I saw an article today in the Wall Street Journal about staying put in your job despite dissatisfaction and it reminded me of a concept I learned in grad school while earning my master’s degree in administration – “developing in place.” The basic idea is based on what writer Dennis Nishi says,
“Dissatisfaction isn't always about money or benefits, according to a 2010 Monster.com poll. Employees also highly value opportunities for advancement, recognition, good bosses and co-workers, and challenging work.”
Take the Lead
I firmly believe that it’s up to us to take the lead ourselves to find opportunities to develop, find new opportunities for advancement as well as new challenges. Bosses can be too busy to be on the lookout for opportunities to help us grow as professionals, and don’t necessarily know your long-term aspirations or that you’re motivated by new challenges.
I too get bored if I’m not constantly learning something, and have been fortunate to have been able to work on new projects and keep the challenges coming. I suspect that many of you feel the same way; we don’t necessarily want to leave our jobs, we want to keep growing.
Practical Advice
Over the next several weeks I’m going to highlight ways that you can “develop in place,” or find on-the-job learning opportunities so you can increase job satisfaction and opportunities for advancement.
In the interim, here’s an interesting read from the U.S. Department of Labor on the subject of creating your own blueprint for “developing in place.”
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