The Cost of Career Procrastination: Interview with people2people Recruitment

This week, I was delighted to be interviewed by Catherine Kennedy of global firm people2people Recruitment, on their Australia Market Update broadcast. The topic? The cost of career procrastination.

 

Watch the full interview right here:

 

• When you are decisive, you make a decision. You take action. You feel aligned. Energised. Clear. And focused on a solution.
• Procrastination, on the other hand, is a process of inaction. It’s what you do in that period before you make that decision.
• Procrastination is not, “I don’t know my decision yet…” (which would be the point of indecision). It is, “I am really unsure what that decision could even be”.
• When you’re unsure and procrastinating you feel stuck, insecure, lacking control.
• With procrastination you are asking yourself “Should I / Shouldn’t I?” type questions
• You are also asking risk-association questions like, “What if X happens?”; “Could this decision be a career risk?”
• Procrastination is driven by emotion and fear and can be chronic i.e. it can remain for weeks, months, even years!
• Because procrastination is about AVOIDANCE, it can result in real stagnation and deeply impact your career progression.

 

Why is there hesitancy in the current job market?

• It’s an employers’ market right now. Particularly in the private sector. Which basically means supply is exceeding demand.
• Because it is such a competitive job market, and there’s ample economic instability too, it is driving a wait-and-see mentality with both employers and candidates.
• Uncertainty and avoidance go hand in hand.
• That’s not to say candidates aren’t applying… they absolutely are and there are opportunities out there.
• But we are seeing that a lot of hires are being made internally right now.
• We are also seeing that candidates are relying more on their networks to get roles rather than going through job ads and recruiters.

 

What are the short and long term costs of career procrastination?

• Short term, you might feel frustrated, undervalued and stuck and may even begin doubting yourself and your capabilities.
• Longer term, there is an opportunity cost: because you aren’t consciously looking for opportunities you will miss the ones that are there.
• There is a visibility cost to you as you lose out on networking and opportunities to influence.
• There is an accumulative cost to potential salary and income.
• And a cost too to your sanity! Self doubt can spiral out of control if you allow procrastination to become chronic. It is demoralising to lose sight of your true value proposition.
• Lastly, there is also a cost to organisations. It’s imperative that organsiations support employees to be proactive in their career planning, because career procrastination impacts engagement and business productivity as well.

 

1.

Take an objective step back! Your first critical step is to acknowledge you are procrastinating!

2.

Quit waiting for the perfect opportunity because it doesn’t exist. TAKE ACTION, however small that action might be.

3.

I look at your career as a series of pockets of opportunity. An easy way to challenge procrastination is to ask yourself: ‘What pocket of opportunity do I want next?’ You might also ask, ‘Is there an opportunity for me in this role?’ i.e. ‘Is there a stretch for me where I can learn? If not, what other stretching opportunities are there internally?’. And, ‘If I can’t get that next stretch here, what other options are there?’ Start looking for options.

4.

Reach out and get help – surround yourself with people who are supportive and practical. Speak to colleagues and friends who have successfully moved jobs recently. What worked for them?

5.

Grab your own agency! . This is your career. A great first step to get out of your funk is to reach out and speak to a Career & Leadership coach like me. 🙂

 

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