TL;DR: Most of your decisions aren’t decisions. They’re old code running in the background. Subroutines you installed years ago, still executing today. Until you see them, they decide your career for you. Here’s how to catch them.

I once watched a brilliant VP turn down a promotion.

Not because the role was wrong. Because a voice in his head said “you’re not ready yet.” Same voice that told him the same thing three years earlier. And three years before that.

That voice wasn’t analysis. It was a subroutine.

You’re Running Old Code

In my years as CIO, I learned something uncomfortable about myself. Most of my “decisions” were pre-decided.

Someone challenged me in a meeting? I defended. Instantly. A big opportunity showed up? I found reasons to wait. Automatically. A leader raised their voice? I went quiet, just like I did at the dinner table growing up.

The research backs this up. Psychologists Bargh and Chartrand showed that most of our moment to moment behavior runs on autopilot, outside conscious control (Bargh & Chartrand, 1999). Your brain does this to save energy. It takes anything you’ve repeated and turns it into a habit loop that fires without asking permission (Wood & Rünger, 2016).

Think of it like your phone’s autocorrect. It learned from what you typed years ago. Now it “fixes” words you never asked it to fix. Your brain does the same thing with decisions.

That’s your blindspot. Not a lack of skill. Not a lack of intelligence. A set of automatic responses you can’t see because they feel like you.

Where It Costs You

Here’s what I’ve seen working with senior leaders, and lived myself:

None of these are choices. They’re reflexes wearing a choice costume.

How to Catch the Subroutine

You can’t delete code you’ve never read. So read it.

First, find the pattern. Look at your last five big career decisions. Write down what you chose and why. Then look for the repeat. There’s always a repeat.

Next, name the trigger. Subroutines fire on cues. A certain type of boss. A certain kind of risk. A raised eyebrow in a meeting. Once you know the cue, you’ll feel the code start to run.

Then, insert a pause. When the trigger hits, wait. Even ten seconds. Ask one question: “Is this a decision, or is this a reflex?” That question alone breaks the loop more often than you’d think.

Finally, run the opposite play once. Just once. If your code says wait, act. If your code says yes, say “let me get back to you.” You’re not changing your personality. You’re testing whether the old rule still serves you.

It’s like when your GPS keeps routing you through the same jammed highway because that road was fast in 2019. The map needs an update. So do you.

The Burnout Connection

Burnout isn’t just exhaustion. It’s a broken relationship with your environment and your future. And your subroutines are what keep you locked in that environment. The reflex to say yes, the reflex to stay safe, the reflex to wait. They keep you in the exact conditions that drain you, while convincing you that you chose them. Catch the code, and you get your future back.

Your First Move

This week, pick one recurring decision you make on autopilot. Write down the trigger, the reflex, and what it’s cost you. Then run the opposite play one time and watch what happens.

If you want help finding the patterns that keep deciding your career for you, let’s talk. Book a session with me at book.drdegnan.com.

Bibliography

Bargh, J. A., & Chartrand, T. L. (1999). The unbearable automaticity of being. American Psychologist, 54(7), 462–479. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.54.7.462

Buehler, R., Griffin, D., & Ross, M. (1994). Exploring the “planning fallacy”: Why people underestimate their task completion times. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67(3), 366–381. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.67.3.366

Wood, W., & Rünger, D. (2016). Psychology of habit. Annual Review of Psychology, 67, 289–314. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-122414-033417