This Is Not The Career I Ordered™ Blog
Savvy Professional Career Wisdom by Caroline Dowd-Higgins
This is Not the Career I Ordered is read by thousands of careerists around the globe. With savvy tools, inspiration, and resources, this timeless book empowers you to enjoy your career, and love your life!
The AI Career Reality Check: How to Future-Proof Your Professional Path
Let’s get real about AI and your career. While tech leaders have been reassuring us that AI will simply “enhance” our jobs, the headlines tell a different story. With nearly 950,000 job cuts announced this year and middle management taking the biggest hit, it’s time for an honest conversation. The truth? AI is reshaping the workplace […]
How Leaders Shape Team Stress – And What to Do About It
We’ve all been there – walking into a team meeting where the tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife. You know the feeling: shoulders hunched, energy depleted, and that collective sigh that seems to echo around the room. As leaders, we often think stress is an individual challenge, something each team […]
Quiet Cutting: The Silent Career Killer
As an executive coach and talent development consultant, I’ve seen many workplace trends come and go over the years. But there’s one emerging trend that deeply concerns me – what is now being called, “quiet cutting.” You’ve likely heard of “quiet quitting,” where employees do the bare minimum required in their jobs. Quiet cutting is […]
The Leadership Energy Crisis: Why Executive Burnout Threatens Your Entire Organization
In today’s fast-paced career world, we often celebrate leaders who seem to possess superhuman endurance, working tirelessly to drive their organizations forward. But what happens when these titans of industry start to falter? When the very individuals responsible for steering the ship begin to lose their way? Executive burnout is a silent epidemic that’s putting […]
Finding Your Ikigai: Unlocking Your Life and Work Purpose
As we navigate our careers and personal journeys, many of us find ourselves searching for that elusive sense of fulfillment and purpose. Recently, I’ve been reflecting on the Japanese concept of Ikigai , which translates to “a reason for being.” This philosophy emphasizes the intersection of what we love, what we’re good at, what the world needs, […]
A Burst of Energy From Your Dopamine Menu
Have you heard of the “Dopamine Menu”? It’s a simple but powerful tool to boost your mood and motivation! Create a go-to list of quick, easy activities that give you a natural feel-good boost. Think: favorite songs, short walks, calling a friend, or enjoying a cup of tea. ☕️♀️ When you’re feeling low or unmotivated, […]
Embracing Wu Wei: The Art of Effortless Action
I’m a Type A personality, driven and ambitious with a relentless work ethic. So, the concept of letting go, or surrendering to the natural flow of life would have left me skeptical, but now, as a burnout survivor – I’m a believer. Many thanks to my friend Sarah for sharing Wu Wei with me. In […]
Unleash the Power of Teamship!
In a world where challenges are complex and rapid change is the norm, traditional lone-wolf leadership is becoming obsolete. It’s time to embrace teamship, a transformative approach that fosters collaboration, innovation, and inclusivity. Today’s effective leaders build cultures where every team member feels valued and heard. Teamship is more than teamwork. It involves leadership mindset, one […]
Survival of the Fittest: The Human-Centered Approach to AI
Savvy leaders are discovering that AI integration isn’t about replacing people — it’s about repositioning them to have a greater impact. Organizations should structure AI to handle routine information gathering and data processing, which liberates knowledge workers to focus on relationship building, strategic problem-solving, and providing the personalized, human approach that AI can’t provide. This […]
Master Your Stress in Just 48 Seconds!
Feeling overwhelmed? You’re not alone. In today’s high-velocity and divisive world, stress seems inevitable, whether you’re juggling deadlines, family demands, or unexpected work challenges. What if I told you that mastering stress could take less than a minute? This 48-second Box Breathing exercise is easy and powerful. The Steps: Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds . […]
Do It Messy, Do It Inspired!
This month marks my 3-year anniversary as an entrepreneur with my business as a speaker, executive coach, and talent development consultant. I left a senior leadership role in a large organization to pursue my side hustle full-time, and I have never been happier. This was not an overnight decision. I had been pursuing my business […]
Talent Development Must Keep Pace with the AI Surge
The World Economic Forum’s “Future of Jobs Report 2025” indicates 39 percent of job skills will transform by 2030. Organizations that prioritize employee development as a crucial part of their business infrastructure will be the ones to excel in this rapidly evolving landscape. We are witnessing an undeniable shift; what seems relevant at the start […]
The Meeting Hangover: It’s a Real Thing
I hear from clients daily about meeting overwhelm in their workplaces. The back-to-back meetings to discuss the work leaves precious little time to do the work. Meeting Hangover This new trending term “meeting hangover” describes the long-lasting mental fatigue and fuzziness that often follows the debilitating perpetual meeting cycle. If you must attend continuous meetings […]
Break Free of the Infinite Workday to Honor Wellbeing and Peak Performance
In today’s fast-paced, hyper-connected world, many professionals find themselves caught in the web of what’s been termed the “infinite workday.” A staggering recent report from Microsoft reveals that many workers start their day glued to their screens, scrolling through countless emails and notifications even before they roll out of bed. This pre-work routine often morphs […]
