【英语生活】怎样走出工作困境

After working for more than six years as manager of digital licensing for Warner Music Group in Burbank, Calif., Michael Locke, 34, felt like he wanted more. But there wasn't much latitude for change within his job and department.

So Mr. Locke formulated a unique way to expand his role. He offered to represent unsigned and independent-label bands through Warner and promote them as a cheaper music licensing option for film, television and commercial deals.

His boss allowed Mr. Locke to work on the venture alongside his regular job and the new business grew quickly. A year later in 2007, he submitted a written plan to create a new division called Rhino Independent and was made director. He left Warner Music Group to start his own business three years later.

Everyone can relate to hitting a wall at work. Whether it's feeling unchallenged or underappreciated, most of the reasons people get stuck in their role can be resolved with planning. But you must understand the nature of the problem and determine whether it's a workplace issue, such as being topped out in the company, or a psychological impasse.

Shelly Curt, 41, got stuck while managing a casino restaurant in Reno, Nev. The trained sommelier was very good at her job so she was kept in a role that she felt underutilized her talents. So Ms. Curt volunteered for extra projects that went beyond her job description, including choosing wine and dessert pairings at events. Her managers were impressed by her knowledge and created a new job for her that involves developing the menu for seven restaurants and working at special events.

Start to formalize your personal-discovery process by writing an action plan that details how you are going to make a change. The idea is to acknowledge your problems, including those that may have become too painful to address like losing confidence in your abilities, says Timothy Butler, senior fellow at the Harvard Business School in Cambridge, Mass., and author of 'Getting Unstuck: How Dead Ends Become New Paths.'

Also have a discussion with your boss and let him or her know that you are ready for more challenges. Be ready to answer some tough questions about why you've been stuck. 'You're going to have to change people's opinions about you, which isn't an easy thing to do if you have a bad or blah reputation,' says Stephen Xavier, CEO of Cornerstone Executive Development Group, an executive coaching firm in Chapel Hill, N.C. 'It may require time and persistence so stick with it. Make it a long-term plan if you have to.'

Employees that get pigeonholed may find it difficult to move out of specific roles, which is why it helps to have a prepared transition plan -- with replacement suggestions -- when proposing job changes to management.

在加州伯班克（Burbank）在华纳音乐集团（Warner Music Group）担任了数字授权经理六年多时间之后，34岁的迈克尔•洛克（Michael Locke）想要让自己得到进一步的发展。但是，他从事的工作和所在的部门，供他发挥的空间都不大。

Dennis Nishi为此，洛克想出了一种增加其工作职责的独特办法。他向公司提出，他打算通过华纳代理一些未与任何公司签约的独立乐队，将他们推荐给电影、电视和商业演出，让后者有一种廉价的授权选择。

他的上司允许他在做好日常工作的同时运作这个具有一定风险的项目。这项新业务很快发展了起来。一年后，也就是2007年，他向公司提交了一份书面方案，要求新创立一个名叫“Rhino Independent”的部门。该部门组建之后，他被任命为主任。三年后，他从华纳音乐集团辞职，创立了自己的公司。

任何人在事业发展过程中都可能会遭遇瓶颈期。不管是觉得工作没有挑战性，还是因为工作没有得到认可，导致事业无法进一步发展的大多数原因都可以通过规划来解决掉。但是，你必须了解问题的本质，弄清楚这到底是工作环境的问题（比如公司觉得这是你能够做好的最高职位），还是因为你自己陷入了一种心理困境。

41岁的谢利•柯特（Shelly Curt）在管理内华达州雷诺市（Reno）的一家赌场餐厅时？？遭遇了事业瓶颈期。这位受过专业培训的斟酒师对工作轻车熟路，因此餐厅一直将她固定在这个职位上。但是她觉得这个岗位无法让她充分发挥自己的才能。于是，柯特主动要求从事一些工作职责以外的其他工作，包括挑选宴会用的葡萄酒和搭配甜点。她的主管很欣赏她这方面的知识，专门给她设了一个新职位，让她负责为七家餐厅设计菜单，并为一些特别宴会提供服务。

在纸上写出一个如何改变现状的详细的行动计划，以此开始制定你的自我发现过程。蒂莫西•巴特勒（Timothy Butler）是马萨诸塞州剑桥市哈佛商学院（Harvard Business School）的高级研究员，著有《走出心理困境》（Getting Unstuck: How Dead Ends Become New Paths）一书，他说，关键是正确面对自己存在的问题，包括那些自己很难说出口的问题，比如对自己的能力失去信心。

找你的上司谈一谈，让他或她知道你有面对更多挑战的心理准备。准备回答一些有关为什么会陷入工作瓶颈的棘手问题。斯蒂芬•泽维尔（Stephen Xavier）是基石高层管理人才发展集团（Cornerstone Executive Development Group，美国北卡罗来纳州查珀尔希尔（Chapel Hill）的一家高管培训公司）的首席执行长，他说，“你觉得有必要改变别人对你的看法，但如果你声誉不佳，或者给人们一种夸夸其谈、言过其实的印象，那么这就不是一件容易的事情。这可能需要时间和毅力，需要持之以恒。如果必要的话，制定一个长期计划。”

如果上司心目中已经对你形成了一个固定的看法，那么想要转换工作就会比较困难，因此向管理层要求调整工作时最好提交一份过渡方案──同时还要附上对新工作的要求。