Feeling engaged at work isn’t just a matter of liking your day-to-day tasks, it’s also about feeling like there is room for growth and a path toward developing. Growth is a human need, and stagnancy breeds dissatisfaction, boredom and even burnout.

Clients often ask me some version of the following:

“Am I asking too much if I want to keep developing at work? Maybe I should just be content to have things ‘good enough.’ Are my standards just too high?”

Is a toddler wanting to learn to walk instead of crawl desiring too much?

Is a child wanting to gain more words in their budding vocabulary setting their standards too high?

Obviously not. And yet when it comes to adult development, we seem to think there should be a plateau point at which we’re simply “good enough.” Especially at work.

The research is clear that the most engaged, productive, and effective workers are those who are challenged and supported in their growth in the direction(s) they want to be developing.

That’s where career development conversations come in. They’re a two-way street, and while employees can initiate them with their supervisors, all the better when it’s the inverse.

That’s the subject of my first-ever article in Harvard Business Review Ascend with my collaborator, data scientist Shuba Gopal. I hope you enjoy our tips on making the most of human development at work. It’s NOT too much to ask for!