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 Inside Scoop About Psychological Safety at Work

The term psychological safety is all the rage in workplace research and publications. I’d like to de-mystify this term and break it down so it’s easily understandable and implementable in all work environments. By Definition Katie Taylor wrote a great piece in Atlassian that defines psychological safety as follows: Psychologically safe work environments allow team […]
2024: Let’s Do This!

As we begin a new year, the time is ripe to start fresh and consider what you need and want to be happy, healthy, and gratified in your life and career. The pressure to pick a new year’s resolution can be stressful. Instead of a singular resolution that is likely to wane in a few […]
Sleep and Success: A Necessity to Get Ahead

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 […]
The Health Benefits of Walking Part II

This post was contributed by Jacky Miller, a Registered Dietician based in New Zealand. She is deeply passionate about holistic health, yoga, meditation, nutrition and exercise. She writes regularly on health related topics for blogs including MindBodyGreen, Jen Reviews, and The Huffington Post. Here are 25 additional health benefits of walking, according to Jacky Miller. […]
The Health Benefits of Walking Part I

This post was contributed by Jacky Miller, a Registered Dietician based in New Zealand. She is deeply passionate about holistic health, yoga, meditation, nutrition and exercise. Through gentle and non-invasive treatments, she addresses the cause of illness and encourages the body to heal itself naturally. She also has extensive teaching experience having taught yoga, breath […]
Land a Job After Being Let Go

Job searches are always hard, but going through them after being let go can make them even harder. Not only is your morale low, but there is a sense of pressure to quickly find a job as to not feel the impact of lost wages. It takes an organization an average of about fifty-two days […]
Career Wisdom for the Class of 2017

It is commencement season and newly minted graduates will be entering the career world in droves. From undergrads to those earning advanced degrees, micro credentials, and everything in-between – The Class of 2017 is ready to get to work. The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) rates the job market for new 2017 graduates […]
Ditch Stress and Fuel Your Creativity at Work

This post was contributed by Gloria Martinez who started WomenLed.org to celebrate the advancements women have made and to inspire women to become entrepreneurs and seek promotions in the workplace. Being stressed due to work is not an uncommon issue. Even those who are doing what they love everyday succumb to a little work-related stress here and there. […]
Are You a Multiplier or a Diminisher?

From academia to the non-profit arena, as well as the corporate world-of-work, I have had many clients who complained about bosses who were ineffective leaders. Were their leaders intelligent and talented people? Yes. But, were they able to lead a team, motivate others, and empower success in their colleagues? No! I have come to believe […]
Embrace “Good Enough to Go” for Career Momentum

As a career development and executive coach, I work with many individuals who are focused on making changes to their careers to better align with professional values and strengths. But for some, their best plans often get stalled in analysis paralysis, which results in stagnation and a hard stop to all forward momentum. Ambivalence Trap […]
Ad-Just-ing Your Use of “Just”

I’d like you to try a little experiment…. For one day, try monitoring the way you use the word “just” – keeping a tally throughout the day of when and how you use it. There’s the version of “just” that’s an adjective – describing a person as “morally right and fair”… “The Vice-President of Marketing […]
Nine Secrets to Great Teamwork

Robyn Odegaard founded her business, Champion Performance Development and is committed to teaching individuals how to better communicate and resolve conflict on teams. While her target audience is college aged women in sports, her message and strategies are applicable to us all. Check out Doc Robyn’s nine secrets to great teamwork for some priceless wisdom. Set […]
April 18th Is Just Around the Corner: Tax Tips For Entrepreneurs

In just a few short weeks it will be April 18th, and the U.S. mail will be working at full tilt — making sure state and federal income tax returns are postmarked with that all-important “Apr 18” stamp. If you haven’t yet completed your taxes, you’re, no doubt, looking for a time to get the […]
Working the Room: Making the Most of Professional Events

Jenny Holt is a freelance writer, mother of two and contributor to my blog. She loves nothing more than getting away from it and taking her pet Labrador Bruce for long walks, something she can do a lot more now she’s left the corporate world behind. Have you ever declined an invitation to attend a work-related […]