In terms of organisational strategy, Michael Porter describes strategy as: "Competitive strategy is about being different. It means deliberately choosing a different set of activities to deliver a unique mix of value." So how do we do apply this approach to our career change or existing career paths? We learn how to define, express and communicate our purpose to show where we can impact by creating our career mission, vision and value statements to honour our objectives and what we are trying to achieve.  Think of the brands you value. How do they define their purpose?  Your mission ..read more

The courage to change career shows up when we choose to begin, do the work and realign. Start your 2021 more focused on your career aspirations and grounded in your values around your professional self. Here are some of my top-performing posts that connected on a human to human head and heart level to help people move forward in 2020. Take what works, leave what doesn’t.  1. YOU DON’T HAVE TO HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS BUT WHAT’S NOT NEGOTIABLE IS THAT YOU HAVE THE RIGHT QUESTIONS: Being curious will allow us to discover what is possible for us to explore in our career. The value of askin ..read more

Our brains will consider the idea of making a career change at any time our career path conflicts with our values. We may find our work boring and feel unfulfilled in our current work. We want to make a better impact and feel like we are part of something. We may wish to have more or need less financial stability and need more time to take care of ourselves and our families. The current pandemic will have allowed many people to reassess values such as family and finances more effectively. Once conflict shows up, our thoughts will move towards solving the problem. In our attempts to figure out ..read more

If I asked you what acceptance meant for you in your definition of success, would you be able To clarify it for me? For many, their criteria for success can begin to distort, and they find themselves influenced by societal, parental, digital trends and ingrained behaviours. Many of which instilled by someone or something that has no real purpose in the power of value-driven momentum. Career and self-employment/entrepreneurial success definitions can be a sneaky bugger. For sure, our values change as we age, and our circumstances alter. Many people will define success as a lifestyle business ea ..read more

The future of work is still about humans and connection. It is about people of all ages, experience and levels. Many employers are starting to look beyond aiding a workforce to work remote. They are working towards building a more skilled, agile and resilient future. Many employers will have several generations working for them. Leveraging combined skill sets, strengths, experience, and knowledge in this context will be critical. It is a core foundation for adapting and remaining resilient for the future. Employers are open to having new conversations about different ways of working. I recko ..read more

One of the things that dawned on me as I began writing this piece was that nobody said to me when I lost my job that it was shit. Now, I'm not one to run away from emotions so I wanted to say today yeah, it is shit and I can relate and be empathetic. Here is some practical advice with layers of empathetic energy from my head and heart. I hope it helps. 1. Allow yourself to process the grief then breathe. It's shit, I get it and I have been there. Be comfortable sitting with the ego-bruising it brings but also be self-compassionate. Go easy on yourself as you begin to find your future focus. W ..read more

5 ways to overcome a crisis of identity when facing a forced career change. Our work doesn’t just feel like something we do; it feels like something we are. This can be healthy or unhealthy depending on your relationship with your career. But when you reach a pivot point and a change is needed either voluntarily or with the loss of a role, it signals a change in you. And when that change is uncomfortable, you feel uncomfortable. Yes, you may even feel in crisis.  When you lose your job or want to leave an old career for a new one, the question is not only: “How will I do something new ..read more

I've been in my career transition now since my redundancy in 2015. I'm at a stage in my life and career where what I do matters so much it is a part of me. It is value-driven so it is intentional. My souls purpose as such.  I'm damned if I'm going to give it up without a fight. I made it past my third year in business. That is an achievement in its own right! But I'm still not taking a salary for myself. I never bullshit people in this regard. I have had to make major adjustments to my life and spending to pull off this career transition. For many clients I work with who are plannin ..read more

How can you help yourself gain traction on doing your most important work? Making a life-changing decision to leave a job behind and build a career involves leading yourself with emotional courage. Here are four elements of leading yourself with emotional courage adapted from one of my WBECS Coaching Mentors Peter Bregman: 1. CONFIDENCE IN SELF Helps you to be secure enough in not knowing. It takes a belief in yourself that it won’t destroy you if everyone points at you and says you are crazy. You’re connected with yourself, and stay grounded in the face of failure or uncertainty or success. Y ..read more

One of the most powerful shifts in my life was when someone said this to me: “Pauline, things don’t have to be this way at all.” I have been recently reflecting on how troubling the stories I told myself about myself were in my past. They still show up and can cause me to get in my way. I made myself a version of someone else's story due to the lies I was telling myself. I spent years being emotionally ripped off by my own choice. I was trying to catch dreams and shape my reality with wishful thinking and band-aids. Sometimes I caught dreams at the bottom of a bottle, in piles of junk food, p ..read more