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Career paths have changed, putting more responsibility on the individual.

The “company man” persona has been replaced by boundaryless careers and side hustles.

Before approaching management about taking a step back, get clear on the "why" and potential impacts.

I will never forget the time I was chatting with a colleague about a big promotion they had received. It had been about a year, and I asked how it was going. Their response was not what I was expecting: “I made that classic mistake. I leveled up one level too many.” It was clear in that moment that they wished they could step back down to where they had been, or maybe even take a half step back, but they didn’t know how to ask for it or to say it out loud, because by doing so, they would admit to some kind of professional failure.

In other instances, I’ve watched colleagues take on more responsibility when they already had too much on their plates because they did not know how to say no, and their managers weren’t willing to do that work for them. In my experience, managers will assume that if someone says yes, that means they can handle it. Meanwhile, they’ve already gone well past the point of burnout.

Most of us have been taught from an early age that a good career path has an upward trajectory, resulting in higher levels of responsibility and rewards, both financial and otherwise. The frontline employee should move into middle and then upper management, eventually reaching the executive suite before transitioning into retirement. But the reality is, not all of us are cut out for management. And most of us, at one point or another, will simply want less. But how do you ask for that when our system and structure reward ambition and drive over all?

Shifting Definitions of Career

Career paths have changed a lot over the years, as........

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