April 6

As an organization adapts to manage the increased challenges of the work by increasing capacity or providing more resources, your expectations may now feel very manageable or even a little repetitive. Another way to put it is that you have high stability but low challenge.

When this dynamic emerges, it’s common to feel stuck. You aren’t excited about your work because it doesn’t challenge you to take risks, or develop new skills. You feel like you’re in a rut. The only way out of it is to seek a challenge that will help you stay engaged.

Ask your manager if there is new work you can take on. Intentionally develop a new skill—even on your own time—that stretches you. Put yourself in situations where you are a little nervous about your ability to perform. This will ensure that you don’t stay in the place of stuck-ness.

While it’s great to have stability, without challenge, you will begin to feel stuck.

Do you feel appropriately challenged by your work right now? If not, how can you seek a challenge that would spark deeper engagement?