#166 Turning down a ‘Dream Job’ and saying Yes before you’re ready with Katie Best
Release Date: 12/11/2025
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info_outline"Be brave enough to say yes even if it wasn’t in your niche or part of ‘the plan’. That’s what keeps you moving forward before you’re ready for that next door to open."
Ever wrestled with the idea of turning down your “dream job”?
This episode is exploring the tricky decisions we have to make in moments of change and how to solve leadership problems that are really just life problems in disguise.
I’m joined by Katie Best, a leadership expert, author, and consultant who shares her personal closing door moment: letting go of her dream role in the creative industries to invest fully in building her own business.
Katie shares her story about ‘the chase’, ‘the pivot’, and ‘the messy’, and the reality of starting a consultancy from scratch including how simply saying “yes” can unlock unexpected opportunities.
Highlights:
00:22 Katie’s “dream job” offer and why she walked away
06:02 Chasing the dream and what happens when you achieve it
10:00 Saying no for work-life balance and owning your choices
13:09 The serendipity that launched her consultancy
15:59 How she landed her first clients
17:49 Why being open (not stubborn about niche) builds runway for your business
23:45 Building her book: The 10 Toughest Leadership Problems (which are really life problems)
26:31 The number one issue leaders face - self-management and personal effectiveness
29:50 “Decidophobia”, and why not deciding is still a decision
33:29 Why leaders should explain their decisions and show their thinking
35:50 Katie’s SOLVE framework for problem solving.
Katie’s Change Toolkit
Soundtrack: “L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N” by Noah and the Whale
Book: Make Time by Jake Knapp & John Zeratsky
One piece of advice: “Pause and do the research. Don’t rush to a solution, take time to dig into the feelings, understand what’s really going on, and embrace the messiness of change.”
More about Katie
Dr Katie Best is the founder and director of Katie Best Associates, a leadership development consultancy that works with executives, senior leaders and business owners at companies including KPMG, EY, Goldman Sachs, Barclays, Verizon,Oxfam, the NHS and many others. In addition, she is a visiting fellow at the London School of Economics, where she heads the MBA Essentials executive education programme, and a visiting research fellow at King’s College London.
In her book, The Ten Toughest Leadership Problems and How to Solve Them, Katie works through ten of the trickiest and most common leadership challenges: avoiding burn-out, making good decisions, increasing influence, working through cultural issues, improving employee performance, engaging staff, managing teams, implementing strategy, leading change and handling the reality of hybrid working.
Website: katiebest.com
LinkedIn: DrKatie Best
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