In this episode of You Might Try This, Stacey Philpot and Cade Cowan welcome Executive Coach and She Leads and Succeeds host LaToya Jordan for a powerful conversation about the “good soldier” trap: the career pattern where being dependable, helpful, and highly capable can quietly limit long-term growth.

Together, they unpack how high-performing professionals, especially women, can become boxed in by their own excellence as executors, fixers, and problem-solvers. From “office housework” to low-visibility, high-effort tasks, the episode explores why saying yes too often can keep leaders stuck in support roles rather than strategic ones.

Takeaways

• Working harder can become the ceiling that limits career growth
• High-effort, low-visibility work often stalls advancement
• Saying yes to everything can reinforce the wrong professional brand
• Strategic visibility matters more than constant execution
• Ask questions before saying yes to new work

Chapters

00:00:00 – The hidden cost of saying yes

00:01:15 – When hard work stops working

00:02:24 – The good soldier trap

00:06:24 – Office housework & invisible labor

00:09:00 – Every yes is a tradeoff

00:11:53 – How to say no (without damage)

00:17:48 – From note-taker to thought partner

00:21:09 – Auditing your work & shifting perception

00:23:56 – What leaders really look for

00:28:13 – Experiments to change your trajectory

If you’ve ever wondered why hard work alone isn’t translating into advancement, this episode offers the language, frameworks, and courage to rethink what you say yes to.

#executivecoaching #careeradvancement #growth