- 1Meeting NotesRead moreRead lessHi, I often transcribe the meeting notes and I show up as an admin role (not strategic). Instead of transcribing, I wonder if I need to make a note of the most impactful points/ write down my reflections. Do you have a template for meeting notes? Thanks!
- 1Shift in your careerRead moreRead lessHi May, good afternoon, What i wanted to ask is i am in a moment that i want to do a shift in my career, since i do not feel excited anymore with what i am doing, i wanted to try something different to find the excitement again. The thing is that i do not know where to shift, that is why i feel that i am stuck. How can i determine what should be my next step? Thank you and have a nice day. Maria Fernanda.
- 1What hold me back while some people get ahead in their career?Read moreRead lessI worked an X company but promoted only once over 30 yrs of unbroken service. What hold me back from getting promoted while some people effortlessly get ahead in their career promotion?
- 1How can one get promoted when there isn't a job available to move up into?Read moreRead lessI was working at a company for a number of years. I was basically a one person department. I asked management and HR about what other opportunities were available for me. Applied for open positions in the company, but was turned down for them. When I followed up, I was told that either they were entry level jobs that were lower leveled jobs than my current job, or that the job required specific background and experience that I didn't have and they wouldn't cross train. I eventually work my way up to talk to the CEO. He told me that my only option was to go back to school and get another four year degree and a masters degree. Any thoughts?
- 1SUBJECTIVITY AT WORK OPERATIONRead moreRead lessHi, Maybusch I'm working an X public sector for 32 years with only one internal promotion awarded four years ago without any other appraisal. The organization has been placed under turnaround strategy applied at workplace, has much of subjectivity than transforming the system as their turnaround document has been promulgated. what we are confronted with are new era terminologies such as; The company is under transitional process, Youth Development Strategy, Phase in and out of the systems, etc. My concern about this kind of treatment began when questioning for clarity, one is subjected to be a target of the mainstream. As I'm talking, I've been labeled as a problematic figure in the workplace. All the decision taken at my disposal are being turned down and the subordinates were influenced not to take up my instructions into recognition any longer. This worries me because I can't work under the toxic environment. I even decided to terminate the employment just to relieve myself from such kind of tension. I've been monitoring the interns for three consecutive two-year programs without experiencing any affecting circumstances as I presently confronted with. Could you please advise? James M.
- 1Made a mistake at work that is receiving attention at the highest level.Read moreRead lessI work in accounting and my boss mentioned that something I processed (materially its insignificant) is getting negative attention from his boss and their boss all the way to the top. Is there anything that I can do to mitigate the damage to ensure I don't lose my job over it.
- 1Not meeting deliverablesRead moreRead lessNot sure if responsibilities are too much or if I am going about it all wrong. Additional deliverables being added and feels like its continuous and things are backlogged. How do I get out of this hole that I am in that feels like it may not be possible to recover from.
- 1Curious about everything/Loosing focusRead moreRead lessHello May 🙂 First, thank you for your help and time. I am an engineer by education and I've recently started to work in an engineering design firm, I'm not very excited about the job. I managed to find an opportunity to volunteer internally in a finance project, and now I'm getting more into it and want to move to a finance job. But I feel like I constantly want to learn and try new things which is contradictory with the fact of building experience, which takes time. My goals are clear and defined, so that is fine. But do you think I may lack patience? Or should I actually give it all and rush for my higher goal? (which I believe I should more and more)
- 1Dealing with a difficult boss who is gaslighting and tarnishing my reputationRead moreRead lessHi May - I am a mid level manager in a Fortune 500 company . After spending 15 years in the company I am finding myself alone on my journey .. the leaders I trusted are no longer in the company and my immediate leader is subjecting me to a lot of toxicity and gaslighting he is transiting ny reputation step by step and I am feeling like a victim . I was due for a promotion but he has turned the entire leadership against me. I want to stay with the company but he is made is impossible for me to stay what shd I do ??
- 1New JobRead moreRead lessGood morning, May. I have 30 years of experience in manufacturing as follows: 10 years in maintenance management, 10 years in production management and 10 years in project management. The job I interviewed for is a production supervisor role. How do I request my worth when I am being offered at best a mid level production supervisor salary? The HR manager wants me to accept less. Thank You.
- 1What is the appropriate way to connect about a job?Read moreRead lessHello, May. I watched a LinkedIn webinar with you as host last week and really enjoyed your presentation about showing up as your best self. I’m hoping you would be willing to offer your opinion about a question related to following up about a job prospect. I learned about a company last week whose mission was immediately attractive. At the same time, I noticed a role that checked all of the boxes and seemed too good to be true. I found the job in the morning before work and committed to applying to it after work that evening, however, when I went back to the job post, it was already gone. Ironically, earlier in the day, I participated in a large community meeting via Zoom and after I entered my contact information in the chat, someone from the company of interest entered their contact information. I looked her up on LinkedIn and we have a few common connections. I’m still interested in the company and would like to reach out to ask for consideration if any future positions such as the one that was previously posted comes up again. The problem is that it’s a blind connection, and I am not sure what is appropriate, if anything. Thank you!
- 1Getting back after a Career breakRead moreRead lessHi May I took a 1 year break that has now stretched another six months as I do not get any replies / interest where I have applied. What is the best strategy here pl Thank you
- 1My new boss competes with me and I'm getting completely sidelined- should I leave or stay?Read moreRead lessHello, I joined a new firm (trading position in a hedge fund ) about 1.5 years ago. Unfortunately it seems I lost the political game inside the company. Another team member was working on similar things as I did, but had a much better connection to senior management as he was much longer in the firm than me. It's possible I also made some mistakes in presenting my work, as I was not familiar with the internal workings of the new firm. It seems the colleague got all the visibility and also cut me out of various discussions. At the beginning of the year he was promoted to lead the team and is now my line manager. This makes me very worried as he is kind of competing with me, but naturally concentrating the resources on himself. I have very little contact to the management layer above him and they are anyway not super familiar with what we are doing and they seem to fully trust him. It's a pity, as the firm is certainly one of the top players in my field and could offer good opportunities, but I don't see how I can be successful with this setup. I believe I could contribute a lot more but Im basically getting sidelined even in areas where i have a lot more experience than anyone else in the team. In terms of experience and probably knowledge I think I should be at the same hierarchical or seniority level as my new boss, but now I have 0 reports and am limited to a very small niche in which my boss is also pushing more and more. I don't think I can talk about this with my bosses boss, as they trust him and I think there are also some political relationships inside the company that highly benefit him and would put me in a weak spot. The situation is really bringing me down, as I had high hopes for the new role, but now it seems like I'm not getting anywhere. I'm naturally extremely positive and ambitious, but I feel more and more negative and lethargic. I'm strongly considering leaving the company, but I think it would be better to have a longer track record.
- 2Closing the deal to get an offerRead moreRead lessSay an interview goes well, but you still don't get an offer. What are some common missteps to avoid when ending the interview that might place doubt in the interviewer's mind?
- 1frying pan into the fire?Read moreRead lessMay, My question- do you have any advice/ resources on how to decide……. I've spoken with you on the group Zoom call and raised the question if I should stay with my current company/ move. The consensus was I should look elsewhere for a role which I have been doing for around 6 months. There have been a few roles pop up, but there certainly aren’t loads. I have been through a few processes which has taken some time. One role I felt I didn’t really gel with my boss, another the previous employee retracted her resignation and another I am through to the final stage. It's been quite a long process - 7 stages. I’ve been given three presentations to prepare for the final stage, two of which are quite technical. I am feeling very flat about it and proscrastining about doing the presentations/ pulling out of the process. I am unsure if I need to just get my 'act in gear' or I should pull out. - The timing isn’t great personally (a lot going on, but that is life) - The timing isn’t great with my current role, I am pretty ramped up with some projects at the moment and struggling to find the hours needed for the interview prep - In the role I am interviewing for there are some technical parts (which I haven’t done for over ten years), I am finding it hard to take the information on board - My current company has got slightly better (although still quite a few issues) - I am nervous about the step up in terms of commitment in the new role (the interview process obviously requires this and I seem to be resistant on giving it at this final stage!). I did one of the stages with the hiring manager whilst on holiday and there have been a fair few texts from him at 6am, 10.30pm etc this isn’t an absolute ’no, no’, but it is a warning light for me) - I am nervous about burning myself out. I did a similar role pre -children and I was exhausted and honestly the decent money stopped being enough to be giving so much of my life to it? - maybe I am being too fussy
- 1Should I retire?Read moreRead lessMay, I am 60 years young and my wife has moved to Madrid for work over a year ago. I moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to the NYC area to be closer to Spain. The job is basically the same as the one I had in CA but the module is different and the management is different leaving me unsure if I should stay and try and make it work in NYC or call it a day and move to Madrid to be with my wife. It’s very complicated but would love to hear your opinion. I was very successful on the West Coast, I loved my manager as a I would a brother. I was doing very well emotionally and financially but it is just not jelling for me in NY. I don’t want to go out on a bad note. I want to leave on my terms. Should I just say F it and retire? I get recruited every single day. Should I seriously consider on of these other companies? Please May I would really appreciate hearing your thoughts.
- 1Promotion TakenRead moreRead lessI was recently promoted to a new/higher-level positions. Shortly thereafter, the organization reclassified positions and my new role was classified at the same level as my prior position. My pay increase remained but the allowable percentage for my bonus was reduced back to my prior level. My supervisor appeared to have been surprised by the recent change and was very sympathetic when they informed me of the change. Realizing that this was a decision from higher ups, how should I address this with my supervisor and ask that I be restored to the level that was offered with the new job offer?
- 1What is the best way to ask for the promotion?Read moreRead lessIf you have done what you feel is necessary for a promotion, and see yourself operating at the next level, what do you do if the recognition isn't coming? There is a risk in asking and even if you get the promotion, if you ask, did you get it because you earned it or they just want to placate you (for now)? Jack Welch for instance wasn't in favor of going hat in hand to ask. Where do you stand?
- 1Is it time to leave after 10 years with the same company?Read moreRead lessMay, I love the global company that I have had been working with for the past 10 years and I can do my job with ease, but I am in the same role for 10 years and I can't see any promotion ahead. I upskilled during the past 2 years with Data Analytics but feel that I need to leave to use this new skillset. I am a people manager too, so I am working on upskilling my team and preparing them for advancement, its a let down that I can't see any opportunities. My manager wants to have a career development chat next week but he laughed at me when I began my journey to upskill. He has often said that I should be happy with my position as it would only cause problems for him. I feel unsupported at work.
- 1How do I tell my boss I'm bored with my job?Read moreRead lessI was hired full-time to work on employee relations issues. I am finding that it's getting very difficult for me to stay engaged because I am constantly looking for things to do. I'm finding this job really could be a part-time position as it is more project based vs. task based. I love what I do but I feel like I'm wasting my time and/or burning out the creativity candle. Any advice would be appreciated.
- 1Career gapRead moreRead lessHi May! I would like to ask a maybe simple question, but it's critical for my career path. How should I present correctly a career gap in my CV? It is a gap of 5 years, dedicated to health problem and raising a child. It is regarded with a doubt by Hiring managers and I received more than 2 refusals from them, based on this fact about me. How should I convince hiring people, that I'm motivated, skilled and more than capable to work? They seem to be afraid of such a gap. Thank you!
- 2Consultant transition to CompanyRead moreRead lessHello May, Thank you so much for helping me throughout your newsletter, video chats in Linkedin and so on.... and for answering your emails. I do have a question which you maybe not be familiar with but is concerning millions of people worlwide. We all know that without consultants, the job's market wouldn’t be the same. They do the job but never see recnogition and scarcely has a reference. My question is: how to make a transition from a consulting company to a "regular" company at 52? This question is valid whichever age as there’s basically no place from all these consultants to be brought into a "regular" company? How to be the " elected" one? Thank you so much again May!
- 2Speaking up in meetingsRead moreRead lessHi May, been an individual contributor most of my life but have been in a middle management role the last couple of years. Since I'm introverted and lean toward the quieter side, I tend not to say much in meetings and I think this holds me back from a growth perspective. Any suggestions that would help? Thank you!
- 1Overcome the hurdle of people managingRead moreRead lessHi May! I'd love to get your advice on people management. I've jumped from managers to ICs to managers, with non-consecutive experiences of managing teams/directs. I've often encounter this seems-to-be-enormous challenges during job searching re: 'how many directs report have you managed, for how long'? It seems like leading large scale cross-functional teams that generated extensive impact simply does not check the box.
- 2Diversity and discriminationRead moreRead lessHello May! Please share your experience on the diversity. Are modern companies REALLY praise diversity? It is not about LGBTQ or black people, they have no problems and are welcomed everywhere nowadays. I mean, let's get real and talk about really delicate aspects, propaganda aspects. For example, if you are from Afghanistan, or from Russia, or a trumpist, or a muslim - from your experience, will that be a promotion or hiring killer?
- 2How do I identify what's holding me back from advancing to the next level?Read moreRead lessNo matter how many times I’ve asked what I need to improve in order to be promoted, I still receive vague or no feedback. It seems I'm still viewed as "not yet ready".
- 0How can I improve my visibility with seniors?Read moreRead lessI get good reviews from my boss, but I’m still seen as “not ready” for the next level. I need to be more visible and get a seat at the table to be considered for promotion.
- 0What do I do when I have competing priorities?Read moreRead lessI’m dealing with a very demanding job as a senior executive while also trying to meet very challenging family and social commitments.
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- 0How do you handle a team member who takes your idea as if it’s their own?Read moreRead lessThey get credit for my ideas because they talk louder than me and I don't want to be seen competing for attention.
- 1How can I carve out time to focus on strategy when we're overwhelmed with the day-to-day?Read moreRead lessI often get lost in the huge amount of deadline-driven tactical work we have to do. How can I prioritize impactful work while getting the required things done on a daily basis?
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- 0How do you protect your energy when you’re overwhelmed with so many demands?Read moreRead lessHow do I take care of myself with increased responsibilities and stress?
- 0How do I make the transition from operational to strategic?Read moreRead lessI sometimes feel like being strategic is not an honest day’s work as there is no tangible daily output.
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