Great review? Congrats — you just raised the bar you're about to trip over.

Amazing review? That’s not praise — it’s a training manual with your name on the cover. FAFO regarding performance reviews: you go above and beyond, someone pats you on the head, and then HR promotes the someone and expects every Tuesday to now be a tightrope.

Boss A gave glowing reviews. You covered Boss A’s ass during scheduling conflicts and vacations — you picked up shifts like you were collecting sympathy points. New boss shows up. Suddenly your ‘hero’ moves are the job description. Folks ask what changes you’ll make when they take the reins, then get confused when you make them. Classic management whiplash. (Did I say that out loud?)

It’s a weird incentive loop: above-and-beyond gets recognized, then normalized, then weaponized. You skated so smooth they measured the ice and said, “Okay, every rink’s like this now.” You just taught the company how to run without you. Sweet.

Mic-drop finish: congratulations — you didn’t get promoted for being great. You got promoted for setting a new baseline. In other words, you trained your replacement and then they hired someone cheaper who follows the manual. We having fun?