At some point, many professionals find themselves in the position of being unhappy with their current roles but unable to leave. For those who want to keep their current job until they can make the next step on their own terms, career coach Octavia Goredema offers three strategies "to shift your approach and intentions to embrace the role you currently have."

1. Define your reputation

In her book  Prep, Push, Pivot, Goredema describes an exercise called "Creating your career commitments," which involves creating your own professional pledges that act as "the key tenets that anchor the work you do and how you navigate your career."

If you are trying to shift your approach to workplace engagement, this is an ideal time to set career commitments, amplify your strengths, and establish your reputation.

During this process, the first question you should ask yourself is "What do I want to be known for?" Goredema recommends creating a list of the characteristics of high-performing, highly respected professionals in your network.

Then, she suggests choosing two or three characteristics you want to be known for. These can be traits you already possess or skills you want to gain or further develop.

Next, ask yourself, "How will I show up at work moving forward?"

"To do this effectively, look at the traits you've selected and write down one example of how you can bring each one to life with aligned actions," Goredema writes. "For example, if you chose "self-starter" as a characteristic you want to be known for, one way to demonstrate this might be to consistently initiate a task ahead of schedule that you've historically avoided."

2. Be consistent and intentional

When you are prepared to implement a new approach, "be invested for the long run and be prepared to make incremental, but consistent, changes to how you work," Goredema writes. "Even the smallest shifts in body language, mindset, communication, participation, collaboration, visibility, or productivity can result in significant and lasting impact."

A few years ago, Goredema was hired to coach a senior executive who had been with her company for years. Over time, the executive had become disengaged and unenthusiastic about her work.

During their first coaching session, Goredema asked the executive what she wanted to be known for. "Providing the space to pause and reflect on what mattered to her and her career growth allowed her to identify that she needed to take steps to be more visible," Goredema recalls.

Initially, the executive did not know where to start. As their conversation progressed, the executive told Goredema about an optional, recurring company meeting that was open to all.

While the executive never attended before, she realized this could be a good way to become more visible. When she started attending, she discovered that the 30-minute informal gathering was easy to incorporate into her schedule. Ultimately, her boss noted and valued her participation.

3. Tackle simple — but meaningful — problems

Moving forward, Goredema recommends looking for opportunities to make a difference. "Solving problems doesn't have to be time consuming or complex," she writes. "At its core, problem solving involves embracing a solution-oriented mindset instead of getting derailed by an obstacle."

"You know your work best," she adds. "Don't underestimate how you can add value just by sharing or applying what you already know. Being an impactful problem solver could be as simple as showing a coworker how to use a tool they're unfamiliar with, or troubleshooting an issue that's impeding your team's productivity."

As you encounter issues, consider how you can make a positive impact — but avoid falling "into the trap of assuming going the extra mile means working all hours," Goredema warns.

If you are regularly working longer hours and your workload has not changed, some people might think you are inefficient, or that you lack the skills needed to complete your work on time. Instead, Goredema encourages workers to find ways to show that they are efficient, proactive, and willing to go the extra mile when necessary.

"Reputations take time to form, and it's time that's well invested. Professionals who are highly regarded consistently operate at a certain level, and that consistency becomes what they're known for," she writes. "Commit to building a professional reputation that will propel you forward instead of holding you back." (Goredema, Harvard Business Review, 4/4)