Being a researcher at heart, I love to explore key trends that reflect the deepest challenges professionals face. And if I can, I like to distill down to the bare essentials the vital lessons that successful professionals and career changers have gleaned from their respective journeys. People who have built amazing careers and work-lives of significance that they love, and who find their livelihoods immensely rewarding both...

Many years ago, in my first job in publishing, I had an amazing boss who mentored, guided and inspired me. I was so new and green, that I felt very vulnerable and insecure about my mastery of the work, but he was always supportive and uplifting, and encouraged me to continue to stretch myself and learn new skills, which I did. Truthfully, I would have done anything for him. But then, management pushed him aside, and repl...

In less than five years, millennials will comprise 50% of the workforce. This next generation of leaders will shape the world of work for years to come, which will be critical for the future of any business. But if we look around us today, we see signs that true accountability seems to be a dying trait. In both young and older professionals alike, accountability is clearly waning. According to award-winning author and le...

When I got laid off from my VP role in the days following 9/11, I have to say that I felt totally crushed and devastated, even though I didn’t like my job and didn’t want to stay. It’s a crazy phenomenon – that even though you’re given exactly what you’ve been longing for (not to work at that company any longer), you still feel like it’s the end of the world, because of how it&rs...

Dear Kathy: My company is undergoing downsizing now and so many people are being laid off, pushed out or given retirement packages. It’s so stressful and disturbing to be around this every day. I’m sad for my friends and colleagues, and really worried about where I stand. How can I weather the storm, keep my staff (and myself) motivated, even when I know I could be next? I’m really overwhelmed at the id...

Dear Kathy: I’m a 51-year-old account director and I’ve just learned that a guy 15 years my junior has been promoted to my boss. He’s got some raw talent and isn’t a bad guy, but I’ve worked with him directly before and he’s not a great leader, and we’re very different in style and approach. I’m worried that it won’t work out well for me, and that it will be really...

In my work as a career coach, my clients and I focus a great deal on authentic goal-setting, working to get at the heart of what they want – deep down – in their life and work. They’re often very surprised at how “off” their goals have been, given what they perrsonally believe and value. Very few of us have received any positive training or guidance on how to set authentic, inspiring goals that will drive us forward to joyf...

In working with entrepreneurs and consultants, and in my own business, I’ve seen that many of us are experiencing a fascinating shift in our thinking and our goals, from customer and client “support” to customer success – moving away from just helping a client or customer use our programs and services well, to ensuring that they succeed in a very big way from the total experience of working together and leveraging our mater...

As a career coach, I’ve found it’s ever so clear when people are working out of alignment with their core values. It can be a miserable and even devastating experience. Interestingly, unhappy professionals often know something is terribly wrong, but can’t pinpoint exactly what is making them feel so disrespected, undervalued and unappreciated. In many cases, it’s a serious clash in values. I lived this for years in my co...

Thousands of emerging thought leaders today have found themselves thrust into the world of online marketing, much to their chagrin. The challenge for so many is that, while they long to impact others with their messages, they typically don’t want to do the hard, committed work of effectively engaging others online — it’s just not their sweet spot or their deepest passion. So, being wise entrepreneurs, they seek mentorship a...