Career Stuck in Neutral? What to Ask Yourself – And How to Shift into Gear

In the past week alone, I’ve gotten three very similar inquiries: “I feel stuck in my career. I don’t know what to do.” They’ve reached out to me to get things reinvigorated career-wise, and I’m happy to help.

I’m reminded of the ’68 Beetle I had in high school – it had an interesting transmission called “Auto Stick.” In short, there was no clutch; the weight of your hand on the stick shift would activate the clutch and put the car in neutral, allowing you to shift from first gear to second gear. 

But here’s the problem with Auto Stick – if you rested your hand on the shifter, it popped the car out of gear. You’d be cruising along the highway, thinking everything’s fine, and then… nothing. No matter how much gas you gave it, you were stuck in neutral.

Careers can be the same way. When we’re finding ourselves stuck in neutral, sometimes it’s the outside factors: lack of upward mobility, wage stagnation, a boss who just won’t listen to your good ideas. But, other times, it’s our own doing. Sometimes, we’ve got to start paying closer attention, get our hands off the things that are forcing us out of gear, and take some bold action.

As a dyed-in-the-wool car guy, I’m thinking another drive train part may serve as a helpful analogy here: the differential. It’s the part that allows one wheel to spin faster than the other, when you’re doing important things like, well, turning. With that in mind, here are a few key differentials to ask yourself about when you’re feeling stuck in neutral:

• What’s the difference between what I was hired for and what I actually do? This is so common. A close friend just shared with me this morning that she fears she was “sold a bill of goods” at her brand new job. While she was hired to do legal regulatory work, 90 percent of the job is administrative and clerical. If the job doesn’t live up to the billing – or if the gulf is too great between what you’re most skilled at and what’s expected of you, you could slip out of gear easily.

• Do I trust my boss? We’ve been conditioned by the “evil boss” trope that is woven into pop culture that working means acceptance of someone who just wants productivity over humanity. Think “Horrible Bosses,” “Office Space,” and “Dilbert,” just to name a few. Simply put, tolerating a bad boss shouldn’t have to define our career. Asking yourself whether you trust them is key to understanding whether you feel respected, appreciated, and supported at work.

• What’s the balance between the work I want to do and what I have to do? We all have tasks that we don’t want to do. In my corporate career, I disliked some of the more mundane aspects of PR. But ask yourself: do I have meaningful work to do most of the time? If the answer is no, and you’re spending most of your time on tasks that don’t feel worthwhile, it’s time to shift gears.

• What’s the differential between what I make and what I’m worth? I’m a big proponent of the adage that if you do something you love with passion, the money will come. But some employers take passion for granted. If you’re underpaid – and there are easy ways to figure this out – a shift is due, either with an honest chat with your boss, human resources, or even finding work elsewhere.

• Is there a gap between my work and life priorities? Work-life balance is an old notion; when I work with my clients, I talk much more about work-life integration: how to make your career work for you, given your life priorities. But, if you find yourself constantly called away from your home life to put out fires at work – or your stress over your workload is keeping you from doing the most basic tasks, like, say, laundry, it’s time to reassess.

My old Beetle is long gone, and so are the days where I tolerate being in neutral. If any of the differentials above resonate with you, be sure to chime in on the comments. Take control of your career, downshift if necessary, and get your career back to highway speed. 

Obsidian Coaching provides career, communication, and sobriety coaching services for executives and mid-career professionals around the world. Finding your career stuck in neutral? Schedule a time to learn more how we can help you reinvigorate your work life.