The Gift of Ketchup

Today is my cousin, Hal’s birthday. He is a brilliantly eccentric person (I think he takes after me) and a great lover of accounting, Chick-fil-A, and ketchup. Well, maybe the love of accounting is a bit of an exaggeration – it’s his job and seems to suit him. That said, aside from his wife and

Sharing the Best

A couple of weeks ago, one of my colleagues asked if she could observe a coaching session with a student. My colleague aspires to be a career coach and wants to advance toward that goal immediately. I was honored that she asked to work with me and I am delighted to be a mentor of

The Real Success Stuff

I was on a call last night with dozens of women from around the Mid-West of the U.S. I must admit that while I was looking forward to it, I was also tired and longed for (at least a little bit) to ditch the call and watch the Biggest Loser. After all, the candidates on

Develop Your Career Crew

I was working with a student recently who had been feeling a bit overwhelmed by the prospects of a fairly massive career change. The first time we met, he wanted one mentor (in his targeted field) who could guide him through the entire process – from self-assessment and resume writing to interviews and offer evaluation.

Trust Yourself

Even though I am working on it, I still have a tendency to trust others more than myself. While I believe that it’s great to learn from others, ultimately each of use needs to look inside, assess the situation, and decide what is best. So even before 2012 starts, I am practicing trusting myself, my

The Power of Presents

This week at work, we played Elfster – think of secret Santa for 2011. Each person had an elf, chosen by a computer at Elfster. Then there was semi-clandestine gift giving Monday through Thursday – with Thursday being something homemade. Well, Monday I received a free-trade chocolate bar and instructions on how use chocolate as

Beauty, Gain, and Good

At 7:18 am, I was sitting with the global Career Services team from Chicago Booth. Twenty-six of us were in the room and the rest of my colleagues were calling in from London, Hong Kong, and Singapore. What struck me was the connectedness, shared purpose, and sense of mutual respect around the room and across

The Power of Courage for Success and Happiness

I was with a group of friends last night and sitting next to me in a storefront office of the host was a petite woman from Korea. Whenever I see her, there is a sparkle in her eyes and vibrancy in her step. Yet by 9:20 last night, I realized how little I really knew

Don’t Let Them See You Sweat

Perspiration at the gym is a great thing – it means that you are working hard and gaining strength. Yet sweat is also produced by anxiety – and that’s not a good use of your time and energy. For me, worry comes from the inside out. I analyze things into oblivion and create distress for

Opening a New Chapter

I spent some time today with a good friend of mine who is contemplating a career change. She knows that she is intelligent, compassionate, and fiercely determined. Yet knowing something is only part one. Part two is taking action – to learn about the new field, volunteer to see what it’s really like, and build