Career Growth
Fake It Till You Make It — To Become a Leader, Act Like One
I found, rather than waiting for my promotions at Amazon, I was more fulfilled and grew myself as a leader by pretending I had already been promoted.
Career Growth
Career Growth
No More Excuses: Trading Blame for Action. Practical Steps Towards Ownership Instead of Whining.
I'll admit a lack of patience for people who prefer to make excuses when they're given advice. It's easier to make excuses rather than do the hard work.
Mid Career
Six Reader Questions About Meetings, Feedback, Communication, and Ideas
I regularly receive questions over email and in comments on my newsletter. I decided to answer a few of them in detail.
Career Growth
Stories of Three Employees Requesting Raises. Lessons on Increasing Your Income.
Asking for a raise is not as simple as phrasing it politely. There are costs involved.
Career Growth
You're Poisoning Yourself in that Toxic Work Environment
I believe in working through challenges, communicating clearly with those we don't get along with, and taking control of our careers. And yet, some situations can't be fixed.
Career Growth
On the cusp of senior management - will she make it?
Career growth is a tricky thing. We have ups and downs, two steps forward and one step back. How will she fare?
Late Career
A Detailed Account of a Failed Principal Promotion
Not everything we do will be successful. We learn a ton from failure. Unfortunately for managers, our failures sometimes impact our teams as well.
Career Growth
Leveraging the Three Phases of Career Growth for Outsized Rewards
Many employees tend to let their careers drift from opportunity to opportunity. That can lead to excellence, or not. Purposefully driving your career through the three phases of career growth is a way to have agency over your career.
Career Growth
A Day in the Life of a Tech Director Being Promoted to General Manager
Growing isn't as simple as learning new skills. It frequently means moving into areas of discomfort. This is a set of anecdotes from my move to GM.
Career Growth
Are You Getting the Performance Ratings You Deserve?
Our performance ratings influence our ability to get raises, promotions, and our long term career success. They're not a simple meritocracy, but are a coarse-grained way of estimating our value to our company. Here's a bit on making certain you get a rati
Career Growth
The State of the Tech Market in 2023 - The Pragmatic Engineer Guest Post
A Guest Post on the State of the Tech Market in 2023 by Gergely Orosz, author of The Pragmatic Engineer.
Career Growth
My Missed Career Opportunities, Or Why I'm Not an SVP
We've all had missed opportunities. What have you learned from yours?