There’s one key behavior in us human beings that baffles me. Even after understanding the reason we engage in it, I still continue to marvel at why we seem to be the greatest enemies of our own progress.
Mason is the head of a Project Management Office (PMO) for a large organization. As someone in a VP position, you can say safely assume that he’s had some measure of success in his career. But if you talk to him, he’s the first to acknowledge that his career path has neither been smooth nor linear. He believes it has taken him longer than his peers to get to where he is today.
He also admits readily that he has not yet arrived where he wants to be. He still wants to move up a couple of rungs on the career ladder. So, when he was presented with a development opportunity that can help him in this area, he knew immediately that this was for him. He was excited and signed up for the course.
When it was time to begin, he was nowhere to be found.
This is the scenario I’ve seen over and over with many of us. And it continues to baffle me.
We recognize our deficiency in a particular area of our lives. We understand what we need to do to close the gap and overcome the deficiency. We’re presented with an opportunity to do just that. We get excited and commit to following through on the opportunity.
But we don’t follow through.
When it’s time to forge ahead and put the pedal to the metal, we go missing in action.
Early last month, I offered my revamped masterclass series, The Foundation of Thriving Careers, free of charge to a limited number of those who want to understand what it will take to accelerate their careers. It will take a weekly commitment over just three weeks. Signup was open for a few days and many signed up. When it was time to start, only half of them showed up.
That could have been due to many reasons. Of course, I understand that life happens to many of us, sometimes in unexpected ways. But I’ve seen this scenario play out so frequently with different groups of people, so I think the reason for this apathy is much more foundational.
I strongly believe that mindsets created unconsciously as a result of beliefs over time play a central role. They drive many of our unconscious behaviors that tend to short-circuit our successes in life. Interestingly, the masterclass program I offered was designed to help bring this to light. If only . . .
Well, what has this got to do with you?
It’s the beginning of a new year when many people make resolutions to do something different. Data shows that only 9% of those who make such commitments keep them for the entire year. About 23% quit in the first week and only 36% make it past the first month.
If you don’t want to continue marking time on the same spot year after year with something that you know you need to change, then you need to be intentional and focused on making the change. The Foundation of Thriving Careers can help you understand why your career foundation may need to be strengthened.
If that’s you, send me a note and I will include you in the next cohort of the program starting next month.
You'll be thankful you did.