> without telling him that work would not lead to the promotion he was clearly planning on.
The way I read it, he waited two years to express his desire to pursue promotion.
The manager saw the topic as a starting point for the promotion discussion and tried to explain what steps to take to get there.
The employee saw the discussion as the end point of his unrevealed promotion quest and was surprised that his history alone was not aligned with promotion exportations.
This all could have been clarified with a simple conversation 1-2 years ago expressing intent to pursue promotion and asking what it would take to get there.
The way I read it, he waited two years to express his desire to pursue promotion.
The manager saw the topic as a starting point for the promotion discussion and tried to explain what steps to take to get there.
The employee saw the discussion as the end point of his unrevealed promotion quest and was surprised that his history alone was not aligned with promotion exportations.
This all could have been clarified with a simple conversation 1-2 years ago expressing intent to pursue promotion and asking what it would take to get there.