Career ParalysisPart 1:

The 5 ways our brains get stuck

when making career decisions

Updated version

Is this you?

You want a job

But not just any job...

You want a job that

actually fulfils you.

You want meaning.

Something you can look back on with pride

(Big but)

BUT

The jobs ads don’t inspire

You don’t want to lose your lifestyle

And you’re worried about

stepping into the unknown.

Should you be taking more of a risk?

You think to yourself...

If so, how big a risk?

Isn’t it all too late?

Some days you feel like you’re going round in

circles...

...you’re beginning to wonder

who you really are...

...and now even the simplest decisions are starting to seem difficult.

If so, you are not alone...

Nearly 70% of us do not feel engaged at work.

Over half of us would start over if we felt we could.

...it’s our brains

that are to blame.

(They can’t cope).

And it’s not our fault...

Let me explain...

This presentation explains why ‘career paralysis’ happens, and what you can do about it.

So, where do we start?

I work with many people who feel dissatisfied in their careers yet don’t

know which direction they should move.

I’m Rob, an occupational psychologist. I specialise in helping people find their best career direction.

This is me.

“Our brains evolved for a very different world from today. A world in which

people lived in very small groups, rarely met anybody different from themselves,

had short lives with few choices and where the highest priority was to eat

and mate today.”

“Our brains evolved for a very different world from today. A world in which

people lived in very small groups, rarely met anybody different from themselves,

had short lives with few choices and where the highest priority was to eat

and mate today.”

Professor Dan Gilbert, TED Conference, December 2008

The point is, the kind of problems our brains evolved to solve

are

very different to the kind of problems we face today.

Career choice is a good example.

In the agricultural age you did whatever your parents did. Baker, Taylor, Butcher, Smith.

There was no such thing as ‘career choice.’

In the industrial age social mobility

increased.

But social mobility still depended on social class and education.

So career choice was only an issue for nice chaps like

William and Rupert here.

In the information age our choices expanded rapidly.

You’d be tested and then scientifically ‘matched’ by computer to your ideal career.

Thankfully, computers came along to help.

This approach had two assumptions:

a static work environment and a static self.

This approach had two assumptions:

a static work environment and a static self.Mind, you, what would I know? The computer told me I should have been a dental hygienist.

Your Ideal

career is:

Dental

Hygiene

7. ...and the recession is accentuating all of these trends.

2. the job for life almost dead

3. and the portfolio career on the rise.

4. People want meaning at work, not living for the weekend.

5. Jobs are being created in areas not even heard of 2 years ago.

1. The job market is volatile

But nothing is static any more.

6. More people than ever are starting their own business

So the good news is…

historically speaking, career opportunities have never

been greater.

Most of us could be whoever we want to be.

But the bad news is...

Our brains are not set up to deal with this new type of

career decision.

We’re good at survival thinking

But less good when we need to choose

between lots of options...

...or think anew about our lives

and careers.

Understanding our mind’s cognitive biases is the best foundation for making

better career decisions.

What I’ve learned over the last 6 years:

Me = square peg

Dental Hygienist = round hole

The 5 ways our brains get stuck

when making career decisions

Too much choice overwhelms us1

We usually think of choice as a good thing.

But Barry Schwartz showed that too much choice actually

stresses us out.

1

It’s the ‘Paradox of Choice’.1

The paradox of choice means decision making is more difficult. And when we do make decisions, we’re

less happy with them.1

Result:

we feel overwhelmed by the options open to us

and scared of the loss that comes with choice.

... And we always wonder what might have been...

1

We’re negatively biased2

Imagine one of your ancient ancestors sees a dark blob out in the distance.

We evolved to think negatively.

Is it a bear or a blueberry bush?

2

We evolved to think negatively.

Is it a bear or a blueberry bush?

An optimist might have seen a blueberry bush. If she was right she’d eat more of her 5-a-day for lunch than her pessimist

friend.

Our minds evolved with one priority: ‘safety first’.But if she was wrong...she’d be lunch!

2

Negative thoughts are 3 to 4 times ‘stickier’ than positive (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990).

Evidence:

We need 5 positive comments to every negative for a happy marriage (Gottman, 2008).

We hate losing twice as much as we love winning (Kahneman & Tversky 1990).

We are psychologically inflexible. If we try not to think about something unpleasant – we

think about it even more. (Hayes, 1990).

2

So caution creeps in

Result: We’re far more

aware of our weaknesses than

our strengths.

2

We prioritise the short term over the long term.3

We think we make rational decisions reflecting our values… We think wrong.

For example, a massive 90% of people support organ donation, but some countries have far higher organ donation rates than others.

It’s because the countries on the right have on ‘opt out’ donation policy, whereas in countries on the left you have to ‘opt in’. So basically, no one bothers.

Why?

OK, but what about professional decisions?

One experiment asked Doctors what would happen if they read a patient’s case notes on the day of their

operation and found...

3

...that one important drug had not even been tried.

What do you think the Doctors did – proceed with the operation, or stop the op to try the drug?

Important drug

not even tried

(drum roll...)

Operation

3

Most stopped the op to try the drug.

3

But what happened in the same scenario except where two different drugs had not been

tried?3

This time, most of the Doctors let the operation go ahead!

Yet the only change was that the complexity of doing the

‘right’ thing had slightly increased...3

was offering 3 types of subscription:

1. Web only - $59

2. Print only - $125

3. Print & web only - $125

Here’s another example:

3

Which would you pick?

1. Web only - $59

2. Print only - $125

3. Print & web only - $125

1. Online only

2. Print only

3. Online & print

3

Most people went for the print AND online subscription.

84%

0%

16%

And not surprisingly, no Economist reader

chose the middle option.

1. Web only - $59

2. Print only - $125

3. Print & web only - $125

1. Online only

2. Print only

3. Online & print

3

1. Web only - $59

2. Print only - $125

3. Print & web only - $125

1. Online only

3. Online & print

So what did people do when this

option was removed?

3

1. Web only - $59

2. Print only - $125

3. Print & web only - $125

1. Online only

3. Online & print 32%

68%

Most changed their minds!

3

Conclusion: we tend to make decisions based on short term comparisons, not on what we actually value.

So how does this relate to career decision making?

For a start, short terms comparisons mean we are highly influenced by what others do and say.

But our short term bias also leads us into a trap...(take a deep breath).

3

1. We move away from things that

cause us discomfort

e.g. move away from:•Anxiety•Doubt•Insecurity

Eek!

Motivation works in only two directions:

3

2. We move towards things

we value

e.g. move towards:•Meaning•Freedom•Creativity

Woohoo!

Motivation works in only two directions:

3

Away from discomfort

Towards values

Most people say they want to move this way in their career

3

Away from discomfort

Towards values

Yet when they do what

usually shows up first is...

discomfort!

Eek!

3

That’s right...

The short term result of moving towards our values is usually

negative thoughts and uncomfortable emotions.

So guess what most of us do next?

Oh, the humanity!

3

Away from discomfort

Towards values

We head back in the other direction, away from discomfort.

3

Away from discomfort

Towards values

And guess what?

We usually feel relieved.3

Away from discomfort

Towards values

But here it gets really messy...

we avoid the things that make life worthwhile. If we make it a priority to avoid difficult emotions

Away from discomfort x

3

Away from discomfort

Towards values

But here it gets really messy...

?we avoid the things that make life worthwhile.

If we make it a priority to avoid difficult emotions

Away from discomfort x

We risk always wondering ‘what if?’

3

Towards values

But here it gets really messy...

And if we consistently avoid difficult emotions this eventually leads to

even greater unhappiness (and even depression).

we avoid the things that make life worthwhile. If we make it a priority to avoid difficult emotions

Away from discomfort

We risk always wondering ‘what if?’

?

3

By prioritising happiness in the short term

over things we really value in the long term

Result:

By prioritising happiness in the short term

over things we really value in the long term

we lose control over our lives.

Result:

Our brains think in linear patterns.4

For example, here we see a triangle where none exists.

Harmless enough?

4

In 1945 psychologist Karl Duncker gave participants a candle, a box of nails, and several other objects.

He asked them to attach the candle to the wall.

4

Very few of them thought of using the inside of the nail box as a candle-holder and nailing this to the wall.

The participants were “fixated” on the box’s normal function of holding nails.

Duncker found that participants tried to nail the candle directly to the wall or glue it to the wall by melting it.

4

In decision making, this is called ‘functional fixedness’.

Functional fixedness has since been shown to apply to our own identities.

4

Result:

This leads to a feeling or belief that

we can only do what we’ve

always done.

4

We trust our minds to fix the problem.5

Our minds are incredible...That’s why we’ve left other species far behind.

But we’ve seen our minds are far from infallible!

Bad with choice Negatively biased Short term Functionally fixed

Our minds evolved to scan the horizon for threats and anticipate problems. They have one clear objective: stay safe!5

Yet we often seem to forget this. Instead, we tend to automatically

believe what our minds tell us.

5

“I’m too tired to go for a run”

For example, you come home knackered from work and you think...

5

“I’m too tired to go for a run”

Outcome: Don’t go for a run.

Although tiredness does not physically prevent us from going for a run, we tend to fuse our thoughts

with reality.

5

“I’m too old to change

career”

This is known as cognitive fusion and it affects all

areas of our lives.

5

“There are no jobs anyway”

This is known as cognitive fusion and it affects all

areas of our lives.

5

Although this presentation may be light-hearted, there is no doubt the depth of anxiety and confusion caused by career paralysis. I’ve certainly been there and bought the T-shirt.

We trust our minds to fix the problem, but when it doesn’t, we start to look for reasons why.

We start to think it’s our fault – there’s something wrong with us!

We look for a culprit, and often conclude that we need to try and ‘fix ourselves’ before we do anything else.

I used to tell myself:

SecureCertain

AssertiveConfidentMotivated

Knowledgeableetc etc....

I can’t change career because first I need to feel more...

5

So I tried to ‘sort my head out’. Think more positively! I told myself ‘once I feel more certain, then I can make progress’.

A lot of people think like this.

“Once I get rid of these nasty thoughts / feelings then I can act”.

But research has shown that trying to avoid negative thoughts and feelings…

…actually increases their intensity

and frequency.

Harvard psychologist Dan Wegner calls this the brain’s ‘ironic process’.

(Hence, the ‘ironic process’ of insomnia).

The more we try not to think about something, the more we think about it.

Away from discomfort

Towards values

And don’t forget, moving towards values always involves difficult thoughts.

5

By trying to avoid our fears we make the problem worse.

Result:

The 5 Cognitive Biases That Cause Career Paralysis:

We prioritise the short term over the long term.

We’re negatively biased.

Too much choice overwhelms us.

We think we can only do what we’ve always done.

We trust our minds to fix the problem.

1

2

3

4

5

I want to change career! But...

Which way do I go?

I could never do that!

This stresses me out! I should stick with what I know

I need to sort my head out first

Or put another way...

Result: Career Paralysis

Career Paralysis:How to untangle

thoughts and find your direction

So what now?

Read Part 2...

It’s full of practical tips, suggestions and free resources.

Please note! You may have to download this presentation and view in ‘slide show’ mode for the links to work. I’m sorry - I don’t make

the rules you know.

Rob Archer is an occupational psychologist based in London.

He offers coaching, training and assessment to help individuals and businesses get unstuck and make

meaningful change.

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Get in touch:SEND me an e-mail

CONNECT on LinkedIn

READ my useful Career Change Blog

MARVEL at my grown up Website

Go to part 2 of this presentation.