Brenda Barnes made headlines in 1997 when she quit her job as CEO of Pepsi to spend more time with her three children. She returned to the C-suite in 2004, joining Sara Lee as COO and eventually becoming CEO. She stepped down from that role in 2010 after a stroke and last month a second stroke claimed her life at 63. Her too-short but oh-so-full life offers many lessons for…
In her new book, Work Pause Thrive: How to Pause for Parenthood Without Killing Your Career, Lisen Stromberg digs into the reasons why women take pauses in their careers and the steps they can take to successfully return. Relying on extensive social-science research and data about who leaves the workforce and why, Stromberg centers the narrative of Work Pause Thrive around the idea that pausing your career can enrich your career and your life. Covering everything from the complex…
I was very inspired by a recent Claire Zillman article in Fortune about the mayor of Sonoma, California. Partly, I was inspired because I believe it is good for our civic life when more women – across all sides of the political spectrum – run for and serve in public office. But Rachel Hundley also inspires me because hers is a wonderful reinvention story. And, a story of diving in…
Informational interviews are casual meetings where you scope out potential jobs and learn activities in your industry. Depending on the connection, you may be able to get advice on your career path. The important thing about informational interviews is you’re letting people know you’re on the job market and you’re looking for details to help you in your search. So you’ve scored an informational interview with an amazing person who…
I love January. Despite the cold I find it the most exhilarating month. While I do believe that September is the new January, and that New Year’s resolutions can be tough to keep, January still represents a fresh start. It’s a chance to pull up, review what’s working and refresh your goals. If you’ve set a goal of restarting your career this year, you’ve come to the right place. Of…
I’ve got mixed feelings about New Year’s resolutions. I like the “fresh start” feeling that January represents and the chance to renew commitments to our goals or make big changes to our lives. But the research on resolutions isn’t so great – in fact, only 8% of people who make a resolution manage to stick to it. One way to take some of the pressure off is to start now.…
There’s a lot of bad career advice in the world. But early in my career I read an article with this tip: Any time you get significant praise, drop it into a file marked “Hooray.” Then, when you have a bad day, pull out your hooray file and flip through it. It will remind you of all the great things you’ve done and all the great people you work with.…
Everyone knows that networking is the way to get ahead in the world. Everyone also knows that networking, for most of us, is hard. There is a ton of great advice out there about how to network without networking. It’s worth seeking out. But one tactic that has worked for me is making fabulous introductions. So let’s start with a basic principle: connecting begets connections. When you connect two people for…
The internet revolution has been a boon for moms in so many ways. We can use a variety of platforms to connect with each other across states and time zones and also find other moms right around the corner. The internet has also made working from home possible in a whole new way. And for those looking to restart their careers it is now possible to launch a full-fledged job…
I’m a big fan of Patty Azzarello, a writer and executive coach. I’ve been a follower of her blog for a long time and I find her advice really helpful. Much of it comes out of her experience in large organizations but it’s often applicable to people working in companies of all sizes. A recent blog post was about how to win a big promotion and, as usual, it has…
