I've had to "reinvent" myself professionally a number of times--from helicopter pilot in the Marines to agile software product manager to life purpose coach to executive management consultant.  This got me interested in how you can increase your odds of getting and growing the career you want most. From 2015 to 2019 I led several mentoring groups to share what I'd learned while working at The Home Depot corporate office.  During that time, I also created the executive development programs for all Senior Vice Presidents, Vice Presidents, and high potential Directors in the company then led the internal consulting practice as the Director of Organizational Development.  This site maintains the videos, articles, templates, advice, and developmental activities used in that group mentoring program and is available for anyone to use. All opinions are my own. To get started, select a module: 1. Taking Control of Your Career 2.  Job Getting 3.  Get Noticed & Get Ahe...

Life coaching tip: the easiest way to manage stress is the hardest one to believe. Think of stress like the pressure in a soda can, and think of you as the container. When life shakes us up, it builds pressure. At some point, we reach the limit of our ability to contain that stress--and the bomb goes off. Here are 3 approaches for saving ourselves and those around us. Approach #1: Strengthen our capacity to contain our stress. If we get better at monitoring our behavior and choosing our words when we're under stress, it causes less damage. This is what most people refer to as self-control (which is technically inaccurate, but that's a different topic for another day). Let's call this the "output filter" method, since it emphasizes our ability to filter what comes OUT despite what's going on IN us. Approach #2: Manage what's going on IN us. In other words, if our stress level is at a 6 and rising, we learn how to recognize it before it causes damage ...

Life coaching tip: becoming more disciplined does not require what you think it does. Personal discipline is NOT sacrificing personal freedoms or forcing yourself to do something you don't want to do. That's basically a form of extortion, which demoralizes and drains energy. Discipline's true meaning is found in its root word-- disciple --which means follower. Discipline is the byproduct of deliberately choosing a path to follow. The prerequisite to discipline is always getting clear about the destination and why it is important to us. It requires slowing down long enough to decide where we most want to end up. This clarity gives direction and allows us to "see" each step as taking us closer to what we most want, or farther away. Then, the choice is easy--not forced. Energizing, not draining. Need more discipline in an area of your life? Try booking an appointment with yourself. Examine the path you're on and look ahead to where it will naturally take you--you...

When I was laid off in June 2010 I learned that being good at your job had little to do with being good at  getting  a job. It was my first experience as a job seeker, and up to then every job I had led to the next one. I guess I just assumed it would continue that way. Until it didn’t. I Thought I Had More Options I started my job search with what I “knew” (thought) worked best–networking! I let all my friends know I was looking for work and waited to see what would happen (hey, I told you it was my first time). Since that didn’t work I turned to the only other thing I knew to do: hit the job boards. If you’ve never used the job boards to find work when you’re out of work, let me sum it up: Endless  searching, endless applications, endless hoping and praying No  interviews, no phone calls, no feedback “Seriously, couldn’t they at least have the courtesy to give me a no?”  It felt like the world was giving me the silent treatment. “If I could just find the right...

A system to find and fulfill your life purpose faster.  DISCOVER | DEVELOP | DELIVER  No Regrets It’s absolutely fascinating to watch what happens when people figure out  why they were put on the planet . They have more energy than they’ve ever had. They operate with more confidence and clarity. They are more focused, more driven, and more effective—on and off the job. Boldness shoots out of them like never before and perhaps most apparent of all, they are really happy. They actually do those things you hear people near the end of their lives say they wish they’d done. They live life with no regrets, and they inspire us. The world needs more of these people. Wasted Time Most approaches to finding & fulfilling one’s life purpose seem well intentioned but rather unfocused—as in, “just keep trying until you get it”. It can work, but it seems to take a lot more time and effort than is necessary. In my research I’ve found several resources that had excellen...