After eight years, I was denied a raise. My boss Sterling—always in expensive suits—told me to be “grateful” because the market was tight. I smiled through my disappointment.
Then I found out my new coworker Callum, hired last month, earns $45k more and works from home—despite barely knowing how to open a PDF. I kept working, helping him learn basics and pretending nothing was wrong, but I spent the next two weeks preparing a detailed handover.
When Sterling discovered I had transferred all my system permissions to a deactivated account, he panicked—Callum didn’t even have server logins. It turned out the “magic” keeping the company running was all the work I had been doing behind the scenes.
Sterling demanded I fix it, but I handed him my resignation: I’d already cleared out, formed my own consultancy, and secured clients who trusted me, not his fancy branding. The company folded within six months without the systems I’d maintained.
I learned that loyalty only matters when it’s mutual. If someone tells you to “be grateful” for being undervalued, that’s exactly what they think you’re worth. True leverage comes from knowing your value and having the courage to walk away.