Why do I feel stuck in my career?

You feel stuck because staying where you are is rewarded and moving is unknown. Catie Campbell, an executive coach, says it is not only the economy or your boss. It is usually fear: of failing at something new, of how people will see you if you change, or of the unknown. Name the fear and the next step gets smaller.

You are rewarded for not changing

Catie says people stay in a pattern because the pattern pays. You solve the problems, answer the emails and say yes, and you get promoted and paid for it. Until you see an advantage in changing, you will not change. Her line is that nothing changes if nothing changes.

Her blunt version: you are stuck, and you are doing it to yourself. It is not the economy, the environment or gas prices. In her words, the problem is you, but you are also the solution at the same time.

Knowing is not doing

Catie says most of the people she has coached were very self-aware. They could explain every pattern and every trigger, and they kept repeating them. Knowing and doing are two different things, she says.

One client knew exactly what she wanted in the next phase of her career. She had been talking about the change for at least three years and could not make herself take the lead.

The fear underneath

For most people who know their pattern and keep repeating it, Catie says the stuckness comes from worry, nine times out of ten, about how they will be perceived if they change it.

For others, it is the unknown. A leader can be very secure in the success they have now and insecure about the next role. What if I fail? What if the success I have here does not carry over? That fear of the future feels bigger than staying put. Staying put is fine if you like what you do, she adds.

The leader known as a drill sergeant

Catie coached a leader who was known for being hard to work for. He drove his team hard and held high standards, and he paid and rewarded people well. He wanted to be more approachable, because some people would not transfer into his division since they were scared of him.

He stayed stuck for a long time. He feared that if he softened, he would lose the results. What moved him were small steps. He showed empathy in how he wrote a text or an email. In one-on-ones he asked about people's lives and shared about himself, instead of talking only about the numbers.

Write the fear down

Catie's exercise is simple. Over the next week, ask what you are afraid of. Giving direct feedback and having someone quit? Putting an idea out and it not working? Write it down. Then ask whether, if you did it and your life changed, it would be the end of the world. Almost every time, she says, it would not.

FAQ

Is it my boss or the economy that keeps me stuck?

Catie says those are not what keeps you where you are. She says it is you, which also means you are the one who can change it.

I know my patterns. Why can't I change them?

Catie says knowing and doing are two different things. For most people, she says, the block is a worry, nine times out of ten, about how they will be perceived if they change.

Am I being thoughtful or am I stalling?

Catie asks which fear is behind it: insecurity, fear of failure, fear of jumping the gun, or fear of the unknown. Some people decide too fast and regret it, and others run through every worst case until they do nothing.

Catie Campbell is an executive coach, emotional intelligence expert and keynote speaker who has helped 30,000+ leaders.