#1: Explore Opportunities For Growth In Your Current Role
One sure-shot way of growing in your current role is by asking for more responsibility. Growth comes with a challenge, and there's no better challenge than accepting more responsibility, just as long as you're not spreading yourself too thin.
Speak to your boss about their problems. Find out if there's an opportunity to contribute through your current role by solving some of these problems. Just be clear about what you're asking for and why it's essential for your growth.
Another great avenue for growth is exploring strategic alliances with people who have complementary skills at your company. There's a wise saying: "If you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together." And that couldn't be truer at work! Try to find people to collaborate with, so you can grow together while building your network.
To give you an example, if you're working as a marketer, you could explore the opportunity of collaborating with your company's finance team to know more about customer spending patterns and then customize your marketing campaigns to customers who're likely to spend more. This creates a win-win situation for everyone involved, almost like a growth cartel.
Make sure you communicate your intention to grow with your manager. You want to ensure you're not stepping on their toes while pursuing your growth endeavors. They're the ones with the power to help advance your career, so always being on good terms with them is the key.
#2: Discover New Roles Within Your Company
Once you've informed your boss about your intentions to grow, you must keep them in the loop about your exploratory initiatives. One such initiative you can take is finding other roles outside your current role and department within the same company.
You can do this by keeping a close eye on your company's intranet, where they put up ads for new roles and keep track of external job boards to know your company's hiring needs. Once you know of these roles, you can directly speak to the role's hiring manager to explore if you could make the switch because it's a lot easier for your company to hire internally.
If there's a role you're aspiring towards, another option is to offer to shadow those who're in that role already. So if you love what another colleague does at work, try to explore if you can spend a few days or weeks with them learning about their role, so you can smoothly transition to it. Role-playing or job shadowing can expose you to a whole new world of dormant opportunities.
And if that's not enough, try doing side projects. Communicate with your manager and colleagues about the possibility of doing a side project with people with complementary skills. You could take on a completely different role within the side project, perhaps a leadership role, to do something entirely different from your current job. More importantly, you'll also grow your network by collaborating with others.
#3: Ask For A Raise, Promotion, Or Other Compensation Benefits
If you've been in your role for some time at the same salary, don't be shy! Go talk to your manager about a raise because you've been in your position for a while and would like to make some progress in your career.
It would help if you researched what other companies are paying for the same role to make your request sound reasonable. Have a look on Glassdoor.com at the salary levels of those in a similar position as you. Are you getting paid fairly? If not, have a chat with your boss.
A salary hike isn't the only way to get what you deserve. You could talk about a potential promotion or other compensation benefits that keep you happy. Some of these benefits could be additional paid time off work, more flexibility around your work schedule, a profit-sharing scheme entitling you to a bonus at the end of the year, and much more.
Always remember to be polite and well researched in these types of conversations. You want to give your employer a reason to say 'yes' to your requests and build a solid negotiation playing field that works in your favor. And that's within your reach if you choose to work with a coach.
#4: Learn New Skills To Advance Your Career
If your company gives you an education allowance, consider signing up for a course or program to build your knowledge and skills. There's a whole heap of options out there to choose from.
Make sure you're pursuing courses that help you grow in the direction you want to go in. If you're a marketer, then take an advanced marketing course so you can step up in your career as a marketer. If the skills you learn are in high demand at your company, you'll give your company a solid reason to promote you and pay heed to your requests.
Apart from that, learn skills that will future-proof your career, especially in the hi-tech era we're in. Form a support group of people who're looking to build similar skills to grow your network. And never stop upskilling yourself, as learning is a lifelong journey.
#5: Shape Your Company Culture By Joining Affinity Groups
To make your role more fulfilling, you can help drive its culture. Think about how you're different, culturally, compared to everyone around you. Are you part of the LGBTQ+ community or a member of a minority group within the organization? Take the opportunity to explore joining and participating in affinity groups or other DEI initiatives. If they don't exist, use this as a chance to create something and be part o the change.
Your difference may be your biggest strength. By joining affinity groups (or creating one) depending on your unique difference, you can provide a space and a voice to share diversity and inclusion strategies for the wider business. It's diversity that helps a company grow as a whole, and the more you're allowed to be authentic and original at work, the more you'll add to the company's cultural dynamism.
Wrapping it up
Tony Robbins, the well-known life coach, says that "Happiness comes from progress." If you genuinely want to be happy at work, always level up your game by seeking growth opportunities and ways to make an impact. You won't regret it!
