Career direction

How to Be Happy at Work – Ask Yourself 3 Questions Every Two Years

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Are you happy at work? A 2019 study conducted by CNBC of 8600 professionals across multiple industries showed that 85% of American professionals are somewhat or very satisfied at work. Ironically the same study also shared “30% have seriously considered quitting their job in the last three months.”  ...  read more

How to Help Your Teenager Choose a Career – 7 Tips

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This is a guest post with heavy edits by Lei Han

Probably one of the most awkward and challenging phases in our lives was our teenage years. As adults, we probably remember how it was. We went through a lot of mental, physical and emotional changes and life during that period was often confusing and scary. Now that we are adults and have growing kids, it is important to understand how to help our teenagers think about what they want to do when they grow up. Discussions with your teenager will not only help them but will also forge a closer bond between the two of you.  ...  read more

Dare to be Happy – You Can Change Your Career at Any Age

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change your career at any age

85% of workers worldwide admit to hating their jobs when surveyed anonymously, according to a Gallup poll released in late 2017.  Yet, many of us tend to stay in our jobs and careers, thinking it’s too late to make a change.  I am here to tell you – it’s never too late!  Dare to be happy and bold.  You can change your career at any age.

Here to inspire us on this topic is our newest Executive Author – Stephanie Hellman.   Stephanie is an inspiring, authentic leader with 20+ years of experience working for Fortune 50 companies, including Wells Fargo, Citibank, and American Express.  In late 2017, she made a courageous decision to leave her corporate career to find fulfillment and a more meaningful way to contribute to this world.  Her stories are an inspiration to me and I think will be to us all.

I am pleased to share my first interview with Stephanie on

  • What is her definition of success and has it changed in the last 5 years?
  • What led her to this dramatic decision in her career?
  • What does she do for work now?
  • What advice does she have for others who are at crossroads of their career?

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    Great Way to Start 2018 – Summary of Insider Tips for Every Career Situation

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    stack the deck

    Whatever your career situation is today, I can help you “Stack the deck” in your favor.  Job search and work are never fair.   It will favor those who know how to play the game.  I am here to help you with insider tips on how to play the game to your advantage in any career situation.  If you are in any of the four situations below, I can point you to the insider tips I have gathered in the last 20 years, so you can work smart, get what you want in your career, and live more. ...  read more

    Want to Get a Mini-MBA in 8 Hours – Read this Book

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    best leadership book

    Happy New Year!  Welcome to 2018…  I hope you had a chance to spend time with family and friends.  During the holidays, I have been obsessed with this book.  I have been listening to it while running, driving, and before I go to bed.   It’s the only business book I have ever finished to the last page in the last 10 years.

    Whether you already has an MBA or want one, read this book.    I am not paid to endorse it.  I am simply inspired by what it shares.   “Start with Why” by Simon Sinek is filled with real life case studies and talks about

  • Leadership – how to inspire everyone to take action
  • Marketing – how to use the law of diffusion to build a $B company
  • Strategy – how certain companies like Apple, Southwest, Harley Davidson have been able to consistently innovate and beat their competition
  • Operations – How Continental was able to recover from bankruptcy with a new CEO and whole new way to operate
  • Career path – How we can navigate our own career based on understanding why – what really drives our passion and get us up in the morning

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    Are You on the Right Career Path? Ask Yourself These 4 Questions

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    right career path

    I just found out a close friend has cancer.  I was shocked by the news.  Although her cancer is highly treatable, it was a complete surprise.  She will need to go through 6 months of chemo and hell to recover.  I share this with you to help you step back from the daily grind and see the big picture.  Life is short and finite.

    • Are you on the right career path?
    • Are you doing what you are suppose to be doing?
    • If you were told you have cancer today, would you make different choices in your career and life?

    Our life is a gift.  Don’t wait until you have shocking news in your life to reexamine.  It’s never too early to reassess or take a different direction altogether.   Today, I want to help you answer these questions.

    Many of us work long hours, forgo time with family, friends, and skip vacations, so we can get ahead in our career.    But do we know why we do it?  The superficial answer is to make more money, or get promoted, or be recognized.   But I would argue none of that really help us feel fulfilled.

    Our career path must have a deeper meaning for it to be worth the effort and the time away from our families.   That meaning will also help ground us if we receive sad unexpected news like this from a friend or from a doctor about our own health.

    Here are 4 questions to help you examine your current career path and trajectory?

    Question 1: Does my job & career make a difference somehow?  I have shared the definition of success before.  It’s not about material status, and much more about our level of contribution to others.  Making a difference comes in all forms.   For example, it can be about

  • earning money so I can support my family and my kids’ education
  • making a positive impact to the customers my company serves (whether with a new product I launch or solving service issues painlessly)
  • coaching those on my team so they can learn from my experience and skills

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    Finding Your Career Path in a Company

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    Lei Han-square144

    One of the things I love most about writing this blog is being able to help professionals from all of the world with their career success questions.  I am honored to be able to help my readers directly.  Here is a question about how to find your career path I received that may be faced by many people out there.  I wanted to share the question and my response to help others.

    Reader Question:  … I’m an educated architect and MSRE and have excelled at most every career/educational goal I have endeavored to undertake.  However, I am perpetually stuck in “upper middle” management.  While my direct supervisor constantly commends me for my work and assures me that,”this will take me places”, the organization I currently work for doesn’t have org charts showing career progression, developing leader platforms, etc.  Furthermore, my direct doesn’t seem to know what the next step is.  What are your thoughts about contacting a regional manager within my current Line of Business directly given the parameters set forth above?

    Most sincerely,

    Peter 

    Peter, thanks for reaching out to me.  I am glad you like the blog.  In terms of your question and the context you provided, here are some thoughts.

  • Have a direct discussion with your boss – I assume you have explicitly discussed your desire to progress and directly asked your supervisor about your career path in the next 2 to 5 years in the company.  The reason I asked is often times we make assumptions based on indirect conversations.  These assumptions may not always be on point.   If you have not directly had a conversation, I would schedule a meeting first with your direct supervisor just to discuss your career path.  To learn more about how best to do this, see this article from my newsletter for tips  – How to Talk about Your Career Goals with Your Boss
  • Ask your boss who else to speak with about your career path – Assuming you have done #1, and he or she has said he doesn’t know.  Then I would consider expressing the desire to talk to someone higher up about your career path to your supervisor and ask for his advice on who to contact.  This way, it doesn’t seem like you are going over his head and he can help you connect with a more senior person for discussion.  Otherwise, if you go direct to a regional manager, that manager will very likely contact your boss and that could create an awkward political situation for you.
  • Get advice from a senior mentor in the company.  The other path is to informally talk to a senior person in the company for advice. You can only do this if you have a personal connection with that person.  If you do with this regional manager, then you can go direct and tell him you want to talk off the record.  It could also be someone not in your department so they can give you other idea.
  • Look for career progression elsewhere.   The last tip that I would pursue is talking with other companies that may better value your talent and promote you to the next level.  Sometimes the opportunity in a company is just limited no matter what you do and it’s time to move on.  Many people change jobs to progress in their career.  You can read another newsletter article on Know When to Change Jobs – Watch for six signs.  Changing jobs take work but it is worth it in the long run if you are stuck.

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