CHAPTER 24

You Don’t Need a Promotion to Grow at Work

by Jordan Stark and Katie Smith Milway

As organizations run leaner and flatter, your ability to move up can stall much earlier in your career because, simply put, there’s no place to go. This is true whether you work for a corporation, nonprofit, or public agency. So what should you do when you reach that plateau and you’re only midway through your career? First, take stock. Do you enjoy and learn from your colleagues? Are you still energized by the mission of the organization? If the answer is no, it may be time to move on. But if the answer is yes, consider ways to grow on the plateau.

There are at least four proven approaches, all of which require that you ask what energizes you and what ...

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