Monday, February 23, 2015

What do you want?

Defining what you want in your career is the first step in getting what you want. Unfortunately, many don’t take the time to figure out what they want in their careers. If you know what you want, you can focus on how to get there. You can outline a plan, make yourself present in the right meetings, and step up to where you see yourself in the future. You have heard the old adage, dress for the job you want, not the job you have, right? It’s the same idea for how you preform and how you behave. Perform in the job you want, not the job you have. Change your mindset so that you are already functioning at that level.

The bigger question is: how do you really know what you want? How can you focus on your future rather than getting bogged down in the day to day? Spending time understanding what you are good at, what makes you happy & what you want in your personal life will help guide you at understanding what you want in your career. Talk it out with a friend, trusted coworker or family member. Seeking the guidance of a career coach is also a great option for someone working to define his/ her future. A career coach can give you unbiased guidance to what it is you really want.

What have you done to define your future? How can you use your resources to determine what you want? How can a career coach help guide you?


To learn more about career coaching, go to www.katekibler.com

Monday, February 9, 2015

In the face of change

How people handle themselves in the face of change can advance or ruin a career. Leadership changes often in the fashion industry. In my career of 17 years, I have seen 9 different leaders. That means a leadership change has occurred just about every 2 years (Keep in mind I have only worked at 5 companies). Every time a leadership change was about to occur, the gossip would ramp up. People could feel it coming and start to panic. It didn't matter if they loved or hated the current leader. Strange factions would start to arise. People would begin to ‘position’ themselves closely with one leader or another.

My message to you: stay out of it. Do your job. Focus on getting the job done & getting it done well. Every leader will appreciate this. It doesn't matter if this leader is your boss or your boss’ boss’ boss’ boss. Just focus on doing your job and staying out of the politics. It will also keep your stress level low. If a colleague wants to come to you and vent their fears, you can listen but not join in the panic. Listening doesn't mean you have to chime in on their fears or even agree.

How have you reacted in the face of change? What can you gain/ lose by involving yourself in the office politics? How could aligning with a current leader help/ hurt your career?

To learn more about career coaching, go to www.katekibler.com