Opportunity and Potential

Time and again in your career you reach a point where you feel there are more things you could do but don’t have the opportunity in your team. This is not necessarily a situation when you feel you are ready for the next level but when you just feel you could easily take on additional strategic work along with what you are currently focussed on. Here are a few options you should think of when you reach that point.

Inform your manager

Having open conversations with your manager ensures mutual trust, enhanced engagement, inclusion and can strengthen team bonds. This could also avoid conversations towards the end of the year where your manager tells you that the performance didn’t match the full potential. When you have this conversation, make sure you have the facts and data ready on what the team has been working on for the last few months and why just taking more work from the current backlog won’t be enough. It could be things like the current workload’s priority vs company’s goals or there are junior team members who could take up many of the items in the backlog or whatever other reasons you would have regarding why you feel you have reached your potential with the current team’s workload.

Ideas for expanded scope

What could be better than going to your manager with a problem statement; going to your manager with a solution or solutions that you think will work! You know your team, you know the teams in your organisation and you should be knowing the teams you work with. This will give you all the data you need to come with a list of areas you can help with in addition to the work you already have. Work with your product and other leaders if you need help. This idea list for you and the team will go a long way to help your manager or lead to start thinking about the additional opportunities that could match your potential.

Stretch Goals

What if you could have a list of 2 to three stretch goals just for this kind of situation when you feel there is potential to do more? Wouldn’t it just be ideal to have this at the beginning of the year when you are thinking about and writing your goals for the year? I feel this is a perfect win-win scenario for all. The stretch goal that you plan to implement should also follow the SMART framework: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound. Ensure the stretch goals you have laid out is discussed with the leaders in your team before you document it.

The only way you can succeed is to never settle down and always have the urge to do more, do better and eventually increase your scope of work. Sometimes this takes time and you might feel the organisation you are in just doesn’t recognise your talent and is hesitant to give you more. However, this is not always true in many cases. There are constraints for your leaders and many things need to be considered before moving things around to give better work for you and the team. Remember it is easy to think that the grass is greener elsewhere but is it always true? Be patient, consider the above three ideas and you will reach your full potential that will keep you motivated.