It’s quite a mysterious destination. Most of us have heard of it, but many keep their distance. For some, it’s territory they avoid all together.
But it’s like running atop the brick ceiling in the second level of Super Mario Bros. in the direction of those amazing warp tubes to Worlds 2, 3, and 4. Google it if you’re not following.
I took advantage of nearly every opportunity that fell into this bucket, and it propelled my career each time.
The “Other Duties as Assigned” bucket is where opportunity lives. It is often where leaders park ideas that they believe in but need someone else to own. It’s where I thrived.
I toured several of Silicon Valley’s top firms earlier this month with a group of faculty from Miami University (where I am a Visiting Asst Prof). Among the many takeaways (and I mean many), the MU alums that have escalated their professional growth in a few short years also aggressively sought after that which sat in the other duties as assigned. Brilliant.
The opposite of us are those that like to live within the lanes of the job description. In fact, I’ve worked with many who keep a copy handy in case their manager approaches them with something they intend to avoid.
Side note: I would not promote you, and they shouldn’t either.
Those people rarely grow.
If YOU want to grow. If you want that next promotion. If you want to make a difference. If you want to be recognized. And if you want anything else that falls in the ballpark of these opportunities, look.
Open your eyes. Ask questions. Share ideas. Take a chance.
When you do, you’ll immediately realize that those opportunities are nowhere to be found on that job description. And you’ll probably be getting a new one as a result.