Nobody starts out great.
One of my business partners asked me a question a couple weeks back that stuck with me. “What does it actually take to hire the rockstars everybody brags about? The Spotify, Netflix, Anthropic kind of people.” My answer surprised him. Sometimes it takes money. But most of the time? It takes a shot at glory. […]
Let the ink dry.
Three months in. Two solid clients. A real pipeline. And she wanted to scrap the whole thing. I was working with a former Fortune 100 VP last fall. Smart. Senior. She had finally landed on a positioning that didn’t make her wince when she said it out loud. Fractional COO for early stage healthtech. We […]
“I just know I’m in the wrong place.”
“I know I’m in the wrong place.” This feeling resonates in many careers, where the gap between knowing and doing leads to despair. The more time we invest in a job, the harder it becomes to leave, even if it no longer fits. The real question is: what is staying costing you? If you feel stuck, consider reassessing your environment and seek what truly fulfills you. Let’s explore this together!
The New Game of Building Relationships
In 2026, building relationships has transformed. Gone are the days of simply collecting business cards. Now, it’s about creating emotional connections through valuable content. With AI, anyone can connect with professionals. But beware: if you go dark, your presence fades. Building relationships is a resilience tactic. Discover how to thrive in this new landscape and keep your professional brand vibrant. Start mastering relationship building today!
You Sound Like AI
How Not to Sound Like AI When You Use AI in Executive Communication One of our directors sent his weekly update to the leadership team on a Tuesday. It was clean. Well-organized. Three tight paragraphs, each wrapping up with a tidy takeaway. His VP read it and thought: Did Marcus actually write this? Not because […]
The Science of Being Late, Notoriously.
Late again. The room goes quiet for a half-second. Everyone notices. He just can’t be on time. So disrespectful. That’s the story we tell. It feels true. It feels obvious. But here’s the problem. It’s usually wrong. Chronic lateness almost never comes from disrespect. It comes from a brain running on broken math — and […]
You Don’t Need a Title to Lead
I met with a director last month. Sharp. Fifteen years in the industry. I asked what was holding him back from the VP role he wanted. He leaned back and said, “I’m waiting for my company to give me the chance to prove I’m ready.” “How long have you been waiting?” I asked. He said, […]
Executive AI Is Cutting Out the Middle
Last week, I built a Chrome extension in two hours. No developers. No project plan. No budget approval. Just me and an AI. A few years ago, that same tool would have cost six figures. It would have taken months. I would have needed a solution architect, a project manager, and a dev team. Now […]
Career Clarity
You hit 50, and fewer career opportunities come your way. You are not alone. This is normal. Boom! Didn’t think I was going to call this confusion ‘normal’. Let me break this down for you. First off: You are going ot be fine. You will figure this out. You have all the experience in the […]
A Winning Position.
If you are close or already on a PIP, you need to read this ASAP on how to survive a PIP.