How to Make Difficult Career Decisions
Get EVEN Podcast | Difficult Career Decisions | Dr Nora Koslowski | Ellen Sullivan
Career decisions are rarely as simple as ‘stay or go’.
Most of us like to believe that the biggest career decisions become obvious when the time comes. A promotion. A new role. A career change. A secondment. Starting a business.
In reality, the opposite is often true. Career decisions are messy, they can feel muddled, they’re confusing!
So we want you to know that the decisions that shape our careers are not really going to feel easy or obvious. They’re usually the ones that leave us feeling uncertain. Should I stay with a difficult manager? Should I accept the opportunity, even if I'm not sure I can succeed? Am I ready for something new, or am I simply restless?
In this episode of Get EVEN, EVEN co-founders Dr Nora Koslowski and Ellen Sullivan unpack three real career questions submitted by listeners and share practical frameworks for navigating difficult career decisions with greater confidence and a sense of calm, rather than panic.
If you're a mid-career woman navigating leadership and career decisions, you’ll want to know three key ideas from the conversation:
1. Most career decisions aren't binary
One of the biggest traps we see in career coaching is binary thinking.
Should I stay or should I leave?
Should I apply or should I wait?
Should I accept the promotion or turn it down?
When we're stressed or uncertain, our brains naturally simplify complex situations into two competing options. But that often causes us to overlook better alternatives.
For example, if you're struggling with your manager, leaving may not be the only solution. Could you build stronger relationships elsewhere in the organisation? Move into another team? Have a conversation that resets expectations? Stay for six months while preparing your next move?
Our key tip: Broaden your possibilities by moving from "What should I choose?" to "What options haven't I considered yet?".
2. Don't let fear make the decision for you
One listener asked whether they should accept a secondment that could accelerate their career, despite worrying they might fail. It's a question many ambitious women recognise. Fear deserves attention, but it shouldn't have the deciding vote.
In the episode, Nora introduces the idea of "playing big", inspired by Tara Mohr's work. Rather than allowing fear to drive our decisions, we can acknowledge that it’s there, but engage more substantially with what we actually want. What are our aspirations, our goals, our dreams? And can we devote more attention and energy to going aftert those, rather than all our energy on having an internal dialogue with our fears?
3. The best career decisions start with knowing yourself
Many people approach career decisions by asking what they should do. But "should" is often someone else's definition of success. Instead, the conversation explores a different starting point: understanding your own values, motivations and ambitions before evaluating the available options.
The episode also introduces EVEN's Decision-Making Framework (E.V.E.N.), a practical process designed to help women navigate complex career choices:
Evaluate: Clarify what matters most to you and the values guiding your decision.
Visualise: Generate multiple options rather than settling for two.
Explore: Talk through your thinking with trusted people who genuinely want you to succeed.
Net Results: Consider what could go right, what could go wrong, and how each option might play out over the months and years ahead.
Heads up: There may never be a perfect career decision. But there are thoughtful, intentional decisions that align with the life and career you want to build.
Listen to Dr Nora Koslowski and Ellen Sullivan's latest episode of Get EVEN: How to Make Difficult Career Decisions.