You Can't Grow If You Don't Stretch

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Looking to grow? Start by Stretching!?

Feeling a little stiff, stuck, or just plain bored at work? It might be time to stretch it out. Mentally. Although physically is never a bad spot to start.?

First, it's important to say this upfront. Stretch assignments are not just for the overachievers. The do-it-alls. The highly ambitious. We can ALL benefit from a stretch assignment every now and then. Even those who may get uncomfortable with the idea of sticking their necks too far out from their job description.?

First, a Definition?

Renowned speaker and CEO of Be Leaderly , Jo Miller, defines stretch assignments as, "A new project, role or task that is beyond your current expertise. Whether it requires turning around a struggling product or team, automating an inefficient process or delivering a big presentation to a VIP client, you’ll be compelled to rapidly develop new technical, business or leadership skills."?

A good stretch assignment should take you at least one step outside your comfort zone, while still playing to your strengths. It also needs to have buy-in from your leadership team. We're not throwing caution to the wind and blazing a new trail. This is a chance to shine in an unexpected way that has a meaningful impact on your firm. So, it's important to set yourself up for success.?

Now, the Why?

Global leadership advisory firm, Egon Zehnder, interviewed 823 international executives to identify what helped them move their careers forward.? Seventy-one percent cited stretch assignments as having the biggest impact on their career. Nothing else even came close. Stretch assignments show initiative, boost confidence, and build resilience. All critical skills for today's professionals.?

Sounds Great! Where Do I Sign Up??

If you're fortunate to have a great manager or mentor, they might spot an opportunity for you. But you can also get creative and create your own. Here are a few good places to start.?

Approach #1: Bring Your Whole Self?

A good place to start is to bring your passions and interests to work. Build a case for them and explain how it would fit into the company's overall mission. Community work is a good example. Most companies want to be involved with the community and support local charities. But this takes some time and effort to coordinate in a meaningful way. Volunteer to tackle that effort.??

Bhram Singh is a Data Analyst at Chortek with a strong passion for movies. Still early in his career, he was looking for opportunities to expand his soft skills and decided to start a Movie Club. Here's what he has to say about the experience,?

“I started the movie club for two primary reasons. One, I enjoy movies quite a bit in my own time, and I wanted to essentially create an environment in the workplace where I could engage with others in something I enjoy and hope to have others enjoy as well. Secondly, I wanted to get to know my coworkers better and improve my soft skills with communication and discussion. It has helped me immensely with both, and I believe starting and managing the club has been a highly rewarding experience.”?

Internal committees are another great example. IT Steering committee. Social committee. Green committee. Again, all things that are incredibly valuable, but fall outside the scope of the day-to-day work that needs to get done and as a result often get sidelined.

Approach #2: Talk It Out?

Talk to your manager or leader. Ask them what they need help with. Maybe it's something that technically isn't within your skillset yet, but if they take a little extra time to teach and guide you, then you can help take that task off of their plate and learn something new at the same time.?

Approach #3: Be a Trend Setter?

The world is always changing. Your industry, whatever it is, is no different. Take a step back and look around. Identify a trend in your industry. How? Talk to people. Reach out to your network. Ask questions. Read relevant industry publications. ?

The hot topic for many industries right now is generative AI. If this piques your interest, come up with a plan to become the AI champion of your firm. Learn about it and then come up with a proposal for implementing it.?

Approach #4: Flex Your Business Sense?

You can also approach it from the business level. If you have been at your company for at least a few years, you should have a good awareness of the firm's business strategy.??

If the strategy is to serve existing clients with as many services as possible. Brainstorm ideas for cross selling strategies.??

Or maybe, there is a strong focus on improving processes. Perhaps there is a new or different tool that would help facilitate this strategy. Raise your hand to research and report back your findings.?

This is the approach Mike Radtke, Partner at Chortek, took early in his career as a tax professional.?

"I became interested in pursuing the training and earning the Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA) credential about 6-7 years into my career. I was fortunate to have partners/mentors who encouraged me to look beyond what I was doing in the here and now, but rather look toward skills and advice clients will eventually need from me and us. The valuation area was of high interest technically because it took my experience in preparing historical financial statements and added the vision and analytics & trends to look ahead to how a company should be performing consistently or differently compared to that recent history.”?

Approach #5: Self Reflect?

Dust off your five- or ten-year plan for your career. Or make one if you don't have one. Think about where you want to go and then give your skillset a good hard look. More than likely, you'll identify a few gaps. Start there and think of a project that would both benefit the company and help you close that gap.??

You can also take a look at job postings. Find a description of the role you would like next in your career. Check out the qualifications and experience required for that role and take note of the ones you feel you aren't strong in just yet. By the end of this exercise, you should have a solid list to start with.?

No Matter What, Know Your Audience?

If you don't know your company's strategy, mission, vision and values... start there. Your first self-imposed assignment should be to create a list of questions and talk to someone. Fill in the gaps. Get more information. Whatever stretch assignment you ask for should be aligned to the overall company's vision/goals/strategy in some way. If you're too far off the beaten path, you're less likely to get the buy-in you'll need to move forward.?

Now, Go for It!?

If you do it right, taking on a stretch assignment should be a little scary. At least at first. After all, the goal is to step outside your comfort zone. But with a well-thought-out assignment, buy-in from your leadership and the right support system in place, it can be a catalyst for a successful and fulfilling professional career.??