Career Strategy and Leadership Advancement
- May 6
- 3 min read
By Doris Walsh
I used to believe that if I worked hard enough, kept my head down, and never slipped up, someone would notice me and pull me up the ladder. That belief kept me busy for years. It didn’t move me forward.
The wake-up call hit when I realised leadership advancement isn’t some reward for how much you grind. It comes from showing up, owning your space and making decisions even when you don’t feel ready. For too long, I was the perfect employee - the reliable one who never dropped the ball but also never made it obvious I could carry more.
Everything changed when I stopped waiting for someone to ask. I began to step into problems that weren’t technically mine. I spoke up in rooms where I would’ve stayed quiet before. Not because I suddenly felt confident, but because I understood that my silence was costing me more than the fear of getting it wrong. Leadership isn’t built on certainty. It’s built on being seen thinking, deciding, and taking responsibility.
At the same time, I had to rethink how I handled relationships at work. Networking? For me, it used to feel like a necessary evil - awkward events, trading business cards without connection. The shift happened when I stopped “networking” and started building genuine relationships with people whose thinking I respected.
Influence isn’t about having the biggest contact list. It’s about trust. I focused on fewer, deeper connections. Asked better questions. Listened more. I shared my perspective honestly, even if it wasn’t the “right” thing to say. Over time, those conversations turned into opportunities and doors opening in ways I couldn’t have forced on my own. The most powerful networks aren’t built in crowded rooms. They’re forged in honest conversations where people see how you think and what you stand for.
Looking back, the decisions that shaped my career weren’t the safe bets or the easy yeses. They were the messy, uncomfortable choices that went against my default wiring. Saying no to work that kept me busy but invisible. Saying yes to roles that stretched me before I felt ready. Walking away from environments where I could perform, but not grow. Those decisions didn’t always make sense. Doubt crept in like a shadow every time. But over time? They stacked up and shifted everything.
One of the biggest lesson I had to learn was this: being liked isn’t the same as being respected. I spent years playing it safe, being agreeable, dodging conflict, trying to make things easier for everyone else. What I finally understood is that real, lasting success comes from being crystal clear on what your values are and making decisions that align with them, even when they ruffle feathers. Respect? It comes from consistency and conviction, not from keeping everyone comfortable.
There’s also a quieter truth that I see in many high achieving women I work with now. We wait. For a new title. For another certification. For that external signal telling us we’re “ready”. But readiness isn’t handed to you. It’s created when you step forward. When you use your voice. When you make decisions, and then own them.
If I could go back, I’d spend less time chasing perfection. Less time proving myself and more time deciding what I actually wanted. Because the women who break through aren’t always doing the most. They’re clear. They’re visible. And they own their power – sometimes before it feels comfortable.
That’s the shift I believe more of us are ready to make - not just to climb the ladder, but to redefine what that ladder even looks like.
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