I have had a strong feeling throughout my career that those who “won” Completer/Finisher in the Belbin team roles test had won the employment lottery. I’ve worked hard over the years to improve my completing skills, but it does take planning, to-do lists and lots of self-talks to keep myself on track, because my dopamine hit definitely comes from starting things.
So I really appreciated this counter-narrative, “The Art of Unfinishing” from Matthew Syed (Sideways – 63. The Art of Unfinishing – BBC Sounds ). Syed asks:
“What if instead of discarding or dismissing unfinished work the incomplete may in fact stimulate our imagination, create new meaning and connect us to one another?”.
There is a strong narrative, particularly during for example the Olympics, around people finding their niche early, and committing wholeheartedly to developing their expertise in this area. However, this podcast makes an argument for starting things and, perhaps a cliché, enjoying the journey, with less focus on the outcome.
By its very nature my work as a careers consultant is always unfinished. Perhaps that is one of the reasons it’s such a good fit for me. I cannot complete the task. The customer must take the conversation we have had, during which they have hopefully discovered things about themselves and about the world around them, and take ownership of how they will respond.
As the customer you may begin with a psychological response, involving the practice of hope as you catch sight of possibilities. In parallel you’re likely to recognise the need for practical change too, perhaps a revised CV, research, submitting an application, building a network for example. The Hope-Action Theory supports this, emphasising the centrality of hopefulness, which over time can be informed by testing out ideas or approaches, and reflecting on what is learned through this.
In career terms this will still not be the point at which the project is finished. I offer an after-care service supporting my customers as they begin to respond. They often discover new questions, and sometimes seek reassurance as they exercise muscles they may not have used for a long time, such as self-confidence, decision-making, and a variety of social interactions.
My customers often feel a sense of regret or shame around those activities they didn’t finish. But starting something is a voyage of discovery, a chance to test out an idea. Perhaps it is helpful to acknowledge that you may not finish, because of life circumstances, or because the project didn’t take hold in the way you hoped. This doesn’t mean it was a waste of time. Let’s look at what you learned, who you met, and where it took you.
After all, as the podcast movingly summarises:
“What does it mean to complete life? Life isn’t about completing, it’s about living.”
References:
Syed,M. (2024), The Art of Unfinishing at https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0021qrw
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Hope-Action Theory | Hope-Action Theory