When it comes to networking, it’s not about introverts being socially awkward. It’s about the drain on their energy. It’s about having to initiate a conversation (they generally DON’T want to do this). It’s about small talk, which seems pointless to them. I’d like to offer the flip side of networking for introverts, followed by 13 tips for you introverts to…if not love networking, at least not hate it so much. Maybe even enjoy it a little.

Once again, I am pulling from the book Leading with Emotional Intelligence by Reldan Nadler. In his book, Nadler talks about “The Perfection Loop” — the fact that success-driven people often set unrealistic goals that set them up for failure or frustration. Today, we’ll break down why people set unrealistic goals, the six stages of the Perfection Loop, some indicators that you’re in one, and how to counter it.

For some of you, you may want help with your goal. For others of you, you may want to make a job or even a career change this year. For still others, you may want to position yourself for success in your current role. These are all great reasons to hire a coach, so I wanted to dedicate an episode to helping you find the right coach for you.

Let me start by saying I’m a planning geek. Goals and strategies excite me, and I love realizing the aggressive goals I set for myself. Today, I’m inviting you to pick an area of your professional life that you would like to see massive change in. We’ll work together to create a plan to make it happen!

Our guest today is Katrina McGhee, and we are diving into the idea of taking a career break. NOT a run-away-as-fast-as-you-can because you hate your job, but a planned, strategic break with goals. Katrina tells us her career break story and how she has coached more than 50 clients to have successful career breaks. We also delve into how to successfully “re-enter” your career after your break.

This week, my guest is Sonja Price. Our parents and grandparents often worked for the same company their entire career – many times, even in the same position. This model doesn’t serve most of us today, and there are financial, developmental, and other reasons to change jobs every few years. Sonja Price and I talk about how to create short- and long-term career goals that will serve as our guideposts for making decisions about career changes, when to look inside your organization and when to look outside, and the indications that it is time to leave your current job.

I’ve heard about goals till I’m blue in the face. And the focus is often on SETTING goals, rather than how to actually ACHIEVE them. In this podcast episode, I want to approach this topic from a different angle.

Today, I’m focusing on Active Listening. I think we can all agree that it is important to really listen at work, but maybe you haven’t given much thought to why it’s important. That will be just one of the topics we discuss today.

For many of you listening—perhaps even most of you—your work has been directly affected by Virus Jail. Perhaps you are unemployed. Maybe you are working from home. Maybe you are working harder than ever, especially if your industry is on the front lines of Covid 19. Maybe you’re working fewer hours than you have in the past. Which got me thinking that some of you may be considering a side hustle—a way to generate income when the way you’re used to generating income doesn’t currently exist. If you want to earn some extra money during the months of Virus Jail, here are some steps.

Today, I want to talk about creative networking strategies in the era of Virus Jail. When in- person networking events are literally against the law for many of us. Here’s the main message I want to convey today: You can’t put your career or job search goals on hold during Virus Jail. You can’t wait to exhale until this is over. As I keep reminding you: Your goals are still your goals. How you achieve them may change, but the desired result hasn’t. The most effective job search strategy, hands down, is networking. The most effective career advancement tool is networking. Your challenge, then, is to get creative with networking during Virus Jail.

Here’s the first thing I want to say about the uncertainty of our future in the face of COVID19: The future has ALWAYS been uncertain. Today we’ll talk about my best strategies for navigating an uncertain future (which, remember, is always).

I’m working with a lot of clients right now who were laid off as a result of COVID. Many others were already job searching when COVID hit. For many of these clients and, I suspect, many of you – you are fighting feelings of despair and frustration as you look for a job right now. What I want to offer you today are some persistence strategies to keep you going in the midst of the most challenging job search environment in, maybe, ever.

Today we’re discussing those of you who will be interviewing for jobs, where questions about why you were let go during COVID, or how you spent your time during COVID, might well be asked.

The holidays are a time for family, rest, good food…a time to unplug from the hustle and grind that, for many of us, defines our work life the rest of the year. In the midst of that family time and relaxation, you have an opportunity to reflect and journal on your professional life. Review 2021 and set intentions for 2022. Here are six simple ways to help your career during the holidays.

Today’s podcast is based heavily on the getlighthouse.com blog, specifically the blog titled “18 Questions to Ask Your Manager to Improve Your Relationship and Better Manage Up.” Whether you are trying to improve your relationship with your manager from bad to okay, okay to good, or good to great, you can work with your manager to improve your relationship and make work much more enjoyable for both of you.

For this episode, I leaned heavily on the article “7 Essential Tips for Effective 1 on 1 Meetings with Your Manager” from the getlighthouse.com blog. In a perfect world, 1:1 meetings with your boss should be something you have regularly, and actually look forward to. Done well, effective 1:1 meetings are an opportunity for feedback, coaching, relationship-building, & goal-setting. Here are some tips on how to have a more successful 1:1 with your boss.

Today I have several guests on the podcast. Alycia Grenesko, Reese Kerlin, and Kristin Kerlin talk with me about why they reached out to me for coaching, what shifted for them during coaching, and what advice they have for others who may be thinking of hiring a coach. I also speak with my coach, Mimi Bishop, who also holds dual roles as a coach and a coachee. Mimi and I talk about the different kinds of coaches we have sought out for different stages of our lives and businesses.