There are two facets to this topic I want to cover:
-You’re not being given new tasks or assignments to stimulate you (this is a management issue)
-You aren’t feeling motivated to do the work anymore (this is an internal issue)

If you’re not being given new tasks or assignments, it’s time to speak with your boss.
Be sure to listen to episode #47, where I talk about internal professional development possibilities, and how to take advantage of them.
For some of you, the boss is the reason you’re not being given new tasks or assignments. What do you do then?
I think it’s useful to figure out what’s really going on. Here are some possibilities:
-Your boss is afraid you’ll take her position and wants to hold you down.
How do you know if this is your problem? Look for evidence that your boss is an insecure person. Defensiveness, blaming others while refusing to take responsibility for her mistakes, and a general nervous energy are symptoms of an insecure boss.
Solution: Many times, this is a situation that requires you either move elsewhere in the company or leave the company altogether.

-Your boss isn’t aware that you want more of a challenge, or of all the skills and talents you have.
How do you know if this is your problem? Your boss isn’t tuned into her employees, either professionally or personally. She doesn’t make an effort to get to know you or her other employees with such things as team building activities, happy hour, or going to lunch together. Distant, detached, uncaring are words you might use to describe your boss.
Solution: Set up a meeting with your boss to express your goals and concerns, without placing any blame on your boss. Let her know, directly and respectfully, that you want more challenge. Bring with you to the meeting ideas you have for ways in which you can better utilizing your motivated skills.

-Your boss has so much on her plate that developing her employees has gone to the back burner.
How do you know if this is your problem? Different from the previous situation’s detached and uncaring boss, this boss is overworked, overwhelmed, and overcommitted. She’s probably not a good time manager and may have trouble saying “no” to her boss. She may frequently cancel staff meetings at the last minute, she barely slows down all day, and seems distracted when she’s with you.
Solution: You have a chance here to offer to take something off your boss’s plate. You can take on an activity you’re excited about, while relieving your boss a bit. Win-win.

-Your boss hasn’t been properly trained on how to lead and manage others and doesn’t understand that developing her employees is part of her job.
How do you know if this is your problem? This often looks like a woman who isn’t comfortable in the supervisory shoes she’s been placed in. She consistently says and does the wrong thing in supervising her employees, or conversely, avoids actually supervising anyone. There’s also an element of fear here, because she may be terribly afraid she’ll be “found out” as incompetent. Often times, these people don’t recognize the failure of their bosses to properly train them.
Solution: There’s not much you can do here, so this is a situation that probably requires looking for another job. If developing employees is not a company value, then an internal move probably won’t resolve the problem – you’ll need to look outside your current employer.

-Your boss is narcissistic, concerned only with her position and status within the company and not her employees.
How do you know if this is your problem? Appearances are everything to this boss – it’s all flash and no substance. You are certain she would throw you under the boss without a second thought if she needed to in order to make herself look good. You certainly aren’t going to get the leadership, coaching, and mentorship you want from your boss if she’s a narcissist.
Solution: Run, don’t walk, because narcissists think only of themselves and won’t have your back when you most need i