I have been with my current company for 7 years, and in my current job for the past 2 years. I love the people I work with and most of the work I do. When the company promoted me to supervisor 2 years ago, I was extremely happy at work – engaged, challenged, rewarded, and most importantly, appreciated. Now I am not being challenged, my manager hardly interacts with me, and when I do solve a problem or present a creative idea I feel very unappreciated. I don’t want to quit, but I am tired of feeling uninspired and overlooked.
What should I do?
Stephanie S.
Dear Stephanie,
What you are experiencing is a common problem. When someone is promoted from within and starts off strong, many managers feel they don’t need to give that employee as much of their attention as other employees and responsibilities they must tend to. It is the Pareto principle, 80% of the effects (i.e. a leader’s time) goes to 20% of the causes (i.e. their problem employees). You are not in that 20%. You present your dilemma as though you only have two solutions – quit and leave the colleagues you have grown close to, or stay and be miserable. You have a third choice – act empowered. Simply put, if you want to be challenged again and you desire to stretch your role and grow, you need to create a plan. Find time to sit with your manager to learn how you can help her. I bet she would gladly want to get some tasks off her plate. Discuss your plan for growth and the skills you seek to learn. Ask your manager for her commitment to meet with you weekly to discuss your contributions and gradually take on more responsibility.
And remember, if you need help, you are eligible for a free one-hour consultation with myself to get you started. Good luck and I look forward to hearing from you!
