The Career Narratives Blog

When you think about being mission-driven, you may imagine ‘making the world a better place’ or ‘helping people’ by working for a non-profit. That’s an idea that many of the people I coach have when I first meet them.

The truth is, you don’t have to work at a non-profit to be mission-driven. You ca...

If there’s one thing that’s consistent about the lives of the people I coach, it’s that they’re “busy.”

I’m sure your life is busy, too.

I’ve read a lot in the productivity world about the overuse of the word busy and its status as a misguided badge of honor. Whether busy is a reasonable term to u...

You have less time than you think to get the important work in your life done, so you need to get focused, manage your projects and tasks effectively, and find ways to save time wherever you can. I’ve written about the scarcity of time, and I’ve suggested that a first step to getting a handle on the...

How often have you gotten to the end of your day or week only to realize that the work you consider to be most important still isn't done?

Based on the experience of the people I coach, I’m willing to bet the answer is: almost every week.

Not the best feeling is it?

And what does “important” mean...

I need to be doing something more. I want to make the world a better place. I want to help people.

As a career and executive coach with a background that includes working in and with mission-driven organizations, I hear some version of those statements practically every week. Clients often seek me ...

Have you ever worked in a company and felt like it was a bad fit?

The work culture of your employer and your direct supervisor and peers can be among the primary factors determining your job and career satisfaction. If there’s a mismatch, you’ll know it. And you’ll likely be unhappy.

The problem i...

If you’re like many of the people I coach, you put a lot of time and energy into preparing for (and worrying about) what might happen during a job interview.

You’re probably thinking about all of the potential questions your interviewer might ask — which could be about almost anything.

Preparing f...

In this multi-part series on networking strategy, I've written about the key insights I picked up as an executive recruiter at a top 20 firm.

Recruiters are, by necessity, professional networkers. They need to get it right. And while you're not a professional networker, you need to get it right, t...

Networking can be scary. 

And it can be hard to know where to start. It can be even harder to keep your networking going and then keep up with it.

In this series on networking strategy, I’ve tried to reduce your stress levels by sharing perspective I gained as a recruiter at a top 20 executive se...

Guilt is a great motivator. You eat a cookie. You feel guilty. You go to the gym.

It’s not like I’m speaking from personal experience. 

Guilt is also a great demotivator. Especially when it comes to networking. So many people I’ve worked with as a career and executive coach worry that they’ll be ...