Do What Matters: Career and Leadership on Purpose

I don't know anyone (they may exist, but I don't know them) who endured the last 3 years, without some significant pain alongside it. That said, we can't always live in the pain, and as I advocate to my clients, gratitude goes a long way to healing and pulling the threads together again. Those of you who know me, know that I juggle many things in my business life, at varying levels of success. 2022 has been a year that stretched me, and I intend for 2023 to be the year that I bring myself back together, consolidate, and grow the way I want to impact our planet. For the last few weeks, I've been running a gratitude campaign on LinkedIn and on Facebook, and this is the opportunity for you my listeners to join the party. Here's a summary of my 12 days of gratitude for 2022.

It's official. I've had the best recruitment experience of my life in a place I wasn't expecting. I regret I cannot share the name of this company, as I want to promote them for their DEI commitment, the quality of their engagement, and the genuine way they connected with me and the work that I do, and the way I was able to contribute to their path forward with recommendations that they immediately took into consideration. Today on LinkedIn I'm connected and I dare say I'm friends with my prospective line manager for that role, and with his boss. There is deep mutual respect there no matter the outcome. He's even connected me with others who he thinks I'd get on well with, and he was right! After this experience, I know something for certain, the best recruiters aren't recruiting, they are networking.

Olivia has served as a HR leader for Stryker since June 2012 and during this time she has successfully supported several large sales organisations, facilitated cross functional synergies, implemented DE&I strategies, developed onboarding programs, facilitated integrations and assisted with the development of many commercial leaders. Before joining Stryker Olivia retired from the US Coast Guard in 2012. Most notably in 2009 Olivia made Coast Guard history as she became one of two first African American Engineer officers to serve on a "major" cutter. Olivia is also the cohost of the Embracing Only podcast and is working on a book titled Only; a corporate survival guide. Embracingonly.com

How do you pick a company? If you're in your 30s or 40s this should be a lot clearer in theory right? You have the experience, and experience brings answers to questions like what values draw you in, and what attracts you to the particular role. Yet how do you know the company you are prospecting can really deliver on what you want? Answer? Your network. Your ex-colleagues from past jobs who have moved on and out into the wider world are a rich source of intel, particularly when you leverage the information shared on LinkedIn, assuming it's up to date of course. Your ex-classmates are also a great source of networking insight. Other long time connections that were neither classmates nor work mates are also a tremendous source of insight; and that's where my meeting with Silicon Valley arose. In Episode 16 of this podcast, I spoke at length about networking and how to do it, so if you want insights on that process be my guest and have a listen to episode 16, this episode is about me putting this into live practice. Tune in to this episode where I share how valuable networks can be in the job market and discover processes.

In this episode, we are going to be discussing future falent with an old friend of mine, Harry. It was such a pleasure to reconnect! Harry Vargas is a dynamic HR leader and change agent. He's passionate about driving transformation for capacity building and growth, through commercially relevant and pragmatic organizational and talent strategies. He has 20 Years of multi-market & cultural experience, successfully leading and developing diverse teams at local, regional and global levels. Harry joined Microsoft in 2020, to lead HR and the culture & people transformational agenda, for the growing regional hub based in Costa Rica, serving LATAM and the US. Harry is Costa Rican and grew up in Colombia.

How early in the process should you start negotiating? I'm beginning to learn that the answer is as late in the process as possible. There are many things to negotiate in today's job market, and the time to start doing that depends almost wholly on the relationship you build with your future line manager. Don't negotiate with HR. The HR process is designed to find red flags and eliminate them, whereas the relationship with your line manager will always be more nuanced. Let's discuss HR Screening calls, and I'll share my worst performance in an interview process with you.

Having a Master's in Public Administration, science and public policy, Nadine Bender Branham, focused early on towards the new economy with her first job at EB. After that she launched the online sales channel of a camera specialist before kicking off her career at Amazon Germany, which at the time was very much an infant state. Over the years in Amazon retail, she worked in many roles, supported and launched various businesses before in late 2020, she took on an additional opportunity in AWS to run the demand generation business for DACH and beyond.

Social, credible and responsible. What have I got to offer the world, and how do I tie in my offer with all that I want to advocate for and to be, not just to do? Before the pandemic, and the massive mobilisation of finance around ESG topics, and George Floyd and the global focus on DEI that came from that, these 3 words, being social, credible and responsible, were not necessarily thought about in the same breath for small businesses, and for individuals. Career advice would centre around building a personal and or professional brand that stands out, based on what your recruiters are interested in. Today, Gen Z, and some of us in our 40s if I'm being honest are tearing up the rule book on tailoring our lives and CVs to be what companies want, and focusing more on what we want, then choosing the company that supports our interests most closely. Tune into this episode as we get into the personal and professional brand conversation, and how I've been experiencing this part of my career journey in the last few months.

Kysha Gibson is a prominent and experienced management consultant specialising in the telecommunications, media and technology sector. She sits on Accenture's Strategy & Consulting UKI Management Board and leads the Analyst Consulting Group (ACG) - the next generation of Strategy & Consulting talent for the UKI. She is deeply passionate about shaping future talent and strongly believes that the ACG (~900 employees) will be the key source of the next generation of Accenture and Industry leadership. She has over 20 years of experience across both senior management, consultancy and line management roles. She has provided executive stewardship to the C suite for several global companies. Kysha graduated from the Wharton School and holds an MBA. Her success at delivering results for her clients is based on a combination of personal resilience, commitment to learning and her ability to bring others on a journey towards shared goals. Kysha takes pride in her extensive travel and believes that her cultural awareness and curiosity allows her to build successful teams with diversity and equity at the core. In her spare time, you can find her exploring lesser known countries or immersed in the work of contemporary authors.

Get out of your own way. There has been considerable research done on this idea of the ego; that sense of self esteem and self importance that our individualistic education has given us. I've found entrepreneurship to be the greatest challenge to an inflated ego I've ever encountered in my life; it has by force humbled me. I was only as good as my greatest weakness; until I started outsourcing my weaknesses. When you get out of your own way, you recognise that you have so much to learn, and so much value inside yourself that you can add to your transition journey and process, that makes the experience better for everyone connected with you, from your team, your clients, and other stakeholders! But I know more than most, that just saying get out of your own way doesn't make magic happen. There's a lot more work and tears involved in peeling back that onion. Tune into this episode where I share my journey.

Thriving in an international career whether you are a migrant worker or expat, requires a great deal of self awareness, personal and professional development. It's not simple but it is rewarding. In this session I talk to one of my longest friends, someone I consider a sister, based on our shared experiences travelling throughout Latin America together as part of an internal audit team. Lupina Valdes de la Pena is a dual national of Mexico and the Netherlands, holding an accounting degree and an MBA and currently working in Internal audit and risk with an international operation.

Once an entrepreneur, always an entrepreneur. It's a bit like giving birth, or falling in love for the first time. You absolutely cannot forget it, and the experience changes you, imprints on you, and you can never fully turn your back on it ever again. In this episode I discuss the pros and cons of returning to employment after 4 years as an entrepreneur. Katherine Ann Byam is a best-selling author, sustainability activist, coach and consultant for business resilience and sustainable change, partnering with leaders committed to a shared future."

In this episode we explore the use of mindfulness to tame your non- stop mind, experience relaxation and calm, manage stress and work pressures, deal with overwhelm, and achieve a greater sense of self! Marie-Claire Krayenhoff is the founder of Zentre. Zentre is an online platform offering mental well-being programmes for Modern Minds and Busy lifestyles. With over 9 years of experience in large corporations (L' Oreal, Diageo, Beiersdorf), working in finance, marketing and sales roles, she has a deep understanding of the dynamics at play: the pressure on targets, tight deadlines, difficult conversations, and internal politics. She will take us along her journey learning about, and developing concrete, scientifically proven tools and techniques to actualise your greatest Calm and Fullest potential.

Why is the idea of getting back into employment so taboo for entrepreneurs? And why do friends and family have so much riding on binary outcomes of failure and success? If you want to see into the window of the souls of the people around you, become an entrepreneur. Let's dig into this a bit, as I believe it affects everyone, and prevents people from not starting great ideas, and also not knowing when to stop an idea not worth developing further.

Andrew Montgomery is a Digital Product + UX Designer born and raised in Jamaica, but currently working in Toronto, though he considers himself a citizen of the world. He's seen two sides to the story of technology. Coming from a place with limited access, to a hub of innovation, He always questioned how to bridge the gap. Then he discovered user experience design. He believes that access to technology is a right, not a privilege,and this guides his design decisions. He aims to help make the world more equitable through his work. As a creative thinker and problem solver, he enjoys straddling the line of marrying human needs with business goals. Creating great products comes from understanding the people using them. Humans willingly incorporate useful and enjoyable experiences into their daily life. When not designing, He's teaching kids code, in the mountains skiing, playing soccer or travelling the world. Experiencing different cultures heavily influences the way I solve problems. 16 countries and counting.

My Career Journal, part 1. What do you do when things aren't quite going to plan, and you've run down your buffers to the point that something needs to give? You make a change. And that change has to be one that works for you. Tune into this episode where I share about the big secret that I've been keeping, and how it's going to impact my work. Before we dive in, I want you to know this, change is good. Even when it's hard. Motivation to take the first action is usually all it takes before you can start to see clarity in new perspectives.

They are our present and our future, although it's not quite in their hands. This is the generation that's already bringing change to pale, male and stale boardrooms around the world, but will they run out of time? We talk about careers, sustainability and the journey of these young women to create a future they want to be a part of. Serena Coccioli Serena is a Colombian-Italian who graduated in Ecological and Environmental Sciences from the University of Edinburgh building her sustainability career. Belinda Ng Belinda is a youth advocate for sustainable food systems who has just completed an MSc in Environmental Technology from Imperial College London. Kailin Jo Spencer Kailin is a senior at the University of Washington - Seattle focusing on sustainable curriculum advocacy within the Foster School of Business and researching small business sustainability

Everyone knows that their network is an absolute powerhouse of potential for any cause you are championing. Be it job search, short term opportunities, advice, mentorship, customers, peers, collaborators, and friendships. Yet for many, we only tap this resource when we need it; instead of nurturing that relationship to be meaningful over time. In this episode we talk about networking from the perspective of different social networking platforms, understanding the ingredients that enable it, clarifying your goals, and building the skills.

Dr. Ashley Dash inspires action through her lived experiences in person and online as Profitable Resume® Expert. She often shares her most significant life challenges, including how she went from being an unemployed college graduate to landing a $100k+ job in Human Resources with Mercedes-Benz. Or revealing how years later, she restarted her life after facing foreclosure and unemployment, shifting back to six figures with an international move to Japan. With a doctorate in Strategic Leadership and a passion for helping corporate business professionals increase their confidence, create a six figure career brand, and get unstuck at work, she knows when you change your resume, you can change your life. To sign up for the Step-by-step guide to Recession Proof your resume go to profitableresume.com/guide

A few weeks ago I travelled to Birmingham to take the stage at the British Orthopaedic Association Annual Congress 2022 as a guest speaker working on behalf of Stryker UK. We had a very meaningful conversation about Diversity Equity and Inclusion, and what we all bring to the table in this complex conversation of our times. Inclusion is the absence of barriers. This is the clearest definition I've heard of this word, and one that speaks to the feelings of everyone, including white men, women, people of colour, and people of varying abilities, neuro diversities, genders, ethnicities, faiths, sexualities and others. It does not however come without a context, as civilisation is also based on finding common ground, and having some level of fair treatment across the spectrum of concerns. This episode covers the key topics that came up, and how we addressed them.