Getting ahead
Raise your hand for one stretch project
A simple exercise to grow through real work, by asking for it in a way that's easy to say yes to
Pick one piece of upcoming work that uses a skill you're building, and ask your manager for it, with a plan for the support you'll need.
- 10 minutes
- You and your manager
- When new work comes up
- Conversation
Why this can work
Most of what people learn at work, they learn by doing work slightly beyond them. Stretch projects often skip people who haven't asked, because under pressure managers tend to give new work to whoever has done it before. Asking for one specific piece, with a plan for how it won't fall over, makes it much easier to say yes.
Read moreHow to ask for a stretch assignment
You’ll come away with a clear ask for one stretch project, and a yes, a not yet, or a reason.
- Look at what's coming up.
Scan the next month or two: projects starting, problems nobody owns, a meeting that needs running, a process that needs fixing. Stretch work often hides in the things everyone agrees should happen and nobody has picked up.
- Pick one that uses the skill you're building.
A real stretch, but not a leap. A good test: you'd need some help, and you'd learn something whether it goes perfectly or not. It helps if it's something your manager needs done.
Tip: One project, not a general request for more challenge. Specific is much easier to say yes to.
- Plan the support you'd need.
Think it through from your manager's side. Who could you check in with? What would you pause or hand off to make room? Where might it go wrong, and how would you catch it early?
- Ask, with the plan.
Bring it to your next 1:1, or send it ahead so they can think. Say why this project, what it does for the team, and how you'll handle the risk.
To: your managerI'd like to take on the project. It uses the skill you're building, which I've been working on, and I think I could help what it would do for the team.
Here's how I'd make it work: I'd check in with who could support you along the way, I'd what you'd pause or hand off to make room, and I'd flag it early if anything looked off track.
Would you be open to it? If this isn't the right one, I'd love to understand why, and what might be a better fit.
Swap the highlighted parts for your thing. Works on Slack, in email, or said out loud. - If the answer is no, ask why.
A no is often about timing, risk, or something you can't see from where you sit. Ask what would make it a yes next time, and whether a smaller piece fits now.
You“That makes sense. What would I need to show for something like this to be a yes next time? And is there a smaller part of it I could take on now?”
Good times to repeat it: when new work is being handed outat the start of a quarteronce you've named a skill you want to build
Making it work for you
Every workplace is different. Here’s what to think about before you start, and what might get in the way.
Things to think about
Once a project has an owner, asking for it means asking your manager to take it away from a colleague.
What might make this harder
Look for problems nobody owns: a clunky process, a question that keeps coming up, a meeting that runs badly. Offering to fix one is a stretch project you've created.
Questions people ask
What is a stretch assignment?
Work that's a step beyond what you've done before: big enough to teach you something new, not so far beyond you that it's likely to fail. It's one of the main ways people grow at work.
How do I ask my manager for more challenging work?
Ask for one specific project rather than more challenge in general. Say what you'd learn, how it helps the team, and how you'd get support and manage the risk.
What if my manager says no to a stretch project?
Ask why, and what would make it a yes next time. A no is often about timing or risk, and asking for a smaller piece now keeps the door open.
Why this works, and where it comes from
There's a well-known rule of thumb about how people learn at work, the 70-20-10 model, which grew out of research at the Center for Creative Leadership and was popularized by Michael Lombardo and Robert Eichinger. It suggests most development comes from challenging experiences on the job, a smaller share from other people, and the least from formal training. The numbers are a rough guide rather than a measurement, but the idea matches most people's experience: you learn the most from work slightly beyond you.
The catch is that stretch work doesn't get handed out evenly. Under pressure, managers tend to give new work to whoever has done something like it before, because that feels safe. It isn't a verdict on anyone else; it's the path of least risk. Which means the people who'd grow most from a stretch are often the last to be offered one, unless they ask.
Asking well is mostly about seeing it from your manager's side. They're weighing two things: will this help the team, and what happens if it goes wrong? A specific ask that answers both is much easier to say yes to than a general request for growth. Saying what you'd pause to make room answers a third question they may not say out loud, which is whether this will leave you overloaded.
Sometimes the answer will be no. Ask why and listen, because the reason is usually about timing or risk and tells you what to do next. Ask what would make it a yes, and whether there's a smaller piece now. Being lightly persistent while reading the room tends to work better than asking once and giving up, or asking every week. And if you're already stretched thin, or the team is in a crunch where a stumble would cost someone else, wait for a calmer quarter.
Other simple things to consider
What to do next
More in Getting ahead
A few minutes that compound
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Written by Truest, based on The Career Architect Development Planner (Michael M. Lombardo and Robert W. Eichinger). Last updated September 25, 2026. We sell a career membership; where that’s relevant above, we say so.