THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ON HOW TO GET
'UNSTUCK' IN YOUR EXECUTIVE CAREER How
to Get Unstuck
You're
going nowhere fast in your job. But
it doesn't have to be that way. By
CAROL HYMOWITZ and KEMBA J. DUNHAM Staff
Reporters of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL March
29, 2004; Page R1 You're
stuck. Yes,
you're working harder than ever -- especially since all those recent staff
cutbacks. Yes, you're as ambitious as ever -- and see any number of jobs you
could do at the company. But
you haven't had a promotion in several years and don't see one in sight. New
opportunities at other companies are equally scarce, which rules out employer-hopping. So what do you do when you're running fast -- and going nowhere? How can you rejuvenate your career when you feel trapped in the same old job? For
many employees, that is the question in today's jobless recovery. With so few
companies hiring, and so many workers staying put, there just isn't a lot of
movement in workplaces these days. Many who survived layoffs and took on
extra work to fill job gaps are eager for new challenges. But when they ask
for assignments that will expand their experience and move them up the ranks,
their bosses often tell them, "Just do what you're doing now and we'll
get back to you next year," says Laurence J. Stybel, co-founder of
Stybel Peabody & Lincolnshire, a Boston career-management firm.
"It's hard to have an intelligent discussion about career development
with managers who are still stretched thin on resources and feel uncertain about
what lies beyond the next quarter," Mr. Stybel adds. So does that mean
that the bored and restless are doomed to slump at their desks forever, or at
least until it's their turn to be pushed out? Absolutely not. Those who
understand it is up to them to drive their careers can change and grow
without walking out the door. How do they do it? Let's count some of the
ways. Broaden Your Horizons
Consider
Laura Terbough, a 30-year-old manager at Intel Corp., a Santa Clara, Calif.,
chip maker. Last spring, she felt unhappy with her job as a consumer
marketing manager, which she had held for 21/2 years. "There was just a
feeling that I wasn't connecting," she says. At first she thought she
would have to leave Intel to find more satisfying work. But few companies in
her region and industry were hiring. Then her counterpart at Intel in Germany
decided to take a five-month sabbatical and suggested she fill in for her,
beginning in April 2003. Ms. Terbough jumped at that opportunity, which
turned out to be just the right remedy for her malaise. "International
experience was the shot in the arm that I needed," she says. "And
being away from my old job gave me more perspective, and I was able to figure
out what I liked and didn't like." On
her return to California in August, she cast a wide job-hunting net. Because
she was interested in education, she considered educational software and toy
companies as well as universities. But she also focused on options at Intel.
She arranged informational interviews with Intel managers and networked with
colleagues at lunch. She researched different departments, such as corporate
communications, and searched the company intranet for job information. In
October, she learned about a possible job as program marketing manager for
Intel's world-wide educational group. The position involved collaborating
with educators and governments to improve students' conceptual skills by
focusing on technology, math and science. It was in her area of interest, so
she quickly arranged to meet with the group's hiring manager, whom she had
worked with before, and stressed why she thought it was a perfect fit. When
the job finally materialized in December, she got the offer and immediately
accepted. "If I hadn't assessed what I wanted and needed, I would have
had a lot more anxiety about recommitting to Intel," she says. But what
most helped her reinvigorate her career, Ms. Terbough says, was her decision
to fill in for her colleague in Germany. Being in a new environment with a
different culture and language was exciting and boosted her self-confidence
and determination to try something new when she returned to the U.S. The
international experience she gained also broadened her résumé and was an
asset as she looked for new jobs at Intel and other companies. "I
could show that I understood different perspectives and different market
dynamics," she says. It's the Little Stuff
Sometimes
making very subtle changes at work can trigger career gains. "We all
read about makeup artists who become lawyers or pilots, but few people reinvent
themselves that completely -- and sometimes all that is needed is a small
change," says Barbara Moses, a career coach in Toronto and author of
"What Next: The Complete Guide to Taking Control of Your Working
Life."A Web designer at a large hotel chain who sought Ms. Moses' help
felt stale and was having difficulty coming up with new ideas. So she did something
simple: Instead of remaining blocked in front of her computer screen, she
spent time outside the office visiting department stores and taking in new
visual displays. "That opened up her creative side, and she started
producing new work that was softer and more beautiful than what she had done
previously," Ms. Moses says. She
felt revitalized, happier with her job and more confident about her abilities.
She also was assigned bigger projects and received a raise. Focus Less on Work
Another
way to combat career doldrums is to focus less energy on work and more on
activities outside the office. This can be particularly effective for Type A
high achievers. "These are the driven people who are always producing more
and more -- but if it is more and more of what you don't like, you end up
feeling oppressed," says Dory Hollander, a workplace psychologist and
president of WiseWorkplaces, an Arlington, Va., executive-coaching firm. She
urges such employees "to do the minimum required to produce reasonably
good work and focus on something you care about outside the office." By
letting go of a single-minded, all-consuming focus on their jobs, Dr. Hollander
believes, employees will not only derive more personal satisfaction but also
become more productive and effective at work. They will be able to bring new
interests and energies to their jobs, which in turn should help them advance
their careers. A
40-year-old business unit-manager at a midsize consulting company in Washington
adopted that tactic about 18 months ago. "After six years at the
company, I felt I couldn't develop the business into something I felt proud
of, and I wasn't encountering any exciting new challenges," he says. In
addition, because of the economy's weak state, he couldn't offer his staff
promotions or pay raises, or get these for himself. "The news was always
about someone leaving or a client downsizing, and that lack of good news
deflated energy levels," he says. He
contemplated quitting but realized he couldn't easily replace his six-figure
income. So he sought career counseling from Dr. Hollander and subsequently
started writing a business book, which he is currently completing. He also
enrolled in acting classes. Both
activities "are far outside my comfort zone and require that I work long
hours," he says. But both are interesting and therefore energizing and
have buoyed his spirits and performance on the job.For one thing, because he
wants more time for after-work activities, he has learned to be far better
organized and productive at work. He delegates a lot of administrative work,
which he feels he used to waste time on, and focuses intently on partner-client
relationships, where he can build business for his firm and add to the bottom
line. "I'm working more intelligently," he says. He
also thinks he has become a better people manager. "I used to be extremely
remote and was entirely focused on driving the business," he says. He
didn't spend much time talking with his staff, gauging where different people
needed help or figuring out who was best at what tasks. But since he enrolled
in acting classes, he says, he has become more outgoing and better able to
converse with employees. He discovered that when he talked about his acting
classes and writing, his employees and co-workers responded by sharing more
about their lives. The exchange has resulted in closer work relationships,
better teamwork and greater motivation on his staff, he believes. As
a result, he no longer wants to land a job at another company. "I've become
a happy prisoner of this job," he says. Make Lateral Moves
Not
everyone can move up, at least not right away, but it's often possible to
move sideways to escape an unsatisfying job or a career rut. As special assistant
to the president of Gap Inc.'s Gap Brand Global unit, Sarah Dey knew she had
a plum job. She wrote speeches for her boss, facilitated meetings, conducted
research and supported him through his day-to-day activities. "Getting
exposed to senior executive life was phenomenal," she says. But
in early 2002, after nearly two years on the job, Ms. Dey concluded that her
own career needs were getting "lost in the shuffle" of day-to-day pressures.
"The spotlight was never on me, and I was just a support person,"
she says. "I wanted to be accountable for my own results. "Unsure
of what she wanted, Ms. Dey, who is 35, took stock of her work history, which
included a stint as a consultant at Boston-based Bain & Co. She also went
on informational interviews at Gap and talked with colleagues in different
departments. Still, she couldn't see a way to advance to a higher-level
position at Gap that provided more job satisfaction. Then
a new job opened up -- as senior manager of internal brand strategy -- that
was a lateral move for the same pay. But she realized it would give her more
independence and a chance to emerge out of a support role. She sold herself
by using all her past experience. "I convinced them that I could balance
a lot of different things at once," she says. She has since moved to
another job at Gap as a director of international strategy and consumer
insights. Go Above and Beyond
Getting
ahead also usually requires taking initiative and stepping beyond the
boundaries of your job. Deliver what your boss expects first -- but also take
on new challenges without waiting to be asked. That may include stepping in
as the leader in a situation where no one is clearly in charge or bartering
with someone who has been assigned to take charge of a project but doesn't
have the time or interest. It also may mean gaining additional credentials by
enrolling in a college course. James M. Citrin, head of the global
technology, communication and media practice at executive recruiters Spencer Stuart
and co-author of "The 5 Patterns of Extraordinary Careers," distinguishes
between gaining direct permission from superiors and using implied
permission, "where you are able to create the presumption that you have
permission. The way to expand your implied permission is to add value and
also bring other key people along for the ride," he says. Two
years ago, a 31-year-old project manager at an insurance company felt disappointed
when she was excluded from a conference of more senior-level managers in her
area. Rather than sulk, she floated an idea during a dinner with some
co-workers to form a teleconferencing network group with women managers
across the company. The group formed shortly after, and nearly 19 women still
have monthly teleconferences to discuss work and management issues. This
networking has helped the project manager advance. As a result of her increased
visibility and the mentoring she has received from other women in the group,
she has been offered bigger project assignments, including one to upgrade the
company's financial systems world-wide. "The way I got it was through
these discussions," she says. Fill in Your Missing Skills
Mr.
Stybel, the Stybel Peabody Lincolnshire career coach, recommends that
employees carefully assess and compare their skills to the ones required in
jobs they covet. "Look
at the jobs you might want to do next and find out what skills and experience
you need to acquire to move ahead," he says. A comptroller likely won't
have the broad treasury and governance responsibilities needed to be
considered for a chief financial officer spot, for instance. He or she could,
however, acquire some of that experience by gaining a board seat at a
for-profit or nonprofit organization, volunteering for the finance committee
and getting involved in treasury and governance issues."You should punch
your ticket on the specific skills you need," Mr. Stybel says. One
of his clients, a woman who felt stuck in a middle-management job, felt she
wasn't considered sophisticated or strong enough by her bosses to merit a
promotion to a general management job, overseeing more people. She enrolled
in a midcareer management course at a prestigious business school, which
allowed her to network with managers from other companies and also broadened
her management knowledge. On completing the course, she lobbied for and won a
promotion. "She
stopped thinking of herself as not good enough," Mr. Stybel says, "and
realized she had all the skills she needed to advance." ### --Ms.
Hymowitz, a senior editor in The Wall Street Journal's New York bureau,
served as contributing editor of this report. Ms. Dunham is a staff reporter
in The Wall Street Journal's New York bureau.Write to Carol Hymowitz at carol.hymowitz@wsj.com and Kemba J.
Dunham at kemba.dunham@wsj.com Copyright (c) 2004 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved |
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