331: How to Work Towards Career Advancement-Making the Right Choices for Your Career Growth

Heather Hansen takes on a question from listener Molly, who asked about two challenges many professionals face:

1. How to think big-picture and work toward career advancement without getting bogged down in day-to-day responsibilities.
   
   

2. How to stay in the know across a large organization and use that knowledge to broaden personal and team perspectives.
   
   

Heather combines these into one powerful conversation about choice. With stories from her days as a trial attorney, lessons from her consulting work, and wisdom borrowed from her own mentors, she shows why every career move comes down to the decisions you make — and the evidence you create for yourself and others.

If you've ever struggled with balancing responsibilities and growth, this episode will inspire you to be deliberate, intentional, and bold in choosing your future.

 

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why recognizing that you are always choosing is key to career growth

• How focusing only on daily tasks limits your long-term opportunities

• The tough-love truth: growth sometimes requires trade-offs in personal time

• Micro-strategies to stay informed — like using podcasts as a personal curriculum

• How to transform learning into leadership through "lunch and learns"

• Why creating evidence of your initiative gets you noticed by decision-makers

• The difference between collecting evidence and becoming the evidence of what's possible
  
  

Resources & Mentions:

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📚 The Elegant Warrior by Heather Hansen
🌐 Heather's work with trial and communication consulting

Episode Timestamps:

[00:00] Heather introduces Molly's question about delegation and staying informed
[01:25] The overlap between focusing on tasks and thinking big-picture
[03:00] Lessons from Heather's early career as a trial attorney
[06:15] Saying "yes" to opportunities that aren't billable but expand your growth
[08:40] Choosing reading and podcasts over distractions like Instagram
[10:55] Rudy's advice: lead something for the team (like a lunch and learn)
[13:15] The power of creating evidence of your leadership and vision
[15:35] The truth about making tough choices with delight

✨ Quote of the Episode:
"You are always choosing. If you don't recognize your choices, you risk missing the opportunities that could change your career." – Heather Hansen

Connect with Heather:

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• Website

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• [e-mail]

The Elegant Warrior Podcast and content posted by Heather Hansen is presented solely for general informational, educational, and entertainment purposes. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast or website is at the user's own risk. It is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional, diagnosis, or tre