How to leave a job you love with your head held high and without getting pulled back in.

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Peter DiGiammarino

Leaving a long-held, cherished job is not easy. Even with a new dream job in-hand, cutting the cord that connects you to a place you have become part of can be one of the most difficult challenges you ever face in your career. While there is no sure fire method, the steps below reflect lessons from the experience of those who have been successful in so doing.

To quit, follow these steps in order and as precisely as you possibly can:

Make sure you have really decided to quit and that it is not just a ploy to get your employer to talk you in to staying and giving you a raise. If you want an offer to stay (even though when you announce and then decide to stay it is likely that management will from then on question your loyalty and motives which may be a fatal blow to a thriving upward progression) then this is not the method to follow. Continue reading →

How to increase the odds of being happy and of leading a fulfilled life.

Posted on March 11, 2012 by Peter DiGiammarino

Most of us seek in our professional affiliation what some call a state of flow or what others call happiness, exhilaration, satisfaction, or fulfillment. Along these lines see: Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and The Doom Loop System by my long time personal executive coach Dr. Dory Hollander who passed away last year and who also told me and others that the secret to a fulfilled life could be summarized in just four words (which are shared at the end of this post!). Continue reading →

An Action Plan for Executive Transition into a new Lead Role

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Peter DiGiammarino

One of the toughest things for a senior executive to do is break in to an existing system of operation. At first there is an exhilarating air of difference. Everything is new and there is so much to figure out and to absorb. The opportunity to have a major impact induces what seems to be an endless rush of euphoric excitement. All too soon the feelings devolve into isolation and loneliness along with the realization that no matter what good things happen, everyone watching will wonder why there was not more. Continue reading →

Tips for Top Performance in an Important Job Interview

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Peter DiGiammarino

Here are some tips to increase the odds that a high-stakes job interview goes well:

be yourself: be honest…be genuine…be sincere. It is not worth being someone other than yourself just to land the job because in the end it will not be possible for you to continue being the person who got the job. Continue reading →

Note on Letters of Recommendation

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Peter DiGiammarino

Students, parents, teachers, and those who write letters of recommendation for admission to a high school or college often underestimate how much of a difference the recommendation makes. Those who take recommendations seriously and who work to make them the best they can, find it a relatively easy way to get an edge on the competition. Continue reading →

Why leaders should demand that everyone in their organization never do what they are told to do.

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Peter DiGiammarino

I tell everyone who works with or for me that they are never to do something because I told them to do it. I do not want or expect people to do what I ask just because I told them something. Instead, I want them to do what they do because they understand what they are doing, they know why it makes sense to do it, they believe that what they are about to do is the wise and right thing to do, and they want to do it. Continue reading →

Tips on Business Writing

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Peter DiGiammarino

These tips are from a variety of sources accumulated over a lifetime and work well to produce business writing that is easy to read and hard to misunderstand:

Use the present tense
Avoid words that end in: ing and in ly (e.g., really) or even in y (e.g., very)
Avoid words that have a z in them (e.g., utilize) Continue reading →

Note on Resume Writing

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Peter DiGiammarino

The most important thing about your resume is that you be proud of how it presents you. If you are not proud of it then how do you expect any one else to be impressed? Keep working on it until it represents you in just the way you want. Whenever you even think about your resume a smile should come to your face and when you give it to others your head should be held high! Continue reading →

Four Steps to a Smooth Path Forward upon Involuntary Termination

Posted on January 21, 2012 by Peter DiGiammarino

Here are four steps to help transition after an involuntary release from a place of employment. These steps need to be executed in order. (also see: Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes by William Bridges): Continue reading →

Three Steps to Hiring an Employer