It’s difficult not to think about the continued layoffs, especially with so many friends and colleagues in the tech industry. Also, seeing the layoffs in December at Spotify and Google and the odd responses from outsiders and support from employee alumni makes me wonder if we need to rethink| Differability
Just a quick update. I've been on Ghost for a little over a year to publish my newsletter. It's a beautifully simple platform for just writing. But I need to do a bit more with my newsletter to build my business. And the problem with Ghost is ... it is simple| Differability
Ever look up from your screen during the work day and wonder “What am I doing here?” You’re busy, but not focused. Grinding through your day. You’re not even sure of your goal anymore. You may think, “What am I doing in this job?” Sounds like you might| Differability
Does attending networking events give you the “ick” feeling? Me too. That’s why I decided not to network early in my career. Instead, I blazed my own career trail by doing what I always did well: learn and make connections. Finding Your Trail When Traditional Paths Don't Work Let| Differability
For years, we've been sold the idea of a "career path" - a straight, predictable line from entry-level to the corner office. We've been told that with the right planning, right skills, and right moves, we can map out our professional lives with GPS-like precision. But if the last five| Differability
Many of us are wrestling with fear these days. For instance, one of my career coaching clients asked a question recently. I thought you might enjoy hearing the question and my response. Of course, I'm changing a bit to protect their identity. The Question: Still working on turning struggles into| Differability
I’ve attempted to write something useful for the last six weeks. Each time, it’s turned somewhat dark and stormy. 2025 has not started gently with national politics, international politics, job markets, and more dark waters. We don’t need more darkness in turbulent times. So I wanted to| Differability
This will be the last newsletter of 2024. We are all too busy this time of year to take on "new." In the USA (and other parts of western culture), we are bombarded this time of year with messages about giving. I wanted to give you something different. Gift Yourself| Differability
As I approach the end of each year, I like to look back at what happened and what I can learn from it. Whether it’s been a busy year, a fantastic year, or a challenging year, I always try to find time to examine elements of work and life| Differability
Last time I shared how walking away from a problem and scheduling a time to come back to it helps me unlock some difficult problems. It works most of the time for me, but not always. Did you ever come across a complex problem or a complex web of problems| Differability
Previously, I've discussed the dangers of "powering through" your work. I also shared the pitfalls of powering through when you are stuck. Now, I'll share one of my biggest secrets to becoming unstuck. Are you ready? Walk away. I discovered this approach by accident several years ago. When wrestling with| Differability
I’m stuck right now. I’ve been stuck in several ways. I thought you might be stuck too and you might find it useful to learn how I get unstuck. How I’m Stuck As I Write This Now We can all get stuck in various ways; sometimes, multiple| Differability
Many people like to “power through” difficult situations. No matter the difficulty, they do their best to reach their goal. It’s all about “pushing through" or “winning at all costs.” Sometimes we achieve the goal and we celebrate. Sometimes this approach causes harm — to ourselves and others — whether we| Differability
How to find a smoother ride with your career. In my career, I’ve ridden through multiple tech bubbles and financial bubbles, rising startups, collapsing corporate cultures, bumpy buyouts and messy mergers. What many do not know is I’ve also pivoted my career four times on my professional journey.| Differability
When change happens, you should consider your own change. Apologies for being so quiet these last few weeks. I've been retooling in a number of ways. I'm picking up new skills and launching my fourth career pivot. Why pivot now? I've applied agile thinking in my work since 1999 -| Differability
The folks at LinkedIn recently asked me to respond to their post on entry-level professionals making connections in hybrid work. I had more to share than the tiny space I was given to reply. I hope you find this more detailed answer useful. Connecting online is not impossible, but it| Differability
An analytical mind can be dangerous. Those gifted with such a mind see many possibilities in our work. We also see many problems in those possibilities. We then see options around the problems. Then, we see problems with the options. The gift becomes more of a challenge. The analysis of| Differability
Following simple steps with a generative AI LLM can speed up your job fishing. In a previous post, I mentioned that job fishing might be a better phrase than job hunting. This post is more step-by-step as I wanted to show you how you might job fish with generative artificial| Differability
Sometimes the best antidote for toxicity is movement. Shift happens. Ride the shift instead of fighting it. Find a new beach.| Differability
I recently came across an interesting essay that described the Too Many Needles problem of information overload. It immediately made me think of the different sources of job posts and the challenges job hunters and employers face. It also gave me some ideas on how to ease the stress of| Differability