From the description of the book, it seems it doesn’t really answer Emily’s main concern, which was about the impact on friendships and confidants in the office. And I disagree that discussing with office friends would help make the decision – most office friends are just that, office buddies, which while nice to have, are usually primarily based on being at basically the same level in the company or proximity. Some may be truly supportive, but most people in an office, when push comes to shove, primarily concerned with their own career path or operate from the idea that if one person’s promoted, they’re taking something away from the others – & may be vying for the same promotion you’re after.

Becoming an acquaintance’s boss hugely impacts the relationship, and it was my experience that while they could be happy for you that you’re promoted, the friendship will not continue beyond a point. There are just some things that one can’t share with one’s boss (or subordinate) particularly if there’s a strong hierarchy in place at work. And once one person is promoted up another level or two, the relationship most likely will cease, even if you’d had any interaction after hours before.

So, if you define success in your career as accepting promotions, you have to be willing to let some relationships in the office change or fall away. I’ve seen it happen where a newly promoted supervisor doesn’t drop friends from the level being supervised, and doesn’t move any farther up the ladder because the higher-ups see that as not fully embracing the mindset of the new level.