Its common knowledge (in most cases) for one to know where they want to take their career, how much they want to achieve and the tools they might need to attain that.
But trouble comes in when it’s time to make and actually go through with the choices that might come with that.
Indecisiveness is such a self-destructing habit someone can have, says Kevin Kayisire, the co-founder of Kayko, a platform aimed at powering small businesses with tools to accelerate their growth and thrive in the digital economy.
I have a friend who can never make a simple decision as to which shoes he should wear for a party. We went to school together and graduated the same year; however, he still hasn’t decided what he should do with his life, he narrates.
Kayisire believes a career is something you plan for quite enough time and have good reason to follow that path because if you don’t do so, whatever you shall be doing will never align with your energy, and you can’t prosper in it.
"Even though you have a career, without proper decision-making skills, you would never win the leadership’s confidence to take up new roles that involve management. You would always stay in positions where you can’t decide about the work you do,” Kayisire says.
Hellen Kagura, a sales representative says indecisiveness is a very bad trait that put one’s career in a dump.
The lack of ability to decide on which choice to make, makes it even harder for one to make any progress at all.
"Going ahead requires that you know what you want and choose to do what you know will help you excel,” she says.
Experts say how a lot of factors come into play in this regard. Factors such as fear of failure, perfectionism, and overthinking among others are said to cause indecisiveness.
You want a career change, a promotion, or leaving the corporate world altogether, but you are also not sure if that’s what you really want. It is important to address this hesitancy by first of all recognising the issues that could be contributing to your indecisiveness.
I think indecisiveness is caused by a lack of confidence to make a final choice for self; I believe it results from various circumstances like the environment someone grew up in, where people were deciding upon every little detail of their life, or maybe some mental disorder, Kayisire says.
"One way I can suggest for someone to overcome it is by having self-confidence first. Don’t doubt your thought process. And seek constructive feedback. Never take any feedback you get too personal but rather filter through it and consider some of the positive things you can get as a ladder to reach complete confidence,” he adds.
Businessman Jean Paul Uwizeyimana shares that overcoming indecisiveness is a decision in itself. You choose to decide.
He understands that making decisions, especially those that are very crucial for one’s business or career evokes feelings of anxiety and a fear that things might not turn out well.
However, he highlights that whatever you choose, even when you choose to remain indecisive, it still has an effect on your career trajectory. "Choosing not to choose can still have an impact on your life. It’s therefore clever to be bold and make the decision you believe to be right and be ready to handle any consequences that come after that.”
Decisions are said to be the centre of career growth and success, yet at times there are grave moments when they can be challenging and nerve-racking. Nonetheless, one has to make them in any case if they are to get ahead.