Here’s the situation: Your current project is fantastic. You like the people, the work is interesting, and your commute is a breeze. Did I mention that you only work eight hours a day, five days a week? To top it all off, you’ve been on the project for a good amount of time, making you an SME (subject matter expert) and well respected by your peers and your boss. Things couldn’t get more perfect right? Well, there is one little thing: You’re up for a promotion to manager next year, but you aren’t getting any lead roles. Without this experience, it’s going to be very tough for you to get promoted. What do you do?

This is where the title of this article comes into play. When confronted with a situation where being loyal (i.e. staying on the project) may hurt your career in the long run, what do you do? This is a problem that people on all levels face everyday. Unfortunately, the answer to this question is not universal. There is no one solution as there are many variables that go into making these decisions. Don’t worry though, I’m not going to leave you hanging. Instead, I’m going to suggest three things that I think are important when making this decision:

Here it is:

Seek roles on your current project - I’m always looking for good roles on the projects I’m working on, but if you tend to sit back and let your boss assign you roles, then maybe it’s time you took some initiative. If you think that there’s a good role that you want, ask about filling that position. Maybe your boss just didn’t consider you as a candidate, but if you speak up it could be a whole new ball game. If there are no current roles, suggest a new one (sounds crazy, but it can work). Just remember, exhaust all possibilities on your current project before you look outside of it.

Have a talk with your boss - If you haven’t already, you should have a talk with your boss about your intentions. You don’t want to just suddenly announce that you want to roll-off your project, leaving your old team high and dry. Let them know that you need certain roles to advance your career. If you’re in a good situation, they will understand. They might even pull some strings and get you the role you want to keep you on the project. Otherwise, they can help you find a good role on a different team. Also, it allows them time to transition someone else to take your place. Remember: Don’t burn any bridges on your way out.

Finish strong - You’re finally moving on to a new project, and you’ve handled the transition right up to this point. Don’t screw it up at the end by slacking right before you roll-off. Work hard until your last day. This will leave a great impression with your co-workers and your boss, which is important because you could end up working with them again on a different project.

In my opinion, you can turn a situation such as this into a win-win situation. As I stated above, you just need to handle it the right way. The three pieces of advice I’ve outlined are good starting points, but make sure to tailor/add to them for your particular situation.