The Deadline Dance

Deadlines create urgency. If you hold a competing offer, share the timeline honestly: "I need to decide by [date]." Never fabricate a deadline — recruiters talk, and burned timelines kill future opportunities.

The same applies to promotions. Ask when the decision window opens and closes, so your pitch arrives before the slate gets drafted, not during the meeting where it is defended. Once names are on paper, decisions calcify fast.