Successful but frustrated? Find out what’s holding you back

From the outside, it’s all going well. But there’s one question about your work you can’t put down.

Maybe you want more: the bigger role, more say, the idea you keep putting off. Maybe you want less of what it’s costing you. Either way, you’ve turned it over for months, and you’re no closer.

When a question stays stuck this long, something is usually holding it in place. Until you can see what, more thinking goes round in circles.

The What’s Next Map shows you what. In about five minutes, you’ll answer 24 quick questions about what you’ve actually done in the last couple of months. You’ll see what’s been holding you back, what it’s costing you, what you’re already doing well, and small steps that will tell you more than another month of thinking.

Free, about five minutes, no email needed.

What the map looks at

Successful people tend to get stuck on big work questions in a few predictable ways. Each comes from something that helped you succeed: ambition, judgement, reliability, patience. Each also needs a different next step, so it’s worth knowing which ones you’ve been leaning on lately. The map shows what you’ve been doing. Why you’re doing it is usually the conversation worth having.

Scorekeeping. You measure progress by the markers: the title, the pay, how a choice will look. That’s useful for getting ahead. It’s less useful for deciding what you want, because there’s always a next marker, and the wins don’t last.

Self-Editing. You soften the point, hold back the idea, and say yes so you’re still seen as reliable. It protects your reputation. It also uses a lot of energy, and it keeps the most interesting version of you out of the room.

Playing It Sensible. When you think about a change, you ask what makes sense before you ask what you want. Ideas go to your internal investment committee and get turned down before they’ve had a chance to grow.

Postponing. You’ll deal with it after the promotion, the next quarter, the vesting date. Each delay makes sense on its own. Together, they turn “later” into a decision.

Everyone does all four sometimes. The map shows which ones you’ve been leaning on lately, which tells you where to start.

It also checks what your current way of working is costing you. If the cost is high, your result starts there, because that needs attention first.

What you’ll get

• A clear read-out of what’s been holding you back

• An honest look at what your current way of working is costing you, and what you’re already doing well

• Small, low-risk steps to take this week

• Your result straight away, with the option to email it to yourself

How it works

Every question asks about something you’ve actually done or noticed, like holding back an idea in a meeting or putting a decision off until after the next milestone. Nothing to prepare, and no right answers.

You’ll see your result straight away.

Who it’s for

Successful people who are doing well on paper and keep circling a question about what’s next. Staying, stepping up and changing direction are all real options. The map helps you see what’s stopping you finding out which one is yours.

Why I made this

It took me ten years and two burnouts to work through my own version of this question. Most of that time I was frustrated, and no closer to an answer. This is the starting point I wish I’d had: see what’s been holding you back, then test it.

Take the What’s Next Map