Skip to content

Category: Career

Start Your Day the Right Way 

1. Don’t Check Your Email First  It’s very tempting to check email first thing in the morning.  It’s the prevailing culture these days. Most of us check email first thing when we get to work. Some even check it before they get to work. And some check it even before they get out of bed!  You’ve probably been checking email ‘first thing’ […]

A Practical Guide to Making Effective Decisions 

Why Effective Decision-Making Matters  Every decision, whether selecting a supplier, preparing a board report, managing diaries, or streamlining processes, shapes outcomes. Effective decisions:  Rather than seeing decisions as obstacles, you can approach them with clarity, intention, and structure.  The IDEAL Decision Model  Adapted from well-known problem-solving methods, the IDEAL model provides a simple, repeatable framework for tackling decisions of any size.  […]

Riding the Wave: How to Cope and Navigate Being Laid Off 

Hearing the word â€œdownsizing” or â€œrestructuring” often leads to fear of losing one’s job. Personally, I have been laid off several times from small to large size organizations. At the time of writing this article, I was laid off again for the fourth time in my career. Whether the organization is based in the US or internationally, it is never easy to go through this experience. However, I’m here to let you know you are not alone. Let […]

Yes! You Are a Leader: The Assistant’s Role in Modern Leadership 

Here are seven concrete examples showcasing how Assistants can strategically enable effective leadership through everyday actions.  1. Strategic Alignment  After a quarterly board meeting, an Assistant distils a 70-page board pack into a three-page executive brief and an action log with owners and deadlines. They embed those deadlines in each leader’s calendar and schedule a 10-minute “decision […]

Are You an Internal or External Thinker? 

How much power do you think you have over the events in your life? Here is an exercise to help you find out. Draw a line on your page with the word Internal at one end, and External at the other.  Now plot where you are on this line based on the definitions below. They […]

Starting a New Job after Being Laid Off 

Congratulations! You have landed a new job after being laid off for many months. With interview after interview and many rejections, you finally landed a new opportunity. You took the knowledge and experience gained from every interview and rejection, dug deep, and persevered.   It is only natural that you may be concerned and nervous about starting a new role. Here are my top tips to help you through the first few […]

Could Jargon Be Holding You Back? 

Modern organizations operate in environments rich with management frameworks, productivity systems, and professional terminology. While these tools support performance, their impact is often lost in both internal and external interviews when candidates rely on naming concepts rather than explaining how they apply them in real situations.  Having participated in numerous interview panels across a range of roles, I have consistently observed that many applicants possess strong qualifications and […]

Expand Your Network Across the Globe 

Cultivating a diverse network opens doors to international opportunities with introductions, leads, and referrals. Establishing a diverse network allows for deeper relationships and fosters understanding. These types of benefits encourage empathy, self-awareness, and additional soft skills for professional, social, and business development.  How can professionals develop global networks and communities to take advantage of these opportunities? How can professionals utilize resources to sustain and grow […]