. I liked the royalties idea. However, I don’t know if the project will fly eventually. I suspect it will not.
We have a saying in Mexico: “Prometer no empobrece”. The translation of this is: “Promising does not impoverish”.
When you promise something to someone, if this person believes you, he/she will be more engaged in whatever they are doing for you. You will get better results. Some people management books state this with fancier words. So, you see, people in positions of power are even trained to do things like these.
The problem with promises is that people tend to believe them. There is a light of hope for these promises to become true someday. I know this. I have been there. Unfortunately, the ones who make these promises may not have the resources to fulfill them.
So, when someone promises you something, take it with a grain of salt. Some people can have the best of intentions, while others will just want to manipulate you.
Take control of your career. You, and only you, will have the best interest in your career, not other people.
