Karen was thrilled.
“You’re making this transition incredibly easy,” she said.
“That’s what I’m here for.”
What she didn’t know was that I had started documenting everything.
Not company secrets.
Not confidential information.
My own work.
My responsibilities.
My accomplishments.
The projects I had led.
The money I had saved.
The systems I had improved.
The clients I had retained.
The additional responsibilities I’d taken on without additional compensation.
For years, I’d never bothered to keep track.
Now I understood that if you don’t document your value, other people can pretend it doesn’t exist.
Then something unexpected happened.
Emily asked me to talk privately.
“I need to ask you something.”
“Sure.”
She looked nervous.
“Why are you leaving?”
I froze.
“I didn’t say I was leaving.”
She gave me a knowing look.
“You didn’t have to.”
I smiled.
“Why do you think I’m leaving?”
She lowered her voice.
“Because I was hired to replace you.”
I didn’t respond.
“And because,” she continued, “I don’t understand why they’re paying me so much more.”
I looked at her.
