Episode 3: Blink and You'll Miss It

The Tiny Career Moves That Build Massive Momentum
Welcome to Little Moves, Big Careers, where we stop waiting for the big break and start spotting the real moments that move careers forward.

In This Episode:
Do you ever feel like you're doing all the right things but still getting passed over? The truth is, it's often not about effort; it's about what (and when) you notice. This episode pulls back the curtain on:

• Why the best opportunities don’t come with bold font or a formal invite
• How to train your brain to notice patterns that others miss
• What Zara, Daniel Kahneman, and your annoying colleague Greg all have in common
• The difference between action and insight, and why one of them gets you promoted

You’ll Learn:

• How to spot the tiny, invisible cues that signal big career shifts
• Why being too reactive kills momentum, and how to get back in control
• How to clock the unspoken invitation (before Greg does)
• The difference between being “solid” and being seen

Quickfire Career Moves Inside:

• Replay your week with a curiosity filter
• Ask this one question in your next meeting to shift your status
• Turn vague “loop ins” into your next big leap

Listener Dilemma:
A quietly brilliant team member keeps getting pulled into “extra” work, no recognition, no clarity. Is it a test? A trap? Or a breadcrumb trail to something bigger? Caro unpacks what to do when you’re being noticed... but not yet acknowledged.

Career Quote Crime of the Week:
“Don’t sweat the small stuff.”
🤨 Really? The small stuff IS the stuff. If you don’t sweat it, someone else will, then walk off with your credit.

This episode will tune your radar, sharpen your strategy, and remind you that momentum doesn’t come from waiting, it comes from noticing, then moving.

👀 Listen now on your favourite podcast platform or wherever you get your strategic sass on!

For show notes, free career tools, and cheeky extras:
www.inspireyourgenius.com/podcast

Ready to make your next bold move? Grab the free Bold Move Audit and join the insider crew.

Stuck, simmering, or onto something juicy? I want to hear it. Drop me a line at caroline@inspireyourgenius.com - I read them all.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to the episode
• 3:55 Game Time: Did You Clock It?
• 8:36 Recognising Missed Opportunities
• 11:24 The Science of Pattern Recognition
• 17:14 What Would Caro Do?
• 20:08 Quick Fire Career Moves
• 22:06 Sweating the Small Stuff
• 53:00 The Importance of Noticing Small Moments

Transcript

Caroline Esterson (00:00)
People dream of their big moment, their big break, the I've made occasion, preferably something with fireworks, celebratory call to your mum perhaps, she should be so proud of you, or one that gives you at least a decent title change, and a LinkedIn post that generates more than 27 likes. 

Thank you for joining me at the Little Moves Big Careers podcast. I'm Caroline Esterson, career strategist and sticker of brilliant people and your co-pilot
through the chaos of real-world careers. And this podcast, well, it's for you if you've done everything right and still feel stuck, overlooked or like you were shouting into a Teams call on mute. 

Welcome to episode three, Blink and You'll Miss It.

This isn't a pep talk, it's a practical guide with a glitch in its eye. Smart moves, slight chaos, welcome to little moves, big careers.

Today we're diving into those tiny career moments that most people overlook, but the smart ones act on. Not because they're chasing the big stuff, but because they've learnt to spot the right stuff. And let's be honest, spotting anything is hard when you're neck deep in noise, your inbox is gasping, Slack's pinging like a microwave with boundary issues, you've got five tabs open, someone just dropped a quick call into your calendar, and you're trying not to cry into Excel.
Again. 

You're reacting all day long and when you're constantly reacting you start to crave control. You start telling yourself I'll make my move when things calm down. I'll wait for the right opportunity. I just need the perfect moment. But here's the thing, the perfect moment, it's just a fantasy. The truth is that most progress starts small, scrappy, slightly awkwardly. You don't need better timing.

You need better noticing. As Thomas Edison put it, "Opportunity is missed by most people because it's dressed in overalls and looks like hard work."

So if you're ready to stop waiting and start noticing, let's go. Progress doesn't come from getting it right because honestly, the world moves way too fast for correctness to always be your goal. By the time you've nailed the perfect answer, someone else has already clocked the signal and run away with it.

What matters now is noticing what matters, preferably before everyone else does, before it becomes too obvious. And in a world where AI is speeding up everything, content, decisions, even strategy, the people who thrive won't be the ones trying to out-process it. They'll be the ones who see what the systems miss, the ones who can read between the lines, spot the shift, clock the clue no one else has noticed. That's not automation.

That's human. The people who grow, well, they've trained themselves to notice patterns, moments and movements, not with a dashboard, but with an instinct, empathy and a little bit of daring. Like noticing who gets asked to contribute to a meeting early in the discussion, even when they're not the most senior in the room. Or what kind of problems make decision makers lean in and which ones make them glaze over when someone says, just so you're aware.

You know that's code for deal with this before it bites us. Or even how some people always seem to be in the loop while others are still refreshing their inboxes wondering what they've missed. These aren't just workplace quirks, they're breadcrumbs. Follow them and you'll see where power, influence and opportunity actually live. It's like your career sixth sense. And it's way more powerful to you than another endless to-do list that's designed to help you focus. And if you're thinking,

I wouldn't miss that kind of signal. Well, let's find out. It's time to play a little game. I like to call Did You Clock It?

Game Time
Now, welcome to the chaos. It's game time! Zero prizes, mild embarrassment, but hey!

Okay, folks, welcome to our game segment for this week where we sharpen that career six cents of yours. My wonderful friend, Sonia Allen, say hi, Sonia. Hi. She's going to tell you three stories that highlight a moment, just a small one. So this week's game is a little more reflective than usual. These moments, they're those little career breadcrumbs that most people miss until it's too late. Your job is to clock it.

I want you to think about what was the clue? What was the shift? What tiny moment had big consequences? So are you ready to test that noticing muscle of yours? Let's go. ⁓ and just so that you know, there are no prizes for getting right, just the smug satisfaction of getting there before you're busted.

Sonia Allen (04:53)
This first story stars Jordan. Jordan is the kind of person who quietly holds the team together while everyone else is still arguing over who owns the Google Doc. The one who gets dropped into messes and somehow walks out with a plan, a timeline, and everyone's respect. They're not always their credit. Jordan was in a meeting when their boss said, we need someone who can handle chaos and is still looks good doing it. Someone muttered, "Sounds like a regular Tuesday for Jordan." Everyone laughed. Jordan laughed. Then the meeting moved on. Two days later, a messy, high-stakes project came up. And guess what? It went to someone else.

Caroline Esterson (05:35)
Interesting. Did you clock the moment that mattered there? That wasn't a joke. It was a job preview, a low stakes way for the manager of floating that opportunity and watching who bits. Jordan didn't bite. They laughed because they didn't realise that they were being tested. And you know what? The person who did follow up, they asked one question after the meeting. So what kind of chaos are we talking about?

This is what I mean when I say blink and you miss it because sometimes the invitation doesn't come in bold fonts. We'd all love communication to be clean and clear and crisp, but Sonia, you know what it's like. It's just not, it? Sometimes, you know, it comes wrapped in a wry smile, a sideways glance. So let's move on to our second story and think about those things. This time, the story is about Andre. Take it away, Sonia.

Sonia Allen (06:18)
Andre's not the loudest voice in the building or even in the room half the time. He works across three time zones, rarely speaks in meetings unless asked and has a knack for spotting the one risk no one else thought of. A few weeks ago, someone in the leadership group pinged a message in the team chat. Anyone know why we're suddenly getting flagged by legal on the new client workflows? People started guessing, piling in with their theories.

Calendar invite started flying. Andre, he quietly replied, could be the GDPR clause in the secondary intake form. We used a template from last year, but that exemption might have expired. Want me to check? Silence. Then, ⁓ that's probably it. Meeting cancelled. But the CTO messaged him two hours later with a very different kind of message.

Would you ever consider moving into strategy? You see things differently.

Caroline Esterson (07:38)
Isn't it funny how these things happen? mean, Sonia, I could see your face when you were talking about messages flying. We've all been there, haven't we? You know, almost becomes completely overwhelming. And then once the situation is solved, it's just silence. I see that happening all the time. So did you clock what was going on here? In this story, the missed opportunity isn't about promotion. It's about recognition. Andre saw the problem first, solved it before anyone else. And never about him or his ego.

Most people in the chat missed what really happened because they were busy. They were thinking about other things, but one person didn't. The CTO clocked it and that changed how he saw Andre completely. Because sometimes the biggest signal isn't how loud you are. It's what actually happens when the noise stops and your name's still being thought about. And that's what's really important. These opportunities come up and we need to notice them.

So onto our final story, which is so very common, sadly. Sonia, tell us about the team strategy day.

Sonia Allen (08:44)
Okay, so this final story stars Ben. Ben's sharp, practical, a bit introverted. Not one for big entrances, but when he speaks, it matters. During a team strategy day, easy for me to say, there's a breakout on new initiative. Ben makes a clear, grounded suggestion about how to streamline the process. It lands softly with a few nods. ⁓

Hmm, yeah, good point. Then move on. That afternoon, Greg, who's louder, slicker and allergic to silence, makes a very similar point. But this time, there's a slide deck. A joke about finally fixing the chaos. A confident pause. The room lights up. The senior leader claps his hands together and declares, "Yes, that's exactly the kind of thinking we need". Ben watches it happen. Same idea, different packaging. Reg gets the credit. Ben gets forgotten. Did you clock it?

Caroline Esterson (09:57)
bless poor Ben. You know, have you ever seen that happen?

In some rooms, your voice isn't ignored. It's just echoed louder by someone else who has the ear. Ben didn't need to shout, he just needed to claim the floor, tie his name to the thought. If he needed to signal, this one's mine. Because in meetings like that, if you don't own it, someone else will pick it up for you and sing your song without you. So...

Thank you, Sonia, you little storyteller, you. So did any of those stories sound familiar to you? Moments like that, they're not loud. They don't come with, you know, a job description, a banner shouting, don't miss this, but they are real and they are missable. Careers are always built on these grand entrances. They're built on noticing before it's obvious and moving before it's too crowded.

So I'd love to know what your reflections are from this game. And of course, if you've experienced anything like that or seen anything like that, just message me on caroline at inspireyourgenius.com. Thank you for playing. But of course, I don't expect you to take just my word for how important noticing skills are. Are you ready to dig a little deeper? 

The Research bit

Time for brain food, the research bit. But make it cheeky. Because we all love evidence., especially when it supports our own experiences. 

So this episode is all about the importance of noticing the small signals or pattern recognition is another way to describe it. But let's be honest, pattern recognition sounds like something you'd hear on a corporate away day sandwich between the icebreaker that puts you on the spot, making you squirm with discomfort and the buffet of slightly curled edge sandwiches. Let me be clear, pattern recognition is the skill no one teaches.

but the smartest people swear by it. It's not instinct, it's not magic, and it's definitely not another spreadsheet to pivot into oblivion. It's a brain skill, a trainable one, and it's your edge. Most people you see, they work like this. They see some data and then, shh, jump straight into action. No pause, no insight, just let's go. But faster isn't always smarter. They're clever ones. They've slipped something in the middle.

And that's insight. That's the bit where you stop and think, what's really going on here? This skill of reflection is absolutely critical to your success. It's what makes the difference between spinning on a hamster wheel and actually using a compass to move forward with purpose. And a shout out to Wendy, my business partner here, who pointed out something so simple, it nearly knocked me sideways. Insight is made up of just two words, in and sight. You look in, you actually see. That's where the good stuff lives. Insight isn't just noticing its understanding, it's making connections and spotting patterns. It's the moment your brain says, "whoa, hang on, this actually means X, not what it looks like at first glance". 

Let's talk inboxes for a second. You know how your email's a swamp of 10 % off codes and random updates? You don't read them all, you scan, you filter.

You flag the ones that matter. That's pattern recognition in action. Not more information, just the right information at the right time. The same goes for work. Data tells you what's happening. Insight tells you why it matters. And that's what makes your action smarter. Let me give you another example, one of my personal bug bears, the team meeting. So your data tells you that meetings are overrunning. People are disengaged, cameras are off and there's the usual awkward, yep, all good vibes. The insight tells you that it's not about timekeeping. Instead, it's at the first 30 minutes of one-way information dump. By the time people might contribute, well, they're already checked out. So you decide to change. You change the flow. You open with a round robin check-in.

You start to time box the usual over-talkers and give quieter voices space to lead discussion blocks. And guess what? Suddenly meetings tighten up. People speak earlier. Team energy lifts because they feel seen and heard. You didn't just fix the clock, you fixed the room. And that's the power of insight. In real life, it looks a little bit like noticing when a colleague keeps dodging the same topic and realizing there's tension brewing.

clocking that you're always given the same type of project and asking if it's trust or pigeonholing. Hearing the same challenge pop up three times in a week and naming the trend before your busters. You're not psychic, you're just paying attention. And here's the brutal truth. If you're not building insight, you're just reacting. You're basically an expensive fire extinguisher in a swivel chair. So how do you build your noticing muscles? Just like all improvement, it doesn't happen overnight.

You have to build reps to exercise it. And the best way to do that is really simple. Ask better questions. Not what happened, but what's behind it. Zoom out once a week. You can't spot patterns if you're stuck in the weeds. And listen to your gut. That's not magic. It's your brain going, we've seen this before. Pattern recognition is what separates the busy from the brilliant. It's how you start winging it and start reading the play. Zara, the fashion brand, didn't rise to the top because they had better skirts. They dominated because they got really good at spotting patterns, buying patterns. Not data from spreadsheets, but rather from store managers spotting what people picked up and what they didn't buy. They notice faster than anyone else and then moved. And if you're thinking, sure Caroline, but that's retail.

Well, let me casually drop this one on your desk. A Nobel Prize winning researcher called Daniel Kahneman. Yep, actually Nobel, not just employee of the month. Mr. Kahneman, who's also the author of Thinking Fast and Slow, has shown that most of us think we're actually making logical decisions, but really, we're just reacting to whatever's in front of us unless we train ourselves to spot patterns over time. So if you don't believe me, believe the Nobel guy. Pattern recognition isn't fluff, it's science, it's strategy. And if Zara can use it to sell 70 million pairs of black skinny jeans, you can use it to build your brilliant career. Which begs the question, how sharp are you noticing skills right now? Because the difference between being stuck and strategic is often what you clock before the big stuff kicks in. And with that, let's move from research to real life.

It's time for our next segment. What would Caro do?

It's time for What Would Caro Do? Like a career agony aunt but with less cardigan and more fire. Because sometimes you don't need permission, you just need better advice. Our dilemma this week is from quietly observant but slightly sceptical from old ⁓ Take it away Sonia.

Sonia Allen (17:32)
I don't know what to do. I keep noticing my boss pulling me into ad hoc meetings with different departments. It's not officially my role. No one's explained why. And whilst it's interesting, it means I'm under pressure with my usual work, but it feels like I'm being tested or maybe lined up for something bigger. Should I play along? Should I ask? Should I back off? What would you do, Auntie Caro?

Caroline Esterson (17:58)
⁓ dear, it sounds like you're very confused about the next way. It's messy, but it's not unusual. When you suddenly start getting pulled into extra meetings, projects or quiet, just loop you in convos without much context, it's easy to feel confused or worse, resentful sometimes. But here's the twist. This might not be a bad thing. It might be a big thing because being pulled in...

That's often how stretch starts. It's how visibility happens. It's how trust gets tested before it's announced. So no, the mistake isn't the opportunity. The mistake is the silence. Your manager's probably busy and they're probably making assumptions too about you. But when managers don't explain what's shifting or why, it can create tension. You're trying to do your day job and deliver on a mystery project at the same time. No clarity, no compass, just vibes.

You start second guessing. Is this a promotion test or a dumping ground? Should I lean in or lock down my calendar? Here's the truth. Confusion isn't always a red flag. Sometimes it's that green flag in disguise. It's not a bad signal. It's just an incomplete one. So your job, don't panic. Instead, start to notice things like who's pulling you in, what spaces are you suddenly being invited into?

Whether these stretch moments are growing over time, then gently, strategically start shaping the conversation. Maybe test the waters with something like just checking in. What's your sense of where this is heading? That one question could turn a vague extra task into your next big move. Here's your career secret. Half the battle is just noticing the game you're already playing. The other half, well,

That's about making small, specific, strategic moves that nobody sees coming until you're already winning. Ready to take some of those actions? Let's hit this week's quick fire career moves.

Small shifts, sharp impact. These are quick fire career moves, real things you can do before your next coffee refill. Right, time to sharpen your noticing radar. Here are three bold little moves that will help you spot opportunity, build traction and move before it becomes obvious. Firstly, replay your week with a curiosity filter. Don't just think about what happened.

Ask yourself more observant questions. What was exciting, interesting, intriguing? What did I overlook? What felt odd? What keeps popping up that I brushed past? And how did that make me feel? The clue is probably in the thing that annoyed you, excited you or made you tilt your head slightly. Number two, ask this one question in your next meeting. What's not being talked about here that might be important?

No one likes to be the person to raise the elephant in the room, but in my experience, it's the single biggest opportunity to shift thinking. You aren't challenging anyone or anything. You're asking people to expand their thinking and that's unbelievably powerful. Instant insight upgrade. It gets you out of execution mode and into pattern spotting. It shows you think ahead. And number three, revisit a conversation you didn't think was important.

offhand comment, that weird little, by the way, go back and pick it. There might be gold in that casual throwaway. Careers shift in half sentences, so don't wait for the formal invite. Go where the energy is, even if it's buried in a half-loved comment over coffee. So, alright now that we've got your radar back online, let's wrap this episode up with a little wisdom for the road and one career quote crime that needs gently… firmly putting in the bin.

Career Quote Crime

This quote has the right vibe and the completely wrong advice. So let's fix that before someone puts it on a mug. 

Because let's be honest, some of the advice out there isn't exactly inspirational at all, is it? It's just career sabotage covered in glitter. This week's quote is that smug little line we've all seen on a mug somewhere.

Sonia Allen (22:27)
Don't sweat the small stuff.

Caroline Esterson (22:29)
OK, but have you ever actually built a career? Because, spoiler alert, the small stuff is the stuff. It's the way you follow up, the timing of when you speak, the comment you didn't brush off, the moment you say, hey, something's shifting here. If you don't sweat the small stuff, you'll miss the magic stuff. And someone else, probably louder and less qualified, will notice it first. So, yes.

Breathe, don't spiral, but absolutely sweat the small right stuff because that's where the moves are made. Here's the thing most people don't realise until it's too late. It's not the big meetings that shape your career. It's the moments in between. The things you almost missed, the coffee chat you nearly declined, the weird little project that turned into something huge. The moment you decided to ask one more question. Your career is happening right now.

Not later, not when the next roll opens up. Now. So tune in, look for the spark behind the scenes, notice the shift and then move because you, you're not here to drift.

So that's a wrap on this episode of Little Moves Big Careers, where progress isn't perfect, but it is happening. If your brain's buzzing and you want more magic like this, head to inspireyourgenius.com forward slash podcast for the show notes, cheeky extras and the kind of tools your career's been crying out for. Share it, steal it with pride, start a movement. So if you did enjoy this episode, please subscribe, share.

and send me your dilemmas for what would Caro do and any ideas that you've tried to caroline at inspireyourgenius.com. And if you want to bring fresh thinking into your team or company, that's literally what we do. Drop us a line, we'll make it sing for you. Until next time, make the move. Even if it's tiny, especially if it's tiny.