Practice Makes Perfect When Taking Big Professional Steps

So, you’re looking to take a scary step–you want to let your boss know you’re ready to take on more responsibilities. Don’t panic! There are steps you can take and ways you can prepare for the big moment so that you can present yourself as cool, calm, and collected. And capable! Let both your words and your actions show off how much you’ve grown into your role. Demonstrating your dedication through ensuring you’re delivering a phenomenal work performance and by thinking through your conversation ahead of time will ensure that your employer will feel comfortable investing in training you to take on further responsibilities. The pros we’ve turned to below offer up ways to practice your deeds and words before taking on any big workplace conversation.

We love this piece of insight that Taylor from Monster.com shares from Bizness Apps COO Zach Cusimano: “Let your work ethic speak for itself. Have you mastered your current position? ‘Leave no doubts in your work ethic. Show you’re handling your current work load with ease,’ says Cusimano. ‘Your numbers should reflect the mastery of your current role. There’s no hiding a top performer and it is hard to deny their impact on the business.’” While this bit of advice is part of ways to ask for a promotion, you can also use this method when asking for any sort of additional responsibility. Taking on additional responsibility will establish a phenomenal foundation for your leadership capabilities, showing that you’re an integral part of the company who is dedicated to promoting overall success. Showing that you’ve mastered your role also indicates that you’d be ready to help coach and support anyone who might be taking over your old responsibilities. And being a team player is a huge part of any demonstration of professional mastery.

Communication is also key! Which is why this strategy from Alex Cavoulacos at The Muse will come in handy, providing you with specific questions to ask when you’re ready for your big moment: “Talk to Your Boss. Go to your supervisor and see if there are any additional projects you can work on. Make it a discussion rather than a direct question: you can share your own career goals and talk about how you see yourself fitting into the company’s future. Think about what skills or knowledge you want to develop, and see if there’s an opportunity that’ll let you do just that. If possible, have a few concrete ideas in mind so you can suggest areas where you may be able to get more involved. If you don’t have regularly scheduled meetings with your supervisor, try to get time on his or her calendar for the conversation. But if that’s a long way off, mention it in passing and follow up. A simple ‘Hey, I think I am ready for more responsibility and would like to help the team’ may be just what he or she needs to know to give you the opportunity.” We love the way these suggested comments and questions will help keep you from getting tongue tied. You may want to write out your talking points and questions prior to talking to your boss, then practice having the conversation with a friend or colleague. When you’re looking to contribute to an organization’s overall success, everyone comes out a winner. Remember that even if your boss doesn’t feel comfortable having you take on more just yet, you’ll emerge from that meeting with a game plan for how to improve on your areas of opportunity.

And remember that the important thing is to keep going! Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed by nerves before and/or after talking to your boss. Let your actions set the scene. Think of showing off your work ethic as rehearsal for your conversation. And just like you’d rehearse lines for a play, know that it’s okay to practice having the conversation with your employer ahead of time, even if it feels a bit silly. Take a deep breath. Because you’ve got this! We’ll see you again tomorrow as we continue the week with our Wednesday Wellness: Courage Edition.

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