If You Want It—Ask For It

My first two years at HORNE were pretty exciting and filled with fast-paced learning. But, I slowly started to feel eager for a bigger more impactful role in a project. Then, one day my performance advisor was talking about having to travel to Tennessee for a client meeting. I immediately chimed in, “I want to go to Tennessee!” He smiled and said, “Well, I don’t need you on this project right now, but we have a big project coming up that’s also in Tennessee. And, it’s a big one.”

My heart started beating faster and my eyes lit up.  As, he continued to give me a little more detail, he explained, “It would be a good opportunity but you would have to travel Tennessee. Maybe even a week at a time. We’re also not sure how long it is going to last.” In my head, I’m basically jumping up and down, doing my happy dance and thinking YES! YES! YES! But out loud, I just had a blank look on my face and said, “OK.”      

As I drove home that afternoon, I got butterflies as I was extremely excited. This was just the type opportunity I was eager for. But, then I began to think about the travel with my three kids and how I would make this work. Panic started taking over, but was quickly calmed by conversations with my husband and mom who said they would step in to help cover the needs during this time. At this point I felt a lot more at peace with it. I knew this was the break I was looking for to prove myself and I knew that my husband and mom would give 100% to support me in making that happen.

But then it hit me. As I replayed the conversation in my head, I realized my outward response was nowhere near the actual way I felt. All I can remember is just saying OK. Well at this point I knew I wanted this and how I was going to make it happen so, I knew I had talk to my performance advisor and assure him I really wanted to do this.

The next morning, I had a very candid conversation with my performance advisor. I told him “I want to be on this project.” Point blank. I was given the opportunity to be part of that project, and it turned out to be a very pivotal point in my career.

Later, my performance advisor thanked me for being so clear on what I wanted. It turns out that he also realized that this project was a great opportunity for me. However, he felt uneasy asking me to make that commitment which could have been a burden to my family.

Is there a type of project or client that you want to work with? Is there a particular company initiative or committee that you are passionate about? Do you want to move up in your career? Does your performance advisor know that? If you answer isn’t an immediate and resounding “yes,” then I encourage you to have those conversations. It is difficult to help someone reach their full potential if you are not really sure where they want to go. Own your voice. Ask for what you want. You may be surprised how fast you can get there.

Be clear on what you want—don’t rely on unspoken expectations.