Latest / Work-Life Balance with Fexingo: Boundaries, Time Management, and Avoiding Career Overload / The One Career Question You Should Ask Every Quarter
Transcript
- Lucas: So I was talking to a friend who's a senior marketing manager at a midsize tech company—she's been there about three years—and she said something that stopped me. She said, 'I think I've become a maintenance hire.' Luna: A maintenance hire. That's a phrase I haven't heard in a while. What did she mean by that? Lucas: Exactly what it sounds like. She was hired to build something—a new go to market strategy, a team, a process. And she did that. But now the company just needs her to keep it running. So she's no longer being paid to grow; she's being paid to maintain. Luna: And the pay is probably still good enough that she's not desperate to leave, but she's not learning anymore. That's the classic golden handcuffs trap. Lucas: Right. And it got me thinking about a single question that I think everyone should ask themselves every quarter: 'Am I being paid to grow, or am I being paid to maintain?' Luna: That's almost too simple. But I bet it cuts through a lot of the noise. Because most of us never sit down and frame it that starkly. Lucas: Exactly. We get caught up in the day-to-day—the deadlines, the meetings, the small wins. And we forget to zoom out. But if you ask that question honestly, it can reveal a lot. For my friend, the answer was clear: she was maintaining. And once she saw that, she couldn't unsee it. Luna: What did she do? Lucas: She scheduled a meeting with her boss, not to ask for a raise, but to ask for a new challenge. She said, 'I think I've plateaued in this role. What's the next thing we need to build, and can I lead it?' And her boss actually appreciated the honesty. They carved out a new project for her—an expansion into a new vertical—and she got a title bump six months later. Luna: That's a great outcome. But not everyone's boss is going to be that receptive. What if the answer is 'we don't have anything new for you'? Lucas: Then you have your answer. And that's valuable information. It means your growth is capped at that company, and you need to start looking externally. The worst case is you stay in maintenance mode for another year, your skills stagnate, and then when you do want to leave, you're less competitive. Luna: Especially in this market. We're halfway through 2026, and employers are getting pickier. They want candidates who can show recent growth, not just tenure. Lucas: Exactly. I've seen job descriptions that explicitly ask for 'a track record of scaling something' or 'experience launching a new initiative.' If you've been maintaining for two years, it's hard to tell that story. So the quarterly question becomes a forcing function to either evolve your role or move on. Luna: Let's talk about how to actually answer it. What's a good framework? Because 'am I growing' is subjective. Lucas: I like to break it into three buckets: skills, responsibility, and network. Are you learning new skills that are marketable? Are you taking on new responsibilities that stretch you? Are you building relationships that open doors? If the answer to two out of three is no, you're probably in maintenance mode. Luna: That's concrete. I'd add one more: are you being recognized externally? Like, are people reaching out to you about opportunities? If your LinkedIn inbox has gone quiet, that's a sign. Lucas: Great point. So let's say you ask the question and you realize you're maintaining. What's the next step? I think you have two levers: you can try to reshape your current role, or you can leave. And I'd argue you should try the first one first, because it's lower risk. Luna: But reshaping a role requires buy-in from your manager, and not everyone has that relationship. What if you're at a place where the culture is just 'do your job and don't rock the boat'? Lucas: Then you probably already know the answer. In that case, the quarterly question is your exit signal. Start updating your resume, activate your network, and give yourself a timeline—say, six months—to find something better. The worst thing is drifting for another year and waking up feeling stuck. Luna: I think the quarterly cadence is key. Because if you only ask yourself this once a year, you can rationalize away the answer. But every three months, you have to face it. And the data shows that people who do regular career check-ins earn more and report higher satisfaction. Lucas: I've seen that too. There's a study from the Harvard Business Review that found professionals who conducted quarterly career audits were 30 percent more likely to receive a promotion within the next year. It's not magic—it's just intentionality. Luna: So how do you actually operationalize this? Like, put it on the calendar? Luna: And that action could be something small, like signing up for a course, or something big, like having a conversation with your boss. Lucas: Exactly. The point is to create a bias toward action. It's too easy to let another quarter slip by. And if we're being honest, most of us are so busy maintaining the status quo that we don't realize we've stopped growing until it's too late. Luna: I think one reason we avoid this question is that the answer might force us to make a hard decision. It's easier to not know. Lucas: Absolutely. There's comfort in ambiguity. But the cost of that comfort is your career trajectory. And in a market where skills become obsolete faster than ever, you can't afford to coast. Luna: Speaking of which, if today's episode helped you think more clearly about your own career, that's exactly what we're here for. And if it was worth a coffee to you, there's a simple way to support the show. Lucas: Yeah, we keep this ad-free because of listeners who choose to chip in. The link is buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. That's it. No pressure, just a way to keep these conversations going. Luna: And honestly, even just sharing an episode with a colleague who might need to hear it helps a ton. Lucas: Alright, back to the quarterly question. I want to give listeners one specific prompt they can use this week. It's from the book 'Designing Your Life' by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. They ask: 'What's the one thing you could change about your work that would make it more engaging?' Luna: That's a good one. It's concrete, and it's small enough that you might actually do it. Lucas: Exactly. So combine that with the growth versus maintenance frame, and you've got a powerful one-two punch. Ask yourself the big question, then ask the small action question. And do it every quarter. Luna: I'm going to block out time this Sunday to do it. It's been a while since I looked at my own role from that altitude. Lucas: Good. And report back. I'd love to hear what you discover. Luna: Will do. And for everyone listening, we'd love to hear your answers too. You can find us on LinkedIn or drop us a note through the show page. Lucas: For now, I think the takeaway is simple: don't let another quarter pass without asking yourself if you're growing. The answer might be uncomfortable, but it's the first step to a career you actually want. Luna: Well said. We'll be back next week with another episode. Until then, keep the boundary strong.