The Good Soldier Trap: Why being dependable can become a liability with LaToya Jordan

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.TakeawaysWorking harder can become the ceiling that limits career growthHigh-effort, low-visibility work often stalls advancementSaying yes to everything can reinforce the wrong professional brandStrategic visibility matters more than constant executionAsk questions before saying yes to new workChapters00:00:00 – The hidden cost of saying yes00:01:15 – When hard work stops working00:02:24 – The good soldier trap00:06:24 – Office housework & invisible labor00:09:00 – Every yes is a tradeoff00:11:53 – How to say no (without damage)00:17:48 – From note-taker to thought partner00:21:09 – Auditing your work & shifting perception00:23:56 – What leaders really look for00:28:13 – Experiments to change your trajectoryIf 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