Why Your Career’s Stuck

Happy Thursday,

How I support leaders to get unstuck in their careers is not what you think. Everyone does it for different reasons. New challenge, new role, promotion, purpose, better pay, better work life balance, or something else. However, there is a surprising truth that shows up for almost everyone. People are not stuck because they lack options or courage. They are stuck because they have invested too much to walk away. So let’s dig in, and by the end of this, I’m going to share a simple, powerful technique I’ve used myself and with many clients to help you change that.

🧠 LEARN something.

You feel it in your bones. It is time to make the move. But it is not an easy decision. You have invested years, sometimes decades, getting to where you are. It is a safe nest. You built a whole life around it. Your network. Your industry. The title. The income that creates the golden handcuffs. The story you tell people at dinners and the story you tell yourself in the mirror. Plus, you are good at what you do. People rely on you. They look up to you and you have credibility and a strong reputation. All of that makes walking away feel hard. But it is not just emotional, it is psychological. This is the sunk cost fallacy. It is our tendency to stick with something simply because we have already invested so much into it. We stay in the same roles, chase promotions we do not even want, and double down on career plans that no longer serve us. Not because we lack courage or options, but because the brain hates wasted effort. Walking away feels like admitting the past did not matter.

Research in organisational psychology also shows that professionals are far more likely to stay in misaligned roles the longer they have worked towards getting those roles. It is not just the time, money, or energy you have invested. It is also the self identity you built around that role or career. When you leave, you are not just leaving a job. You are leaving a version of yourself. That is how people end up staying and slowly convince themselves this is what they want. That it is “loyalty” or the sensible thing to do. But in reality, the leaders who have made successful career pivots all had to separate who they are from what they have done. That is why some reinvent themselves in their 40s or 50s, while others feel stuck in their 30s. It is not confidence. It is clarity to walk away from yesterday’s investments so they can move towards tomorrow’s opportunity.

🤔 REFLECT on an idea.

The economy, the market, and your company rarely follow the plan you wrote for your life and career. The plan you built your identity around. The one you use to measure success. I remember something my Psychologist once said to me: “What if the success waiting for you, is far greater than the one you ever planned for?”

😊 SMILE a little.

A recruiter reached out on LinkedIn the other day. It was an amazing role and I nearly applied. Then I found out they do not use Outlook like we do.

✅ DO IT to get results.

Here is a simple exercise that helped me and has helped many clients let go of the sunk cost mindset. You can do it right now or on your drive back home. Open your LinkedIn profile or a short CV. Now imagine you are sitting at the interview table for your dream opportunity. They ask you one specific question: “What did each of your past roles teach you about yourself?” Not what you delivered. Not what the company got. But what it taught you about you. The question is very specific, so do not dilute it.

Tell the story out loud. Not as a list, but as a narrative. Our brains think in stories. When you focus on what each job taught you about your strengths, values, and interests, you turn past effort into personal growth instead of emotional debt. That shift is powerful. It reframes your past from something you lost into something you gained. The more you do it, the more you will reprogram your mind, the more you will see new opportunities, and the less stuck you will feel.

🌱 How we can support you and your team.

We provide strategic leadership solutions tailored to align with your business strategy, size, and budget. We can support your with:

• 1:1 Leadership and Performance Coaching

• Team Coaching, for high performing teams

• 1:1 Health & Lifestyle Coaching for busy stressed leaders.

• Workshops, offsites and team development.

• Or our flagship individual Leadership Coaching Programs.

Kia pai tō wiki

Kenny Bhosale

CEO & Founder, The Bridge Leaders