Taking the next step
Tools to support professional performance are so important and practical they should to be reviewed daily. This post is about one of them: the vital importance of taking the next step.
There is a focus on getting strong alignment between values, purpose and goals as the preferred way of giving direction and sparking motivation in corporate training and leadership thinking. And while this is essential, it is by no means the full story behind progress – it is incomplete – especially now when workplaces, the workforce and work itself are shifting to accommodate unpredictable change.
Alignment between values, purpose and goals (core strategic elements) is vital for contributing meaning and making sense of what you do, but it needs support from an intuitively unlikely place – taking action on your next step. And it could be just a tiny step. This may feel like the exact opposite of implementing a grand vision. But it is crucial because the only thing that makes an actual difference is what you do in the very next minute, the very next action you take.
Dealing with critical moments
We all encounter critical turning points more often than we care to acknowledge. Every decision point is unique, but they all have a similar structure – whether they are about career direction, progressing at work or business development – they all require action. When we master being in action at these vital moments, we add real momentum to our work journeys.
At an important turning point in her career, Jess needed to find a way to get her name on published research papers to unlock the possibility of PhD study in New York. One of Jess’s lecturers was in an ideal position to help because he had several interesting projects on the go, but she didn’t know him. She didn’t know any of her lecturers well enough to approach them personally for help. How could she when she was just another anonymous student?
What to do when you don’t know what to do
Frances asked Jess, “What are three options? Write them down on a piece of paper.” Each option on Jess’s list was accompanied by a list of “yes buts” – and this is typical. That’s the logic of inaction doing its mischief: without the “yes buts”, complex decisions would be easier.
One of Jess’s options involved contacting the lecturer.
“Why not go and knock on his door and ask him if he could use a research assistant on one of his projects?” Frances suggested.
“You just don’t do that sort of thing. He doesn’t know me from a bar of soap!”
“Sure, but are you willing to consider that it could be done?”
Jess was, and so they considered how to do it. They worked out the words, the approach to the closed door, the introduction, the phrasing of the request … and the courage this would demonstrate. Jess did it. And the rest is history. Dr Jess has now progressed to a senior position in a top research company in her field in New York. (This updates Jess’s story as documented in our book Work Passion Power: Strategies for a Working Life You Love.)
Jess’s story illustrates the power of simply taking the next step at critical turning points in your career or at work.
Why focusing on the next step is so important
We all want to progress whether we are at work, outside of work, studying or managing hybrid work arrangements. Mastering “next” – the ability to be in action on a next step at key moments – is important because that’s how we move through the landscape of our work and careers.
The art of work – the fine art of tuning your activities to be more effective – is grounded in the immediacy of your next step. Many of us fail to distinguish clearly enough between “doing” and “thinking about doing”. Lacking a crystal-clear understanding of this difference explains why some people who do have a sense of direction and purpose are still not going anywhere much. The actions you only think of taking are just stories – tales of hope, fear and dreams of future times – the reality is that your agency lies in your next step.
One dictionary defines “immediacy” as “The quality of bringing one into direct and instant involvement with something, giving rise to a sense of urgency or excitement.” Too often, we squander the energising potential of this “instant involvement” by overthinking and procrastinating. We let habit, distractions and fear divert us from taking our next step. Yet if we string next steps together we discover the real narrative of progress with work, career or business development.
As soon as you act on one of your options for going forward – even if you’re not sure it’s the best one – the landscape of options in front of you changes. Just thinking about doing something does not have this effect.
Call yourself to action
So how can you bring your attention to finding and taking a next step that matters? You might start by asking yourself this question: When you think about your work or career – short, medium or longer term, it doesn’t matter – what is an aspiration you have that you are not doing anything about? Perhaps you can’t find a clear sense of how to get started? In fact, “I just don’t know how to get started” is one of the statements career coaches hear frequently.
Fortunately, there is a very simple exercise you can do right now to move from stuck and just thinking to acting.
Six small steps to unlock the power of taking next steps
Anyone can do what Frances and Jess did …
- Take your aspiration, and write down three immediate options you have of ways to get started. The activity of writing is important, so don’t miss it out – the more stuck you feel, the more important it is to write down your immediate options.
- Choose one option – even if you are not sure it is the best one.
- Work out the details of what might be required to move on it, as Jess did with Frances.
- Think of one small (even tiny) step you can take to forward that option.
- Commit to acting on it in the next 24 hours – this is the key to progress.
- Do it.
The rest will be history.
Cheers to progress!
Max and Frances
P.S. Contact us if you are having difficulty getting into action or knowing what to get into action on. We can help