Today, we’ll wrap up our mini-series on why your boss holds you back. Last time, we talked about the secret motivation of your boss.

It’s the reason why – in spite of all the hard work you do, in spite of the results you deliver – your boss doesn’t want you to get promoted.

Simply stated, he or she has a vested interest in keeping you right where you’re at.

So what can you do about it? What are your options?

We’ll share three of them today.

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Tell your boss you understand the concerns. But you want to be sure you’re ready when the right opportunity does present itself. You’d like to practice interviewing.

Even that may not get the job done.

So let’s assume the opportunity is out-of-town. If need be, and if you feel really strongly about your fit with this particular opportunity, offer to pay for the trip yourself. Take an extra few days and call it a mini-vacation.

We have a friend who did exactly this. He got his boss to set up the interview. He didn’t go to practice. He went to get the job.

And he did! You can do it too!

Jump ship

You may not be able to get a better gig with your current employer. But if you’re feeling like you’re hitting your head on a ceiling, start looking for a place with a higher ceiling!

Expand your outlook to other companies.

Reach out to select individuals in your network.
None of them will likely be the person who gives you a job.
But one of them is likely to know someone who might.

When you chat with them, just let them know that you’re quietly exploring your options. You’re doing great where you are. You love the place.

But you’re ready for a bigger challenge and it doesn’t seem forthcoming where you’re at.

Strike out on your own

The best way to have a boss who never holds you back is to be your own boss. But be ready – this boss may be your toughest task master!

Before you launch, be sure you’re ready for the rigors of entrepreneurship. It may pay to spend a little time preparing before you give up the day job.

And don’t think it has to be an all-or-nothing proposition. If you have enough energy to take on a job with more responsibility, you should have enough energy to start a part-time business.

You can build it part-time until your free cash flow replaces your current job.
Then you can launch full-time and let the sky be your limit. Now that’s BIGG success!

If you have more questions than answers about being your own boss, maybe we can help.

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file | podcast:
http://traffic.libsyn.com/biggsuccess/00788-030812.mp3

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We want to talk today to really good employees. If you’re truly not one – if you know you slack off, if you’re one of the average and ordinary – today’s conversation isn’t for you.

For all you BIGG goal-getters, we’re going to talk about something today that you may have already faced.

If you haven’t experienced it yet, you will. It’s only a matter of time.

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But it’s not just the time you put in.

You deliver results time after time. Your boss knows you’re his or her go-to guy or gal.

You get the hardest projects, the ones that are most critical to your organization’s success.

And you always come through.

Your boss notices. You get some credit for what you’ve done. You may even get a spiff or a small raise.

Out of the blue, an opportunity arises within your company.

You think you’re perfectly suited for it. It would mean a BIGG increase in responsibility but you’re confident that you can handle the challenge.

You also like the increased pay. But most importantly, this new position would place you on track for your ultimate goal with the company.

You’re so excited.

You can’t wait to talk to your boss. You know he or she could grease the wheels.

They could definitely get you an interview. Then it would just be up to you to demonstrate how qualified you are.

But when you tell your boss, you’re surprised at the reaction.

You’re given a laundry list of reasons why it would be a bad move.
You’re not qualified.
It’s not the right fit for you right now.
Be patient. A better opportunity will come up down the road.

You leave the office confused.
You can feel it.
This is a good move.
You are qualified.

A simple truth about your boss

You need to understand a simple truth about your boss:
Your boss wants to hold you back.

Not because you haven’t earned the opportunity to take on more.
Not because you’re not qualified.
No, none of these are the reasons your boss isn’t willing to help you out.

The secret motivation of your boss

The real reason? It’s the secret motivation of your boss:
He or she is being rewarded for keeping you where you’re at.

The rewards may be monetary. He or she is being paid handsomely and you’re the star performer lining their pockets.

They may get a lot of credit for the work you’re doing. You make your boss look good to his or her boss. Without you, the results just won’t be the same.

In other words, you’re too valuable to let go.

Seems like a good thing, right? But you may be so valuable that your boss can’t let you go anywhere.

You can’t really blame your boss. While it may be small-minded, it certainly is logical from his or her point-of-view.

What can you do about it? What are your options?

We’ll share three suggestions on our next show. Please check back tomorrow.

In the meantime, how about sharing with us? Have you ever had a boss who held you back? What did you do?

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file | podcast:
http://traffic.libsyn.com/biggsuccess/00787-030712.mp3

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Research shows that the majority of all the people in the workforce aren’t happy with their current job.

Of course, there are a number of reasons for this. See if you relate to any of these:

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Yet most people will never pursue their dream.
Unless they get laid off.
Until somebody somewhere sometime forces them to do it.
Until circumstances somehow leave them with no other options.

The riskiest action you can take
Wait a minute, you may argue. You don’t “choose” to do nothing.
You just do it.
It just happens.
It doesn’t require any action.
It’s inanimate.

Here’s what many people don’t understand: you can’t do nothing.

We’re using bad grammar to make the point:

Doing nothing is doing something.

Many people just don’t see it that way.
They think doing nothing is safe.
They feel a false sense of security.

In reality, doing nothing may be the riskiest action you can take.

Your two options
You have two options – you can either be reactive or proactive. And we all know which of those two lead to BIGG success!

It’s the reason we say you should pray to get laid off. Because then you will be forced to take action.

Of course, it’s much better to be proactive before then.

But if you’re not going to be proactive, pray to get laid off. It will shake you out of being complacent.

Take control
BIGG success is life on your own terms. It’s about taking control of your life. You’re in charge. You’re the entrepreneur of your life.

If you’re not happy with your present circumstances, don’t wait. Do something about it NOW!

By doing it now, you get to set the schedule. It’s your timetable – not someone else’s. You’re not forced to do something because of circumstances. You’re in control.

So instead of praying to get laid off, why not be proactive while you still have a job? Start building your dream life while you still have an income.

That’s freedom with security. It leads to BIGG success!

Not sure where to start building the life that fits you perfectly? Maybe we can help.

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file | podcast:
http://traffic.libsyn.com/biggsuccess/00772-011912.mp3

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She had just successfully completed a BIGG project. She wasn’t sure how she would do. She did spectacularly. She felt even more spectacular!

About a year ago, she was offered the opportunity to chair a similar project. She was tentative. She wasn’t sure she could handle it.

She expressed her concerns to her boss. He told her not to worry about it. One of her co-workers chaired it.

But now she had successfully tackled a project of the same size and scope.

Wow, did it feel good!

Until she talked with her boss.

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She called it to his attention. It didn’t even seem like he heard her. He had other things on his mind.

She left his office discouraged. Understandably so. So what should she do? Here’s what we told her.

Resist the urge to personalize it

As cliché as it may sound, it’s not you; it’s him.

You did your job. He didn’t do his.

You capitalized on the opportunity. He missed the opportunity.

So don’t take it personally. Don’t allow yourself to think that he doesn’t like YOU. Or that he doesn’t have time for YOU.

This speculation will only make you more tentative in your future dealings with him. It almost becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

So assume he treated you no differently than he would anyone else.

Call it to his attention

Don’t do this blatantly. But make sure you find a way to bring it up to him again.

Ideally, in writing – whether in the form of an e-mail or a printed document.

Look for spin-off successes from the project. Then let him know about it.

You may say something like, “We just did X thanks to the successful completion of the Y project on time and on budget. As the project chair, I’m delighted to see the continued impact this project is making in our company.”

By putting it in writing, you’ll have documentation at your next review. It also isn’t as easy to glance over. So it may be the prod he needs to give you the recognition you deserve.

Get your kicks elsewhere

It may just be that your boss isn’t the kind of person who ever gives out any recognition anywhere. You may need to get it somewhere else.

Do you have a blog?
Could you do a case study?
Would anyone in your industry be interested in learning how you did it?
Could you do a presentation about it at an industry conference?

It may not be the project itself. It may be how you managed it. It may be some unique challenge you overcame.

Find a reason to call attention to yourself. Sometimes, if you want it done, you just have to do it yourself. And it leads to BIGG success!

What’s your advice for getting the recognition you deserve?

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file | podcast:
http://traffic.libsyn.com/biggsuccess/00758-120111.mp3

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According to Deloitte’s Shift Index, 4 out of 5 people are unhappy at work these days. We spend at least half our waking hours over five of the seven days of the week at work. And yet, most people are miserable most of that time.

There are a number of reasons people feel this way. Companies have laid people off. Yet the expectation is that the remaining people will be able to find a way to still get all the work done.

And they have for the most part! Sure, some things have suffered. Some things don’t get done anymore. Or at least done at the level of quality that they used to.

Day after day, week after week, month after month – so many people begrudgingly go through the daily grind.

Because they’re scared.
Because they think it would be hard to get a job that pays as well.
Because of uncertainty about the future.

They feel like they no longer have control over their own lives.

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It’s the opposite of BIGG success. BIGG success is life on your own terms – taking control to build the life that fits you perfectly. Work is one of the five elements of BIGG success.

There are two terms often associated with work – job and career.

Nobody wants a job.
Everyone wants a career.

Nobody wants to just trade time for money.
Everybody wants to earn money from a trade.

A job is meaningless.
A career is meaningful.

This is the message we hear again and again – sometimes directly, sometimes more subtly.

Let’s not be subtle. Neither a job nor a career has meaning. Work has meaning.

Work adds value.
Work creates growth.

All this can happen in a job or a career.

A meaningful dead-end job?

It’s more obvious with a career. But how about a job?

A dead-end job.
A job where you know you’re going nowhere.
Can you find meaning there?

Absolutely!

Every job has value. Every job has a potential to serve. But let’s double down.

Let’s say your boss is a jerk.

The company is mediocre.
There’s no clear vision.
Customers aren’t thrilled.
They just do business with the firm because of inertia and no clear alternatives.
Your co-workers are just putting in their time.

Can you still find meaning there?

A resounding yes!

The key lies in understanding a finer point about the definition of BIGG success, life on your own terms.

The springboard

BIGG success is a destination. It’s about getting from where you are now to where you want to be.

In other words, it’s a journey.
Down a long and winding road.
And sometimes the shortest distance between two points is under construction.

And that’s where the job comes in.
A job may buy you time – another one of the five elements of BIGG success.
Time to find yourself.
Time to do research on promising careers.
Time to find your once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Time to save money.
Time to build your network.
Time to establish yourself as an expert.
Time to start a business part time.

We think it’s time to stop…you get the idea!

Even a dead-end job can help you move closer to BIGG success. By turning this knowledge into a strategy, a dead-end job becomes meaningful. It can serve as a springboard to BIGG success!

Do you need help finding life on your own terms? Maybe we can help.

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file | podcast:
http://traffic.libsyn.com/biggsuccess/00754-111711.mp3

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