After having worked in the University of Maryland for three years, I got a job offer from another university---Lynn University. I left my letter of offer on my present boss's desk, turned around, and closed the door quietly. I was expecting a call from my boss saying congratulations, which would show her approval of my leaving. In the afternoon, my boss called me, saying, "Can we meet tomorrow? " _ . The next day, I met with my boss. She said, 'Nicholas, we want you. What do you want?" I said, "Boss, I deserve a significant pay raise this year due to my outstanding performance. I think I need a 10% pay raise next year as a condition for me to stay here." My boss said, "No problem.'' When I left her office, I called Lynn University and told them that I was going to get a 10% pay raise. They had to give me 10% more than their original pay offer in order for me to accept the job. The new boss told me that he was willing to give me more, but I would feel very bad working at this university with such a high pay. I would win a battle, but I would lose a war. He said, "The problem is that your colleague will earn less than you, so you will feel guilty and uncomfortable. But, I can still give you 5% more than the original offer." I delivered this massage to my present boss, and she told me that she would give me another 5% pay raise if I promised to refuse this new job offer. On top of that, she would strongly support my early promotion from assistant professor to associate professor. According to the university policy, you must take at least 6 years to get promoted. That was my third year of employment at this university. After refusing the new job offer, I finally enjoyed both a pay raise and early promotion. In the text, the author mainly tells his experience of  _  .
earning a pay raise refusing a job offer applying for a new position making decisions in the workplace