Success Is Not a Straight Line, Anticipate the Detours

There is a common misconception that success is linear.

In coaching, the work is simple: I help you go from point A to point B.

The nuance here is that we believe the line will be linear, and it will all happen according to our plans.

What a mistake.

Success is not linear. Life is not linear.

There are endless possibilities we can choose, and endless possibilities outside our control.

A layoff, a hiring freeze, a sudden role change, a hiring manager leaving, a budget cut, visa issues, or unexpected market shifts. I’ve seen them all with my clients.

Recently, while guiding a client in his job search, he came to me frustrated because he was not receiving responses from his applications.

Secretly, he thought, it should be easier. I should apply, they should call me, I do the interview, and I get an offer. This is the linear view, and when it happens, it is the exception.

I’ve seen so many things: candidates being ghosted after multiple rounds of interviews, candidates failing to show up for interviews, offers being rescinded, job descriptions changing mid-process, and internal candidates being promoted instead, to name a few. These things are common, yet we rarely talk about them, and they illustrate that the path is not linear.

Let’s be clear: I believe in abundance and possibilities. I just choose to walk one foot in reality and one foot in possibility. It all exists.

Reality imposes itself.

The more you can anticipate, the easier it will be to navigate the path to achieve what you want.

Your turn:

• Pause and answer honestly: where are you expecting a straight line?

• Pick one scenario you’re assuming will be linear, and list three factors that could derail it.

If you want a practical way to plan for non-linear outcomes, DM me your answers and I’ll help you see alternatives.