Knowing When to Take a Risk and When to Opt Out with Kelly Battles

Kelly Battles, a strategic and financial leader at McKinsey, HP, and Quora, shares insights on her career journey, risk-taking, and work-life balance in an episode of Inspired Execution. She emphasizes the importance of understanding current events and seeing the world from different perspectives, as well as being passionate about one's work to make a positive impact. Battles discusses how she took risks throughout her career, including leaving her hometown for Princeton and saying "no" to certain opportunities that didn't align with her priorities at the time. She also shares her practical approach to achieving work-life balance by establishing priorities and using time blocking to allocate time equitably over a year. Battles encourages people early in their careers to be thoughtful and intentional when saying "no" to opportunities, and to enjoy the decision and move forward.