The Problem with Promotions

I am usually pretty good about knowing my workload and what I can and can't handle.  If I don't have the time to do something, I will tell whoever is assigning it to me and go on with my day.  I never like seeing work that I'm supposed to do get assigned to somebody else, because it seems like I'm saying "no, I won't do the work that you're paying me to do."  But sometimes, that's just how it has to be.

Except for when you're up for a promotion, which I am now.

Out of the blue, my boss' boss' boss' boss (yes, that's 4 management levels above me) asked me if I would be willing to take over the coordination of a monthly newsletter.  I had no idea what goes into it, but it didn't matter.  It could involve me flying to Australia every weekend for the rest of the year and I'd still have agreed to do it.  Not really much of a choice when you're up for a promotion, and the man who asks you to do the work is also the one who ultimately decides whether or not you get the promotion.

This particular task is what I would call an extracurricular task, where it doesn't have anything to do with my actual job, but you can't advance in my workplace without doing some of these things.  In this case, it's coordinating a monthly newsletter.  I have no problems working on a newsletter - writing an article, doing some layout, editing, etc., but coordinating can be like pulling teeth.  Writing the articles, after all, is an extracurricular activity for the writers as well, which means it doesn't always rank high on their priority scale.

On a side note, I was already involved with this newsletter as an editor.  Simple copy editing stuff, but it's not as if I'm completely unfamiliar with the work that's involved.

I guess I should be happy that this is the only thing extra they've asked of me so far, because until I see that first bump in my paycheck, I will say yes to every single request they have.