Be Careful Revealing Your Professional Aspirations to Management
Companies say they value their employees' growth and development. Don’t be so sure.
I rehearsed the conversation in my head a million times. Sound serious. But not demanding. Confident, but not arrogant. Open-minded but firm.
I steeled myself to talk with the acting vice-president at my company. I had contemplated my current job responsibilities hours and wanted to experiment with additional roles.
My company a US Agency for International Development contractor was undergoing a major transition. I was looking to make myself further indispensable.
In recent all-hands meetings, senior executives said they wanted to expand business development and network building. They were assembling a team to build awareness of what our company did and its capabilities in international development.
They asked people to be the face of the company at job fairs and networking events. They also hoped employees would attend discussions and talks by experts in think tanks and policy institutes in Washington, D.C.
I had experience in business expansion. I’d worked on multiple proposals with that company and others. I contributed both administrative research and substantive…
