career management

Monday Morning Lead Q&A – 9/18/17

Client Question: “I really want to start my own business, but I am uncomfortable walking away from a steady paycheck.” The world of how we do work is definitely changing. People used to find a good company to work for and stay there until they retired. It is now far more common for people to move around every 2-5 years. Owning your own business is another option. Many people just want to be their own boss, so they are now pursuing entrepreneurship…
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Monday Morning Leadership Q&A – 8/14/17

Client Question: “How do you know that it is time to make a change on your team that may result in someone leaving the organization? It depends on the type of situation you are facing. If the person is doing something really blatant that warrants their termination, then it is easier. Get HR involved and talk to them about what occurred and move forward with a course of action. However, it is the other situations where they are doing just…
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Do You Know Your Worth?

I was reading Think Strategically About Your Career Development by Dorie Clark the other day. All of her tips are really good, but the last one in her article got me thinking about external reputations. She discusses the importance of developing an external reputation. I wholeheartedly agree and have shared this same thinking with many people that I have mentored and coached over the years. It does take some time to develop this, but it is so important. You can join a professional organization,…
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Networking Unlocks New Opportunities

Does the word networking have a negative connotation for you? For me, it triggered me a bit. It was like that uncomfortable feeling on the first day of school. Do you remember that moment? You walk into the classroom, without knowing anyone yet and you must find ways to make friends. I don’t know if it was any easier back then, but we all figured it out somehow. Networking from a place of scarcity. Connecting with new people was still…
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Three Things That Leaders Need to Focus on Each Week

I met with a Director about the results of a leadership assessment that she recently completed which included direct feedback from her peers, direct reports and management. In that conversation, we also talked about the feedback that her manager had shared with her… she wasn’t communicating or acting like a Director. She was obviously concerned about the feedback and couldn’t understand what she needed to do differently. We talked about what she was focused on and she shared some of…
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Your Imperfections Are What Make You Perfect

We have all grown up with programming and messages from our families, teachers, media, society, culture, etc. that tell us what we are “supposed” to do in our lives. Some of these messages may include: get good grades, go to a good school, get a good job, get married, have children, save for retirement, follow the rules, don’t talk back, respect your elders, etc. You get the gist of the messages that we have all heard and internalized over many years. Those messages…
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