Invincible Career - Claim your power and regain your freedom

Thank you Chris Brown, BoldTimers, Dipti Patel, Richard DAmbrosio, and many others for tuning into my live video with Anna Codina - Stress Coach! Join me for my next live video in the app. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/subscribe

Thank you to everyone who tuned in to my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/subscribe

My guest for this episode is Tague Griffith. He is a seasoned engineer who has been building products and leading teams across a number of the tech industry’s best-known companies, including Google, Apple, Amazon, as well as some lesser-known startups. Most of his career has focused on new product development. He’s also dipped into research and advisory work, including helping develop Stanford’s wastewater pathogen monitoring project and consulting on 1 -> 2 growth for engineering teams. Tague and I worked together at Apple back when the company was struggling and kind of unpopular. At that time, we were the underdogs. Most of us didn’t join Apple for the money. We joined because we loved the company and its products, and felt that we were a bit different as well. He has strong opinions and some cool stories, so I know you’ll enjoy this episode! We talk about* What the tech industry and Silicon Valley were like in the early ‘90s * Tague’s career since Apple (Netscape, Google, Amazon, Flickr, etc.)* The project he is most proud of after decades of working in tech * The double-edged sword of technology’s evolution* Modern product development challenges* The current state of the industry* Cultural shifts in Silicon Valley* Why we should still have hope⬆️ Scroll up and hit play to listen to our whole conversation.Where to find more* Tague’s LinkedIn * His GitHub * His X I’m Larry Cornett, an executive coach who works with ambitious professionals to help them reclaim their power, become more invincible, and create better opportunities for their work and lives. Do more of the work you love and less of what you hate! If you’re interested in joining my free Invincible Career community, please complete this application form, and we’ll get back to you. Thanks! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/subscribe

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the pressure to have a distinguished career? * The sense that you should invest in yourself professionally, on top of trying to survive the chaos of these modern times. * The feeling of falling behind if you’re not climbing the career ladder quickly enough. * People being disappointed that you haven’t done more with your professional life. * Friends telling you that you are screwing up if you don’t go “all in.” * Your bank account and retirement account staring you in the face as you worry about the future. It wasn’t always like this. I remember a time long, long ago when I had jobs instead of a career. Work was just work. It was a means to an end, and I certainly didn’t find fulfillment in it. I worked to pay my rent and cover my bills. My enjoyment of life came after quitting time and on weekends. The jobs weren’t stressful. I had friends at work, and we would chat during breaks. I would also hang out with some of them after work, playing basketball, watching shows, going to parties, and going to bars. What is a career anyway? It’s the path your professional working life takes, as opposed to the progression of your personal life (for some reason). The definition of “career” is somewhat vague, but it has become closely tied to the concept of employment and a chosen profession. So, any deviation from your profession’s career progression and steady employment is now viewed as stalling or failing in your career. It’s kind of silly, really. Your working career can be any damn thing you decide to do with it. * You may stick with one profession or choose to explore multiple professions. * You may choose to remain employed by someone else or work for yourself. * You may or may not get paid for what you do. * Your work may have no purpose beyond receiving a paycheck, or it might be your life’s purpose (and even unpaid). I often discuss careers and climbing the ladder in your profession. But not everyone wants that, and that’s okay. Careers aren't predictable. They are rarely linear. They are often full of sidesteps, pauses, resets, and reinvention. Heck, your “career” may not even be the central focus of your life. It isn't where you find meaning and purpose. Sometimes a paycheck funds your real calling or passion that isn’t capable of supporting you. * Travel* Writing* Volunteering* Creating art* Making music* Exploring natureYour heart is in the thing that lights you up, not the job that pays your bills. I recall the moment I transitioned into a white-collar salaried job that put me on a career path. At first, it was exciting. Later, I realized it was all-consuming. Now I’m a coach with my own solopreneur practice. It’s somewhat ironic that I coach people to help them navigate their corporate careers when I no longer have a traditional one myself. The other things I’m very passionate about don't pay my bills. Writing, traveling, working out, hiking, skiing, and spending time with my children. So, guess I’ve come full circle, and that’s more than okay with me. I like the freedom and independence. I enjoy turning my work brain off at night and doing what I want in my personal life. So, I guess what I’m trying to say is that I hear you when you say you don’t want a career. But you still need to make a living and have the freedom and time to do the things that fulfill you. I can help with that, as well. ➡️ Want to chat with me about your plans? You can schedule a complimentary call.I’m Larry Cornett, an executive coach who works with ambitious professionals to help them reclaim their power, become more invincible, and create better opportunities for their work and lives. Do more of what you love and less of what you hate! 📕 Check out The Invincible Daily Journals! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/subscribe

Have you ever experienced a conversation like this with someone?* “I want wild adventure, but I must feel safe at all times.” * “I want to quit my job, but I can’t give up the nice lifestyle I enjoy.”* “I crave more freedom, but I dread losing security.”* “I hate working for someone else, but I’m too afraid to work for myself.”* “I want a better life, but I can’t change anything.” If it were easy to have it all, you would already have it. Right? Why would you deny yourself a dream life if it were easy to create? Why would you punish yourself unnecessarily? Why would you suffer? The reason you’re feeling stuck is that it is not easy! It’s damn hard to build a life that gives you what you want in balance with what you need. The hard pill to swallow is: Something has to give. You must give up something to gain something. I’ve learned that 99% of the time when people say, “I can’t!” what they really mean is “I won’t.” They could make the necessary changes if they really wanted to, but they don’t. The pain of remaining the same is slightly less than their fear of change and the unknown. When I left my corporate career behind in 2010, I spent the next five years trying to have it all. I wanted the freedom of escaping my old 9-to-5 job (more like 7 AM to Midnight). I wanted the stress relief of leaving behind toxic bosses. I wanted the joy of owning my time every day. I wanted the pleasure of reclaiming my health and rediscovering fitness. However, I also wanted to maintain my expensive home, fancy car, and luxurious lifestyle. I tried really hard for those years, but eventually, the harsh reality came crashing down: I just could not have it all. So, we discussed a new plan. We decided what we would have to give up to create the new life we desired. * We had to downsize our home. * We had to leave Silicon Valley. * We had to sell the luxury car. * We had to live more simply. * We had to make changes.I won’t tell you it was easy. That's kind of the point of this episode. It was hard, but it was worth it. Within a few years, we knew it was the right decision. What we had gained was worth far more than what we had “lost.” Maybe others are telling you that you can “have it all.” I’ve seen plenty of BS posts online about that. But let me be the honest person who will give it to you straight: Make some hard choices. Create a spreadsheet with two columns: A. Gain and B. Give up. Decide what you want most in your life and put those items in the Gain column. Choose what you are willing to leave behind and sacrifice so you can have what’s in the Gain column. Put the items you will give up in column B. Now, create a plan and a schedule to build a roadmap to give up more of column B to have more of column A. This process can take years, by the way. Go slow if you want, but don’t wait long. By the way, column B is a trap. It’s a noose that tightens more with every new thing you add to it. It’s a golden cage that you may never escape if you keep adding more bars. The longer your Column B list gets, the harder it will be to escape later. Column A is a delight. The longer you delay gaining the items on that list, the less time you will have to enjoy them. Sadly, most people wait until retirement to pursue that list. So, they don’t enjoy that lifestyle for as long as they could have. Even worse, some of those items have an expiration date. You will be too old to pursue them anymore, or the opportunity has passed. It’s too late. Want to make this process easier? Here are a few things that can help (I explain them in more detail in the podcast audio, so scroll up and hit play to listen):* Create wiggle room in your professional career. * Become a lifelong learner to avoid stagnation and avoid being left behind. * Develop flexible streams of income outside your primary job. * Build revenue models that aren’t locked into specific locations. * Do not increase the cost of your lifestyle as your income increases. * Aggressively manage your expenses to see if you can reduce them. * Continuously feed funds into your financial cushion for some breathing room. * Get outside your bubble to expand and diversify your network. * Open your mind to unexpected opportunities and new ways of living. * Invest in your physical, emotional, and mental health. * Calculate more realistic risk assessments of what you want to pursue. * Build backup plans for the worst-case scenarios. * Realize that intelligent and ambitious people can bounce back from failure. I recently met with Cory Vinny on my Invincible Life podcast. He shared how he prepared for a life of adventure, and what he had to sacrifice to pursue it. Listen and note the tradeoffs they had to make so they could spend the next year sailing around the world. What do you have in your Gain column? What do you want more of in your life? What is in your Give Up column? What are you willing to sacrifice to acquire more of the things you want to gain?I’d love to hear about it, so leave a comment below!I’m Larry Cornett, an executive coach who works with ambitious professionals to help them reclaim their power, become more invincible, and create better opportunities for their work and lives. Do more of what you love and less of what you hate! 📕 Check out The Invincible Daily Journals!➡️ Want to chat with me about planning tradeoffs in your career and life? You can schedule a complimentary call. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/subscribe

Are you in your late 40s or beyond?If so, you have decades of valuable experience, a powerful network, and a laundry list of success metrics. But lately, you may be feeling stuck in your career. * You’re no longer moving up. * You’re watching your younger colleagues get promoted. * Recruiters ghost you more often now. * Job interviews stall out even when you think you interviewed well. You’re too experienced for entry-level or mid-level roles. And when you aim for more senior leadership or executive roles, you discover they want someone with 25 years of experience who’s only 35 years old. Heaven help you if you get laid off now. It’s not a pretty job market for anyone, especially an older worker. “People laid off at higher ages are less likely to move into a new field than those who quit, said Kevin Cahill, an economist at FTI Consulting. “Ageism and higher compensation expectations can be obstacles to re-employment, he said.” (source)* It takes nearly 26 weeks, on average, for people ages 55 to 64 to find a job, compared with 19 weeks for people ages 25 to 34, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.* Older career workers who find new jobs take an 11% pay cut, on average, according to a forthcoming study Cahill co-wrote.So, why not take an early retirement? Well, I bet you’re not there yet. Financially, emotionally, or physically. The sad truth is that people who retire sooner die earlier. Believe me, you’re not alone in feeling this way and facing this issue. This “messy middle” of our professional careers is real, and it’s brutal.But it’s also where your next move can be your most powerful. I know it doesn’t feel like it right now, but reinventing yourself can lead to living the best years of your life. I’m living proof, and there are lots of us who have done it. It’s been over 15 years since I fled my old corporate career to pivot into something new. I built my own businesses, started working out every day, and reinvested in my most important relationships. My sense of loss and depression shifted into joy and fulfillment. I've never been happier! The Messy Middle You’re not imagining things, and it’s not just you. The job market has shifted under your feet while the economy has been struggling, and political chaos ensues. * Good roles are becoming rarer, and expectations are higher.* Companies are cutting layers of middle and senior management.* They are also eliminating entry-level roles and leaning on fewer employees augmented with AI. * Ageism is real (especially in tech and startups), but hard to prove. * AI is quietly replacing parts of your job.* Younger, cheaper hires are more appealing than the cost of more experienced employees.You didn’t do anything wrong. But the system isn’t built for you anymore.“The tide has definitely turned against tech workers,” said Catherine Bracy, the founder and chief executive of TechEquity, a nonprofit that pushes for economic inclusion in the industry. “Companies have even more leverage to use against workers, and A.I. is supercharging that.” (source)Traditional Career Advice Fails You “Just update your LinkedIn and polish your resume! Start easy applying to hundreds of jobs every week.”Yeah… no. When you’ve had a long, complex career, playing the “cold-apply resume” game is a sure-fire way to lose. The hiring process is automated and biased. Most online applications are dead ends, and older workers are screwed. You need a new strategy for this new game.Your leverage is different nowAt this stage of your career, you have leverage that younger people don’t. Stop being shy about using your advantages!* Relationships: The network you’ve built for decades is more powerful than you think.* Reputation: People know your name. They’ve seen your work. They already trust you.* Experience: You’ve led, built, scaled, failed, recovered, and learned. Your insights are rare and valuable.Three paths out of the messy middle1. Reposition and rebrand2. Redesign your role3. Find more purposeI go into more detail in the podcast audio, so scroll up, hit play, and listen. Real stories of reinvention * David Jesse - Executive Product Leader, advisor, coach, and founder of Crescendo Product Group * Ha Nguyen - Founder and Managing Partner at NextStep Advisors * Maureen Wiley Clough - Host of It Gets Late Early, a podcast and community of tech employees bringing awareness to ageismNone of them waited for someone to “give them a shot.” They stopped playing the game that was rigged against them. They created their next opportunity.You can too.What to do this monthHere’s your 3-step personal challenge:* Rewrite one part of the “Story of You”What’s the outdated identity or job title you’re clinging to? Rewrite your LinkedIn headline and About section to reflect who you are now and who you want to become. * Reignite one dormant relationshipSomeone in your network already knows your value. Reach out, reconnect, and have a real conversation. I created a free CRM to help with this. * Map out your next move If you weren’t looking for a job, what kind of business might you build? What problem could you solve? How could you repackage your skills as an offer to a client? Let’s define your “Next Act” togetherDoes all of this feel familiar? Did this article hit a nerve? Good! That means you’re ready.You don’t have to figure this out alone. I work with experienced professionals like you every day to help you:* Clarify what you really want next in your life * Reposition your talent, knowledge, skills, and experience* Build new opportunities, but on your terms this time Book a free call with me! Let’s talk about what’s possible next.I’m Larry Cornett, an executive coach who works with ambitious professionals to help them reclaim their power, become more invincible, and create better opportunities for their work and lives. Do more of what you love and less of what you hate!📕 Check out The Invincible Daily Journals! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/subscribe

My guest for this episode is Bob Baxley, design advisor, mentor, author, and speaker. He is one of the most familiar design leaders in Silicon Valley, having worked on products you probably use every day. Bob and I worked at some of the same companies (e.g., Apple, Yahoo), but only crossed paths once at one of my favorite coffee shops in Mountain View, CA. He has strong opinions about design, leadership, creating great products, and crafting a lasting career, so I know you’ll enjoy this episode! About BobBob Baxley is a designer, executive, and advisor who has built and led UX teams at some of Silicon Valley’s most respected companies, including Apple, Pinterest, Yahoo!, and most recently, Thoughtspot. During a career spanning over three decades, Bob has played a pivotal role in the design of the Apple Online Store, Yahoo! Answers, the Apple Store App, Buyable Pins, and ClarisWorks—products that have been used by hundreds of millions of people around the world. Committed to recruiting and inspiring the next generation of designers, Bob also mentors individuals and advises organizations that are working to improve the practice, craft, and culture of digital product design.We talk about* His background in tech, starting with Claris* The tough decision of moving from Yahoo to Apple in 2006* The opportunity to work with a historic figure, Steve Jobs* The wild rise of tech companies in San Francisco, CA* How he looked for opportunities in his career to “witness history”* The concept of getting on the bus with the right people* Making decisions at branches in your career* How a tech career can be much like playing poker * What you can control is placing yourself in interesting environments with the right people* Thinking of time with an employer like a “presidential term” and time-boxing your plan for impact* Why four years feels like the sweet spot for staying in one role* Patterns he’s observed in people who succeed vs. those who do not on his teams* How he structures job interviews and what he looks for (especially for designers)* Design education, training, mindset, and careers* How our modern transactional environment might impact design and design roles * Design may become more powerful and influential, but with fewer people* The impact of AI on professions and entry-level jobs* How to stay relevant in the industryScroll up and hit play to listen to our full conversation.Where to find more* Bob’s LinkedIn* His personal websiteI’m Larry Cornett, an executive coach who works with ambitious professionals to help them reclaim their power, become more invincible, and create better opportunities for their work and lives. Do more of the work you love and less of what you hate! 📕 Check out the Summer version of my Invincible Daily Journal! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/subscribe

My guest for this episode is Ha Nguyen, Founder and Managing Partner at NextStep Advisors. Her company helps early-stage founders become master company builders, operators, and people leaders. They help founders with strategy and planning, operational excellence, and executive coaching. They also provide fractional consulting and advisory services. About HaHa Nguyen has 22 years of deep expertise in building and scaling startups, as well as venture investing. She was most recently the Chief Experiences Officer at Swimply and a Founding Partner of Spero Ventures. She also has 16 years of product leadership experience, having started her early career as a product manager at eBay, where we first met many years ago. We talk about* Her impressive background* How she defines fractional leadership * Why she bet on herself to create her current business* How and where she finds new clients* How she is leveraging AI, personally and professionally * The concept of building portfolio careers* What work-life balance really means for consultants * Why hard work feels different when you choose the work you do* How people should think about their careers for the next 10 years * The massive disruption of AI in the industry Scroll up and hit play to listen to our full conversation.Where to find more* NextStep Advisors* Ha’s LinkedIn* Her personal websiteI’m Larry Cornett, an executive coach who works with ambitious professionals to help them reclaim their power, become invincible, and create new opportunities for their work and lives. Do more of what you love and less of what you hate!📕 Check out the Spring version of my Invincible Daily Journal! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/subscribe

🎟️ Get your ticket for our live Job Interview course launching at the end of May. Two ex-tech leaders teach the insider secrets to getting hired, promoted, and staying off the layoff list. The price goes up in 4 days! Tim Yeo joins me for this special episode so we can share more details about our upcoming live cohort course, Too Valuable to Lose. We discuss our backgrounds as leaders in the tech industry and career coaches for the past several years, and how this inspired us to create the course. * We’ve seen that the quiet, good people are often overlooked for raises and promotions. * Humble people and introverts frequently struggle with selling themselves during job interviews. * And talented people sometimes get put on a layoff list because their bosses aren’t fully aware of their value and everything they do for the company. Well, Tim and I want to change that! Scroll up, hit play, and listen to us discuss the course in more detail. Learn to become so valuable that your employer keeps you happy (e.g., receive raises and promotions, stay off the layoff list), and potential new employers can't stand the thought of losing you (i.e., they make you job offers quickly).What you'll get from the course:* Practical and doable steps you can take the very next day* Access to two live sessions with the instructors and other attendees on May 31st and June 7th* Homework exercises to help you put our advice into action between sessions* Downloadable templates to help you showcase your accomplishments and talents* Scripts you can use during your job interviews and conversations with your manager* Techniques for using AI to help you with preparation and practice* Q&A feedback from the instructors to help you fine-tune your strategies and materials* Lifetime access to our private community for the advice, feedback, and support you needWhat you'll learn:* Get better at selling yourself for the jobs you really want* Learn how to ask for a raise or promotion the right way* Consistently demonstrate your value so your manager can't imagine losing you* Become so valuable that your employer fights to make you happy, retain you, and keep you off the layoff list⬆️ Scroll up, hit play, and 🎧 listen to this episode to learn more about the course, what you will get if you join us, and who we are. Where to find out more* The Too Valuable to Lose course * Read more about our backgrounds and see our testimonials * The video version of this podcast episodeI’m Larry Cornett, a Freedom Coach who works with ambitious professionals to help them reclaim their power, become invincible, and create new opportunities for their work and lives. Do more of what you love and less of what you hate!Tim Yeo has been an introvert for 40 years! He is a design leader, speaker, empathetic storyteller, facilitator from problem to solution, open collaborator, builder of design teams. He spent 18 years in UX & Design. He's now the chief introvert at The Quiet Achiever (TQA). This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/subscribe

🎟️ Get your ticket for our live Job Interview course launching at the end of May. Two ex-tech leaders teach the insider secrets to getting hired, promoted, and staying off the layoff list. The price goes up again in 5 days! My guest for this episode is Steven Puri, the Founder and CEO of The Sukha Company. His mission is to help millions of people find their focus, achieve more, and have a healthy work life. About StevenSteven's career started as a newscaster/interviewer for the #1 youth news show in the DC/Baltimore market (on WTTG-TV) and then as a junior software engineer and Thomas J. Watson Scholar at IBM. After attending USC in Los Angeles, he began working in film production and produced computer-generated visual effects for 14 movies, including Independence Day, which won the Academy Award for Visual Effects.Steven’s first tech company was Centropolis Effects, which produced those CGI effects. When he was 28, he eventually sold it to the German media conglomerate, Das Werk. Steven then produced some indie films and eventually went studio-side to develop and produce live-action features as a VP of Development & Production at 20th Century Fox (running the Die Hard and Wolverine franchises) and an EVP at DreamWorks Pictures for Kurtzman-Orci Productions, where he worked on Star Trek, Transformers, and more.After Fox, Steven returned to building tech companies and founded The Sukha Company. In Sanskrit, “Sukha” means “happiness from self-fulfillment.” The Sukha is a focus app that bundles all the tools necessary for a focused experience and a healthy, productive workday.We talk about* Steven’s unique background that blended tech and creativity (e.g., his time in Hollywood)* How good timing and lucky breaks can guide your career path * The good and the bad of our new remote working world* The needs we all have for getting into flow state, doing focused work, being more productive, and connecting with other people* How the Sukha app helps us all with those needsScroll up and hit play to listen to our full conversation.Where to find more* The Sukha Company* Steven’s LinkedInI’m Larry Cornett, a Freedom Coach who works with ambitious professionals to help them reclaim their power, become invincible, and create new opportunities for their work and lives. Do more of what you love and less of what you hate!📕 Check out the Spring version of my Invincible Daily Journal! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/subscribe

“Nothing is working. I can’t find a job!”I was talking with an acquaintance about their job search strategy recently. They complained that nothing they had tried was working. They had written and shared articles on social media, but the engagement wasn’t very good. They had searched for jobs but couldn’t find what they were seeking. * I asked how many articles they had written. * They said, “Two.” * I then asked how long they had been searching for relevant job listings. * They said, “A week.”Okay, folks. I’m sorry, but sometimes, more effort and patience are required! We seem to have turned into an instant gratification nation. Ubiquitous internet access, fast smartphones, thousands of online services, and the rise of AI have made us all expect instant answers and results. But it doesn't work that way. Your easy access is everyone’s easy access. Everyone is posting, sharing, commenting, and competing for attention. I’ve published over 1,000 posts/articles over the past eight years. I started writing on Medium in 2017 and launched my Substack newsletter in 2019. I slowly built a decent number of readers on both platforms, but only in the last three months did my subscriber numbers really grow! I have a lot of failings, but I do have some personality traits that help me. I’m very persistent and patient. I will keep grinding away at something for years and years. * I’ve been working out almost every day for the past 16 years, and it took at least 4 years of lifting weights 5 days/week before I started seeing decent results. * I’ve been building and running my businesses since 2010 (never returned to a job). * I’ve been writing something every single day for years and years and years. I’m stubborn, if nothing else. Perhaps there have been times I should have given up. I know there are times other people definitely would have given up because I’ve watched them do exactly that. When to be patientSometimes, you just need to be patient. Stop expecting instant success! * Networking takes time.* Building an engaged audience takes time. * Looking for a new job in a terrible market in a struggling economy takes time. If you’ve invested many years in your current career, you may need to be more patient. It can often take approximately one month for every year of experience to find a new job (e.g., a full year if you have 12 years of experience). Also, you may need to be patient if you have many commitments and change would disrupt them. For example, your family might depend on your income, and you don’t want to take your kids out of their local schools, so you can’t just quit your job or jump at a new opportunity that would require a move. If you have a job you don’t love but the job market is terrible, you may need to be patient and ride it out. But you should still be looking around. Treat it as a validation exercise. * Are you being paid what you should be?* Are you at the level you should be?* Are you being given the opportunities you could be?* Is your manager more supportive and mentoring than what’s available elsewhere? I guess my early career years are an example of being patient. I worked for almost 10 years before I got my big break and started landing promotions that moved me up the leadership ladder. When to pivotIf you feel you’re spinning your wheels, not getting any real traction, or running out of time, you may need to pivot and change strategies. At some point, more patience won’t help. Also, if you have already been impacted by a layoff or business failure, you may need to make a change to survive. The degree of change depends on your situation, how long you’ve been trying other options, and your desired outcome. How much you pivot your career depends on what’s possible and what’s necessary. * Small pivot - Find a new job with an employer in the same industry and vertical (this is what most people do). * Medium pivot - Find a job with an employer in the same industry but in a different vertical (e.g., ecommerce instead of gaming).* Large pivot - Find a job with an employer in a completely different industry (e.g., transportation instead of tech) or geography (e.g., a different country).* Massive pivot - Change professions entirely using your transferrable talents and skills (e.g., a good manager is a good manager in any business). Or build your own business! The size of your pivot depends on what you do for a living, how deeply your job or business has been impacted, and how serious you are about doing whatever it takes to survive and thrive in this economic downturn.➡️ I go into more detail about these pivots in the podcast audio. So, scroll up, hit play, and listen. 🎧Small pivotA smaller pivot is what most people do when seeking a new job. They stay in the same profession and find a new employer in the same industry and vertical. An example would be a small change from being a designer at Amazon to taking a design job with eBay. Medium pivotA medium pivot is also fairly common when changing jobs. Someone stays in the same profession and industry but moves to a new vertical. An example would be staying in consumer technology but moving from the vertical of ecommerce to web search. Large pivotIf you’re out of work and the job market is terrible, you may need to make a larger pivot if you’ve been struggling to find a job and time is running out. You could land a new job with an employer in a completely different industry (e.g., transportation instead of tech) or geography (e.g., the EU instead of the U.S.).An example would be leaving the core tech industry to take a job applying your profession to the transportation industry (e.g., a UX designer taking a design job with a logistics company). I’ve also worked with clients who were frustrated by the U.S. job market and moved to Europe to take roles with companies based there. Massive pivotIf you're reaching a financial breaking point, a massive pivot may be required to get back on your feet. Time has run out, and you need a drastic career change to survive and thrive. You may need to change professions entirely or deconstruct your job and reconstruct your knowledge, skills, and experience for an entirely new industry.I did this over nine years ago. I left my profession (i.e., Product & Design leader) and industry (i.e., Silicon Valley Tech) to create a business to do something completely different. I became a leadership coach and career advisor.I took parts of my past job (e.g., mentoring my team, performance coaching, hiring talent) and different components of my skills and experience to create a new beginning. I did this because I wanted the freedom that a solopreneur business could give me (e.g., living where I wanted to live, working remotely).I know the thought of changing professions is overwhelming. But, making a pivot this massive could enable you to overcome this economic uncertainty. It is possible, and other people have successfully made a significant career change like this. I’ve interviewed a few for this podcast (e.g., Isabel Sterne, Emily Schneider, Maureen Wiley Clough).I did it. You can, too, if that is what it takes to survive. I’m here to support you if you want to discuss it. 📖 Get your free chapter from the book I’ve been writing for the last few years, Becoming Invincible in Life: A Guide to Reclaiming Your Power, Freedom, and Future. I’m in the editing phase right now, so I’ll hopefully be able to publish it later this year! I’m Larry Cornett, a Freedom Coach who works with ambitious professionals to help them reclaim their power, become invincible, and create new opportunities for their work and lives. Do more of what you love and less of what you hate!📕 Check out the Spring version of my Invincible Daily Journal! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/subscribe

The Job Market Is FrozenThat was the recent headline of an Atlantic article. It reflects the baffling frustration many job seekers are feeling right now. “Six months. Five-hundred-seventy-six applications. Twenty-nine responses. Four interviews. And still, no job.”Already in 2025, we are seeing a flurry of firings and layoffs happening across the corporate world and now in the U.S. federal government, too. This means that an estimated 200K displaced workers will enter the job market and compete for scarce jobs. How scarce? Well, the pace of hiring has slowed to levels last seen shortly after the Great Recession. Also, voluntary quitting to find a new job has fallen to its lowest level in a decade. People are worried, so they’re staying put (if they can). Employers are concerned about the economy, so they aren’t hiring. The job market is frozen. And now, with the recent tariffs, the stock market tanked, consumer confidence is falling as threats of inflation rise, and some are whispering the word “recession.” All of this is influencing my outlook for job searchers. * The layoffs and firings will continue in the U.S. this year. * More job seekers will enter the market to compete with you. * Fewer jobs will be available in the U.S. because companies are freezing hiring. * Even if you do land a U.S. job, you may get laid off soon after. * The political and economic turmoil will continue to damage our economy. My recommendationIf you need a new job and can work remotely (or with some travel), I highly encourage you to seek employment with a company based outside the U.S. A few people misunderstood my recommendation when I suggested this recently in a Substack note. They assumed that employment with a non-U.S. company would always require moving to a new country. Yes, that could be a requirement, and some people don’t mind it at all (e.g., a few of my clients and friends have relocated to other countries over the past few years). However, I also have clients and colleagues who work for international companies and still live in the U.S. Let me give you a few examples: * Atlassian has its global HQ in Sydney, Australia. But, several friends of mine worked for them in their San Francisco office. * IKEA was founded in Sweden and is incorporated and headquartered in the Netherlands. They’re always hiring in their U.S. locations. * Rakuten is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, but it also has offices in San Mateo and San Francisco, California. * 1Password is based in Toronto, Canada, but they hire for remote positions, too (U.S. or Canada). * Located in Virginia Beach, VA, STIHL Inc. is the U.S. affiliate of the global STIHL Group, founded in Germany. * Finally, here are some top German companies doing business in the U.S. You can search for similar companies from any country you find interesting. Why international?Why do I recommend these companies headquartered outside of the U.S.? * They have diversified global teams that aren’t trapped in our local political turmoil. * They have global revenue sources that aren’t tied 100% to the U.S. economy. * They are not under the complete control of the U.S. federal government, and we’ve seen what happens when American companies bend the knee. * International companies are seeking and appreciate U.S. talent. The number of American workers hired by international companies grew 62% in 2023. My hope is these companies will be more willing to hire new employees than U.S. companies seem to be right now. Also, working for an international company opens up opportunities that could be interesting for you later. For example, a friend worked for an international company in one of their U.S. locations for many years. Then, they asked to be relocated to one of their offices in another country. Now, they live there permanently and have never been happier. Here are some resources to help you find a job with an international company. * 15 Best International Companies Hiring U.S. Remote Workers* U.S. workers are getting scooped up by international companies hiring remote roles* 30 International Companies Hiring* InternationalJobs.com* RemoteJob.io (look for non-U.S. employers)* We Work RemotelyOf course, your income taxes get a little more complicated when you have income from non-U.S. sources. So, check out this overview of U.S. taxes on foreign income for individuals. I also recommend talking with your accountant to ensure you appropriately handle reporting and tax payments. Working for an international company set up to hire in the U.S. (e.g., it has an incorporated presence here) means they should be handling reporting for you, but it’s wise to verify. Additional complexity is never fun. But being out of work for a long time is even worse. So, if you are struggling to land a new job with a U.S. company in this crazy job market, consider opportunities beyond our borders. 📖 Get your free chapter from the book I’ve been writing for the last few years, Becoming Invincible in Life: A Guide to Reclaiming Your Power, Freedom, and Future. I’m in the editing phase right now, so I’ll hopefully be able to publish it later this year! I’m Larry Cornett, a Freedom Coach who works with ambitious professionals to help them reclaim their power, become invincible, and create new opportunities for their work and lives. Do more of what you love and less of what you hate!📕 Check out my new The Invincible Daily Journals! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/subscribe

We may feel powerless at times like these, but we are not. Over 70M people in the U.S. didn’t want the outcome we are dealing with now. Millions more are now regretting choices made that enabled what is happening.However, if we unite, we become powerful. The coordinated focus of our time, energy, and money would have a massive impact on those who think we have no voice. We are familiar with the idea of voting with our dollars. We change our spending habits to favor one business over another, to show that we reject a corporation’s policies, and to influence a company’s actions. It happens all the time. But we also live in an online world that isn’t about the money we spend with a company. Instead, it’s about the time and attention we give to their platforms, services, and apps. We are the product. Our data, behavior, and clicks are harvested to feed their advertising platforms. We don’t pay Meta to use Facebook, for example. But that corporation sure makes a significant profit from our time spent in the app. So, we can vote with our time and attention, too, not just our dollars. By deactivating or deleting our accounts, we can starve specific platforms (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X). We can also feed other platforms that represent the values we believe in (e.g., Bluesky). Money talks. When a company loses enough advertising revenue, they take notice. They may decide to change their policies and actions before it’s too late, and they lose everything. We have the power to make that happen if we are willing to redistribute our time and attention. We can decide how we spend our money, time, and attention. We get to choose the companies that we feel are aligned with our values. But there is another way to live your values and influence policy that we don’t talk about as often: Where you work.You can also “vote” with your blood, sweat, and tears. Our jobs are where we spend a significant portion of our adult lives. Of course, we need to work to live. We must cover our bills, buy groceries, and pay for housing. But work is already hard enough without being completely miserable while we are doing it. And working for an employer that doesn’t align with your values adds another layer of pain to the misery. Being selective about choosing an employer is undoubtedly a privilege that not everyone can enjoy. If you live in a small community with few employers and no options for remote work, you are stuck with few choices. I grew up in a tiny farm town like that. The online world hadn’t been created yet, and few local employers existed. You took any job you could find. However, those who do have more options for their career paths can use this opportunity to research, plan, and select employment that:* Aligns with their values.* Supports their belief system. * Positions them for the future. * Gives them flexibility and resilience. This podcast episode discusses these points in more detail, so scroll up, hit play, and listen. In summary, you have more power than you think to help change this world and right wrongs. * You can vote with your dollars to help influence policy. * You can vote with your time and attention to make change happen. * You can vote with your blood, sweat, and tears to reward the right kind of employers with the precious remaining time in your career. You deserve a career and a job that makes you feel good about waking up on Monday mornings!📖 Get your free chapter from the book I’ve been writing for the last few years, Becoming Invincible in Life: A Guide to Reclaiming Your Power, Freedom, and Future. I’m in the editing phase right now, so I’ll hopefully be able to publish it later this year! I’m Larry Cornett, a Freedom Coach who works with you to optimize your career, business, and life. My mission is to help you take complete control of your work and life so you can become a more “Invincible You.” My wife and I live in Northern California near Lake Tahoe. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/subscribe

My guest for this episode is Sarah JanTausch, the Founder of SRJ Coaching and Consulting and creator of the Values-Based Career method. This method helps individuals unlock the hidden job market and ditch burnout while creating a career move rooted in their core values, ideal work style, and goals.Before starting her own business, she worked in politics and government, serving Ohio’s Governor and lieutenant governor. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ohio Wesleyan University and a Master of Science in Management and Leadership from Western Governors University.About Sarah“I’m a speaker, trainer, and coach who works with individuals to create values-based careers. I also partner with organizations serving both students and job-seekers for the job market of the future. My specialties include career-pivots and generosity-based networking that makes creating genuine connections and growing your network feel almost completely effortless.Previously, I crafted my dream career working in politics and government. While serving Ohio’s Governor and Lt. Governor in various leadership roles and advocating for effective public policy, I ran multimillion dollar programs and I led a team while overseeing statewide outreach. I earned my Bachelor of Arts from Ohio Wesleyan University where I majored in Politics & Government. As a mid-career professional, I went back to school to earn my Master of Science in Management and Leadership at Western Governors University. I am a member of the National and Ohio Career Development Associations (OCDA) and I currently chair the OCDA’s government relations committee.Our total vocational impact includes more than just our day-to-day work. I love exploring and helping my clients define the impact they want to make on the world. For me, this includes a variety of volunteer roles I’ve held in my community, from volunteer board positions to spending approximately 15 years on political campaign work. I’ve worked on key issues including healthcare, substance abuse, education, and recreation. When I’m not working or volunteering, you can find me hanging out with my husband and our two cats Peanut Butter and Blaze or hitting up a local coffee house.”We talk about* How and why she pivoted her career even though she thought she had landed her dream job.* The surprising connection between a childhood passion and her solopreneur business.* A common mistake that many job seekers make.* How she works with her career coaching clients to uncover their values and find a job that is aligned with them.Scroll up and hit play to listen to our full conversation.Where to find Sarah* Her website* LinkedIn30 for $20! ☎️Schedule a call and get 30 minutes of coaching for just $20 on any career topic you want to cover. Save $177 off the regular price! Note: This offer is only available for new clients who haven’t worked with me before.I’m Larry Cornett, a Freedom Coach who works with you to optimize your career, business, and life. My mission is to help you take complete control of your work and life so you can become a more “Invincible You.” I live in Northern California near Lake Tahoe with my wife and our Great Dane. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/subscribe

My guest for this episode is Isabel Sterne, a writer, designer, and brand strategist who helps entrepreneurs and professionals build aligned brands. She offers LinkedIn visual design, content writing, marketing clarity calls, and monthly and project-based marketing and branding support.I always talk about treating your career like a business that sells a product called “you.” As such, you should invest in your professional brand and leverage LinkedIn to attract new opportunities. Before starting her own business, she worked for 12+ years in marketing and communications for global brands like Condé Nast and Effie Awards. She also has a B.Sc. in Communication from Cornell University.When I encountered Isabel on LinkedIn, I first noticed how funny her posts are. Then, I noticed how much engagement she was getting on those posts. She’s humble about this, but I like to say that she’s conquered LinkedIn. If you’re not following her there, you should be!About Isabel​Isabel Sterne helps founders and solopreneurs develop their reputations and attract more opportunities on LinkedIn and beyond. She provides design, ghostwriting, and strategy support for those looking to level up their LinkedIn presence and be seen as the experts they are.Late identified as neurodivergent, she's also passionate about neurodiversity advocacy and raising awareness about the challenges and advantages of thinking differently.We talk about* How she became more active on LinkedIn after being burned out by layoffs.* Why she decided to start her consulting practice doing what she had always been doing for her employers (e.g., creating marketing content).* How she would have told her younger self to put herself out there more.* What she does to be so successful on LinkedIn by being more human and authentic.* The role of AI in content creation and mistakes people make with it.* How she helps her clients get more out of LinkedIn and social media.* The challenges of being neurodivergent in the workplace.Scroll up and hit play to listen to our full conversation.Where to find Isabel* LinkedIn* Substack* Her website30 for $20! ☎️Schedule a call and get 30 minutes of coaching for just $20 on any career topic you want to cover. Save $177 off the regular price! Note: This offer is only available for new clients who haven’t worked with me before.I’m Larry Cornett, a Freedom Coach who works with you to optimize your career, business, and life. My mission is to help you take complete control of your work and life so you can become a more “Invincible You.” I live in Northern California near Lake Tahoe with my wife and our Great Dane. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/subscribe

My guest for this episode is Emily Schneider, a visual storyteller specializing in presentation design. She helps businesses and corporate leaders confidently transform their messages into beautiful, effective presentations that genuinely resonate with their intended audiences.If you give talks and presentations, her advice is invaluable. Becoming comfortable with public speaking is one of the best investments I have made in my career. I was also lucky enough to receive advanced media training and present a lot during my last few years as a corporate executive. Learning how to tell a compelling story through your words and slides is essential if you want to persuade and inspire others. About Emily“​My passion for simplifying complex content has become a bit of a magical knack — blending storytelling with a keen design eye. I'm not just a designer; I'm a strategic collaborator, dedicated to helping businesses confidently transform their messages into beautiful, effective presentations that truly resonate with their intended audiences.​What started with pink pixelated swirls and a questionable font choice as the invitation for my sweet sixteen luncheon has morphed into a creative business venture. My nearly two decades spent in the marketing and branding space, combined with my passion to help simplify information for clients in a vibrant and compelling way, make me a perfect partner for your presentation needs.”We talk about* Her background as an art director, creative director, and director of brand strategy and marketing.* Why she decided to start her consulting practice.* How she helps companies with presentation design and storytelling consulting.* What people struggle with the most with presentations.* Where she focuses her business.* How she finds new clients.Scroll up and hit play to listen to our full conversation.Where to find Emily* Her consulting website* Emily’s LinkedInDuring our conversation, I mentioned the book Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery (Voices That Matter) (my Amazon affiliate link). Check it out!30 for $20! ☎️Schedule a call and get 30 minutes of coaching for just $20 on any career topic you want to cover. Save $177 off the regular price! Note: This offer is only available for new clients who haven’t worked with me before.I’m Larry Cornett, a Freedom Coach who works with you to optimize your career, business, and life. My mission is to help you become a more "Invincible You" so you can live your life on your terms instead of being controlled by someone else's rules. I live in Northern California near Lake Tahoe with my wife and our Great Dane. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/subscribe

My guest for this episode is Maureen Wiley Clough. Maureen is the host of It Gets Late Early, a podcast and community of tech employees bringing awareness to the issues facing experienced workers and striving to create a better working world for all. I’ve talked about the issue of ageism in the tech industry before. I faced it myself a few times, and I witnessed discriminatory behavior during my decades-long career (e.g., during job interviews). I wrote a post on LinkedIn about embracing aging, which is how I met Maureen and got invited to her podcast. So, now she has returned the favor and joined me for this episode to talk about her mission to shine a light on ageism and find a better way to move forward in the working world as we all grow older. About MaureenMaureen built a successful career in tech. But as she looked around the Zoom room at her last early-stage startup, she was struck by the fact that the number of people over 40 were slim to none. When she realized she had observed a similar demographic makeup in her past roles at more mature organizations, she began to wonder about her ability to chart her own course in this sector for as long as she wanted - or needed - to be employed. She also recognized that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs had not focused on the issue of age, the one “ism” coming for all of us (and that’s if we’re lucky). So, she set out to start conversations with her peers and conduct research to understand reality and build towards a better, more inclusive future for all - no matter what your age.We talk about* When Maureen first encountered ageism in her career* Why she started her podcast “It Gets Late Early”* How ageism will affect all of us (if you’re lucky to live long enough)* How age discrimination negatively impacts corporations* The unexpected ways ageism creeps into recruiting, hiring, and promotion practices* Why return-to-office hurts parents and older workers* What you can do to be better prepared as you advance in your career* How Maureen can help companies improve their recruiting practices, hiring policies, organizational policies, and more to help find and nurture great talent, regardless of ageScroll up and hit play to listen to our full conversation.Where to find Maureen * It Gets Late Early (website, podcast episodes, and newsletter)* LinkedIn * Instagram* Threads I’m Larry Cornett, a Freedom Coach who works with you to optimize your career, business, and life. My mission is to help you become a more "Invincible You" so you can live your life on your terms instead of being controlled by someone else's rules. I live in Northern California near Lake Tahoe with my wife and our Great Dane. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/subscribe

Do you have an enemy at work?Okay, maybe that’s too strong of a word. 😂 How about people who make your life harder than it needs to be, react to everything you do with some negativity, and generally make you wish they weren’t in your life? I often talk about using a pull to draw you toward better opportunities in your career. * Growth opportunities* Professional challenges* New jobs that offer a promotion or significant raise* A chance to work on something exciting* An opportunity to work with talented people* A role that will teach you something newHowever, sometimes a push is helpful or even necessary. For example, when you: * Are too comfortable with a job and no longer growing or learning* Get stuck in a rut but don’t know how to get out of it* Are fearful of taking a risk and embracing change that will take you to the next level* Have lost confidence in yourself and are settling for less* Need someone to speak an uncomfortable truth you’ve been avoidingIn this podcast episode, I explore the concept of having a yin-yang of positive and negative people in your personal and professional life. I’ll share a few times when I needed a hard push to get back on track, which made me accept and appreciate the role haters have played in my life. Want to get some advice from me, but you’re nervous about spending money on a full coaching package? Well, you’re in luck! Check out my Introductory Coaching Call → 30 minutes for just $20! Note: This service is only available for a onetime initial call. Check it out!I’m Larry Cornett, a Freedom Coach who works with you to optimize your career, business, and life. My mission is to help you become a more "Invincible You" so you can live your life on your terms instead of being controlled by someone else's rules. I live in Northern California near Lake Tahoe with my wife and our Great Dane. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/subscribe

Have you experienced one of those one-way video interviews during a job search? It can feel a little intimidating to talk into your laptop camera, knowing it’s recorded and you’re not speaking live with another human being. I recently helped my son prepare for one of these interviews. We focused on three main strategies to ensure his readiness. * Analyzing the job description* Talking with current and past employees* Preparing for this new type of interview In this podcast episode (scroll up and hit play), I discuss each of these strategies in more detail. By the way, I recently launched a new Introductory Coaching Call → 30 minutes of coaching for just $20! Note: this service is only available as a onetime initial call. Check it out! I’m Larry Cornett, a Freedom Coach who works with you to optimize your career, business, and life. My mission is to help you become a more "Invincible You" so you can live your life on your terms instead of being controlled by someone else's rules. I live in Northern California near Lake Tahoe with my wife and our Great Dane. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/subscribe

“I’m putting in long hours and working harder than ever. Why am I not getting promoted?”Do you know how many times I’ve heard that complaint? Sure, working harder than your peers can get you promoted during the early years of your career. But you will soon find that what got you where you are today won’t get you where you want to be tomorrow. Most people play checkers with their careers. They hop around the board, marching ahead, step by step, and don’t think more than one step ahead. The game board looks similar. In the early days of your career, you and the other pieces are making the same moves—trying to get head, space by space. But you eventually find out that strategy won’t cut it. Your career growth is limited when you behave like a checker piece on the corporate chess game board. Unfortunately, many people experience that. They think more of the same will continue to move them ahead. * Working harder * Working longer hours * Taking on more workSadly, that is the path to stagnation and abuse. Yes, abuse. I’ve watched many people get used by their employers. Many managers love dumping work on the people who work hard, don’t complain, and never ask for raises or promotions. So, if you want to avoid being stuck in checker mode, there are five things you must do:* Become a valuable chess piece* Use strategic long-term planning* Leverage pattern recognition* Make sacrificial moves when necessary* Play leadership chess, too1. Become a valuable chess pieceIf you want to play chess, you must qualitatively change how you work and transform the value you deliver. Leaders don’t get promoted because they work harder than their peers. They get promoted because they think differently, add unique value, get results, and know how to make 1+1=3. World-class chess players don’t randomly flail away moving pieces on the board. They never think one step ahead and hope things work out. So, stop behaving like an interchangeable checker piece. In the game of checkers, every individual piece has the same capabilities (i.e., hopping one space forward). You can easily be replaced if you are a commodity with the same skills as everyone else. Heck, maybe they can even find a cheaper piece to replace you! And if they can do that, they will. I watched that happen many times over the decades of my career. A senior employee was often replaced with a more affordable junior employee who could do the same work. I remember an executive saying, “Why should we pay this much for a U.S. employee? I can hire three designers in country XYZ for that salary.” A basic U.S. checker piece was often replaced with more affordable international pieces. Basic pieces were also frequently put on the inevitable layoff lists about every six months. However, the employees who had leveled up to provide unique strategic value were never replaced. Their cost was never questioned. Instead, they were assigned the best and most challenging projects. They were the ones promoted when the review cycles rolled around every year. I often ran into the unfortunately common belief that tenure will eventually lead to a promotion. Some employees thought they would keep moving up the career ladder if they stayed with the company long enough. I’m sorry, but higher-level promotions simply don’t work that way. A pawn that has been with the company for 5 years—but still acts and performs like a pawn—won’t be promoted to knight simply because of tenure. Level up and transform yourself, or be stuck where you are forever. 2. Use strategic long-term planningProfessionals who end up succeeding in their careers are thinking many, many steps ahead. They aren’t simply focused on their next career move. They have a vision for where they want to be several years from now—sometimes even decades. Every move they make is intentional and sets them up for the next move and the next. They use strategic thinking instead of scattered and mindless hopping. One of my old colleagues and friends had a clear vision for where they wanted to end their career—as a C-level executive in a public company. Every move they made was deliberately planned to help them advance toward that goal. * New projects* New connection in their network* New skills and experiences* New domains* New jobs with the right employers* Seizing new opportunities when they appeared Over the years, I watched them make smart moves until they finally did land that C-level role. It was definitely a clever game of corporate chess, not checkers. 📞 Schedule a free strategy call with me if you’d like to work on your long-term career plan. 3. Leverage pattern recognitionMy grad school advisor was really into chess, and I mean really. He was an excellent player, but he was also a psychologist who researched expert players. Great chess players have a stronger conceptual knowledge of the game and are better at recognizing familiar patterns. Similarly, successful professionals master the rules of the “corporate game” and start to recognize familiar patterns in company dynamics, organizational politics, and individual behavior. Leveling up your corporate “chess game” beyond checkers requires deep learning of corporate rules, how organizations function, and individual motivations. The more experience you gain, the more you should start recognizing patterns and how to quickly and successfully navigate them. 4. Make sacrificial moves when necessary With a long-term vision and strategy, you can focus on the big prize instead of being distracted by the short-term benefits. If you've ever hiked to a mountaintop, you know it's never a straight and obvious shot to get there. The nearby moves may seem counterintuitive. You move sideways. You move downslope to transfer to other trails. For example, one job might pay more immediately, but another might set you up for later promotions and better long-term earning potential. I often discuss how this is essential in searching for your next job. How do competing employers compare in terms of factors like:* Better leadership * More supportive management * More challenging projects * Learning a new technology * Gaining more powerful skills * Access to talented people * Building relationships with movers and shakers * Creating a stronger professional reputation You can become a more powerful piece on the professional chessboard of life instead of being stuck in checker mode forever. 5. Play leadership chess, tooIf you move into leadership roles, the chess vs. checkers strategy comes into play again. It’s about recognizing that your team members are not simple checker pieces to be placed willy-nilly on the board. Each person has unique talents, experience, and goals. For example, you don’t want to treat a queen like a pawn and give that person a project that doesn’t leverage their strengths. You also don’t want to overload a pawn with a complex project far beyond their capabilities. Additionally, playing chess means understanding that people are not interchangeable checker pieces. You must learn who to invest in retaining and growing, who will benefit from mentoring and coaching, and who isn’t playing well with the other pieces on the board. You can’t simply swap in a new person and expect them to behave and perform like everyone else. Finally, successful leadership does require strategic vision and planning several moves ahead. You must start recognizing behavior patterns in other leaders to anticipate their next moves, plan your move, and survive the inevitable politics of playing at that level. Leaders who play the corporate game like checkers (e.g., only focused on executing the next move) don’t tend to last long. Start playing chessIf you’re happy with your job, don’t care about promotions, and focus more on work-life balance, there’s nothing wrong with playing checkers at work. Do good work, get paid, and go home to your friends and family to enjoy your personal life. Believe me, I get that! That’s why I left the corporate world behind in 2010 to build a lifestyle business. However, if you are ambitious and you really want to get ahead at work, move up the career ladder, and reach your biggest goals, then learn the rules of the corporate chess game. Become more powerful and more valuable. Play strategically and be prepared for how hard your colleagues/competitors will play. Top leadership positions become increasingly rare as you advance in the organization. Playing checkers won’t put you in those seats, but playing a clever game of corporate chess just might. By the way, I recently refreshed my Invincible Career community and have started rebuilding it from scratch on my Discord server (instead of Slack). If you’re interested in joining a friendly, supportive community of ambitious peers, upgrade your newsletter subscription so I can send you an invitation! I’m Larry Cornett, a Freedom Coach who works with you to optimize your career, business, and life. My mission is to help you become a more "Invincible You" so you can live your life on your terms instead of being controlled by someone else's rules. I live in Northern California near Lake Tahoe with my wife and our Great Dane. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/subscribe