Managing A Career

"Being a leader isn't an assignment that is given to you, but an assignment that you TAKE." Let that sink in. Leadership isn't about waiting for permission. It's about stepping up when others step back. In today's episode of the Managing A Career podcast, we're diving deep into what it really means to TAKE leadership. Anyone can be a leader—because leadership is a quality you demonstrate, not a jo...

There's a common misconception the corporate world: to get ahead, someone else has to fall behind. It's the old zero-sum thinking — that career advancement is a competitive, cutthroat race. But today, I want to challenge that notion. Whether you're managing a team or just stepping into a leadership role, the truth is that investing in the growth of others doesn't slow you down — it accelerates you...

When your career feels stalled and growth seems out of reach, it's tempting to look outward for answers. Maybe it's the company culture. Maybe your boss doesn't recognize your potential. Or maybe the job market is just brutal. These might all be valid frustrations, but dwelling on them leads nowhere. The Blame Game feels satisfying in the moment, but it rarely sparks progress. If anything, it keep...

I pull inspiration for my episodes from many places. The inspiration for this week's episode came from the June 19th episode of the Help Wanted podcast with Jason Feifer and Nicole Lapin ( https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-find-solutions-when-there-are-no-good-options/id1456031960?i=1000713535785 ). In that episode, Jason outlines a specific problem solving technique, but it reminded me...

The other day, I was listening to the Smart Passive Income podcast ( https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/ ) by Pat Flynn ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/patflynn3/ ). It wasn't even in the episode itself, but in his call to action at the end that he said a quote that was both insightful and inspiring to me. So much so that it lead to today's episode. In his episode, Pat said "It's not the mistakes yo...

The single most important thing you can do for your career is to build your network. Whether you build relationships with champions and advocates, coaches and mentors, or people that act as a resource, each one of them provide a benefit that can help move your career forward. Champions and advocates will support you and your ideas—they'll speak up for you in rooms you're not in, recommend you for...

It consistently ranks as one of the worst attributes in a boss year after year…..and yet, there are still many bosses who are micromanagers. This week, I'm going to look at how you can break out of the micromanagement pattern. It's the bane of everyone's existence. You may feel like your manager is always hovering asking for status constantly. Maybe everything you do is redone by your leader. Or m...

This past week at my day job, we went through an organizational restructuring. Some of my team is now reporting to a new manager and I have new people on my team. If you find yourself on a new team, this is the perfect time to review your Individual Development Plan. It's been a while since I last talked about your IDP, but I believe it is a critical tool for ensuring your advancement. For a more...

The job market is tough right now. People across all industries are getting laid off and starting their job search. If this includes you, you may have found that each job you apply for is highly competitive. You might think that finding another job in your current field is a struggle. Or maybe you feel like you are stuck and there are limited or no growth opportunities available to you. One way th...

How many of you have struggled to figure out what it takes to get promoted? Maybe you've been in your current position for several years and feel like you'll be stuck there for many more. When you reach out to your manager, you just get a vague answer that doesn't really tell you what you need to work on such as "your turn is coming" or "you're doing well, just keep it up". The secret that no one...

Throughout our careers, we observe others around us getting ahead by various means. Some people do so by putting other people down in order to make themselves look better whereas others do so by lifting those around them up. You may have even used these techniques yourself. The secret? Both approaches can work, but only one is sustainable for the long term. Let's take a look at the longer term imp...

More often that you realize, when a manager is asked to create a list of people to lay off, they are rarely given much time to think about it; they are just given a target number and a deadline. When they have to react quickly, there a few criteria that they instinctively use to determine who goes and who stays. What can you do to make sure that you aren't on that list? The first thing to realize...

Last week, in Episode 088 ( https://www.managingacareer.com/88 ), I covered the four key project types that can fast-track your career advancement. This week, I'm going to cover some strategies for when your current project assignment is not on one of those fast-track type projects. So, to review, the four fast-track project types are strategic projects aligned to organizational goals, cross-funct...

When it comes to career advancement, some projects have a bigger impact than others. How can you make sure that you're associated with the projects that give you the best chance at success? When you look at the types of projects that are undertaken within your organization, four key types will garner the most recognition and opportunities for advancement. This week, I'll take a look at what these...

In Episode 085 ( https://www.managingacareer.com/85 ), I covered techniques to build confidence. This week I'd like to talk about how you can use the words you say to project that confidence to those around you. When you speak with others, in order to project confidence, you should pay attention to the negative qualifiers that you use when stating your ideas. Those negative qualifiers typically fa...

On this podcast, I cover topics that can help you advance your career. In simple terms, this means putting yourself in the best possible position to be considered for a promotion. But, sometimes the next transition is from an individual to management role. This week, I cover a technique where you can document your leadership skills as you prepare for that change. When it comes to capturing the res...

Back in Episode 083 ( https://www.managingacareer.com/83 ) I talked about how Imposter Syndrome and Fear of Failure can derail your plans for career advancement. This week, I'd like to take a deeper dive at Confidence. Confidence, at it's very basic, is the believe that you will succeed in the current situation. Confidence is not arrogance; but they can be two side of the same coin. The biggest di...

The other day on LinkedIn, there was a post ( https://www.linkedin.com/posts/lenareinhard_many-bosses-like-to-say-something-along-the-activity-7305950821341380610--N5o?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAACwlk8B_aCb2SXpDbHHORaRrI9SsfHvBMs ) by Lena Reinhard, host of the Leadership Confidential podcast ( https://www.lenareinhard.com/leadership-confidential ), about the saying "don't...

There's been a lot of talk recently about "Imposter Syndrome". The term was coined by psychologists - Dr. Pauline Clance and Dr. Suzanne Imes in the late 1970s, but seems to be mentioned in so many different places the past few years. Having imposter syndrome is a very common experience in that most people experience some form of imposter syndrome at least once in their career. Imposter Syndrome i...

Recently, companies have been in cost cutting mode. The most obvious result of this cost cutting, at least when it comes to your career, is that companies have been laying off large numbers of workers across all industries. But these very same companies are starting to balk at the negative press associated with "yet another layoff". This week, I take a look at the subtle ways that companies contin...

The job market right now is a really scary place. Large companies are laying off employees. Even the government, usually one of the more stable places to work is reducing their headcount. There are no guarantees of job security unless you own the company, but if you want to provide at least a modicum of safety when the reductions come around, you have to find a way to become indispensable. There w...

Last year, I covered the Individual Development Plan or IDP in a series of episodes. In Episode 036 ( https://www.managingacareer.com/36 ), I introduce the IDP and cover why it should be an important part of your career growth. In Episode 037 ( https://www.managingacareer.com/37 ) I describe the Vision and Roadmap sections of the IDP and how they represent the foundation for understanding where yo...

Back in Episode 029 ( https://www.managingacareer.com/29 ), I talked about how to build your network. In that episode, I suggested that you can attend meet-ups and conferences to expand your network. And then, through the connections you have, you can find ways to get connected to others that can help you learn and grow. But networking isn't just about how other people can help you. It should be a...

AI and automation have become game changers across every industry. No matter what you do for a career, you're going to need to figure out how to introduce their capabilities or find yourself falling behind those that can. This week, I'll take a look at some of the things you can do to integrate AI into your normal workflows. Before we look at the capabilities of AI, let's talk about data privacy....

My dad worked at the same company from when he was in his early 20s until he retired -- with a pension. These days, that is a rare event. Companies are driven more by the demands of shareholders to deliver ever increasing profit margins rather than to have any level of loyalty to their employees. With more and more executive compensation tied to stock grants and stock options, they are actually in...