Overcoming Career Obstacles
Every career journey involves obstacles.Sometimes the challenge lies in the role itself—whether it pays enough, whether,the work is meaningful, or whether the team environment feels supportive.
At other times, the obstacles come from systemic inequalities—bias,discrimination, and stereotypes that create barriers for people from marginalised groups. In this chapter, we look at how to navigate the obstacles through authenticity, resilience, and a future-focused approach.
The Reality of Career Obstacles
Obstacles are not evenly distributed. Research shows that women, people from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME), communities, disabled people, and LGBTQ+ employees are more likely to face barriers in recruitment, promotion, and pay.
For example, Baroness McGregor-Smith's, (2017) review highlighted that workplace discrimination against ethnic minorities costs the UK economy billions annually. The same bias is well evidenced throughout the globe. As is the fact that diverse teams outperform every other team that looks and sounds alike. Diverse teams minimise groupthink, in doing so they avoid a lot of risks. These realities mean that overcoming obstacles requires both personal strategies and organisational change.
Taking into account that for many people operating in a system that is already unfair will always result in systemic discrimination. Understanding that may help with your personal resilience, your plans for future careers and where your values can help.
Authenticity and Confidence
Being authentic—bringing our true selves into the workplace—is central to resilient leadership. Yet authenticity can feel risky when workplaces are not inclusive. The challenge is to find a balance between adapting to workplace norms and holding onto values and identity. Over time, careers thrive when built on authenticity rather than masking.
YOU ARE NOT BROKEN-YOU DO NOT NEED FIXING
The Role of Teams and Leadership
Amy Edmondson’s work on psychological safety shows that people perform best when they feel safe to speak up, admit mistakes, and share ideas without fear of ridicule. For individuals, this means seeking out teams that value inclusion.
For organisations, it means leaders must actively create environments where diverse voices are respected and supported.
The Happiness Advantage
Shawn Achors research shows that happiness is not the outcome of success but often the cause of it. Positive emotions broaden thinking, build resilience, and help individuals navigate
obstacles more effectively. For people facing systemic challenges, intentionally cultivating happiness can provide the energy to persist and adapt.
Practical Tools for Overcoming Career Obstacles
Book a discovery call to find out more, this is one of the tools that we offer in our discovery conversation (it is only $1).