Was another person in your department given a promotion? Do you think you do more and deserve a promotion much more than the person who got it? Do you feel like quitting? I wouldn't be too hasty in making this decision.
Decisions this big should be well thought out and planned in my books.
You need to be clear-headed to think through your next step.
While you may think you are more deserving than the other person, rest assured there are things that contribute to this decision that you may never really know about.
You may think you know all the things your peer does or you may not.
It could be those things that made a difference to their promotion.
You may also not be fully aware of this person's background and that can have a bearing.
In other words, don't think you know the picture entirely until you dig into it a bit.
In digging you should be looking for the following things and compare how you do them: - What is the scope or impact of the things this person has done? A bigger project with more impact can mean more growth potential.
- How has the work been executed? It's possible for two people to do the same work but one may have executed it better.
- Was this person on a different "track" when they got hired? Sometimes when hiring a manager may bring someone in with very robust background and a promise to quickly promote if they quickly prove themselves.
- How well were the results communicated to the manager? Our work does not speak for itself - we do.
Sometimes the person who keeps the boss in the loop the best, get's the promotion.
After you have fully looked into this situation, you may learn of some elements that you did not consider in your approach to your job.
If you do, you can make the needed changes and move forward.
It is possible after you've looked at all aspects that the promotion is simply a symbol that you don't have what they are looking for in a more senior contributor.
If that is true, then it is time to leave and find a company that will appreciate you and what you bring to the party.
Only at that point should you consider leaving but I would find a job first before letting go of this one.