You Voted On My Poll. Are You Surprised With The Results?

Last week I launched a poll in Linkedin that had run for a week, aimed at understanding the current roadblocks that prevent individuals from reaching their full career potential. The poll was launched in several relevant groups and received 163 responses in total.

The Results Are Out!

I want to express my gratitude to all #professionals who participated on my poll. Both hired and self-employed professionals took part, for which I am very grateful. The fact that both hired and self-employed professionals took part in the poll showed to me that #CareerDevelopment is important for all professionals, regardless of their employment status.

It highlighted the need for support in #CareerGrowth for both self-employed professionals and those who are employed by an organization.

I want to assure everyone that the results of the #poll are not biased and are based on actual evidence from the respondents. The poll took into account the career journey of the respondents, and the poll option they voted on, which provided valuable insights into the current roadblocks these individuals face in reaching their full #career potential.

What did I ask them?

I asked professionals from various niches to answer what roadblock do they currently struggle with that prevents them from taking their careers to the next level. The options presented to them in my poll were a few of the most common obstacles that present a stumbling stone in one's career progression:

• Lack of Clear Goals
• Lack Of Skills Or Knowledge
• Lack Of Confidence
• Fear Of Failure.

The course of action drawn on the poll results is tied up to my long-term expertise as an executive lead and #leadershipcoach .??

Poll Summary And Key Takes

The total number of poll participants was 163: 76 female respondents and 87 male respondents.

My Key Takes:

Based on the responses, it is clear that both male and female professionals face different #roadblocks in their #CareerGowth journey.

Male respondents generally feel confident at work but they lack focus on direction and clear targets, which ultimately results in a fear of failure for them.

In contrast, even though women hold high-hierarchy positions, are advanced in their career journey, and possess key knowledge and skills for their jobs, they still lack of clarity of goals, which ultimately results in fear or failure and lack of confidence.

Please read below to find out more about each focus group.?

Male Focus Group Insights

The outcome of the survey indicated that lack of clear goals was the primary roadblock for the male respondents in reaching their full potential, followed by fear of failure, lack of skills or knowledge and lack of confidence in that order.

Overall:

• Professionals in high-hierarchy positions feel lack of focus and goals, and are not challenged enough; people in high-demand and front-line positions don't receive enough support to enhance their careers.
• Moreover, people in certain industries don't feel like they have the opportunity to develop or upgrade on the skills they need for their everyday job.
• Even professionals with highly-specialized skills or knowledge feel inadequate in their knowledge and capabilities, and exhibit lack of confidence.
• Professionals who are in the middle of their career journey or in a career transition feel certain lack of confidence, lack of preparedness or knowledge for their new job.
• Professionals in assisting positions don't feel supported enough to grow in their careers.
• Male business owners don't always have access to resources for career development in comparison to salaried professionals.
• People with free professions don't have the support and access to knowledge or resources to grow in their career.?

Female Focus Group Insights

The outcome of the survey indicated that lack of confidence was the primary roadblock for many female respondents in reaching their full potential, aligned with lack of clear goals, fear of failure and lack of skills in that order.

Overall:

• Female professionals in high-hierarchy and highly specialized roles lack clarity of goals, and feel like driving the ship unchallenged or without a direction. ?
• Female professionals in high-demand roles feel insecure and lack of confidence for the positions they hold.
• Female professionals in established roles feel fair of failure
• Female professionals in established roles feel lack in their knowledge or skills for the positions they hold.
• Female business owners don't always have access to resources for career development in comparison to salaried professionals.
• Women in the middle of their careers or in a career transition don't feel supported enough to grow in their careers.
• Women in free professions don't have the support and access to knowledge to grow in their careers.?

Recommended Steps That Can Combat Career Roadblocks

In regards to the male focus group, I believe the following steps can be taken to address these roadblocks and provide support for career development:

• Employers need to implement programs and initiatives to help employees establish clear career goals, address fear of failure, and upgrade their skills and knowledge.
• Challenging and stimulating work assignments need to be in place for those in established high-hierarchy positions to help them focus and set clear goals.
• Training and development opportunities need to exist for those in high-demand and front-line positions to help them upgrade their skills.
• Coaching or mentoring programs need to be available for those to help build confidence and overcome insecurity or lack of preparedness.
• Employers need to create a supportive work environment that fosters growth and development, especially for professionals in assisting positions.
• Access to networking, career resources and shared knowledge to be available for those in free professions.?

In regards to the female focus group, female respondents need to feel more supported in their career development. I recommend the following steps that can be taken to address these roadblocks and provide support:

• Employers need to provide access to coaching programs and initiatives for female professionals that help build confidence and overcome fear of failure.
• Employers need to provide access to training and development programs for their female professionals to help them establish clear and achievable career goals, and to provide direction and guidance to help them achieve those goals.
• Employers need to create a supportive work environment that fosters growth and development, especially for women in the middle of their careers
• Employers need to provide training and development opportunities for female professionals to improve skills and knowledge in their current positions.
• Access to networking, career resources and shared knowledge to be available for female professionals in free professions.?

Once again, I thank everyone who participated on my poll. Their insights and feedback are valuable to me, and I hope to continue engaging with them all on important topics related to career development, professional growth and creating skyrocketing personal value.

Yours,

Natasa Kragolnik

Executive Lead and Leadership Coach

FortunatPeople Founder & CEO

?I am here to help you achieve career success, nurture peak performance and create a skyrocketing value! Reach out to talk to me at [email protected] ?

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