Stop Working and Start Managing Your Career

Inspired by How Women Rise by Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith

This BLOG is an extract from my Career Book Club Podcast, where we explore real strategies for thriving in your career. Each week I share key lessons from some of my favourite career and personal development books, plus real-world stories and practical coaching tips so you can put the ideas into action.

I recognise some people prefer reading to listening and so I pull the highlights into my BLOG. I hope you enjoy reading and, I love a good recommendation, so if you would like to share some of your favourite books, please get in touch.

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Introduction

Something I hear all the time from people who feel stuck in their careers goes like this:
“I don’t get it. I’m working harder than ever. I never miss a deadline. I stay late, pick up the slack, keep everything afloat—and still no one seems to notice. Why did that promotion go to someone else?”

Sound familiar? Here’s the truth: doing a great job and building a career are not the same thing. That’s exactly what I want to unpack today.

In How Women Rise by Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith, there are three habits that fall under the umbrella of over-prioritising job performance at the expense of career growth:

• The Expertise Trap

• Putting Your Job Before Your Career

• The Perfection Trap

If you’ve ever felt overlooked, frustrated, or stuck despite your hard work, this one’s for you.

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The Expertise Trap

Let’s start with one that most of us get rewarded for—but rarely promoted for.

The expertise trap is the belief that if we just become really, really good at what we do, success will automatically follow. And it sounds logical. From the time we’re young, we’re told competence is the key to success: get good grades, master your subject, learn your craft. For a long time, that formula works. Early in your career, being the hardest worker and the one who knows the answers absolutely gets you noticed. But here’s the catch: that will only take you so far.

Now don’t get me wrong—expertise is valuable. Organisations need people who know their craft. But being the most technically capable person in the room won’t necessarily get you promoted. Because leadership isn’t just about what you know—it’s about how you influence, communicate, and lead.

In the book, Sally tells the story of a woman named Ashley. She was brilliant—an absolute rock in her company. Everyone trusted her because her work was flawless. But while others were climbing the ladder, Ashley stayed stuck in the same role. Why? Because she’d made herself indispensable. She never lifted her head to build relationships or make her work visible to senior leaders. Her boss didn’t want to lose her, so he kept her where she was.

When you become too good at your current role, your company may decide it’s easier to keep you there than to promote you. You’ve become your own bottleneck.

From “I”-Shaped to “T”-Shaped

A senior engineer once explained this to me using what he called the T-shaped skill set. An “I-shaped” person goes deep—an expert in one narrow area. A “T-shaped” person still has that depth, but also builds breadth: collaboration, leadership, negotiation, relationship skills. If you want to grow into leadership, you need that horizontal line of the “T.” That’s where visibility, influence, and strategic thinking live.

Breaking Out of the Trap

So how do you move beyond the expertise trap? Try this:

• Act like the role you want next.

• Volunteer outside your comfort zone.

• Ask to present to senior leaders.

• Mentor someone.

• Shadow someone senior.

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Expertise may get you noticed, but influence and visibility will move you forward.

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Putting Your Job Before Your Career

This one’s just as sneaky. It hides behind praise. You’re reliable, consistent, the one everyone counts on. You’re proud of that—and rightly so. But here’s the downside: when your boss can’t imagine the team running without you, you’re far less likely to move up.

I learned this early on. I worked incredibly hard, expecting that effort alone would earn me a promotion. It didn’t. My boss valued me so much where I was that he had no reason to help me move on. And because I never clearly said, “I want to grow,” I stayed stuck until I finally left.

In How Women Rise, Sally shares stories of women who were deeply loyal to their companies. They stayed for years, made everyone else look good—but never made their own ambitions known. There’s a story of a woman in law who waited patiently for a partnership role. When a spot finally opened, it went to a man who had made it clear from day one that his goal was to become partner. He wasn’t more qualified—but he was visible

Treat Your Career Like a Project

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Your job is what you’re paid to do. Your career is what you’re meant to build.

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Start running your career like a project. Schedule regular check-ins with yourself:

• What do I actually want next?
• Am I developing the right skills?
• Do the right people know my ambitions?
• Am I building relationships that will help me grow?

It’s okay if your North Star changes. The key is to keep steering, rather than waiting for someone else to notice you deserve more.

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The Perfection Trap

Perfectionism might have helped you early in your career—it made you meticulous, dependable, trustworthy. But as you climb higher, it starts to work against you. Striving for perfection creates stress, keeps you buried in details, and sets you up for disappointment. And here’s the sneakiest part—perfectionism often disguises itself as professionalism.

I once knew a woman who spent weeks perfecting a presentation for senior leaders. Every font, every bullet point—flawless. But when she finally presented, she came across as stiff and over-rehearsed. The leaders asked big-picture questions, and she struggled, because she’d been so deep in the details. Her slides were perfect. But the impression she left wasn’t.

If you recognise yourself in this, here’s what to try:

• Set a finish line and decide when good enough is good enough.

• Embrace collaboration and co-create.

• Delegate—let people do things their way.

• Reflect on where perfectionism has held you back.

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You don’t rise by hiding your brilliance behind perfect work.

You rise by showing up—early, often, and boldly.

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Wrapping Up

Today we talked about three habits that can quietly derail your career:

• The Expertise Trap

• Putting Your Job Before Your Career

• The Perfection Trap

Each one can keep you safe—but small. Start small instead: take a step outside your comfort zone, ask for that meeting, share your ideas before they’re perfect. Schedule a monthly career check-in with yourself. Build your visibility, your relationships, and your courage muscle.

Your job might be what you’re paid to do—but your career is what you’re meant to build.

If this BLOG resonated with you, please share it with a friend or colleague who might need the reminder. And stay tuned for the next post, where I’ll explore more insights from How Women Rise on the mindset shifts that help you take charge of your own path.