The author recalls early Amazon days when constantly fixing problems and overworking won praise but stalled his advancement. After a decade in performance calibration meetings, he realized that being indispensable in day-to-day tasks doesn’t translate into career growth. He unpacks common “helpful” habits that actually hold you back.

This article outlines four clear indicators that your manager has disengaged—lack of specific feedback, being passed over for new projects, disappearing 1:1s, and postponed career talks. It then offers direct steps to re-engage them by asking for expectations and presenting a concrete growth plan.

This two-day intensive course teaches mid- and senior-level tech operators how to craft clear pitches, reduce back-and-forth, and win stakeholder buy-in. Through live sessions, hands-on exercises, scripts, and teardowns led by Wes Kao, participants sharpen their real-world communication skills and gain templates and recordings for ongoing practice.