Over the years I\u2019ve heard the phrase \u201cstay in your lane\u201d a few times. The first time was as I first sitting in the driver\u2019s seat of my dad\u2019s truck as he was teaching me to drive. More recently, I\u2019ve heard it said when I\u2019ve taught my daughters to drive ... and in the workplace. That\u2019s right ... the workplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Growing up in a small farming community in north central Indiana, one of the things I fondly remember was driving on the \u201cback roads.\u201d For my city kids friends, back roads aren\u2019t very wide and often require one or both of the vehicles coming from opposite directions to go to the extreme edge of the road in order to pass. Add an over-sized piece of farm equipment driving down the middle of the road, and it was an accident waiting to happen. However, accidents were few and far between, but that\u2019s an entirely different subject. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
People \u201cjust driving through\u201d didn\u2019t typically drive down the back roads; those roads were for locals. Unlike interstates or state highways, those back roads were free of \u201clanes\u201d \u2014 no yellow or white lines down the middle or on the edge. I can still visualize late evening drives in my dad\u2019s pickup driving at 55 mph right down the middle of the road. Everyone did. And there was something about it that was freeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over the years, I\u2019ve learned that some view the workplace as having lanes as well. I\u2019ve been told more than once ... \u201cstay in your lane.\u201d I\u2019ve grown to discover that some workplace culture\u2019s highly value the notion of lanes while others ... not so much. Some value those that are able to see outside the boundaries of \u201clanes\u201d while others are threatened by those that don\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s often those that don\u2019t see the clear lines that are equipped for the next opportunity that comes their way. We wait for permission or a promotion before we\u2019re willing to do the work. Leaders, on the other hand, do the job long before it\u2019s their job or they have the title. They don\u2019t see the lanes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re looking to grow your career and gain more experience it\u2019s likely that you\u2019ll need to view your work outside the boundary of your current workplace lane. Here are a few things to consider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Successful people NEVER say \u201cthat\u2019s not my job.\u201d Not only do they not say it, it doesn\u2019t even enter their minds. They understand that they are there to work hard and give their best work to the organization without expectations. It\u2019s these type of people that are noticed when the next opportunity arises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Make sure you\u2019re killing it at the job you were hired for ... and then look for more. Look for ways to serve your leader. Look for ways to take your current job to the next level. Raise the bar for others around you. Raise your hand and ask for additional projects. And when appropriate, just step up and do what needs to be done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We all know people who are stepping up and doing more with the main and only objective of moving up the ladder. It\u2019s easy to identify those individuals because they\u2019re leading and working with different motives. Those that work from the stance of truly helping others and the organization are incredible assets to the organization that they serve. It\u2019s not wrong to aspire for more; it\u2019s just wrong to do your work with that as your only motivation. That motivation is self serving and not serving of others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of my favorite things when visiting the family farm in Indiana is driving down the middle of the road \u2014 free of any lanes. Approaching my work as if I\u2019m not tied to lane has been equally as freeing. I encourage you to open your eyes for the possibilities all around you without being locked into the white and yellow lines that give the appearance of constraint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you view your role as having lanes?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you looking for opportunities to \u201craise your hand\u201d for something that isn\u2019t necessarily your job?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you aspiring to more while serving the organization and leaders around you?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Over the years I\u2019ve heard the phrase \u201cstay in your lane\u201d a few times. The first time was as I first sitting in the driver\u2019s seat of my dad\u2019s truck as he was teaching me to drive. More recently, I\u2019ve heard it said when I\u2019ve taught my daughters to drive … and in the workplace. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":2103,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[31],"tags":[121,51,58,120,87,119],"class_list":["post-2104","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-main","tag-career-development","tag-culture","tag-leadership","tag-servant-leadership","tag-work","tag-workplace-culture"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/shameika-black-ANUNpGo_pSk-unsplash.jpg?fit=4032%2C3024&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pzg9k-xW","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":210418,"url":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/unpacking-accountability-vs-ownership-fostering-an-ownership-culture-in-your-workplace\/","url_meta":{"origin":2104,"position":0},"title":"Unpacking Accountability vs. Ownership: Fostering an Ownership Culture in Your Workplace","author":"Jon Plotner","date":"April 6, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Taking insights from leaders like Scott Cochrane, it's clear that real ownership in a business goes beyond accountability. Owners foster culture, spend wisely, and act unified as \"us\" not \"them.\" They're proactive, driving results without waiting for direction. 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