👉 "How do I grow when my manager keeps praising me… but never gives me opportunities?"

Jul 05, 2025

👋 Happy Saturday, my dear UX friends, Marina here!

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Subject: About the feedback today
“You’re doing great.”
“We really appreciate you.”
“You’re such a steady hand.”
And yet… nothing changes.

You’re still leading the same type of work.

Still cleaning up messes no one else will touch.

Still quietly solving high-level problems - without the title, the scope, or the credit.

It’s flattering.

It’s frustrating.

…and it’s starting to feel like a dead end.

You’re being praised into stagnation.

Your manager values you. No doubt.

But they value your reliability more than your growth.

You’ve become the person they count on.

Which makes you the last person they want to stretch, risk, or promote out of the role that makes their job easier.

That kind of praise is a trap.

It sounds like support, but it functions like containment.

Real career growth doesn’t come from compliments.

It comes from someone actively:

If that’s not happening?

It’s not a growth plan, it’s a holding pattern.

Don’t ask for “more responsibility.”

Don’t wait for your manager to notice that you’re ready.

Instead, make the shift visible:

Frame the strategic value of what you already do (especially the invisible stuff)
Identify a scope or challenge no one owns yet—and claim it
State your growth goal out loud and tie it to impact, not aspiration
Ask for sponsorship, not support. (There’s a difference.)

You’ve already proven yourself.

Stop playing small just because your manager’s comfortable keeping you there.

Here’s the real question:
If someone praised you constantly, but never invested in your growth…

Would you call that mentorship?

Or would you call that a cage?

UX Mentor Diaries