I was managing people 2 pay grades above me (here's what I learned)

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Here's something your colleagues won't tell you:

The people getting promoted around you are strategically selfish. They just don't call it that.

Let me explain with a story that changed everything for me.

It was 8 PM on a Tuesday, and I was still at my desk.

Again.

I'd been put in charge of a high-profile project…a huge opportunity for visibility. The kind of assignment that could change everything.

But there was a catch.

My "team" was 7 people, all at least 2 pay grades higher than me. Senior managers. Directors. People who made significantly more money than I did.

And I was stuck doing all the heavy lifting.

We'd have these great brainstorming meetings. Everyone contributed ideas, explored angles, shared insights. Then the meeting would end, and I'd go back to my desk to... do everything we'd just discussed.

While everyone else was playing the "good employee" game, I was about to learn the real rules.

That Tuesday night, staring at my computer screen, I finally asked myself the question that changed everything:

"Why am I doing work for people who are being paid more than me to do it?"

Then the real question hit me:

"Had I actually ASKED them to do the work?"

I replayed our last meeting in my mind. Yes, they'd contributed. But when action items came up, I'd just... taken them. Like I always did. Like the good team player I'd been trained to be.

Most people never figure this out. They stay stuck in the helpful-employee trap forever.

But that night, something clicked.

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I stopped what I was doing. Opened my email. And sent a message assigning specific tasks to each team member—with exactly what I needed and when I needed it.

Then I went home.

Most of the team responded well. One person tried to push back, suggesting I handle it instead.

I held my ground.

After a few conversations, she agreed to do the work.

And that's when I realized: I'd been professionally selfless for years. Volunteering for everything, taking on extra work, making everyone else's life easier.

While they got promoted.

It was time to get strategically selfish.

The people at the top already know this secret. They don't do work that other people are being paid to do. They don't volunteer for every action item just to be helpful. They ask: "Is this the best use of MY time and energy?"

If the answer is no, they delegate it. Or they don't do it at all.

Here's what changed when I embraced being strategically selfish:

• I stopped assuming people would volunteer for work and started assigning it directly

• I stopped doing tasks that showcased other people's expertise and started giving them back the work

• I stopped being afraid of hierarchy and started acting like the leader I was supposed to be

The project was a success. I got the visibility I wanted. And I learned something crucial:

Your career isn't a charity. Stop treating it like one.

This week's strategically selfish challenge: 

Look at your current workload. What are you doing that someone else should be doing? Pick ONE task and either delegate it or stop doing it entirely.

Most people will keep volunteering for everything and wonder why they're stuck.

But you're here reading this, which means you're ready to think differently.

While your colleagues are busy being helpful, you'll be busy being strategic.

What's the one thing you're going to stop doing this week?

Hit reply and let me know. I read every email.

Keep up the momentum,

Cassie