High Impact Women On The Micro Decisions That Changed Their Careers

In the now infamous Ted Talk, “My Year Of Saying Yes To Everything,” Shonda Rhimes recalled how one morning, as she was rushing to work, her toddler asked: “Mommy would you play with me?” Shonda made the subconscious choice to say yes. She credits this micro-decision with opening her up to more “play,” a mindset shift that, as she puts it, saved her career. 

We make countless micro-decisions each day: Get up when the alarm goes off or hit snooze? Coffee or tea? Respond to that email immediately or wait? Speak up in the meeting or remain quiet and let it go? 

These choices may seem trivial, but over time they compound, shaping our habits, influencing our character, and as the saying goes, determining our destiny. It is often the subtle consistent decisions, not the big sweeping ones, that define one’s path. 

Let’s reflect on the micro-decisions that changed the career trajectory of the following women.

Upon visiting her hometown in India, after becoming CEO of PepsiCo in 2006, business executive and strategic thinker Indra Nooyi sat in her mother’s living room to welcome a stream of visitors. The visitors did not say one word to her, instead, they praised her mother for doing such a good job raising her. 

Indra decided to share this same gratitude with the parents of her senior executives and wrote more than 400 letters each year, thanking them. 

“I wrote a paragraph about what their child was doing at PepsiCo,” she said in The David Rubenstein Show. “I said, ‘Thank you for the gift of your child to our company.’”

The letters succeeded in making not only the parents, but the employees themselves, feel appreciated, a feeling research finds translates to higher employee satisfaction, engagement, and productivity. 

In 2007, after collapsing due to exhaustion, media mogul Arianna Huffington decided to make sleep more of a priority in her daily routine. As a result, she saw an improvement in her well-being, resilience, and productivity and came to realize that “the idea that burnout is the price we have to pay for success is a complete myth.”

Sleep deprivation leads to a host of physical and mental health issues. Arianna said setting yourself up for a good night’s sleep includes several micro-decisions throughout the day: making time for regular movement, taking short breaks, waking up at around the same time, and cutting off caffeine in the afternoon. 

Award-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay started her career in public relations. Although she learned a lot in PR, she was greatly unfulfilled. In her late 30s, she decided to follow her passion for storytelling and make a film on the side while still working her 9 to 5. 

Although some saw this as a late start, Ava had witnessed her own mother change careers later in life, and so she knew it was possible. This decision led to her directing the acclaimed film “Selma,” along with other works that have redefined the representation of race and identity in Hollywood. 

Renowned artist Yayoi Kusama is the biggest-selling female artist in the world. However, her life has not been all quirky polka dots and bright colors. In her 90-plus years, Kusama has struggled with childhood trauma, mental illness, limited recognition, rejection, and years of her ideas being stolen by male peers. 

Through it all, she continues creating. Art, for her, is therapy, a way to cope. That is something many can relate to. Despite what you are going through, whether it’s personal struggles, external obstacles, or self-doubt, Kusama’s journey reminds us that creating, no matter the circumstances, is powerful and necessary. 

This, like many other micro-decisions, requires intention, self-trust, and courage, but it can make all the difference when it comes to your career success. So, what small decisions can you make today?