Thriving Through Job Transitions
The Different Stages of Transitions In life’s journey, transitions mark significant milestones that shape our path and define our growth. As William Bridges illuminates in his book “Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes,” understanding the stages of transitions is essential for successfully navigating through life’s twists and turns. Bridges delineates three fundamental phases inherent in […]
Why Less Is More and Impact Is Everything when presenting a PowerPoint?
I still remember one of the most humiliating moments of my early career. I was a junior manager, eager to prove myself, and I had spent days preparing a presentation for a senior leadership meeting. My slide deck was filled with detailed tables, endless bullet points, and paragraphs explaining every nuance of the project. In […]
The power of non-verbal communication
We’ve all heard a few things about non-verbal communication. For example, more than 50% of what we say (some say more than 60%) is not said with words but with the body or the way (tone) in which we say the message is more important than the words themselves. Non-verbal language does not come from […]
The real currency of a long career
A few weeks ago, I came across an interview with The Undertaker, one of the most iconic WWE professional wrestlers of all time. In the conversation, he criticized the new generation of wrestlers for portraying one character on television and a completely different one on social media. He explained that in his era, wrestlers lived […]
Surviving existential crises – career path changes
I think this happens to most people; in fact, it has happened to me more than once, so I would like to tell my story as an example. You are in a specific career path or maybe in a particular sector of your industry for a while (in some cases, a long time), and at […]
Turning to the “Dark Side”: When Technical Geniuses leap into sales
There’s a common joke heard in laboratories, engineering departments, or IT teams: “Those who can’t build, sell.” This usually starts polite laughter and eye rolls, as the idea of a serious scientist or engineer trading formulas for sales forecasts seems almost impossible. Many technical professionals take pride in their precision, rigor, and commitment to truth. […]
Politically incorrect?
One thing is very true in the corporative world: the larger the company’s size, the more office politics will matter. Not all of us are politicians by nature; therefore, this can be a significant barrier to jump if you want to grow professionally. I have had many former colleagues who used to say that they […]
Motivations for an introvert to talk to other people
I am trying to remember if I have mentioned this in a previous article, but I am naturally an introvert. Social events or just talking to people for a long time really takes a toll on me, and after that, I need to get away and be alone for a while to recharge. You can […]
Turning Tides: The Art of Winning in Tough Negotiations
Back to basics As mentioned in some of my articles, an effective negotiation is rooted in foundational strategies, with preparation at its core. Understanding your counterpart’s motives, concerns, and goals is critical, enabling you to identify shared objectives and leverage differences to your advantage. This deep understanding forms the basis for all interactions and strategies […]
Out of office — Understanding Vacation Culture in multinational teams
Writing this article comes at a good time for me, as I just returned from my year-long vacation (two weeks), and, of course, I noticed that everyone else in the office is out for the next few weeks. In today’s hyperconnected global workplace, few experiences are more frustrating than sending an email marked “urgent” only […]