The Hidden Secret to Career Growth: Why Unfinished Business Matters!
Ditching the Myth of Closure for True Success
Photo by Kristina Flour on Unsplash
It was 1 AM on a Tuesday, and I was slumped over my laptop, tears of frustration threatening to short-circuit my keyboard. I’d just received an email from my mentor, ripping apart the business plan I’d spent months perfecting.
‘It’s too neat,’ he wrote. ‘Real business isn’t this tidy. Where’s the room for adaptation?’
Now, you might be wondering why I, an aspiring entrepreneur with a degree in Business Administration, countless certifications, and decades of experience in the corporate world, was taking advice from a bodega owner in New York’s fashion district.
Choosing my mentors was about as traditional as bringing a spoon to a knife fight. And trust me, I've made that unconventional choice more times than I'd like to admit — both metaphorically and, regrettably, in real life.
However, David (my unconventional mentor) had business smarts that put my textbook knowledge to shame.
I was devastated. This plan was supposed to be my ticket out of my corporate job and into entrepreneurship. I’d crossed every ‘t’ and dotted every ‘i’.
How dare he call it too perfect? I’d even color-coded my spreadsheets, for crying out loud.
But as the night wore on and my coffee got colder (and I briefly considered if coffee could legally be classified as a meal replacement), David’s words started to sink in. I realized I’d been so focused on creating a flawless plan that I’d left no room for the messy reality of business.
There is no space for pivots, learning, or unexpected opportunities arising from loose ends.
That night changed everything. Instead, I scrapped my carefully created 42-page plan (farewell, beautiful color-coded charts) and welcomed a more fluid approach.
I launched my consulting firm with more questions than answers, more possibilities than certainties. It was terrifying but exhilarating.
And you know what?
It was the best decision I ever made.
That openness to uncertainty allowed me to spot opportunities I would have missed with my rigid plan. It helped me adapt when my first big client threw me a curveball. It even saved my business during a brief economic downturn when I had to pivot my offerings rapidly.
I learned that my unfinished, uncertain business model wasn’t a weakness — it was my secret weapon. It kept me hungry, agile, and always learning. Plus, it gave me an excellent excuse for my always messy desk.
Now, when young entrepreneurs ask me for advice, I tell them:
‘Don’t tie everything up in a neat bow. Leave some strings untied. You’ll often find your biggest opportunities in those loose ends.’
Unfinished Business: The Secret Weapon of High Achievers
Let’s face it: if life were a neat package tied up with a bow, we’d all live in a Hallmark movie. But the reality, much like that drawer in your kitchen filled with miscellaneous items you can’t quite categorize (admit it, we all have one), is far messier.
In the professional world, we’re often sold the idea of closure like it’s the holy grail of career satisfaction. “Tie up those loose ends!” they say.
“Achieve that perfect project completion!” they insist.
But here’s a thought: What if closure is a comforting bedtime story we tell ourselves?
I once interviewed a high-flying executive, Tina, who had more unfinished business than a ghost with ADHD. “I’ve got about seventeen projects in various states of incompletion,” she told me, grinning like someone who’d just discovered that calories don’t count on Thursdays. “It used to drive me nuts. Now? It’s my secret weapon.”
Tina is not alone. In fact, the more successful professionals I talked to, the more I realized they had an almost disturbing comfort with dangling participles of the business world.
But why does this matter?
Well, because we’re about to dive into the wonderfully weird world of professional ambiguity.
VUCA: The New Normal of Professional Life
If you have not heard of VUCA, it will become your new favorite acronym (move over, YOLO). VUCA stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity.
Aka, “It’s fucking crazy out there.”
Initially a military term, VUCA infiltrated the business world faster than free jelly donuts disappearing from the break room. And for good reason — it perfectly captures the chaotic cocktail that is our current work environment.
image credit bitesizedlearning
Jenny, a software engineer at a growing fintech startup, arrives at the office at 8:15 AM. She’s barely settled in when her Slack lights up with urgent messages.
Their main API provider just announced a complete overhaul of their system. Jenny’s team has 30 days to adapt or risk losing access to critical financial data.
Volatility in action.
By 10 AM, Jenny’s in a cross-functional meeting. The product team is pushing for new features, while ops is concerned about scalability. Engineering is caught in the middle, trying to balance innovation with stability. The complexity of modern tech development is on full display.
Lunchtime brings more uncertainty. Rumors of a potential acquisition are swirling. Jenny overhears snippets of conversation — will they be folded into a larger company or continue independently? The ambiguity leaves everyone on edge.
At 2 PM, a major client reports a bug in production. Jenny dives into the code, tracing the issue through layers of dependencies and third-party integrations. The interconnected nature of their system makes diagnosis a challenge.
By 4:30 PM, the bug is squashed, but Jenny’s mind is already on tomorrow’s challenges. There’s talk of transitioning to a new cloud provider, and she needs to evaluate the potential impact on their infrastructure.
Jenny leaves at 6 PM, unsure if she’ll have a job tomorrow, but certain that it won’t be boring.
In this VUCA world, working with uncertainty isn’t just a nice-to-have skill — it’s as essential as knowing how to turn on your computer. And for Jenny, like countless others in tech, this reality is just another day at the office.
In this environment, being comfortable with uncertainty is like having a superpower. It’s the difference between thriving and merely surviving.
So, how do we develop this superpower?
It’s not like we can enroll in “Uncertainty 101” at the local community college. (Although if that class existed, I’d bet its syllabus would change daily.)
The key is to reframe how we view uncertainty. Instead of seeing it as a problem to be solved, see it as an opportunity to be explored. In other words, in a VUCA world, those who can surf the waves of uncertainty aren’t just staying afloat — they’re riding the pipeline to success.
As Jenny heads home, she’s already mentally preparing for tomorrow’s adventures in the ever-changing landscape of modern tech — a reality that’s equally applicable across all professions, where navigating volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity has become essential for success.
The Surprising Upside of Unfinished Business
Now, you might be thinking, “But isn’t unfinished business stressful?” Well, yes, in the same way that a roller coaster is stressful. It’s also exhilarating if you learn to enjoy the ride.
Studies have shown that our brains are wired to remember unfinished tasks better than completed ones. The Zeigarnik effect was named after psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik, who noticed waiters had better memories of unpaid orders. (Imagine if we applied this to other areas of life. “Sorry, honey, I can’t remember our anniversary because we’re still married.”)
This mental sticky note for unfinished business can be a superpower in the professional world. It keeps us on our toes, pushes us to innovate, and prevents us from becoming complacent, where we rely on empty buzzwords.
How Unfinished Business in a Lab Changed Medicine Forever
History perfectly shows how unfinished business can lead to groundbreaking discoveries. In 1928, Alexander Fleming was researching influenza at St. Mary’s Hospital in London.
Before leaving for a two-week vacation, he left some of his Petri dishes containing Staphylococcus bacteria cultures stacked on a bench in his lab — essentially, unfinished business.
Upon returning, Fleming noticed something odd: mold had contaminated one of the dishes, creating a bacteria-free circle around it. This accidental discovery, born from what some might call sloppy lab practices, led to the development of penicillin — arguably one of the most important medical breakthroughs of the 20th century.
Fleming’s openness to the unexpected and his willingness to investigate an ‘unfinished’ experiment rather than simply discarding it changed the course of modern medicine.
The Art of Thriving in the Question Mark
So, how do the most successful professionals turn the absence of closure into their spicy secret sauce?
Here are a few strategies I’ve observed:
They treat uncertainty like a choose-your-own-adventure book. Remember those? Every unresolved situation is a chance to write your ending.
They’re more comfortable with “I don’t know.” Admitting uncertainty is seen as a strength, not a weakness.
They’re masters of the pivot. When one path closes, they don’t waste time mourning. They’re already halfway down the next one, possibly while whistling.
They collect experiences like others collect stamps.
They’ve redefined success. It’s not about tying everything up with a neat red bow but about how many balls they can keep in the air without dropping their coffee.
The Psychology of Uncertainty: Accepting the Unknown
Now, let’s talk about why uncertainty makes us feel like we’re trying to solve a Rubik’s cube blindfolded. Our brains, bless their complex little neurons, are wired to seek certainty.
It’s a survival thing — back in caveman days, uncertainty could mean a saber-toothed tiger was about to make you its lunch.
Dr. Robert Leahy, Director of the American Institute for Cognitive Therapy, says, “The need for certainty is fundamentally about the need for safety.”
But here’s the plot twist— this hardwiring can be more of a hindrance than a help in our modern world.
Think about it: How often have you stuck with a less-than-ideal job because it was a “sure thing”? Or avoided a potentially fantastic opportunity because it wasn’t a “guaranteed success”? That’s your cave-brain talking, and it’s time to tell it to pipe down.
The good news?
Like any muscle, our tolerance for uncertainty can be trained. Start small — maybe try a new route to work or order something you can’t pronounce at a restaurant. Gradually, you’ll be more comfortable not knowing all the answers. And that, my friends, is when the magic happens.
Welcoming the Ellipsis
Now, before you go and tear up all your plans in a fit of uncertainty-embracing enthusiasm, let’s pump the brakes for a moment. While we’ve been singing the praises of ambiguity like it’s the latest chart-topper, it’s important to acknowledge that some level of structure and planning is necessary.
The key is finding the right balance between flexibility and direction.
Think of it like a road trip: You need a general idea of where you’re going, but you should be open to exciting detours along the way.
In the professional world, this might mean setting broad goals but being flexible about how you achieve them — or having a five-year plan written in pencil, not carved in stone. It’s about being prepared for change without being paralyzed by it.
The most successful professionals aren’t those with the neatest, most concluded careers. They’re the ones who’ve learned to thrive in the ellipsis, to find joy in the journey, and to keep moving forward even when the path ahead is about as clear as mud.
And let’s face it, the best stories rarely end with, “and they all lived happily ever after The End.”
They end with “To be continued…” Because really, isn’t that so much more exciting?
Thanks for stopping by to read!
Art is never finished said Da Vinci (though he still pocketed the advance payment)
Love this post, Neela! The reality is business is never perfect, but if we map out the perfect strategy that's too rigid and that never accounts for change or the unpredictability of business, we will always be behind. Embrace the chaos! Thank you sis, happy Tuesday!