We’ve all seen it: the person who seems to be the VP’s golden child  gets the promotion, while the quiet, high-performer stays exactly where they are. I coached a Director of Engineering (let’s call him Tim) who was deeply frustrated after watching multiple promotion cycles pass him by. He had been asking for the next level for nearly two years, with no clear answer on when  or even if  it would happen. Over time, the uncertainty began to erode his satisfaction with a job he