THE CAREER CATAPULT

If I had a nickel for every time I heard...   "My manager was going to promote me, but then he/she left and I am back to square one."   "I had a really great relationship with my manager, but my career has stalled with my new manager" etc   I have heard this so much that I lovingly tell our clients -   You cannot expect everyone to freeze and stay put just because you have decided to catapult.   T...

Recently I was speaking to a new VP at a Fortune 100 company. When I met her, she had been Sr Director for about a year. We made the VP role happen in 6 months.   Once the deal was done, I asked her how she felt.   She admitted, "I don't know, Stella. I mean…I guess I'm happy. But I thought I would feel more. I don't really… I feel like I should be more excited than I actually am."   Have you ever...

Let me guess...   Your schedule is incredibly busy.   Between compressed deadlines,   Back-to-back travel,   New responsibilities from a recently reshuffled team,   Perhaps interviewing for your next role   All while trying to be fully present for your family and loved ones.   I get it.   Your development may have taken a slight back seat and it's no wonder.   And yet...   If there was ever a seas...

Evaluate yourself right now.   Scale of 1-10;   How quickly are you able to maintain a thriving career in the face of an unexpected disruption?   If you've allowed yourself to get on autopilot, chances are your score is low.   It's time to hit the reset button.   Let's get in the driver's seat.   In this episode, we discuss the 4 elements of safeguarding your career in this and every climate.   Cl...

INTERESTED IN WORKING WITH US? Begin by applying for a call (http://cycprogram.com)   FREE TRAINING Register for The Catapult Your Career Bootcamp (http://thecatapultbootcamp.com)   GET IN TOUCH Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stellaodogwu/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_intelle/ Email: contact@intelle.us Text: 949-519-4554

So you want to become VP, SVP, or Chief.   There is a very simple first step.   Knowing it. Saying it.   Clearly. Succinctly. Without qualifiers.   And yet, in most conversations I have, this remains a blindspot for so many.   In this week's podcast, we discuss the mistakes aspiring leaders make when discussing their next move and what to say instead.   Click to listen.   FREE TRAINING Register fo...

"People don't leave companies. They leave managers."   An old saying I find to be mostly true.   Can you be successful in an organization without a strong, favorable relationship with your manager?   Yes.   But it is harder.   An upstream swim.   So maybe you are about to begin your new role.   Or perhaps you've been in the role but have just onboarded your new manager.   How do you ensure you sta...

I had a short staycation with my family over the weekend.   It was our first trip as a family of 4 and it involved a 4 hour car ride with our soon to be 4 year old and teething 9-month-old.   Well, you can imagine.   I reflected on how I had imagined this trip and other milestone moments in motherhood.   And how not many of them have turned out even remotely as picture-perfect as my imagination.  ...

In this week's episode of The Career Catapult Program, I am having an unscripted, gem-filled conversation with a very special guest. In this session, we peel back the layers.   Utibe Bassey serves as Vice President, Customer Experience at Dominion Energy and she is also the Creator of 'Love as a KPI' - a teaching platform based on the premise that when organizations are driven by LOVE for people (...

Not all Directors are the same.   Not all SVPs are the same.   So you landed the job title.   But are you operating at the level that places you in the top 1% of Directors? VPs? or SVPs?   Are you clear on what it would mean for you to be at that level?   I can guarantee you it has very little to do with your functional expertise.   We dive into this topic on this week's podcast episode.   We disc...

Critical question: Whose job is it to develop and invest in you?   If you are reading this, you are likely interested in building a thriving career    Promotions to higher levels of leadership and impact   A career that aligns with the goals you have in your life.   If you are currently a director, who is responsible for developing you to VP? VP to SVP?   To achieve a goal of this significance, th...

If you are an executive leader, you are probably quite familiar with Decision Fatigue.   The idea that the more decisions you make, the more fatigued your decision-making muscle becomes.   Much like doing too many reps at the gym and losing proper form.   Consequently, you make worse decisions.   Not only does this affect your team or company outcomes, it also affects your personal life.   Perhaps...

Yes, we all know the job market is in flux.   But what does that mean in practice?   What specifically are hiring managers looking for in their next executive hire?   Want to know how to show up to your next interview in order to be the obvious choice?  

Executive Stamina.   The ability to withstand the pressures, the headwinds, the uncertainty, and the challenges that come with executive leadership.   Time and again.   Year in, Year out.   Most people only focus on what is required to land a promotion to Sr Director, VP, or SVP.   The conversation is incomplete if you are not equipped with the right amount of fortitude;   To lead yourself, your t...

Have you had your performance review convo yet?   Many of the leaders in my network are going through this process, both for themselves and their teams.   The idea of giving and receiving accurate, meaningful, and actionable feedback is a necessary conversation.   Your career growth depends on it.   In truth, most people hate giving real feedback.   It is a lot easier to give you the Attagirl. To...

The start of a new quarter is a great time to create new habits.   In this week's episode, I share with you a time management strategy that has served me incredibly well.   With this strategy, I have:   -Turned a $1M cost-saving project into $5M with marginal effort -Redesigned my team for better performance -Pioneered new relationships with stakeholders   I know it will serve you well too!   Clic...

I read somewhere recently that 45% of leaders (Director level and above) are experiencing burnout in their careers and lives. I find the trend to hold true as I interact with so many talented leaders across industries. So how do we fix this?   Most opinions on this tend to center on nebulous ideas like redefining the corporate culture, implementing more company wellness initiatives, etc.   I agree...

What exactly is impostor syndrome? Where does it come from? What to do about it? Who is responsible for dealing with it? In this week's replay episode, I share with you my perspective on Impostor Syndrome as a Senior Leader.   Listen in. - Stella    FREE TRAINING Register for The Catapult Your Career Bootcamp (http://thecatapultbootcamp.com)    WORK WITH US Join the Catapult Your Career Program  (...

P.S - Interested in discussing how we can help you not only smarter, but land your next skip level promotion to Director, VP or SVP? Click to book a complimentary call. FREE TRAINING Register for The Catapult Your Career Bootcamp (http://thecatapultbootcamp.com)    WORK WITH US Join the Catapult Your Career Program  (http://cycprogram.com)   GET IN TOUCH Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stell...

Do you have a career alarm clock? I have always been an early riser... most mornings I am up at 5AM. When I first started cultivating this, I would set an alarm - a blaring, hard to ignore signal that would jolt me out of my dream state. Oh and there was no snooze button. Do you have an alarm set for your career? Any blaring, hard to ignore signals that jolt you awake when you've gotten comfortabl...

Do you have a sound process for making big decisions? The truth is most people don't, even if they say they do. So how do most people make decisions? They rely on how they feel. As a coach, I partner with many senior-level leaders who still rely squarely on their emotions (especially negative ones) to determine their actions. Should I quit this job now? Should I start or end a relationship? How sh...

Are you the obvious choice for your next internal promotion? Remember... It is not just about your functional expertise. In this week's replay episode, I share the #1 brand pitfall for women aspiring to senior leadership.  Take a listen and let me know what you think. - Stella    FREE TRAINING Register for The Catapult Your Career Bootcamp (http://thecatapultbootcamp.com)    WORK WITH US Join the...

A few weeks ago, I was discussing with an old friend.    In the course of the convo, I asked her- "So what's next for you this year?" You see, in the last 24 months, she had landed a significant promotion to VP.  > 350K base + all the bells and whistles. Probably $500+ in cash comp.   She sighed and said, " I really don't know. I don't know if there is anything I really want."   The more we discus...