我24岁时就进入了管理岗位，当时我刚从商学院毕业一年，正在甲骨文公司（Oracle Corporation）工作。公司让我担任全公司的培训主管，并要求我负责组建一所公司大学。我感觉自己并没有做好担任管理职位的准备，而且这份工作的职责范围太大，但拒绝升职似乎不是明智之选。一年后，公司要求我将甲骨文大学（Oracle University）推广到全球100多个国家。大多数公司似乎会要求一位成熟的成年人去做这件事。但我没有时间质疑自己；我必须快速学习。
大约一年后，公司副总裁鲍勃·谢弗将我介绍给客户公司的一位高管。当鲍勃告诉他我负责甲骨文大学时，那位客户脸上露出带有敬畏的吃惊表情。鲍勃告诉他：“严格来说，莉兹的资格确实略有不足……但她很聪明，做得非常出色。”我反驳说：“鲍勃，如果完全够格，那还能从中学到什么？我从来没想过找一份自己能完全胜任的工作。”
经过令人兴奋的15年之后，我的学习曲线终于变得平缓，我烦恼地意识到：最终，我还是具备了当前职务的资格。那种挑战自己的愉悦已经不复存在。所以我开始尝试寻找一些自己不知道如何去做的事情（培训其他高管的领导力）。当然，我又从这份新差事中找到了令人兴奋的新鲜感。
我开始意识到，对于职场中的我们来说，最好的工作通常是那些我们尚不具备充分资历的工作。初入职场时，某些天赋会被激发，学习者的优势显露无疑。如果我们能突破目前的能力范围，便会接触到不同的思维模式——我将这种心态称为新人的生存技能——我们会表现出最佳的水准，沉浸于学习带来的兴奋当中。
如果你在工作中已经得心应手，或许你应该找一份自己尚不能完全胜任的工作。以下是我的几条建议：
从事新领域的工作
如果你一直在负责一个消费类产品营销团队，或许你需要尝试一下企业产品部门，了解如何开拓新市场。
接受延伸性挑战
接受难度大一倍或者两倍的挑战。你不需要离开当前的岗位；只是促使自己突破自身能力的最大极限。
接受范围更广的职责
或许，你应该将部门项目提高一个层次，在整个公司推而广之。
岗位交换
如果你不能扩大当前职务的范围，可以用一天或一周时间，临时与相邻领域的同事交换职务。利用这种交换，获得新的见解，为当前的工作注入新的活力。
如果有人不愿意在你身上冒险怎么办？在这种情况下，你最好的选择或许是主动站出来，而不是等待邀请。不要单方面地夺走一个更大职务的控制权，但你可以主动承担一些当前工作范围之外的责任。询问上司自己能帮她分担些什么。从小事开始证明自己。
I was thrown into management at the tender age of 24, just a year out of business school, while working for Oracle Corporation ORCL 0.05% . They made me head of training across the entire company and charged me with building a corporate university. I didn’t feel ready for management, and the job was more than a few sizes too big, but it seemed unwise to turn down a promotion. A year later, I was asked to globalize Oracle University in more than 100 countries. This seemed like a job most companies would ask a full-fledged adult to do. But I didn’t have time to second-guess myself; I had a lot to learn, and quickly.
About a year later, my vice president, Bob Shaver, introduced me to an executive who worked for one of Oracle’s clients. When Bob told him that I ran Oracle University, the client flinched with noticeable surprise. Bob assured him, “Yes, Liz isn’t technically that qualified…but she’s bright and doing a great job.” I retorted, “Bob, if you are qualified, what’s to learn? I never want a job I’m qualified for.”
After 15 thrilling years, my learning curve eventually flattened, and I came to a troubling realization: I was, at last, legitimately qualified for my role. The exhilaration was gone. So I ventured out in search of something I didn’t know how to do (teaching other executives to lead.) Sure enough, in this virgin terrain, work was again exciting.
I began to see that the best jobs are often the ones we’re not “ready” for. In our rookie state a certain genius gets sparked and a learner’s advantage kicks in. When we are stretched beyond our current capabilities, we can tap into a different mindset—what I have come to call rookie smarts—where we perform at our best and revel in the thrill of learning.
If you’ve started to settle into your job, it might be time to take a role for which you aren’t fully qualified. Here are some ways you can “disqualify yourself:”
Take a job in a new domain
If you’ve been running a consumer products marketing team, perhaps you need to venture over to the enterprise product division and learn how to lead in a new market.
Take on a stretch challenge
Tackle a challenge that is a size or two too big. You don’t need to leave your job; just move to the frontier by pushing yourself to the outer limit of what you know how to do.
Take on a broader role
Maybe it’s time to take your divisional program to the next level and champion the initiative across the entire company.
Borrow a job
If you can’t upsize your current role, try temporarily swapping jobs with a colleague in an adjacent area for a day or week. Use the exchange to gain new insights and bring renewed energy to your current job.
What if someone isn’t willing to take a chance on you? Then this might be one of those occasions when it’s best to just show up for the party rather than wait for an invitation. Don’t unilaterally seize control of a bigger job, but do take the initiative to work beyond the scope of your current job. Ask your manager what work you can take off her plate. Start small and prove yourself.
Whatever you do, just don’t linger too long in a job that you’re qualified for. Work on the steep side of a learning curve. Not only will you keep performing at your best, you’ll engage your creative energies and feel on top of the world.
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