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!
Demystify Executive Presence and Project How You Want Others to Perceive You
Executive presence used to harken images of expensively attired corporate employees who walked the walkand talked the talk to inspire confidence and yield influence for success in lavish offices and board rooms. After the COVID pandemic, the world has destigmatized remote work and the hybrid work model will be the new norm for much of […]
Older, Wiser, and Career Vibrant
I have several executive coaching clients in their late fifth and sixth decade of life who are navigating a career change due to lay-offs, or company mergers and acquisitions beyond their control. Others are career transitioning by choice and excited about designing a new chapter in life and career. My clients expressed worry about ageism […]
Your New Normal: How Will It Look?
You may have seen them on social media…the memes and articles about how our lives will be forever changed due to Coronavirus. One of those memes, from Brené Brown, recently appeared in my social media feed questioning the whole idea of “normal” and pointing out that “normal” in the current age has had a very […]
COVID-19 Workaholism is Real
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a work-at-home scenario for me that has potential for backsliding into my dangerous workaholic tendencies. The back-to-back Zoom meetings with no transition time and lack of a lunch break are needed when urgency is real, but I am concerned that we are slipping into an unsustainable and unhealthy new work […]
Single Task Your Way to Sanity During Shelter-in-Place
These are stressful times sheltering in place while we are living 24/7 with family members who are trying to work, supervise online education for kids, and stay healthy during a global pandemic. While it may seem ideal to throw a load of laundry in while you are on a conference call and simultaneously checking on […]
Leverage Your Influence During COVID-19 Working at Home
COVID-19 has forced most of the global population into required remote work. Whether you had the option to work at home previously, or if this is your first virtual work rodeo – the new virtual normal may be here to stay. Learning how to first cope and then thrive in a remote work scenario is […]
10 Ways to Stay Sane & Active While Social Distancing
Original Article written by Julie Singh of TripOutside.com. There’s no denying that the Coronavirus (COVID-19) has put a stop to almost all outdoor activities. With increased home quarantines and social distancing measures, cancelling outdoor adventures has become the new norm. This may leave you bored, anxious, and searching for ways to stay fit. We feel […]
Maintain a Social, Positive Workplace Amid Coronavirus
This piece first appeared in Compliance Week. Author Jaclyn Jaeger is an editor with Compliance Week and has written on a wide variety of topics, including ethics and compliance, risk management, legal, enforcement, technology, and more. I am grateful that she allowed me to share her piece with my global audience. Companies all around the world right […]
Be Financially Savvy – Even During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Whether you’re struggling to manage your money in a time of crisis, or you’ve just received your largest raise to date, any minor change to your finances can be a major lifestyle adjustment. It’s understandable to not make the best spending decisions with your money, especially when enduring such trying, uncertain financial times. No matter […]
Sleep: A Necessity for Good Health
We often put our own well-being to the back of the proverbial back burner in order to get ahead, but over time all this does is set us back. It’s estimated that nearly a third of the working world is sleep deprived, which may equal meeting short term deadline goals, but it doesn’t take long […]
Optimistic Options in Light of COVID-19
The stress of the COVID-19 pandemic is palpable. There is a clear emotional wake of distress, fear, and anxiety from the unknown of the foreseeable future. While we all need to be vigilant about social distancing, proper hygiene, and protecting the most vulnerable populations, here are a few optimistic ideas about how to reframe the […]
4 Tips for Managing Your Professional Reputation
In business, your reputation is one of your most important assets. Whether it is your personal reputation or that of your business, allowing public perceptions of you to disintegrate and degrade will ultimately come back to haunt you. On the other hand, an entrepreneur with a solid reputation has the world at their feet. Below […]
The Brave New World of Open Concept Offices
For the first time in my professional career I find myself in an open concept workplace. I have a cozy workstation with an electronic standing desk that I can raise and lower with a push of a button. I can access multiple focus rooms or team rooms to take phone calls, engage in noisier meetings […]
On the Move In 2020: Make the Most of the Year
It never ceases to amaze me how quickly time flies. No sooner have we finished celebrating New Year’s, than we’re preparing for the wearin’ of the green! Before we find ourselves singing Auld Lang Syne to 2020, let’s make the most of what this year has to offer. Here are 3 tips for doing just […]
