What the first Reality Checks told me
The work isn't the problem. It rarely is.
A few weeks ago I launched the Reality Check. Forty questions about your career, a bit more honest than we usually are with ourselves.
Twenty-six people have taken it so far. I've been looking at what they said.
Here's what jumped out.
1. They're good. Really good.
Eleven were rated outstanding at their last review.
Twenty-two out of twenty-six said their leaders see them as someone who solves problems, not someone who brings them.
So whatever's going on, it isn't the work.
2. They're stuck anyway.
Sixteen have been at the same level for three or four years.
Fourteen have applied for other roles more than once in the last year.
Eight of those who applied heard nothing back.
Not a no. Nothing.
3. Nobody's telling them why.
Twenty-one asked their manager why they didn't get the role.
Eighteen got an answer so vague they couldn't do anything with it.
Three got something clear. Three.
"Keep doing what you're doing."
"Maybe next time."
"You're nearly there."
Lovely. And not much use.
4. They don't know what to change.
Fourteen ticked "I don't know what I need to do differently."
Not "I don't want to."
Not "I can't be bothered."
I don't know.
5. And the thing holding them back is being nice.
The number one reason people gave for not being more visible with senior leaders?
"I don't want to seem pushy."
Thirteen said talking about their own achievements
feels like bragging, or pushy, or arrogant.
I understand that one completely.
All my life I was praised for being no trouble.
For years, when someone praised my work, I said "ah, it was nothing."
It was not nothing.
What it adds up to
Here's how I read it.
These aren't people who need to work harder.
They're already working hard.
They're people who were rewarded for years for being reliable, modest and no trouble.
And nobody told them when the rules changed.
Being good at your job gets you to a certain level.
After that, it's about who knows what you did, what they say about you when you're not in the room,
and whether you can say out loud what your work is worth.
That's not a confidence problem.
It's a missing information problem.
And information, you can fix.
The hopeful bit
At the end, I asked what they're going to do next.
Only one said "not ready yet, just exploring."
Eight said "I'm ready to act now."
Fourteen said "I want to, but I need a real plan to follow."
So the will is there. What's missing is the first small step.
Which is why I made the challenge
It's called Humble, Not Invisible.
Free. Five days, 9 to 13 November.
Ten minutes a day.
Every morning, one small, slightly uncomfortable thing to do.
Tell someone senior about a win.
Find out what they say about you when you're not there.
Ask the question that gets you a real answer, not "you're nearly there."
You stay exactly who you are. Just a little less invisible.
Join the challenge → realitycheck.deehutchinson.com/live?s=blog
And if you haven't taken the Reality Check yet: don't. That's Day 1.
Dee x
P.S. The first 100 to join can send me a work situation they're stuck on. I'll pick a few and work through them, step by step, in the Finale video. Anonymously.
