We all want that opportunity to grow professionally in a certain field of expertise during our time in the company. The opportunity, however, does not always come next-door as expected. Unless we have the initiative to ask, the day might never come. But asking for more challenging tasks that would help you grow to your manager is not a no-sweat effort. Unless done the right way, it could create a miscommunication that affects your professionalism in the eyes of the manager.
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So, how to convey your good intention? Read more to help you break down the awkwardness and communicate ideas more clearly, confidently, and concisely.
You can spark interest in completing more tasks. But if the opportunity does not align with your current situation, do you think the boss will just hand you in more assignments?
The answer is no. So, you should reflect on yourself first before taking action. If you can’t finish your current tasks in the time allotted, chances are, your manager will not give you more assignments. Instead, your manager will wonder what the hold-up is with you. Therefore, do check your past record. Did you do your job well? Did you always submit the project on time, or late?
You also need to consider whether you really need the challenges or you are just bored with your current job. If it is because of the boredom, new challenges might just add more stress.
As mentioned earlier, there are times when you ask for more challenges due to monotony in your current role. If this is the case and your past record is not too “delightful”, you can politely communicate what you want to with the supervisor.
Try this trick when meeting your boss. First, address your manager properly. Then, you can say, “I think I don’t develop so much from my current project/task. I feel like the task is too monotonous. Therefore, I need something more challenging through which I can develop my professional skills (or state certain skill you want to develop such as coding or technical skills)”.
Your manager will tend to say yes if the opportunities work both ways. For example, you ask for more responsibility that aligns with business goals. The positive result of this opportunities will benefit both the company and yourself, thus, your manager cannot say no to that offer.
Remember, when you ask for anything that is good for business along with its ripe plan, it is impossible for the manager to refuse the idea.
The next thing you should do before speaking to your manager is to have a plan on how you can manage time for new project while still handling the old ones. Most importantly, you should not come with a fixed plan. Instead, your plan should be flexible for other options.
To illustrate, your request is not “really” aligned with what the company is building and the manager offers better ideas on the new challenge you propose. Hence, you should sleep on it for a while to prepare your mind and mentality on the new idea.
Now that you have a flexible plan, you should find the right time to voice your ideas. The best time is when your manager is in a good mood because happiness will result in a communicative conversation. Then, politely ask for his time for a one-on-one discussion. This is a personal matter so it is better discussed privately.
Alternatively, you can put your thoughts in an email with a soft nice language. Don’t show too much enthusiasm that sounds threatening. Remember, everything that is written is recorded and it can, somehow, be used against you instead of helping you.
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