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146 End Procrastination Now!

of shape, getting back into shape is not something that happens
overnight. That, too, is as it is. Let’s continue.

Can Work Procrastination Be a
Symptom of a Larger Problem?

If you tend to procrastinate persistently at work, is this a general
pattern that you’d take with you anywhere you worked? If so, then
you have an opportunity to work out your procrastination problem
wherever you are working at the moment. On the other hand, if
procrastination is a symptom of your being in the wrong job, it is
a symptom worth heeding.
Sarah loved looking at the plaques and awards that she had
won for excellence in sales. She had a habit of keeping on top of
things and richly deserved her awards. She thought that her next
logical step was a sales manager position. She applied for the posi-
tion at her company when it opened, and she got the promotion.
That dream soon turned into a nightmare.
The management job was different from what Sarah had
thought it would be. It partially involved a skill set that she already
possessed, and partially a skill set that was not her cup of tea.
Sarah found she was great at advising individual members of the
sales force on how to improve their performance, and at personally
serving several key accounts. However, she was slow at or avoided
reviewing reports, setting goals, designing staff training programs,
and overall coordination of the sales force to achieve performance
and sales objectives. She was weak on planning when this involved
multiple staff members. Also, organizational politics presented Sarah
with many unexpected challenges. Her former sales manager had
been a master at finessing such matters and had shielded Sarah and
the other salespeople from corporate politics. She was unprepared
for competitive issues between herself and the managers of manu-
facturing, marketing, and accounting, each of whom had a deserved
reputation as a bully. She was challenged getting her sales force to