Career Strategy for the Competitive Edge. It’s been my tagline since I began my coaching business twenty years ago. What’s amazing is how relevant it remains. A career strategy is essential.
Everyone wants the plum assignments, the next level of responsibility, increased compensation and title. Many people fall short, cheat themselves of the wins, because they don’t have a plan, a strategy. Too much is left in the hands of others — their boss, human capital professionals and unfortunately, their co-workers. [Read more…]
More often than I would have anticipated, I hear an executive coaching client say something like, “I didn’t see it coming” or “How did I miss the warning signs?” when talking about working in a place that isn’t right for them now, or maybe ever.
Whether you’re at the peak of your career (something difficult to determine in a rapidly changing workplace environment) or you’ve recently entered the professional workforce, there are important actions, items, and mindsets to consider and work on. I call them your “Essential Career Toolkit.” 
There is a pattern I am seeing among a group of my coaching clients. Men and women in their mid-thirties to late forties who want to change jobs and are having difficulty doing so. There are many reasons why this is happening ― they make too much money to be junior and affordable, their specialty is so narrow few opportunities exist, or their network is too small and outdated, they have limited access to the right people and possibilities. 
There are certain traits that can be attributed to almost all highly successful leaders ― intelligence, intellectual curiosity, ambition, discipline, but do they operate in day-to-day, the same way? It would be hard to imagine they have similar MOs but an 
A frequent hurdle many of my executive coaching clients report is small talk or casual conversation. That’s right, highly educated, intelligent people sweating the casual conversation at a work party, a networking event, or the beginning of an interview. They’re not alone. If public speaking is something most people fear more than death — then being seated next to a stranger for a business dinner is the more private side of the same terror. 
There are overprotective bosses, selfish leaders, and there are clueless managers. Each, and all, can get in the way of their employees’ growth and progress.
When you scan your calendar for the week or month eyeing the meetings you are scheduled to attend, what thoughts come up? Is it excitement or dread? Appreciation or resentment? Do you anticipate it being a time well spent or another bad meeting that will be a drain on your energy? 