I have a simple strategy for how to dramatically level-up your career growth, well-being, and success as a manager, executive or other professional.

Here it is: Take stock of your career situation and the road ahead by first identifying the current career energies driving you now, and second, defining your professional theme(s) or career theme for the coming year.

In order to make progress, take more ownership, and be more intentional about your professional journey, taking stock of your situatio…

Is Your Job at Risk in 2024? I recommend that you do a short job risk-assessment exercise.

A best practice for your well-managed career is a periodic threat analysis. What is on this year’s horizon that could be a threat to your job, your income, your market position or your career growth?

The idea is simple. If there’s a reasonable likelihood that something could occur outside of your control to threaten your professional well-being, it’s worth anticipating and preparing for it.

Job Risk | The Ho…

Career management is not crisis management

I wanted to share with you an important lesson that I was reminded of from two full-process career transition clients that I started working with this week. If you want a career management definition, let's start with what it is NOT. You see, both of these clients, independently, communicated the same thing: If they could go back in time, they would have put more attention, while in the job, on their external profile, network, and relationship management…

Great Books on Professionalism

As a follow-up to my previous article on building a professional development reading habit, here's a selection of the 21 now 22 professional development books I've read (not including fiction and general interest non-fiction) so far this year.

Atomic Habits

Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results by James Clear: At least 70% of our daily actions are done by habit. If you want to find ways to install good habits and get rid of bad habits, this is the book. Huge recommend.

What…

Do You Have a Growth-Oriented Daily Reading Habit?

The cumulative impact of reading about personal and professional growth-oriented subjects on a daily basis is one of the surest ways to expand as a professional and a human being. This year, I increased my professional development reading commitment: frequency (daily), quantity (shooting for 30 books) and breadth (outside of my comfort zone). For me, the results have been explosive including expanded self-awareness and effectiveness, increased un…

Are you excited by what's possible for your professional life this year? Do you have a plan to grow? It is very normal to lose sight of those goals, or ignore the power that a new 12-month cycle can bring us. I'm going to guess that as the New Year rolled over, you had one of three states:

(1) excitement about continued success and growth,

(2) resolution to figure out how to fix a bad or just so-so professional situation, or

(3) resignation/settling that you'll continue to coast or endure your pro…