Episode 20: Million Pound Fingers and the Power of Adding Value

In this episode, Caroline Esterson explores how to apply insights from the previous conversation with Declan Allen into actionable steps for career development. She introduces the concept of the career flywheel, emphasising the importance of adding value over merely being busy, spotting and solving workplace issues, and creating space for deep work. Practical moves are suggested to enhance productivity and challenge the 'do more with less' mindset, ultimately encouraging listeners to focus on what truly matters in their careers.

TAKEAWAYS

• The importance of getting noticed for results, not intentions.
• Understanding the difference between doing your job and adding real value is crucial.
• Most people operate within their job description, missing opportunities for growth.
• Organisations value those who can cut through noise and focus on what matters.
• Creating friction in workflows can lead to better outcomes.
• Tracking time spent on tasks can reveal areas for improvement.
• Challenging the 'do more with less' mentality is essential for sustainable productivity.
• Small, consistent moves can lead to significant career advancements.

SOUND BITES

• "You've got million pound fingers."
• "You can't fix what you won't name."
• "Make the move, even if it's tiny."

RESOURCES

Your Bold Moves Brief

The Big Conversation Guide for teams

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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 Overview of last week's episode
• 1:21 Understanding the career flywheel
• 3:55 Adding value vs. just being busy
• 7:22 Spotting and solving issues in the workplace
• 13:00 Finding the space to add value
• 13:33 Listener dilemma
• 18:09 Challenging the 'do more with less' mentality

Transcript

Caroline Esterson (00:00)
Well, hello there, you brilliant, wonderful person. How are you doing?

Last week's chat with Declan Allen was packed with golden nuggets and I don't know about you but I've been chewing on them all week so I thought we'd do something a bit different today, jump off the interview train for a moment and dig deeper into how to actually apply some of those ideas into your career. I'm Caroline Esterson and welcome to episode 20, yeah 20 of Little Moves Big Careers. Thank you so much for being here, for subscribing, for sharing.

And you haven't yet, hit that follow button. It helps more people find these little nudges that might just change their career trajectory.

So as I've been chewing on these ideas, it occurred to me that the four big hitters from his episode were actually a perfect illustration for a model that we've developed a practical system that turns your mindset into real world action. And we're going to dig into these in future episodes.

But for now, I wanted to draw out what Declan specifically talked about. So I don't know if you remember, but one of the things that he said was "You don't get noticed for saying you want to lead. You get noticed for getting things done." And that comment really hit me hard because I've seen it over and over. People who are so desperate for that next step that they take their eye off the ball of what actually gets them there.

being brilliant in the presence. And it also reminded me of a conversation I had in a recent workshop with a team in demand planning.

We were talking about the ripple effect of everyday actions. For those of you on video, like I'm doing now, I held at my fingers and told them, you've got million pound fingers whilst wiggling them. I mean, frankly, they did look at me a little bit like I'd lost the plot at first, but actually it's true. Every tap of the keyboard, every forecast, every data update,

could make or lose millions for the business. In lost revenue when sales are under forecast so the product isn't in the right place at the right time, or in the first place not enough products are made, or potentially in overstocks or write-offs if overforecasted with products languishing in warehouses gathering dust before they're eventually disposed of. You know, we're not talking a one-off £29.99 here, we are literally talking millions. And they got it.

This changed their mindset and most importantly, their actions. They started to understand the huge significance of their role. And I think, I hope, it made them feel really proud of the difference that they can make.

You know, whatever job you do, you have so many choices every single day about how you spend your time. But I wonder if you really analyzed your time against, the value you contributed.

What do you this analysis would tell

Because we forget, don't we? We forget that what we do has ripples. Yet if everyone in the business is thinking, what value is this adding? Imagine the power of that. So let's dive into the first two powerful moves that Declan spoke about as those things that help people stand out. And we'll turn them into questions to guide our thinking. First, you've got, how do you add value?

And secondly, you've got how do you create clarity in our complex world?

So let's start with the first question. How do you add value?

This is about how you add real value instead of just being busy.

This is at the heart of the first power move on our flywheel, MAKE IT MATTER Because there's a huge difference between being good at your job and being valuable. And I want you to remember this phrase, MIND THE GAP

Because it's the difference

between just doing your job and actually driving your career forward. There is a gap and it's a massive one. It's big, it's hairy and if you ignore it, oh it's gonna trip you up again and again. It's the gap between what you're paid to do, what's expected of you and what you're actually capable of. Think of it like this, every role has three layers and most people only ever play in one. At the base

There's what you're paid to do.

That's your job description, you know, your to-do list, the minimum you need to do to stop you getting fired.

Then there's what's expected of you. And that's the meet the brief, hit your deadline, do the handover level. Now that's your entry ticket to the career game. It gets you in the room.

but it doesn't move you up a level. So let's talk about that third layer. That third layer is what you're actually capable of. That's the gap that matters. That's where the growth, the learning and the visibility lies. Most people sit kind of comfortably in the first two, they tick the boxes, meet the deadline and think I'm doing everything right. Why aren't I being noticed?

The real growth happens in that space between what's expected and what's possible. And most people never step into it, not because they're lazy or unmotivated, but more often than not, because they're scared or they don't know about it. And they might hold back because they don't want to overstep or look arrogant. Maybe they think someone more senior owns that territory, or maybe they've been told to stay in their lane before. Or deep down.

You know, they've just adapted to a culture where competence gets quietly taken for granted. Does any of that sound familiar for you? Because here's the paradox, the very thing that you think is keeping you safe, I'll just do my job really well. Might be what's actually keeping you stuck. People don't get promoted for doing what's expected. They get promoted for stretching what's possible for finding new ways to make things better.

smoother or smarter.

That's what adding value actually looks like

and you know what it doesn't have to be dramatic. You don't need a superhero cape. You just need a little bit of curiosity. So this week ask yourself what's one thing I can make something just a little bit better you know that two millimeter better than it was yesterday.

What am I capable of that no one's actually seen yet? Because perhaps I've been waiting for permission to show it. Because when you start to mind that gap, when you own that void between expectation and potential, you stop being a task doer and start being a difference maker. Now that's when people start to see you differently. And that's the moment your flywheel starts to turn.

Now, adding value is very powerful, but it's even more powerful when you know where to focus that energy. Because let's be honest, most workplaces are a bit of a spaghetti junction of priorities, small politics and panic. So the next part of the flywheel is about cutting through the noise. We're moving on to spot and solve because it's not enough just to have value.

You could be working hard, doing a great job and still actually be missing the points. You could make something brilliant, but if it's not the thing that actually matters right now, all that brilliance just sort of evaporates. And I see it all the time. Don't you? People pouring time and energy into polishing PowerPoints, tweaking templates, reworking reports, all doing valuable work, but it's on the wrong thing.

Think of it this way. How many times do you open up something on the shared drive and see version 5.6 or even worse? And then those people, they wonder why no one's noticing them. Adding value is the what? Clarity. Now clarity, that is the where and the why. So let's talk about that next. Let's talk about what really means to notice. Because so many people think they're doing it.

and they're just not.

so the next question for you to think about is how do you create clarity in our ridiculously complex world?

Well, you do it by tuning in and noticing. I know it sounds simple, right? But please think honestly about how well you do this? Because most people I see don't actually see what's going on around them.

They're just too busy. They're too reactive. They're too glued to the urgent thing right in front of them. Not seeing the important thing that's actually needed. You can feel it in meetings, can't you? Everyone nodding at the same time. Everyone agreeing with the same key priorities. But no one's really challenged. It's like the professional version of the emperor's new clothes. But this, this right here, this is where the brave ones stand out, the people who notice.

and aren't afraid to share it. Noticing honestly is a career superpower.

It's that moment where you quietly clock what everyone else is missing. The broken handover, the duplicate work stream, the pointless report that's been produced weekly since 2010. But here's where it gets juicy, because I've noticed something too.

I've noticed that a lot of clever, well-intentioned people, they get seduced by the shiny stuff. ⁓

the new frameworks, the trendy new academic research, trendy projects, rebrands, dashboards, whatever it is, they chase movement because it feels like progress. When actually, it's just a distraction. And if I'm being super honest, I can think of at least five people I know who do this. You probably can too. They're constantly pivoting, reimagining, transforming, all great noble words, but rarely are they delivering.

And in doing so, not only are they not, they're just not adding value in the right way for them, but they're adding to the chaos around us rather than calming it. And that's what's really frustrating because the real work, the hard messy, vital work, that's rarely shiny. It's often things like data cleanup, clarity calls, progress untangling It's

finishing the thing, not creating another version for comments. It's doing it. It's improving the meeting by asking, so how is this going to add value? And that, that's the work that actually moves the dial. So if you want to get really good at SPOT AND SOLVE start by asking this, am I doing work that looks exciting or the work that actually makes a difference? If it's the former, you know,

That's fine, but know it might simply just be a sugar high for you. Might be exciting, but it's the graft. It's the graft that will get you notice, respected and trusted.

So if your answer is the latter, then congratulations, you're actually in the game. Because organizations don't promote the people who chase the shiny new things. They promote the ones who can see clearly through the fog and then quietly get on.

and fix what matters. And you know that skill, it's not just useful. It really is about to become your superpower. Think about it. Every day we're all hit with more data, more messages, more noise. According to IBM, we now create over 2.5 quintillion bytes of data every single day.

No one can hope to process everything that comes across their desks or computer screens. But the people who can cut through the noise, who can spot the signal in the noise, ⁓ they're the ones who rise. And over the next few years, it'll be the people who can make sense of chaos that will stand out. Those who can say, here's what actually matters, and here's what we're gonna do about it.

That's leadership.

That's clarity.

And that right there, that's spot and solve.

Now, of course, knowing what needs fixing and having time to fix it are also two very different things, which lead us beautifully to this week's What Would Caro

Because one listener basically said what we're all thinking. How on earth do you find space to actually get on with the work?

So this week's dilemma actually comes from everyone from everywhere. Dear Auntie Caro, my team's in a whirlwind. We've got back-to-back meetings, endless updates, and barely any time to do the work. Everyone's frazzled. How do we start to shift things so we can actually dig in, add value, and improve? Well.

What do we say to that? It's the dreaded treadmill, isn't it? It's like everyone's caught in a spin cycle. Meetings, messages, dashboards, repeat. So here's what I do. Firstly, I think you've just got to call it out. You've got to name what's happening. Something like, I feel like we've become a team of reactors, not creators. You can't fix what you won't name.

Then you need to create friction. Now, what I mean by that is stop letting the work flow through the system and checked. Most teams run at such speed that no one ever stops to say, woo, hang on, does this still make sense? Creating friction means slowing the system down just enough to think. It's that pause before you accept on yet another meeting invite. It's asking,

Do we need this or could it be an email? It's cutting one update call and using the hour to actually deliver something of value. We're conditioned to see friction as a blocker, but the right kind of friction is actually keen focus. It's how you shift from reacting to reflecting. It's the space where you notice what's broken and start to fix it.

And then lastly, protect your value block. Start with just one 90 minute window a week, just one where you can do deep work. No pings, no chat, no update. You'll be amazed by what you can achieve when you have the time to finish something.

And this is a note for leaders. If you are a leader, you've got to model this. If you keep saying on one hand, we need space to think, but your diary actually looks like a game of Tetris, your team just won't believe you. Cancel one meeting, shorten another, show them that slowing down is the key to adding value. Because clarity and progress actually come from the same place. It's the courage to pause the chaos.

That's what creates real value.

So let's move on to some other quick practical moves you might also like to try.

First up, audit your effort. For one week, track where your time actually goes. Then mark what truly added value. You might be a little bit shocked by how much of your energy goes into motion and not impact. Give it a go and see how you get on. Number two, spot something that's unclear and clear it. In your next meeting or process, ask, what is unclear here?

then fix it. Even tiny clarity wins. Even tiny clarity wins make you the go-to person. And finally, do one brave noticing. You see things all the time, don't you, that you think not happening, not going well. So this week, be brave about it. Pick one moment to say the thing that no one else is saying. Hang on. Is this actually helping?

That sentence alone could shift the room. So they were all really quick explanations, actually as quick as they'll take you to do it. Just write them on a post-it note and pop it on your screen to remind you. And before we finish this episode, we've just got time for...

This week's quote that needs to be firmly put in the bin is...

Do more with less. Seriously, whoever came up with do more with less clearly never tried to send a Teams invite while the Wi-Fi is dying and the notifications are pinging like popcorn in a microwave. It's one of those phrases that sounds really powerful maybe in the boardroom, but...

I think it's quietly wrecking people in the real world. I remember in one company I worked for when cost cutting came, it meant, this, they started to lock the stationary cupboard And we were told to consider if we needed to use post-it notes or not. I mean, really like post-it notes are going to save the company. And it made a mockery of the need to really save money because whilst they were penny pinching and questioning everything.

people were quietly tuning out and turning off. Surely wouldn't it have been better to pull teams together to explore how we could be more efficient and effective? Because you can't do more with less forever, can you? You just end up doing worse and get exhausted while you're doing it. And that framing, do more with less is stifling, rather than asking a more expansive question.

Those questions that drive curiosity that we really need today in today's world.

So what you can do, and I think this is the shift, is do what matters with a keener focus. That's the heart of this episode, right? Isn't it? Make it matter, add value, not just activity, and then spot and solve, cut through the noise so your efforts actually land. If you're still trying to do more, you're missing the point.

So next time someone says, we just need to do more with less, try replying with, or we could just focus on the right things brilliantly and stop wasting time on the wrong ones. Now that's the kind of clarity worth promoting.

So that's your challenge this week. Mind the gap. Notice what matters and ask the braver question, even when it's actually easier to nod along.

So next week, we're going to pick up on the next two moves of the flywheel, the people bits, how to build your circle, manage up and across and how to turn quiet credibility into visible opportunities. Because doing great work is step one.

getting it seen, that's where the magic starts.

so thank you so much for listening this week. I hope there was something that resonated in this for you. So until next week, remember, make the move, even if it's tiny, especially if it's tiny.