What is your current career situation? Are you looking to get promoted to the next level? Maybe you like your job and want to insulate yourself from future layoffs or being labeled a “blocker” to younger talent. Are you an entrepreneur looking to grow your business? While these scenarios are …
Accelerating Your Career
Build Effective Leadership Teams
Over my career, I’ve observed, coached, and guided thousands of clients, from CEOs and presidents of Fortune 500 companies to entrepreneurs and small business owners. Getting promoted to the executive level, or the c-suite is difficult. In my experience I’ve identified three critical abilities to …
Dreaming of Great Talent Development
The Beatles had seventeen #1 songs and thirty-eight Top-40 songs on the UK charts, but “Yesterday” is the most covered song in The Beatles’ catalogue. Recorded in 1965 by Paul McCartney on an acoustic guitar, the song was simple, but beautiful. After hearing it the other band members – John, …
Leadership is Strategic Execution
I just finished an excellent book on strategy – Plan to Pivot by Gerry Starsia (link). I highly recommend it to anyone starting out in the strategic planning field. Gerry mentions that in the past it was common to put leaders into three buckets: visionaries and operators, planners and …
Two Plus One Principle
I’ve observed and worked with many successful leaders across business, government, and philanthropy. Many of them develop a towering strength over time. But I’ve noticed that highly successful leaders develop a second strength which is unusual for their field. This, coupled with emotional …
Transitioning To A New Industry
One of the toughest challenges for job seekers is transitioning from one industry to another (e.g., from retail to banking), or from one role type to another (e.g., from marketing to information technology). Job seekers attempting to make the transition express frustration, anger, hurt, and …
Learning from Our High School Cliques
We’re all grown up now. We are responsible, dress professionally and go to work with purpose. But when it comes to career development and progression, we benefit from taking a trip back to high school. Remember the cliques? The jocks, nerds, stoners, goths, etc.? In large organizations they did …
Developing Strategic Skills
In his book, The Unwritten Rules: The 6 Skills You Need to Get Promoted to the Executive Level, John Beeson says demonstrating strategic skills is imperative to be promoted to the executive level. But in the twelve plus years since Beeson’s book was published, employers are increasingly looking for …
Three Phases of Career Progression
A common mistake I have observed clients make is waiting until the last minute to focus on a job change. I am not pointing fingers, I’ve done it, and probably so have you. Can you relate to any of the following scenarios? Opportunity Knocks – you just had a great end-of-year review; the boss …
The Accelerator Principle
Getting a job before you are ready is the most common accelerator of long-term career progression. I’ve worked with and advised executives for a long time. First as a banker financing mergers and acquisitions. As a strategist helping teams of C-suite leaders chart the future direction of their …
The Belief / Behavior Principle
The Law of Attraction: like attracts like; we attract into our life whatever we focus on. We’ve all had The Experience… You’ve purchased a new car, worn a new piece of clothing, or discovered a new show or podcast. Now you see that same make or model of car everywhere. You notice others are …
Navigate Barriers Using the In Group / Out Group Principle
A successful career progression strategy is governed by the perception of whether you are part of the “in-group” or “out-group”. I have observed that clients find it more difficult to adopt successful career strategies and breakdown barriers to success if they adopt an “us/them” mentality. …