The DOABLE Friction Finder™ -

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Quiz Questions

1.
When you think about the week ahead for your build, which fits best?
- A.
  Some part of me keeps finding reasons the next step can wait.
- B.
  I have a plan. Keeping it going from week to week is where it thins out.
- C.
  I have several possible directions, and I'd like to be surer which one deserves my time.
- D.
  Part of what comes next asks for a skill I haven't built yet.
- E.
  My next move depends on a person or resource I don't have yet.
- F.
  I know what I want to offer. I'm less sure where the real openings for it are.
2.
Think of the last action you set aside for your build. What was it closest to?
- A.
  Following up on a possibility and deciding whether it was worth pursuing.
- B.
  Something new to me, such as pricing an offer or pitching it.
- C.
  Reaching out to someone I don't know well enough yet.
- D.
  Something I'd already started and meant to pick back up.
- E.
  Choosing between two versions of what I might build.
- F.
  Putting my work, or my name, in front of people.
3.
When someone asks what you're working on, what usually happens?
- A.
  I describe it, and realize I haven't touched it in a while.
- B.
  I describe it well. I rarely get to describe it to people who could act on it.
- C.
  I downplay it, or call it something I'm "looking into."
- D.
  My answer changes depending on the day.
- E.
  I can describe what I do. Naming who needs it most right now is harder.
- F.
  I describe it, and I can tell my explanation isn't landing the way I want.
4.
Which of these has been taking up the most room in your head lately?
- A.
  What I actually want this next chapter of work to look like.
- B.
  Whether the possibilities in front of me are the right ones to pursue.
- C.
  How much I still need to learn about the parts of this that are new to me.
- D.
  Who I need to know, or what I need access to, before I can move.
- E.
  What people will think, or what I might give up, if I fully commit to this.
- F.
  How to fit the build into weeks that already feel full.
5.
When you do work on the build, where does most of the time go?
- A.
  Trying to find a way to the people or resources I need.
- B.
  Getting things ready that I haven't shared with anyone yet.
- C.
  Starting and restarting, depending on the week.
- D.
  Looking for the right opening, or the right problem to bring my expertise to.
- E.
  Learning how to do the parts of the build I've never done before.
- F.
  Exploring ideas and comparing possibilities.
6.
What would count as a good month for your build right now?
- A.
  Getting competent at one part of the build that's new to me.
- B.
  Feeling clear about which direction to commit to.
- C.
  Finding one possibility I'm convinced is worth pursuing.
- D.
  Doing the thing I've been postponing and finding it went fine.
- E.
  Showing up for the build consistently, week after week.
- F.
  Getting in front of the right people, or securing a resource I've been missing.
7.
When you compare your build now to what you expected by this point, what stands out?
- A.
  I thought I'd have more steady progress to show for my effort.
- B.
  I thought my experience would carry over into this work more directly.
- C.
  I thought I'd have settled on what I'm building by now.
- D.
  I thought I'd feel more ready than I do.
- E.
  I thought the right opportunities would be easier to spot.
- F.
  I thought my network would open more doors than it has.
8.
Which kind of help would you welcome most right now?
- A.
  Identifying which possibility is worth my effort.
- B.
  Getting clear on what I want to build.
- C.
  Seeing why I keep holding back on steps I know matter.
- D.
  An introduction, or honest feedback from the right person.
- E.
  Structure that keeps the work moving when life gets busy.
- F.
  Practical instruction in the skill my next move requires.
9.
When an important action for your build doesn't happen, the most likely reason is:
- A.
  I'm still deciding what I want, so it's hard to tell whether the action moves me toward it.
- B.
  Other things fill the time, and the build waits.
- C.
  It depends on someone or something I don't have yet.
- D.
  I doubt I'd do it well with the skills I have now.
- E.
  Doing it would mean seeing myself, or being seen, in a way that doesn't feel settled yet.
- F.
  The opportunity doesn't seem worth the effort yet.
10.
When you delay, what are you usually waiting for?
- A.
  To feel ready.
- B.
  The right contact or resource.
- C.
  The right opening to appear.
- D.
  Clarity about the direction.
- E.
  To learn enough to do it properly.
- F.
  A stretch of uninterrupted time.
11.
Finish the sentence: "I would move faster if..."
- A.
  I had a way into the rooms where decisions get made.
- B.
  I could see where my expertise is most needed.
- C.
  I knew how to do the parts I've never done.
- D.
  I had a rhythm that held up in a busy week
- E.
  I knew which of my ideas to commit to.
- F.
  I trusted it would work out.
12.
What tends to happen after you make some progress?
- A.
  A part of the work shows up that I don't know how to do yet.
- B.
  I get uneasy about what the next step would ask of me.
- C.
  The pace drops off, and I have to work to get it back.
- D.
  The opportunity starts to look less promising than it did.
- E.
  The next step needs something outside my reach.
- F.
  Doubts about the direction creep back in.
13.
Which thought sounds most like you?
- A.
  “I know this is valuable. I'm not sure who's looking for it."
- B.
  “Who am I to do this?"
- C.
  “I'll get back to it once things calm down."
- D.
  “If I knew the right person, this would already be moving."
- E.
  “I could go several ways with this."
- F.
  “I'm good at my field. This part is a different skill."
14.
Picture taking your next step and having it go badly. What would bother you most?
- A.
  I'd have handled it clumsily when a bit more skill would have made the difference.
- B.
  I'd have spent my time on the wrong thing.
- C.
  I'd have used up a contact or resource I can't get back.
- D.
  I'd have chased something nobody actually needed.
- E.
  I'd lose the momentum I've worked to build.
- F.
  It would say something about me, or about whether I belong in this work.
15.
Looking back over the last few months, which pattern best describes your build?
- A.
  Bursts of effort followed by quiet stretches.
- B.
  Waiting on people and resources.
- C.
  Learning a lot and still feeling underprepared for the key steps.
- D.
  Circling between possibilities.
- E.
  Holding back on the actions that would put the work in front of others.
- F.
  Pursuing openings that didn't go anywhere, or not finding ones worth pursuing.
16.
Where is your build right now?
- A.
  I want my work to be more my own, and I'm widening my view of what that could look like.
- B.
  I'm trying out ideas and testing possibilities.
- C.
  I've chosen a direction and I'm putting it into motion.
- D.
  It's moving, and I'm working toward steady progress.
- E.
  It's working, and I want it to reach further.
17.
What are you building? (choose all that apply)
- A.
  Consulting or advising
- B.
  Coaching or training
- C.
  Speaking or writing
- D.
  A business or venture
- E.
  A portfolio of several kinds of work
- F.
  A new role or specialty inside my current organization
- G.
  Not sure yet
18.
Where did most of your expertise come from? (single choice)
- A.
  Military service
- B.
  Government or public service
- C.
  A corporate or organizational career
- D.
  An independent or professional practice
- E.
  A mix of these

Quiz Outcomes

1.
Friction-Directional
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Your Primary Friction: DirectionalYou have the capability. What you're still deciding is where to point it.What This Result MeansDirectional Friction can look like hesitation from the outside and feel like good judgment from the inside. You want to commit to work that deserves your expertise, and that's a standard worth keeping.The cost builds over time. Effort spread across several directions produces progress that's hard to build on, and the longer the question stays open, the more of your time and energy it absorbs. Direction can be clarified through a process you can follow.What's Happening in Your BuildYou're probably weighing several directions, each with real appeal, and none has claimed you yet. You may be doing excellent work in your current role while knowing the next chapter hasn't been named. The exploration feels productive, and it hasn't yet narrowed toward a choice.What usually helps at this point is a filter that separates what you want from what's simply available or strategically appealing. Without one, the two are easy to confuse.Where Directional Friction Shows UpYou may recognize it when:You research and compare options and keep stopping short of committing to one.You make progress in one direction, then find yourself reconsidering the others.Your answer to "What are you building?" shifts depending on the day.You're drawn to assessments and frameworks that promise the clarity you haven't found yet.Directional Friction can produce plenty of activity. The harder part is getting that activity to add up.Beliefs can play a part too. Sometimes the direction that fits you best is one your beliefs have quietly ruled out. Look at the directions you've dismissed and ask whether you fully evaluated them.What You're Walking Away WithYour result: Your primary friction is Directional. Your build is slowed mainly by an open question about direction, and your capability is ready once you answer it.What this means for your build: You likely have several good options. What's missing is a filter, and the commitment that turns one option into a build. That's a solvable problem.Your next DOABLE step: Write a full answer to this question: looking back five years from now, what do you want your work to have contributed, and for whom? Then pick the direction that answer points to and take one small, reversible step toward it within the next two weeks, such as a conversation with someone who would benefit from it.Ready to go deeper? Book a free 20-minute Diagnostic Session with Sharon. We'll look at how your friction is showing up in your build and which next move fits your situation. You'll leave with clearer thinking, and the decisions stay yours.
2.
Friction-Opportunity
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Your Primary Friction: OpportunityYou have the capability. What you're looking for is an opening worth putting it into.What This Result MeansOpportunity Friction is easy to mistake for bad timing or a personal shortfall. More often, the opening where your expertise would matter most hasn't come into view yet, or hasn't taken a form you can act on. That's a real condition of the landscape, and you can work on it directly.It's also easy to take personally. When the right opening doesn't appear, capable professionals often respond by getting more ready, with another credential or another round of polish. The build slows because that effort goes into preparation, while openings are usually found or created through contact with people.What's Happening in Your BuildYou likely know what you can offer and have the capability to deliver it. The harder part is finding where it meets a real need: who has the problem, and which possibility deserves your effort. You may be doing strong work in your current context while watching for an opening that hasn't arrived.What tends to move this is an accurate read of the landscape, followed by action that tests it. Openings rarely announce themselves to someone building something new. They surface in conversations and small offers.Where Opportunity Friction Shows UpYou may recognize it when:You're ready for a move, and the role or platform for it isn't within reach yet.You see others with similar experience step into positions and wonder where their openings came from.Possibilities appear and fade before you've tested whether any of them was real.You catch yourself waiting for an invitation or a market shift before you act.Opportunity Friction can leave you better prepared than people already doing the work you want to do. That preparation pays off most once it's pointed at a specific opening.What to Focus on FirstTwo areas of The DOABLE System™ matter most here: Opportunity, then Access.Opportunity comes first. Four different situations can feel identical from the inside:an opening that doesn't existone that exists and you haven't locatedone that exists and isn't worth your effortone that doesn't exist yet and could be createdMany professionals with this friction fold all four into "there's nothing for me." Separating them is the first move, because each one calls for a different response.Access comes second. Once you've read the landscape, finding or creating a position usually depends on who you can reach and what resources you can bring. Openings tend to form through access used deliberately.Beliefs can play a part too. "There's no opening for me" is sometimes a belief standing in for a fact. Check whether the possibilities are truly closed, or whether they were narrowed before you examined them.What You're Walking Away WithYour result: Your primary friction is Opportunity. Your build is slowed mainly by the search for an opening worth pursuing, and your capability is ready when you find one.What this means for your build: The work ahead is to locate or create an opening and test it. One real conversation with someone who has the problem will tell you more than another round of preparation.Your next DOABLE step: List the openings you've been waiting for and sort them into the four situations above. Choose one you could locate or create this month and take one step toward it, such as asking someone who carries the problem what they've tried and what it has cost them.Ready to go deeper? Book a free 20-minute Diagnostic Session with Sharon. We'll look at the openings you're considering and where your expertise is most likely to land, and you'll leave with a clearer sense of which one to pursue first. The decisions stay yours.
3.
Friction-Access
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Your Primary Friction: AccessYour work is ready to move. Your next step depends on people and resources you can't reach yet.What This Result MeansAccess Friction shows up when your next move requires something outside your current reach: a relationship, an introduction, a platform, feedback from the right person, information, or capital. Your expertise and your direction may both be solid. What's missing sits in your surroundings.Careers inside institutions often supplied access along with the role. When you build something of your own, you assemble that access yourself. The first step is seeing clearly what you need and what you already have.What's Happening in Your BuildYou're likely doing substantive work, and you can see that the reach it deserves depends on relationships, visibility, or resources you don't have yet. You may have tried general networking with mixed results. Broad networking rarely closes a specific gap, because it isn't aimed at one.What moves this forward is an Access Assessment: a clear look at what your next move requires, what you already have, and what you still need to get.Where Access Friction Shows UpYou may recognize it when:Your work is strong, and it isn't yet reaching the people it's meant for.The opportunities that would advance your build depend on relationships or standing you don't have yet.You notice people with less developed work who have a platform or backing yours lacks.You keep a next move on hold while you wait for an introduction or the right moment to ask.Your Access AssessmentWork through these in order, since each answer feeds the next.What you need. Name the next move you want to make and list what it requires: specific people, introductions, platforms, information, funding. Be precise. "Better connections" is hard to act on, while "an introduction to two training directors at mid-size firms" is something you can pursue.What you have. Take stock of your current access, including the dormant parts, such as former colleagues, affiliations, memberships, and platforms you've used before. Most experienced professionals have more here than they assume, and some of it hasn't been used in years.What you need to get. Compare the two lists. What remains is your actual gap, and it's usually smaller and more specific than it felt before you wrote it down.How you'll reach it. For each item in the gap, name someone who is one step closer to it than you are. That person becomes your first request.What to Focus on FirstTwo areas of The DOABLE System™ matter most here: Access, then Opportunity.Access comes first. The assessment above is the work, and precision is what makes it useful.Opportunity comes second. Your inventory often turns up openings you already hold, such as a dormant relationship or an affiliation you haven't used, that connect to possibilities worth pursuing.Access grows through steady contact over time, so plan how you'll keep the relationships you open active once they're started.What You're Walking Away WithYour result: Your primary friction is Access. Your work and direction are ready, and your next move depends on reach you're still building.What this means for your build: Access gaps close through deliberate, specific effort. Once you can name the gap precisely, you can work on it directly.Your next DOABLE step: This week, complete steps 1 and 2 of your Access Assessment for one next move. Then choose one item from the gap and make a specific request of someone who can help you reach it.Ready to go deeper? Book a free 20-minute Diagnostic Session with Sharon. We'll look at what your next move requires and where your existing network can take you, and you'll leave knowing which gap to close first. The decisions stay yours.
4.
Friction-Beliefs
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Your Primary Friction: BeliefsYour direction is clear enough, and your capability is there. What's slowing the build is a conclusion you're carrying about yourself or about the move.What This Result MeansBeliefs Friction comes from conclusions about what you're capable of and what kind of professional you are. Most of them formed over years of real experience, in contexts where they made sense.The useful question is whether they still fit. You're in a different context now, with a much longer record of what you've done.Motivation science offers a practical lens here. Willingness to act depends partly on what we expect an action to lead to and what we believe it says about us. When a step would mean being seen in a new professional identity, even well-earned confidence in your expertise can stop short of the action itself.What's Happening in Your BuildYou likely have reasonable clarity about your direction and the capability to act on it. The resistance shows up in specific ways. You pull back from opportunities your work has earned, or present your work with less authority than your track record supports. You describe what you're building as something you're "looking into." You get ready to move forward, and then a good reason to wait appears.Where Beliefs Friction Shows UpYou may recognize it when:You encourage peers to pursue opportunities you haven't pursued yourself.You downplay results that others treat as meaningful.You look for more preparation or credentials before the next step, even when the evidence you have is enough.You could tell someone in your position exactly how to make the next move, and your own version of it still waits.What to Focus on FirstTwo areas of The DOABLE System™ matter most here: Beliefs, then Engagement.Beliefs come first, approached as diagnosis. Identify the specific belief doing the most to hold back your current build and write it as a sentence. A precisely named belief can be examined and updated, while a general sense of doubt is much harder to work with. Then check that belief against your full record of what you've built and delivered, including the parts you tend to downplay. The distance between the record and the belief is often larger than you'd expect.Engagement comes second. The people and settings around you shape beliefs as much as reflection does. Notice who reflects back a version of you that matches the work you're building toward, and spend more time in those conversations. Action updates beliefs too, because each step you take produces evidence the belief has to answer to.What You're Walking Away WithYour result: Your primary friction is Beliefs. Your build is slowed mainly by the distance between what your record shows and what you currently allow yourself to claim.What this means for your build: Some conclusions about yourself formed in an earlier context and haven't been updated for where you are now. Once you examine them, you can change them.Your next DOABLE step: Write the belief creating the most drag as a sentence: "I believe that ______." Then choose the smallest version of the step it's been holding back, take it this week, and compare what happened with what the belief predicted.Ready to go deeper? Book a free 20-minute Diagnostic Session with Sharon. We'll name the belief that's shaping your next move and look at what it may be protecting, and you'll leave with a small step to test it. The decisions stay yours.
5.
Friction-Capability
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Your Primary Friction: CapabilityYou know where you're going, and you can see what getting there requires. Part of it calls for skills you're still building.What This Result MeansCapability Friction is a specific, addressable gap between what you can do today and what the next part of your build requires. It responds well to a direct approach: name the gap precisely, then develop the skill inside the build as part of the work.Confidence is task-specific. Research on self-efficacy shows that people judge their ability one kind of task at a time, so deep expertise in your field doesn't automatically carry over to pricing an offer or pitching a new client. That task-level confidence grows fastest through small, real repetitions of the task itself.Builders who handle this well commit and develop at the same time. Waiting for the gap to close first usually means waiting longer, because the skill develops through the work.What's Happening in Your BuildYou're building with direction and commitment, and the build keeps revealing specific places where it asks for more than you've developed so far. These may be gaps in knowledge or in practice, and they're usually tied to particular tasks.Left unnamed, these gaps stay vague, and vague concerns about capability tend to produce general unease rather than a plan. Once you name them precisely, each one becomes something you can work on.Where Capability Friction Shows UpYou may recognize it when:You move less confidently in certain parts of the work than in others.You avoid activities the build requires because you're not yet sure you can do them well.Feedback, whether direct or through results, keeps pointing to the same development need.You prepare extensively before actions that people experienced in that skill take routinely.What to Focus on FirstTwo areas of The DOABLE System™ matter most here: Learning, then Engagement.Learning comes first, targeted to this build. Ask which specific skills your build requires right now that you haven't developed yet. Name each one precisely, such as "presenting a strategic framework to a VP-level audience so the meeting ends with a clear next step." A gap named that specifically tells you what to practice.Engagement comes second. Skills develop fastest in real work with real feedback. Build practice into the build wherever you can, starting with low-stakes repetitions and moving to larger ones as your confidence in that task grows.What You're Walking Away WithYour result: Your primary friction is Capability. Your build is slowed mainly by specific skills the next stage requires, and those skills can be developed.What this means for your build: The gaps your build has surfaced add up to a development agenda. Worked on deliberately and inside the work itself, that agenda closes.Your next DOABLE step: List the moments over the last 60 days when a skill gap held you back, such as times you moved less confidently than the work needed or avoided an action because you didn't feel ready. Choose the gap that matters most for your next move, then do one low-stakes repetition of it this week, like sending a single pitch to a friendly contact.Ready to go deeper? Book a free 20-minute Diagnostic Session with Sharon. We'll pinpoint the skill your next move depends on and find a practical way to build it into the work you're already doing. You'll leave with a clear first repetition, and the decisions stay yours.
6.
Friction-Momentum
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Your Primary Friction: MomentumYour direction is sound, and your capability is real. Keeping the build moving week after week is where progress slows.What This Result MeansMomentum Friction comes from the structure around your build, specifically whether consistent action has the support it needs to keep going.Motivation is already part of you, and like everyone's, it rises and falls with the week. What keeps a build moving through those swings is structure, such as a steady rhythm and people who expect your work. Careers inside institutions supplied much of that automatically. A self-directed build has to supply its own.Sustaining action is harder here for another reason too. In a long build, reinforcement arrives slowly, and progress can be hard to see from one week to the next. Structure carries you through the stretches before results show up.What's Happening in Your BuildYour build produces real results when you're engaged with it. The difficulty is that engagement keeps breaking. Productive sessions are followed by gaps, and each restart costs re-entry time and continuity. The gaps can also start a quiet story about what the inconsistency says about you.That story deserves a closer look. Inconsistent progress usually points to a build that's missing structure, and structure can be designed.Where Momentum Friction Shows UpYou may recognize it when:Periods of strong progress are followed by stretches of low engagement you didn't plan for.Returning to the work after a gap is hard, even when the gap was short.You make more progress in unusual circumstances, like a trip or a course with deadlines, than in ordinary weeks.You start with strong intention and watch consistency fade before results build.What to Focus on FirstTwo areas of The DOABLE System™ matter most here: Engagement, then Beliefs.Engagement comes first. Design a structure that keeps the build moving in an ordinary week. Research on implementation intentions finds that deciding in advance exactly when and where you'll act makes follow-through more likely. Set a specific rhythm, with the days and times you'll work on the build, and base it on your floor: what you can sustain in a typical week with ordinary demands. Let the good weeks exceed it.Add a continuity habit as well. End each session by writing one sentence about where the next one begins, which makes re-entry after a gap much easier.Beliefs come second. Momentum Friction is sometimes reinforced by a belief that needing this much structure means something is wrong with you or with the work. Most significant builds rely on structure, and designing yours is part of building well.What You're Walking Away WithYour result: Your primary friction is Momentum. Your direction and capability are in place, and the structure that keeps your build moving is still taking shape.What this means for your build: A reliable rhythm makes consistent engagement your default, and it carries the build through weeks when your energy is low or results are slow.Your next DOABLE step: Design your minimum sustainable rhythm today, meaning the floor you can keep in a typical week. Write it as a specific plan, such as "Tuesday and Thursday, 7 to 8 a.m., at my desk," and put it on your calendar. At the end of each session, write your one-sentence starting point for the next.Ready to go deeper? Book a free 20-minute Diagnostic Session with Sharon. We'll look at where your build tends to lose momentum and design a rhythm that fits the life you're building it around. You'll leave with a plan for the next two weeks, and the decisions stay yours.
7.
Friction is still emerging
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Your Result: Friction Still EmergingYour answers spread across several frictions, and that pattern tells us something useful about where your build is right now.What This Result MeansWhen no single friction stands out, it usually reflects one of four situations. Each points somewhere different, so it's worth considering which one fits you.You're between build phases. The friction that shaped your last stage has largely eased, and the friction of the next stage hasn't fully formed. This in-between period can feel unusually clear or unusually flat, as though the previous work is done and the next work hasn't announced itself yet.You're at the very beginning of a new build. Something significant is coming into view, and it's too early for friction to have taken a definable shape. Early friction tends to be more diffuse than what shows up later.Several frictions are present at similar strength. Different things may be slowing you on different days. Frictions interact, and when two or three are active at once, none rises clearly above the others in a self-assessment.The friction is operating below your current awareness. This possibility deserves the most honest look. Beliefs Friction especially, and Directional Friction for experienced builders, can sit so far beneath everyday decisions that it's hard to recognize in a self-assessment. If several answers felt close but not quite right, take note of that.A Question Worth ConsideringLook honestly at your build right now. Is it moving the way you want it to? Is your effort adding up the way it has during productive stretches before?If the answer is yes, you may be in a low-friction phase, and it's a good time to make the most of it.If the answer is no, something is slowing the build that this assessment didn't capture clearly, and it's worth finding out what.Your Next DOABLE StepChoose the action you've put off longest and write one sentence about why it hasn't happened yet. That reason often points straight to the friction that's beginning to form.Ready to go deeper? Book a free 20-minute Diagnostic Session with Sharon. When friction hasn't taken a clear form yet, a conversation is often the quickest way to see it. We'll look at where your build is and what may be slowing it, and you'll leave with a clearer sense of your next move. The decisions stay yours.