Use stretch assignments to get ahead at work & in life??

Welcome to Quick Confidence! This weekly letter delivers a spritz of stories, tips and simple actions that will build your confidence and your power. Each quick tip bolsters confidence in your body, mind, and relationships so you can lead yourself and others to greatness.?

When was the last time you really stretched what you could do at work??

There’s mounting evidence that shows stretch opportunities have the power to transform your career.?

I’m talking about those projects outside your traditional line of work that allow you to put new skills to the test and prove your capabilities.?

This might mean fixing a bottleneck in your organization, creating a taskforce to solve a problem or attempting an initiative that previously failed.

Though stretch assignments might seem like a way for you to do more work without any recognition(!), if you seek them out strategically, you can get the career development and recognition you deserve.

Still dubious??

Executive search firm Egon Zehnder’s survey of 823 international Executives found that 71% of senior leaders identified stretch assignments at work as the "biggest career enabler in unleashing their potential."

Another report by Korn Ferry named rotational or stretch assignments as the single most valuable developmental experience—beating out mentoring, classroom training, 360° assessments, and even exposure to senior leaders.

So how can you boost your confidence – and experience – with stretch assignments??

Try these techniques for a start.

Quick Confidence Tips to Boosting Your Experience with Stretch Assignments:

1. Embodied: Go the extra mile. If you’re selected for a special assignment, it means someone vouched for you and put their reputation on the line to advocate for you. This person, along with your organization, is invested in your success and will be watching to see how you perform. Rather than aiming to merely satisfy a project goal or stakeholder, find a way to dig deep and deliver something that’s truly memorable or extraordinary. Ask yourself, “What’s a meaningful way that I can overdeliver?” That might mean sharing results with your stakeholders in an immersive way, by involving them, versus simply presenting information to them. Or it might mean doing something special to mark the occasion like involving a client or using the project as a public case study.
2. Interpersonal: Negotiate for your success. Before taking on a new stretch, ask to fully understand the career benefits and options that might open up—even the financial incentives. I urge you to ask, “If I do an excellent job on this project, what can I expect as a result?” While you’re at it, negotiate the authority, resources and support you need to be successful. The last type of project you want to accept is one that is politically, positionally or otherwise doomed. So be willing to push for the budget or executive sponsorship you may need to create a lasting or meaningful change.
3. Mindset: Define your direction. What if you’re not aware of any exciting, ready-to-launch stretch assignments? Reflect on your career goals. Scan your organization’s landscape for gaps, problems, and business opportunities that would be a good match for you and stretch what you know. Once you have ideas, back them with evidence, proposing them to management with the same attention and care you’d give a VIP project. Paint a clear picture of the destination you want to navigate to, how it will improve the current situation and how you’ll help guide the project. Even if it’s a new area for you, try not to “round down” or understate your qualifications when deciding if you’re ready for an assignment, but rather “round UP.”

It might seem like your work is done after you wrap up an assignment.?

But consider this: One complaint I sometimes hear from bosses is that it’s not always easy to see how a worker’s stretch assignment translates back to their job.?

Try to avoid this perception by developing a list of tangible, transferable skills you learned.

In fact, try to articulate to your manager three actions you’ll take based on what you learned while “on assignment.”?

Then, in the future, spotlight your learning by ‘storytelling your stretch assignment,’ so it has a beginning, middle and end that illustrates the initial problem, some key context, and your solution.?

See how that shows growth, evolution and ROI?!

What will your next stretch assignment at work be? Let me know about a stretch that made a difference for you in the comments!

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Discover how to recognize opportunities to back yourself, just like I shared in my 'turn their no into a yes' story. Click here to get the course. As a LinkedIn Learning author, I may be compensated if you make a purchase.