Why Your Manager Keeps Giving You More Work (And How to Break the Cycle)

Last week, Sarah sent me a message that made my heart sink:

"I just found out my manager gave the team lead role to Jake. Jake! Jake, who I've been covering for when he misses deadlines. Jake, who asks ME when he needs to understand our client relationships. I'm doing the job already. Why didn't I get the title?"

Sarah is caught in what I call the competence trap…and if you're drowning in work while watching others get promoted, you probably are too.

The Psychology Behind Why Good Employees Get Buried

Here's what's really happening when your manager keeps piling work on your desk:

Your manager's brain: "Sarah always delivers. Sarah never complains. Sarah fixes problems before they become my problems. I need this critical project done right. Give it to Sarah."

Your brain: "If I keep proving myself, eventually they'll see my value and promote me."

The brutal reality: You're being rewarded with more work, not more opportunity.

You've become the organizational shock absorber: absorbing problems, stress, and overflow so everyone else can focus on career-advancing projects.

The Competence Trap: How Being Good At Your Job Hurts Your Career

The competence trap works like this:

1. You excel at your current role (genuinely—you're good at what you do)

2. You become the "safe bet" for urgent, unglamorous, or complex work

3. Your calendar fills with reactive work while others get proactive, visible projects

4. You're seen as indispensable... in your current role (not promotable to the next one)

5. Your manager promotes people who aren't as buried in day-to-day operations

The cruel irony? Your work ethic is working AGAINST you.

Why This Happens
(It's Not About You)

Your manager isn't plotting to keep you down. They're responding to incentives:

• Risk management: You're the reliable option when stakes are high

• Cognitive load: It's easier to give complex work to someone who "gets it"

• Performance optimization: Why fix what isn't broken?

Meanwhile, Jake gets assigned to the strategic project because he's "available" (translation: not buried under everyone else's urgent work) and needs "development opportunities" (translation: he's not already proving his competence daily).

The Strategic Selfishness Solution: Redistribution Scripts

Here's how to break the cycle without looking lazy or uncommitted:

Script 1: The Capacity Redirect

"I'm at capacity with [current strategic project]. To take this on properly, I'd need to hand off [specific current work] to someone else. Who do you think would be good for that?"

Script 2: The Development Opportunity Frame

"This looks like a great development opportunity for [colleague's name]. I could provide oversight/guidance, but they should own the execution to build their skills."

Script 3: The Strategic Priority Check

"Help me prioritize this against [current project that serves your goals]. If this is more important, what should I deprioritize or delegate to make room?"

Script 4: The Visibility Trade

"I'd love to take this on. Since it's high-visibility work, can we discuss how this fits with my development goals and what success looks like for my growth?"

The Weekly Audit That Changes Everything

Every Friday, categorize your work from this week:

Promotion-Track Work:

• Strategic projects

• Cross-functional collaboration

• Work that showcases your thinking, not just execution

• Projects tied to business outcomes

Competence-Trap Work:

• Urgent fixes that others could handle

• Training/supporting colleagues repeatedly

• Administrative work that doesn't require your expertise

• Being the "backup" for others' responsibilities

Your goal: 70% promotion-track, 30% competence-trap by month three.

The Uncomfortable Truth About "Being Helpful"

I know this feels wrong. You've been taught that being helpful, reliable, and hardworking leads to recognition. In school, it did. In corporate life, it often leads to more work.

Being strategically selfish doesn't mean doing bad work. It means doing work that serves your goals while serving the business.

Sarah updated me last week. She started using the capacity redirect script and volunteering for one strategic project per month. Her manager initially pushed back, but when she framed it as "developing others while focusing on growth opportunities," the conversation shifted.

She's no longer Jake's safety net. And she's no longer invisible.

Your Weekly Challenge

Pick ONE piece of recurring work that showcases someone else's expertise (or lack thereof) instead of yours. Practice Script 2 with it this week.

You're not everyone's backup plan. You're the main character in your own career story.

Permission granted to redistribute the work that's keeping you stuck!

To your momentum,

Cassie

P.S. If you're tired of being everyone's go-to person without getting anywhere yourself, you're exactly where you need to be. Forward this to someone who needs permission to stop being professionally selfless.

Hit reply and tell me: what's the one piece of work you're ready to redistribute? I read every response!