Leavin’ The Career Cul-De-Sac

I was at the library last week when I decided to pick up Seth Godin’s little nugget The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When To Quit (And When to Stick). First published in 2007, you might think that I am just a tad bit “behind the eight ball” on this, but, I think some of the ideas expressed in the book are really worth revisiting.

I am particularly interested in resurrecting some of Godin’s thoughts in light of the recent research published in the Wall Street Journal on the epidemic of career zombies (aka “Recession Survivors”) in the workplace. Seems as if there are a whole lot of people who are content to basically rot in jobs that are not satisfying because of fear, worry and an intense desire to avoid change in the wake of the recession.

For those who are not familiar with The Dip, the premise is simple…yet profound. Godin starts out by affirming that most of us want to be the best. Of course the definition of “the best” is subjective. The things that distinguish the best parent from the best taxi driver from the best elementary school teacher from the best writer on career management, well, are naturally very different in each case. Whatever “best” we may be striving for, Godin describes three basic “curves” that people often travel as they try to accomplish something.

One such path is a rare curve Godin calls “The Cliff.” Basically, in this scenario, one rockets to the top, they feel great but you know they are going to take a big dive sooner or later. Godin illustrates this by describing a smoker. One example that comes to my mind includes someone who is taking their chances week after week at the Vegas craps tables. The path is nearly impossible to quit until it is too late. That “drop off” in the end, whether it be emphysema or bankruptcy, is a rough one.

Godin concentrates instead on two other, more common curves: The Dip and The Cul-De-Sac.

The main curve and focal point of the book, “The Dip,” is described as that path that starts out feeling great. As someone takes on some new endeavor, it is novel, fun, interesting, there is period of accelerated learning…which keeps us excited and engaged. Until, that is, the Dip happens. Godin describes the Dip like this:

“The Dip is the long slog that happens between starting and mastery. A long slog that’s actually a shortcut, because it gets you where you want to go faster than any other path. The Dip is the combination of bureaucracy and busywork you must deal with in order to get certified in scuba diving. The Dip is the difference between the easy ‘beginner’ technique and the more useful ‘expert’ approach in skiing or fashion design. The Dip is the stretch between beginner’s luck and real accomplishment.”

Godin goes on to explain that the thing that distinguishes the best from those who are just mediocre is whether or not they pushed through the Dip to reach the other side and how they handled the process.

“They [the best] don’t just buckle down and survive it. No, they lean into the Dip. They push harder, changing the rules as they go.”

The mediocre ones, by contrast, will choose to quit after they have already invested time and energy in a particular pursuit, and often tragically, when they are in the middle of or nearly through the Dip.

The second curve  is “The Cul-De-Sac,” and Godin describes it as a scenario of being stuck in a purgatory of mediocrity. No challenges, no real growth, and certainly void of gratification. Godin  says:

“It’s a situation where you work and you work and you work and nothing much changes. It doesn’t get a lot better, it doesn’t get a lot worse. It just is.”

Starting to sound a bit familiar?

In addition to the curves that lead us to being the best or not the best, Godin also spends a significant amount of time talking about quitting. Many of us have the belief that quitting is for losers and it is hard wired into our psyches. Godin maintains that quitting is not the same as failing. He puts it like this:

“If you realize you’re at a dead end compared with what you could be investing in, quitting is not only a reasonable choice, it’s a smart one.”

Coping, aka staying stuck in the rut of the Cul-De-Sac, however, is worse than quitting. Godin says,

“The problem with coping is that it never leads to exceptional performance. Mediocre work is rarely because of lack of talent and often because of the Cul-De-Sac. All coping does is waste your time and misdirect your energy. If the best you can do is cope, you’re better off quitting. Quitting is better than coping because quitting frees you up to excel at something else.”

And that is when it hit me. Do we ALL need a refresher on The Dip? Are workers nowadays preparing to gas up and endure a riveting drive round and round the same ole’ Cul-De-Sac? According to the Towers Watson study, it certainly appears so. Just consider how 51% of the workers polled said there is no clear career path available with their current employer. Likewise, if 43% say they can only advance if they leave, yet, almost the same percentage of people (44%) say they won’t leave because they want job stability, doesn’t that say that today’s workers by and large are going to grin and bear it? I think Towers Watson summed it up best by saying that the “respondents have dramatically lowered their career and retirement aspirations.”

And what will all that settling and lowered expectations do to the productivity, profitability and employee engagement within an organization? What will the customer experience be like? Will innovation and ingenuity thrive? How will that spill over into our personal lives. Miserably enduring eight hours a day at work has GOT to eventually impact your mood, motivation, and outlook at home, too.

How many of us are missing out on the best because we are afraid of the Dip we’ll have to mitigate in order to get there? As employers, are we doing our part to inspire and instill confidence with potential candidates who might be resistant to change right now? What will it take to convince today’s worker that career fulfillment is available and out there for the taking?

What path are you on right now? The Dip or the Cul-De-Sac?

* I can’t say enough about how much I enjoyed reading The Dip. Please check your local library or spend the $10-$15 it takes to make it a part of your permanent collection. If you’ve read it, read it again. I’d bet you will see some new insights that you can relate back to your current situation (as we enter a period of economic recovery, etc.). Plus, everyone knows that Seth Godin rocks.

** By the way, how super cool is Huh MacLeod? Seemed fitting to use one of his pieces to illustrate my post (particularly since his work is featured in a couple of Godin’s books), so I wrote him to ask for permission. Not only did he say yes, but, he answered me quickly and courteously. Little ole me!?! I encourage you to check him out at www.gapingvoid.com. There, you can read his blog (which features this and many other cool cartoons), visit his gallery (and purchase something unique for your office), buy his book Ignore Everybody, or just lurk around and get to know him better. He uses some colorful language and subject matter sometimes, but, if you are stuck in the Cul-De-Sac rut I just wrote about, many of his pieces will speak to and hopefully inspire you!

Tagged as: Career Management In Recessionary Times, Recession Survivors, Seth Godin, The Dip