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As I write this in March of 2020, we’re in the midst of something no one currently alive in this country has experienced.  Change happened seemingly overnight. Our routines, our predictions of the future, our sense of security, our jobs and careers – all turned upside down.  Marketers like me are struggling to understand how to market in a time of uncertainty.  Many people have been forced to work remotely for the first time in their careers. Some of us have been doing it for a long time, but now it’s different.  Businesses, some within only a week, have shuttered. …

Stories are a part of our every day lives, whether we realize it or not. We are either telling ourselves stories about someone or a situation. We also do things to help others project a certain story about us. Take job titles, for example. They can be a signal to other people about your success. Or is it just perceived success? Do job titles give people a convenient place to hide? What do I mean a “convenient place to hide”? Research has been done that shows if we want to accomplish something big – like writing a book or running …

If you’re in a position in which you have to lead with your resume, it’s important to understand what happens after you click ‘submit’, what recruiters (or sourcers) really do, and how they think.  This is part of building empathy and understanding the “who’s it for” aspect of your resume.  Who is involved? You may have noticed that I used the term “sourcer” and are wondering what that is. Large companies will often hire people whose sole responsibility is to source and screen candidates. If you make past them you are sent over to the recruiter (or directly to the …

Do you ever sit and think about the advice you’ve just given yourself? Have you ever wondered where that came from? Why you would tell yourself something so irrational and stupid? Have you ever tried writing your fears down on a piece of paper? Do that today and let me know how it felt. Did it sound even more irrational and ludicrous now that it’s out of your head and could be shared with the world? Chances are it probably did. Every day we tell give ourselves self-limiting advice. Advice that would get us fired if we were a coach …

Some of you may be wondering where I’ve been and why I haven’t recorded a podcast, social video or written many blog posts recently. I recorded a video back on Dec 31st where I discussed why I would be taking a break. Here it is, in case you want to watch it: The short of it is I made a big commitment to enroll and participate in Seth Godin’s altMBA. It’s a very intense, four-week program. I also realized that we often have to say ‘no’ to some things in order to say ‘yes’ to others. As a result, I …

The holidays are the best time to make excuses. A time of caving to our human nature of pushing difficult things into the future. We tell ourselves, “I’ll wait to start working out until after the holidays”, or “I’ll start working on that project after the holidays.” That eventually turns into, “I’ll wait until the crowds thin at the gym after January” to “I’ll wait until it gets warmer to run outside”, which turns into “I’ll wait until it gets cooler to run outside”. See the pattern? Humans are good at a lot of things but every single one of …

  Taking shortcuts is never the answer to success. Sure, you may have some short-term wins. You may beat your competitor to the punch a time or two, but it’s not sustainable. Sooner or later you’re going to lose. There is no shortcut to becoming great at something. I am currently enrolled in Bernadette Jiwa’s Story Skills Workshop. I’m sure there are people who registered for the workshop hoping to find a shortcut to writing and telling great stories. The bad news for them, there isn’t one. Storytelling is difficult to do well. It takes practice. A workshop can show …

I always found it interesting when I was recruiting how many generalizations were used when trying to filter out candidates. So often, a good candidate would surface but a recruiter or hiring manager would make an assumption about someone they didn’t even know. Someone they have zero backstory on. Someone they haven’t even spoken to about why they were interested in that company or the role. A common profile, for instance, is the person who decided to leave the corporate world and start their own company or become a freelancer or consultant. Hiring managers and recruiters think of a million …

Attention is earned. Just like in marketing, building your personal brand is important to becoming visible. People don’t know you exist until you show up. People won’t give you their attention until you prove you’re worth it. Showing up – drip-by-drip, day-by-day. Gets you in front of people. It shares what you know., how you think, with other people. That’s how you connect with the people like you. People that have the same values as you. People you can build and form long-term, productive, mutually-beneficial professional (and personal) relationships with. Keep in mind, it’s also just as important to realize …

  Perhaps you’ve heard of OKRs – Objectives and Key Results. Maybe you’re lucky enough to work for a manager or company that has implemented them. If you haven’t, this article will provide more detail into what they are and how they can be a powerful tool for your career. What are OKRs? The concept of OKRs isn’t new. In fact, it has been around (at least formally) since the 1970s. It was developed and implemented at Intel by Dr. Andy Grove. As mentioned, OKR is an acronym for Objectives and Key Results. The objective is the what. The key …