EPISODE · Apr 22, 2026 · 14 MIN
Episode 116 - How to make good career decisions when you can’t trust the information you’re getting
from Career Espresso
There's a career moment most people know well: you've just had a conversation with someone who should be able to tell you what's going on, and they did tell you, clearly and at length, and you left that conversation with nothing you didn't already have. The words were positive. The tone was warm. And you walked away with nothing you could stand on.So you go back to what you can observe. The project timelines, the meeting invites, the way certain conversations have started to feel slightly different. And somewhere in that process, without quite deciding to, you've already reached a verdict about what the signals mean, what's coming, and what you should do. That verdict is running your decisions. And you haven't tested it yet.This episode of Career Espresso is about how to make good career decisions when the information you're getting is unreliable.What you'll discover:Why the verdicts your brain reaches in uncertain situations feel like facts, and what that does to your decision-makingThe specific difference between what you've observed and what you've concluded, and why that line matters more than any conversation you could have with your managerWhat managed vagueness is, why it's so common during periods of organisational change, and why the clarity you're looking for might not exist yetThe two default responses to workplace uncertainty that both tend to make things worseHow to find the single piece of information that would genuinely change your next movePerfect for: Women navigating periods of workplace change, restructure, or uncertainty, where the official messages aren't giving them what they need to make confident decisions.Want more practical help with the real challenges of leadership and career? Join How to Build a Leader on Substack, with in-depth guides, practical tools, and Manager Hours, a monthly live Q&A for women leadersNever miss an episode. Sign up for the Espresso Brief, the weekly email that includes a subscriber-only resource you can use straight away.Read the full transcript for this episode Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What this episode covers
There's a career moment most people know well: you've just had a conversation with someone who should be able to tell you what's going on, and they did tell you, clearly and at length, and you left that conversation with nothing you didn't already have. The words were positive. The tone was warm. And you walked away with nothing you could stand on.So you go back to what you can observe. The project timelines, the meeting invites, the way certain conversations have started to feel slightly different. And somewhere in that process, without quite deciding to, you've already reached a verdict about what the signals mean, what's coming, and what you should do. That verdict is running your decisions. And you haven't tested it yet.This episode of Career Espresso is about how to make good career decisions when the information you're getting is unreliable.What you'll discover:Why the verdicts your brain reaches in uncertain situations feel like facts, and what that does to your decision-makingThe specific difference between what you've observed and what you've concluded, and why that line matters more than any conversation you could have with your managerWhat managed vagueness is, why it's so common during periods of organisational change, and why the clarity you're looking for might not exist yetThe two default responses to workplace uncertainty that both tend to make things worseHow to find the single piece of information that would genuinely change your next movePerfect for: Women navigating periods of workplace change, restructure, or uncertainty, where the official messages aren't giving them what they need to make confident decisions.Want more practical help with the real challenges of leadership and career? Join How to Build a Leader on Substack, with in-depth guides, practical tools, and Manager Hours, a monthly live Q&A for women leadersNever miss an episode. Sign up for the Espresso Brief, the weekly email that includes a subscriber-only resource you can use straight away.Read the full transcript for this episode Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Episode 116 - How to make good career decisions when you can’t trust the information you’re getting
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