Staying in One Place Too Long

As we get closer to the New Year and those New Year’s resolutions, now is a good time to take stock of your career. Where are you now? Where do you want to be in 18 months? In 3-5 years? Are you doing the things you need to do to achieve those goals? Can you get there in your current organization or do you need to move on? 

The loyalty factor – staying in one place too long – is one of the more pervasive Sticky Floors for women. Too often we put others in control of our career advancement by assuming that if we do a good job, people will take care of us (and those days are long gone in most organizations!) or we assume people know what our goals are and so we wait for them to provide the opportunities for us to do those things. (In these situations, we can too easily be branded as an expert in one area, causing people not to consider us for opportunities outside of our perceived area of expertise!)

At other times, our innate sense of loyalty kicks in, not wanting to let people down when we know they rely on us. And, even more often, we’re simply in react mode, running from one thing to the next without asking where our jobs are really taking us, if they are really satisfying us, and if ultimately these are the kinds of things we want to continue to do. Whatever the reason, staying too long in one position can stall your personal and professional growth. 

However, don’t beat yourself up if you’ve stayed too long – there are often personal decisions such as family or health that factor into staying in one place longer than planned. But how do you know when you’ve stayed too long and what can you do about it?

Here are some signals:

• You’ve stayed too long if you’ve been encouraged to interview for a position in another department, but you don’t feel comfortable so you turn down the opportunity for an interview.
• You’ve stayed too long when a new opportunity arises for which you know you are the best qualified and you aren’t even asked to interview for the position.
• You’ve stayed too long if your division has hit its targets and you’ve played a crucial role in that success yet your boss gets all the kudos.

Missing opportunities, not getting the recognition you deserve or being in an environment that is causing you to not be as motivated, energized and focused as you used to be, all are indications you’ve stayed too long and it’s time to re-evaluate. 

Here are some tips for moving forward:

• Lay the groundwork for the future. Identify where you would like to be in the next 3-5 years. Map out a plan that takes into account your own strengths as well as where your organization is going and where you can add value. 
• Start looking at experiences and training that you can do now to get you where you eventually want to be. Begin to strategically and intentionally create those experiences that will close gaps in your skill set and will help you bring further value to your organization and visibility to you.
• Don’t assume others know your career goals. Take time to socialize those goals and make your work, accomplishments, skills, and interests known to others. Get people behind your goals so that when opportunities arise, they are there to support you. If you don’t, those around you (with all good intentions) may place you in a box that isn’t where you want to be.
• Be willing to take a risk to get out of your comfort zone! Ask yourself, “What’s the worst thing that can happen?” 
• If you’re taking on a job that is a stretch, be prudent and identify those gaps and hone in on the right training and experiences that further your overall confidence and competence. Consider hiring a coach for a short amount of time to help you put a plan of action together and then to work that plan.
• Participate in SHAMBAUGH’s WILL Program or our Sticky Floors Webinar series.

As a final thought, if the loyalty factor is not your Sticky Floor, these actions may still be important for you to consider since with the many mergers, acquisitions and downsizings taking place now, change and reorganization are the new constants in the world of work – meaning there is no guarantee that you will actually be in any one place for too long, but it’s better that you be in control of your future than someone else!

Click here to learn more about SHAMBAUGH’s WILL Program!

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