I got this question from a past client recently, regarding his online profiles. ‘Hi, Sean, I’m looking at my online profile. Do you feel I should show I am not working in a corporate role currently? Upfront and honest? At this stage I have just listed my shell consulting company and contract projects. I’m concerned […]
Be yourself. Strip off your titles.
I was talking to my client Frederick the other day. Like many professionals over 50, he’s been through a lot; he’s been a consultant, a CEO, a board director and an investor. Although he’s a successful person by any accounts, a recurring theme came up. ‘Sean, I’ve talked to a few people about ideas [for […]
How to find your new purpose
In the early part of our careers, at least in most of the business world, there’s a lot of pressure to find your purpose, to achieve something worthwhile with your life, to somehow get to a satisfying, successful end-point. For baby-boomers the mantra has been ‘financial independence’; for millennials it’s ‘meaning’. Yet for many of […]
Why you should let others see you
I have always had a problem with having problems. I try to solve them alone. Feeling lonely? Surf the net late at night. Feeling afraid? Pretend the threat doesn’t exist. Embarrassed? Say something profoundly stupid to a person you admire. Inadequate? Write reams about how you ‘should/must/will’ do better than your world-class model but don’t […]
Do something for the first time if you want to grow
Last night I was chatting over a glass of wine with a friend of mine. His stories always captivate and surprise me and I usually leave convinced that he has been everywhere & done everything. We talked about projects in Italy and Vietnam; about sailing in the Mediterranean, the Pacific, Gippsland; how to publish a […]
Win the career strategy numbers game
Career strategy is not a numbers game. Oh, wait, it is…. ‘Hi, tell me, how many people have you spoken to in the last year about your desire for a distinctively new role?’ 1-5 6-10 10-50 50-100 more than 100. I’m pretty sure that if your answer is anything other than e. you’re frustrated with […]
Your next role – it’s not just about ‘doing more stuff’!
Are you an aspiring CEO? Here’s one thought to dump right now. ‘My next role is like this one, just bigger.’ No matter how true that might have been in the past, it is not true about the jump into your first CEO or equivalent role. It’s natural to think this, but it’s wrong. Any […]
Collaborate. If you’re not doing it, you’re not an ‘Executive’.
One of the biggest issues in executive teams – collaboration or the lack of it. [See my blog on Professional Contempt]* . Several studies over the last few years have highlighted how rare it is in the C-suite, yet how necessary. Update: Forrester, which is one of the leading global marketing firms, surveyed CIOs and […]
OUT! UP! How to love a career knockout
How to recover from a knock-out punch to your career. I don’t know anyone whose career has been a smooth ride; at least not anyone interesting! At some point, if you’re striving to succeed, you may get a knock-out punch, a humiliating career setback. How do you recover from that? How do you accelerate your […]
Are you made to be a future CEO?
It goes in cycles, doesn’t it? Some commentator announces the end of everything as we know it, and then predicts the future. We are always passing the ‘Future’ of our past – we’re past the Back to the Future future, we’re past 1984, we’re sort of past the future of House of Cards (or are we?). […]