Tammy Erickson Associates Building Intelligent Organizations

Q&A: A Gen Y’s Desire for Greater Challenge

Hi Tammy,

I’ve been going through a trying time at work recently and came across some of your articles on Generation Y—and they brilliantly summarised everything that I’m suffering from at the moment—so thank you, Tammy!

For many reasons I really do love the company I work for at the moment, but am completely unchallenged in the role that I am in currently (I have been in the role for two years now). I’m a high performer and great at what I do and the company has acknowledged this through our performance management process. I have tried to explain to my manager that I am unchallenged but so far to no avail—the the extent that now I am being reprimanded by my manager because I’m “portraying a negative attitude towards my job role”—despite the fact that everyone else around me (including my customers) continues to give me feedback on how positive and upbeat I am.

Do you have any advice as to how I can communicate this better to my manager and get her to help me? Is threatening to leave ever a good strategy (because it is what will happen if things don’t change soon)? Are there any other things you suggest that I can try before deciding to leave?

Thanks,

AS

Hi AS,

How frustrating! I’m sorry that your talents aren’t being tapped more fully.

Let’s jump in. I would guess that you’re in a role that the company simply needs someone to fill—and clearly you’re performing well. The company’s incentive to make you happy by moving you into a broader role is not as great as the need to get the specific work you perform well done.

First, look at the structural options in the company: Are there other people who could move into your role? Could you offer to train someone? Is there a logical new role you’d like to take on? Can you begin developing the skills required to do that well? In other words, try to make any transition easy for your boss and the company—a “safe” alternative to take on your work and an option for you to move to that you are ready to do well.

Second, look for ways that you can make your current role more interesting. Is there some type of added value that you can offer? For example, one summer I had a job in a book bindery—a pretty unchallenging manual assembly-line set of tasks. But I spent a fair amount of time thinking of ways we could improve the process—making it either easier, faster, or cheaper. I ended up learning a lot and making a contribution that went beyond what the company had hired me to do. The key is that I didn’t ask permission to do this; I just did it. Are there dimensions you can add to your current role that would be interesting for you—and beneficial to the company?

Threatening to leave is not a great strategy, although I think it is important to communicate clearly with your boss and the company more broadly. Regarding the latter, you may want to talk with your human resource representative, to make sure that your interests are understood by others. Your tone should be respectful, helpful, and focused on finding a win-win solution: “I feel ready to take on a more challenging role as soon as the timing is right. I understand the importance of performing my current role well, and am committed to doing so, but would like to understand your views on when a change might be possible.” Any smart boss or human resource executive will understand that this sort of discussion also serves as fair warning that you won’t wait forever.

Good luck—I hope you have an exciting career ahead.

Best,

Tammy

Filed under: Interactions with Your Manager | Published: 05/10/09

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