The hidden cost of playing small in your career

Hey reader,

Last week, I had a conversation that hasn't left my mind. A senior product manager told me she'd been eyeing roles at her dream companies but kept finding reasons why she wasn't "ready yet".

"Just one more project," she told herself. "Just a few more months of experience."

I know that voice all too well. Back in 2012, I started my career as a recruiter, and I was really good at helping others land their dream roles. But when it came to my own career? I wasn't dreaming big enough.

Looking back, I was the queen of playing it safe. Sure, I made moves for better titles or bigger paychecks, but I was following the traditional playbook instead of writing my own. Every new role would feel exciting for a few months, but that nagging feeling of 'there has to be more than this' would always creep back in.

This got me thinking about how often we do this to ourselves in Tech. That voice that says "not yet" or "maybe later" isn't just about professional development - it's costing us real opportunities to do work we're actually excited about.

The real cost of playing small shows up in so many ways:

• We stay in roles that no longer challenge us because they feel "safe"

• We watch peers take exciting opportunities while telling ourselves "I'm not quite there yet"

• We negotiate less assertively because we're worried about seeming "too demanding"

• We dim our expertise in interviews because we don't want to "show off"

I see this especially with women in Tech who are already successful but are ready for their next big move. We're often so focused on being 100% qualified that we miss amazing opportunities that are perfectly aligned with our expertise right now.

I realised that the perfect moment when you feel "totally ready" rarely comes. The most successful people aren't the ones who wait until they're ready, they get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

So here's my challenge to you this week:

1. Notice when you're telling yourself "not yet" or "maybe later"

2. Ask yourself: "What would I do if I knew I couldn't fail?"

3. Take one small action toward that bigger vision

Playing it safe might feel comfortable, but growth happens at the edges of our comfort zone. You've already proven you're capable of incredible things, now it's time to dream even bigger.

Talk to you soon,

Jenn

P.S. I'd love to hear from you: what's one big move you've been putting off? Hit reply and let me know. Sometimes just saying it out loud is the first step to making it happen.