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 Human Energy Crisis and the 4-Day Workweek Experiment

As someone with Futuristic in my Top 5 Clifton Strengths profile, I am fascinated by what’s coming down the road. Workplace futurists are predicting trends that range from multi-generational behaviors, remote/hybrid roles, and the 4-day work week. Futurist David Houle calls the 2020’s the most disruptive decade in history. The post pandemic journey has brought […]
Showcase Your Indispensability for Job Security and Growth

The Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous (VUCA) world-of-work has made us question job security. Gone are the days when company loyalty made you feel protected during difficult times. All sectors from corporate to non-profit, and higher-education have deployed downsizing, reductions in force, and lay-offs to navigate tumultuous times. Being indispensable in the competitive world requires […]
Achievement Intelligence: When is Enough, Enough?

I coined the phrase Achievement Intelligence to help create guardrails from overworking, so we can enjoy our careers and love our lives simultaneously. We live in a culture where we are enticed to look for the next best thing – accomplish more – and constantly raise the bar, which can leave us feeling inadequate and […]
How The Future Works

The pandemic turned the traditional nine-to-five workday on its head out of necessity. The 2-year (and counting) global case study in remote/hybrid work has irrevocably changed how many people want to work moving forward. With the Worker’s Market driving change, savvy organizations are rethinking the way we work long-term in the new digital-first workplace. My article title […]
Leadership Lessons from Ted Lasso and What to Ask Your Boss

The resources on leadership can be overwhelming from books to podcasts, to TED Talks, research, methodologies, and beyond. While I value the volume of resources available, these 12 lessons from Ted Lasso, the award-winning series on Apple TV about an American football coach leading a British soccer team are simple and powerful. The Ted Lasso […]
Does Your Company Have a Culture of Quiet Retaliation?

I read an amazing piece in the Harvard Business Review. Does Your Company Have a Culture of Quiet Retaliation? Quiet forms of retaliation are incredibly common and can be contagious in the workplace. The organizations that accept this form of retaliation as a standard practice have difficulty hiring and retaining great people. Retaliation — in […]
Celebrating My One-Year Milestone

A year ago, I left a senior leadership role in a large organization to pursue my executive coaching, speaking, and consulting practice full-time. My side-hustle entrepreneurial days morphed into a full-time venture, and I have never been happier. This was not an overnight decision. I had been pursuing my business on evenings, weekends, and precious […]
Older, Wiser, and Career Dynamic

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 […]
94% Currently Work Outside Their Preferred Hours (2023 Report)

This article originally appeared here: 94% Currently Work Outside Their Preferred Hours (2023 Report) and was republished here by permission of My Perfect Resume. 94% Currently Work Outside Their Preferred Hours (2023 Report) In the fast-paced world of modern work, flexibility is the new mantra reshaping how we approach our careers. No longer confined by […]
Gratitude with Specificity

This weekend I received a beautiful card in the mail from my dear friend Sonal Sheth Zawahri that truly made my day. Admittedly, my love language is “words of affirmation”, so cards, hand-written notes and messages feed my gratitude soul. She also included 2 of her signature Tru You Val-U cards that celebrate talents, characteristics, […]
The Power of Resting Deeply

It’s the height of the summer season and many are taking vacation hoping to rest, recharge, and rejuvenate. The reality is that many people need a vacation after the vacation because they do so much during their time off that rest is not a priority, and they return to work exhausted. I am a firm […]
Cracking the Code of Job Satisfaction: 2023 Study

This article originally appeared here: Cracking the Code of Job Satisfaction: 2023 Study and was republished here by permission of My Perfect Resume. Does your job give you an endorphin boost? Or rather anxiety, stress, and hundreds of reasons to complain? No matter whether you save lives or create memes, work from 9 to 5 or have no […]
It’s Time for a Mid-Year Career Refresh

My article was originally posted on Medium. My grandparents were faithful Christmas Club savers at their local bank. Starting in July, they would deposit money in a special account each month, so they could have savings ready to go for the holidays. While many retailers are now having Christmas in July sales, it’s also a […]
Achievement Intelligence is the Essential Guard Rail to Humanize AI

The benefit of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is taking shape with the aim of improving the lives of every person on the planet. In the world-of-work, AI is empowering users in every industry to increase sales, efficiency, and productivity. While there are clear business wins in doing and achieving more, the relentless focus on more is […]