Feeling antsy and like your current job is just not right?

Maybe you want to focus more on big ideas and less on mundane tasks. You want to focus on more of what you care about, or you want to grow and just don’t see a path.

You’ve been starting to look on the job boards, thinking about what’s next.

But what if your dream job was right there in your current company?

I know multiple people who *thought* they needed to switch jobs. One was unhappy with her largely logistical work. The other worried there was nowhere to go from here.

They were ready to leave…

But I suggested that instead, they talk to their bosses about what they *really* want to do in their companies.

This can be scary because we don’t want to rock the boat!

But it paid off for both of them: They were both promoted into leadership roles, and they got to do more of the work they loved while dropping the work that was driving them crazy.

They didn’t have to leave in order to get what they wanted!

I’ve taught many negotiation workshops over the years, and one of the things we focus on is that a negotiation can be a mutual conversation: how do we find what works best for the company and for me?

1. Identify the work you want to do more of

Write down what you want to do more of at work. You might look at what others do, or look around at what other kinds of tasks and roles exist at other companies.

2. Articulate how the work you’d like to do would serve the business

Look for ways the company would benefit if you got to do more of the work you love. Think about it as making a business case for a new role with new responsibilities that the company needs.

3. Initiate a conversation with your boss to share your ideas

It should be half soft-proposal (here’s what I’d like to do) and half collaboration (can we brainstorm on whether this would work?).

4. Jointly define a new role

Make sure your new role isn’t just adding responsibilities to your existing workload but dropping some of the work you’d like to get off your plate.

Many of us leave when the official roles we see don’t feel right for us…

But your dream role doesn’t have to exist yet at your company; you can create it!