My husband is one of those “I’ll get healthy on Monday” people. And maybe you relate… You think that you’ll start that next workout program and stick to it in the New Year, or that you’ll finally stop eating junk at 10 pm once the kids are back in school.
Many of us do this. We assume that some magical thing will happen between now and the next milestone, and that thing will be the difference between the results we’ve gotten so far and the results we really want.
I’ve been thinking about this idea lately, because the next cohort of my exec-ready program kicks off on Tuesday, and every time I open the doors on a cohort, I hear the same 4 sentences.
Not from women who aren’t interested. From the ones who are. They’re senior, they’re capable, and most of them have already watched a colleague get promoted for the role they wanted.
They know they want to get to the next level, and feel frustrated that they’re doing the work and not being recognized.
They read every word I write, they think about it, and then they tell me a version of the same thing:
Not right now.
And I get it. But here’s the truth: I often see these women come back in a year in the exact same place as when we first spoke. And that’s a shame.
So today, I want to walk through the four reasons women tell me it isn’t the right time, and what each one is actually costing. Because whether it’s joining my group program or finally getting fit, delaying action is not neutral. It’s costing you something.
Let’s dive in…
Reason one: I’m already maxed out
This is the one I hear most, and I believe it. Almost every woman who says it to me really is at capacity.
So let me answer it with a question rather than an argument. Pull up your calendar from this time last year. Was it lighter? What about the year before?
There’s your answer. If you’re overloaded now, you’ll probably be overloaded in 6 months or a year from now.
Myth: I’ll get to this when things calm down.
Reality: things calm down when you change how you work, not before.
The cost is another year of the same operating model, and that operating model is what’s filling the calendar in the first place.
Reason two: I want to see if the promotion lands first
I understand the logic. Why invest in help with something that might resolve itself in the next cycle?
I’ve had women say this and then get laid off 4 months later. Ouch. That’s a real cost. But those were extreme cases; the truth is that it’s more likely that you’ll just end up waiting…
So ask yourself what specifically would have to change between now and then for the promotion to happen, and who would have to change it. If the honest answer is “somebody would have to notice that I’m ready,” you already know how this goes.
The cost is staying in the same place for another cycle or another year. The cost is continuing to do the same things you’ve been doing and expecting a different result when, instead, you’re reinforcing the perception keeping you where you are.
And it may not feel like an immediate cost, but what’s staying in the same role doing to your growth and confidence?
Reason three: the money
Let’s talk about it bluntly, because I’d rather you make this decision with real numbers than with a vague feeling.
Yes, this is an investment. It’s meant to be one!
In fact, I used to do this program for corporate clients, and I stopped. I decided to offer it directly to the women in my network, and that meant them paying out of pocket. Why? Well, for one thing, the women whose managers signed them up were not truly committed, and if you want to see change, you need to be willing to make it happen.
What I can tell you is what it looks like on the other side. Women who go through the program have negotiated raises of $50K to $100K+. These are actual numbers they’ve told me, not a wild guess.
I will never promise you a title. Nobody honest can. What I can promise is that you’ll stop guessing about why this keeps happening, and you’ll have the language and the strategy to change it.
Here’s how one of my clients put it, in her own words:
“OYSATT is SO worth it. Katy takes it to a different level. Do this course; you won’t regret it.” That’s Katharine Casey (who BTW landed a C-level role!)
The cost of waiting on this one is easy to calculate. It’s another year at your current band, plus every year that band compounds into after it.
Reason four: I should be able to figure this out on my own
I love this one, mostly because I thought it for years.
Here’s what’s underneath it. You got here by being excellent and self-sufficient. And you can’t help but think that you should be able to get to the next level the same way.
But it’s a perception problem, not a talent problem, and nobody ever taught you how perception works at the executive level. It isn’t in your degree. It wasn’t in your last performance review either, or you wouldn’t be reading this.
Every single person you admire at the top of an org chart had someone in their corner. Mentors and peers who normalized what was possible. Coaches who told them the truth. The men you’re competing with have had that group for years, and most of them didn’t have to go looking for it.
The cost of figuring it out alone is time. Usually years of it. And I know exactly what those years feel like.
If you saw yourself in one of the four reasons I just shared, then the question was never really about timing. Something has to change, and next quarter won’t change it for you.
Doors are open for the Fall cohort of Own Your Seat at the Table. Twelve weeks, starting Tuesday, September 22, with two weekly time options so it fits around your life. You’ll get monthly group coaching, access to me, the community, the resource vault, and three extra months of support after the twelve weeks are done.
It’s $4,850 USD or $6,300 CAD, and we offer monthly payment plans. Doors close Monday at midnight.
Grab your spot here if you’re ready for a real career change.
Until next time friends… ✌️💜
Katy
