Do you hate your job? You are not alone. This is the most common complaint I’ve heard in my work as a career coach. Just 30% of employees in the U.S. feel engaged at work, according to a 2013 report by Gallup. Around the world the proportion of employees who feel engaged and satisfied at work is a … Read More
talent management
Expat Executives: the Secrets to Being Happy and Successful Abroad
As more and more companies are expanding operations across borders, there is a growing need for executives to become global managers with a global perspective. It often means a global mindset with a deep understanding of international perspective, cultural portability and cultural intelligence. The biggest challenges faced by global managers working in a 24/7 interconnected … Read More
Assertiveness: do you speak up?
“I spoke up about the issue!” my client Julie looked radiant. She shared that she had raised her long-standing concerns about how a large-scaled project was being managed to the top management of her company. The issue had bothered her for a long time and she’d been speaking about it to everyone but… her bosses. … Read More
Eight lessons from Deauville
1300 business women gathered earlier this month in Deauville for the ninth Women’s Forum. The sun was shining on the sea, the champagne was glittering in flute glasses, and the participants who came from around the globe exchanged, debated and networked in powerful ways. What did we learn? What beliefs were confirmed? What myths were … Read More
Smart Leadership: how good are your people skills?
A twenty-year old study of leadership effectiveness conducted by Stanford University’s School of Business concluded that about 15 percent of one’s success in leading organizations comes from technical skills and knowledge, while 85 percent comes from the ability to connect with people and engender trust and mutual understanding. Through my coaching and leadership training work, … Read More
Redundancy: a sad event or a lottery ticket?
Most people, when faced with redundancy, feel upset, scared, anxious, shocked, powerless. Like any loss, the loss of job and the status quo and security that come with it, is deeply upsetting. However it is possible to see redundancy not as the end, but as a door into a new beginning. A balanced, happy life … Read More
Dealing with redundancy
Sadly, redundancies are a fact of life in today’s workplace. A lot of industries and sectors are downsizing, and the cuts often focus on countries with the highest employee costs, starting with France and Belgium. Redundancy is never an easy process to undergo and is usually quite upsetting for the employee. Upon hearing that you’re being … Read More
Google’s management lessons
People typically leave a company for one of three reasons, or a combination of them. The number one reason is that they have an unpleasant, to put it mildly, boss. The second one is that they don’t feel a connection to the mission of the company, or sense that their work matters. The third reason … Read More
What is blocking the path to your big goal?
Now that you know your number 1 goal (see the post from last week), the next step is to create a strong and clear strategy, a roadmap towards your goal. However an action plan on its own won’t do wonders. It needs to be founded on strong solid self-belief and confidence. If you don’t believe … Read More
Lean into Life, your unique style
Despite the mountain of controversy and publicity around Sheryl Sandberg’s book “Lean In”, I’ll admit that I enjoyed reading it. I liked the author’s accessible style and the generosity with which she shared personal stories and experiences. Many of those stories revealed a different, more human and less perfect, face of Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer. … Read More