The Ultimate Guide To Executive Career Transformation

Set CLEAR Intentions

• Challenge what you want.
• Learn what you love and loathe.
• Explore your strengths and weaknesses.
• Articulate your intentions with your network.
• Reach for your goals.

Clarity Step #1: Find Your Why

Tip #1: Approach your why with childlike curiosity.
Imagine looking at the world with infinite possibilities. What would you change? (Kids ask why frustratingly often, you should too).

Tip #2: Ask yourself the journalist five (+1).
Who, what, where, when, why, and how.

The Journalist Five

• Who am I?

• What do I want?

• Where do I want to be?

• When do I want it?

• Why do I want it?

• +1: HOW do I get there?

Clarity Step #2: Assess Yourself

Tip #1: The only person putting you first is you.
Nobody understands your career quite as you do. Not your boss, spouse, friends, or otherwise. Be responsible and disciplined for what matters, but don’t lessen yourself.

12 (Stoic) Q’s That Will Change Your Life

• What is the most important thing? (What do you value?)

• Who do you spend time with?

• Is this in my control?

• What does your ideal day look like?

• To be or to do? (What can do if you don’t care about the credit?)

• If I am not for me, who is? If I am only for me, who am I?

• What am I missing by choosing to worry or be afraid?

• Are you doing your job?

• Who is this for?

• Does this actually matter?

• Will this be alive time or dead time?

• Is this who I want to be?

📺 Ryan Holiday - Daily Stoic

Tip #2: Get a 360-degree view.
Not all opinions of you should be treated equally. Learn from negativity, but brush off the negative energy of statements made about you.

🗣 “A lion doesn’t concern itself with the opinion of sheep.” George R.R. Martin

Benefits Of 360 Feedback

• Increases your self-awareness.

• Provides strengths and weaknesses assessment from all perspectives.

• Builds confidence and boosts team morale.

• Creates a culture of openness.

• Empowers leaders and teams.

• Increases accountability.

• Launching point professional development.

• Fosters continuous improvement.

  Via EdgeTraining Systems

Further Reading 
📚 Exploring Executive Work/Life Balance & Happiness
📚 Are You Happy? Become A Student Of Yourself
📚 The Dangers of Career Complacency
📚 Your Career Success Makes You Unhappy
📚 Questions That Lead To A More Fulfilling Executive Career

Clarity Step #3: Evaluate Targets

Tip #1 Perception is 9/10 of the law—but only 1/10 of reality.
We share our highlight reels; employers wear their Sunday best. There is always more than meets the eye.

Tip #2: You must create the career you want. You won’t find it.
What got you here won't get you there. Executive roles are in short supply, and the rules are evolving — fast.

Exercise: Write Your Own Job Description

• Search for the jobs you think you want.
  • Ignore titles, compensation, industries, and company.
• Copy snippets and bullets that you care most about.
• Paste your findings into a master document.
• Evaluate Your “Frankenstein Job Description”
  • Does the role sound familiar?
  • Do you know someone that does this?
  • Have your job titles and responsibilities been accurate?
• Use these inputs to inform your storytelling.

Further Reading 
📚 You Must Create The Executive Job You Want

Clarity Step #4: Tell Your Story

Tip #1: Anecdotes are king.
Make your stories punchy, concise, repeatable, passionate, relatable, and engaging. Toss the buzzwords and limit acronyms.

Tip #2: It’s not what you say; it’s how you say it.
Use your BRAINS.

Should I Tell This Story? (BRAINS)

• Benefits - How can the story be perceived positively?

• Risk - How can the story be perceived negatively?

• Alternatives - Is there a better way to tell this story?

• Intuition - What does my gut say?

• Now? Never? Later? - Does this story serve the conversation now?

• Should I write this down first? - Yes.

Further Reading 
📚 What’s Next For You?
📚 So, Tell Me About Yourself...

Opportunity Notes

EARN Opportunity

• Engage in habit-building, storytelling, content, and process.

• Assess each opportunity using your CLEAR conclusions.

• Reflect on your performance regularly.

• Network by giving to others to build career-defining relationships.

Opportunity Step #1: Design Your LinkedIn (& Brand)

Tip #1 The most value in LinkedIn comes from using it.
LinkedIn does not need to be over-optimized to be effective. Getting too scientific on a largely subjective and ever-changing platform will drive you cuckoo.

Tip #2 Comparison is the thief of joy—and killer of careers.
Don’t fret about comparing yourself to others. Copy and paste isn’t differentiating you (Plus, you’ll be behind anyway).

Opportunity Step #2: Build A Networking Army

Tip #1: Always give more than you take—and surrender the outcome.
We have two ears and one mouth for a reason. Time is our most valuable resource. Reciprocity is a universally accepted social rule. What is the value of undivided attention?

Tip #2: Build a well before you’re thirsty.
Ask for 2 or 3 more people that you can speak with after each networking call. Never put all your eggs in one basket. (For networking or revenue sources).

Further Reading

📚 Always Give More Than You Take
📚 The Lesser-Known Formula To Network Better
📚 Learnings From Ten-Thousand Hours Of LinkedIn
📚 Develop Your 'Hidden' Opportunity Pipeline
📚 Take Ownership Of Your Lasting Impression
📚 3 LinkedIn Musts For Holiday Job Seekers 

Opportunity Step #3: Refine Your Job Search Habits

Tip #1: Make opportunity a habit.
What separates the good executives from the great? It’s not money, status, or raw talent—it’s the way they approach their positive habits.

🗣 "Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress." James Clear

Tip #2: Make habit easy.
The brain’s instinct to conserve energy makes us lazy! Developing your career must become consistent second nature. You must make it easy.

Active Search Habit Examples

• Reach 15 people (personal InMails) and engage in 10 posts on social per day.

• Share one public short tip, video, or article per week.

• Assess the job market every Thursday only. Set up targeted email notifications.

• Build a “bookmarks folder” with your search terms across multiple job engines.

•  Right-click, “open all in new window” to launch your search.

• Track your applications in a spreadsheet.

• Build a personal CRM in HubSpot free, set follow-ups.

• Boilerplate 85% of your Resume. Save multiple versions.

• Ask for 2-3 new introductions as your call-to-action on each call.

• Your KPI is # of conversations.

Bonus - Ax The Hidden Executive Killers

• Silence notifications & trim your tech stack. The average employee is interrupted every three minutes and only productive for two hours and 53 minutes a day.
• Fight the commute. Employees allowed to work from home just once a month are 24% happier.
• Reduce sugar intake. Studies show that 80 percent of people who stopped eating sugar and other unhealthy foods found that their mental health greatly improved.
• Reduce alcohol intake. Studies show that quitting alcohol for good can reverse cognitive damage, including memory, planning, organization, behavior control, and reaction time.
• Reduce caffeine intake. Studies show that: There are higher reported anxiety levels in moderate and high caffeine consumers compared with abstainers.
• Prioritize sleep. Executives who are sleep deprived are grumpy and distracted. Someone who sleeps 4 to 5 hours per night performs tasks as if they are legally inebriated.

Opportunity Step #4: Personalize Your Resume

Tip #1 Do it yourself.
The biggest value in your resume is writing it yourself.

Tip #2 Make it personal.
Your resume is designed for an audience of 1. LinkedIn is designed for an audience of many. Know the difference. 

Download:
⤵️ Executive Resume Template
⤵️ Opportunity Tracking Sheet

Bonus Section Notes

Bonus: Understand Coaches, Hiring Managers, & Recruiters

Tip #1: Hiring managers have a problem to solve.
Lead conversations with discovery and consultation. “You already have the job mindset.”

!! Advised for execs only. You must thread the needle between aggression/arrogance and confidence/assertiveness.

Tip #2: Recruiters don’t work for you.
Recruiters are selling you a role. They don’t often know or support your best interests.

!! Study the nuances between internal recruiters and outsourced, contingent, and retained executive recruiters.

Tip #3: The right coach is hard to find.
Challenge every claim, data point, and win. Ultimately, you must be confident and committed to your decision to be successful.

Realization Notes

OWN The Outcome

• Open to exploring and interviewing with more intention.

• Withstand the barrage of red flags and detrimental opportunities.

• Negotiate your terms, severance, boundaries, and well-being.

Realization Step #1: Own Your Functional Expertise Interview

Tip #1: Own your story.
If you can’t rely on the interviewer to ask the right questions, who can you rely on? Focus on what you can control, not what you cannot.

Tip #2: Commit to the truth.
Truth matters. Being truthful means that we can grow and mature, learning from our mistakes. Truth creates social bonds, and lying and hypocrisy break them.

Realization Step #2: Drive Assertive Behavioral Interviews

Tip #1: Lead the interview.

Knowing how to navigate the interview is more important than knowing what will be asked. Master interviewers take ownership and interview the interviewer.

!! If you wait to be asked questions, you will always be on the back foot, on the spot, and lose the authority to make your points.

Getting Drilled (Common Interview Questions)

Tell me about a time when:

• Were a team player.

• Took ownership.

• Showed humility.

• Managed a disagreement.

• Lead through crisis.

• Managed conflicting priorities.

• You accomplished something.

• Your most challenging project.

• You showed leadership.

• You failed or made a mistake.

• You worked with a difficult person.

•   You had to persuade someone.

•  You surpassed people’s expectations.

•  You had to learn something quickly.

More common questions:

• What is your greatest strength/weakness?

• Why should we hire you?

• Why do you want to work here?

• What would your coworkers say about you?

• Why do you want to leave your current role?

• Can you explain your employment gap?

• What are your comp expectations? ⛔ WARNING DON’T ANSWER ⛔ 

• What do you do outside of work?

• Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

• What is your leadership style?

• Do you have any questions for me?

•  Further Reading: 📚 40 More -> Favorite Interview Questions

STAR ICARQ Framework

Describe a time when... GULP!!?

• Impression - What impression must you make?

• Context - What is the context of your story?

• Action - What actions did you take?

• Result - What was the result of your actions?

• Question - What question(s) do you have for the hiring manager?

⤵️  Printable Download For Storytelling Preparation

Tip #2: Be assertive.
55% of people (and 79% <35) say they’ve missed work opportunities by not being assertive. 57% of people say they’ve naturally become more assertive with age.

📚 Acuity Training Statistics

The Benefits Of Being Assertive

• Gain self-confidence and self-esteem.

• Gain a sense of empowerment.

• Understand and recognize your feelings.

• Earn respect from others.

• Improve communication.

• Create win-win situations.

• Improve your decision-making skills.

• Create honest relationships.

• Gain more job satisfaction.

How To Be Assertive

• Pause before you speak. Express your opinion and speak directly.

• Say, “Thank you.” Not, “I’m sorry.”

• Make eye contact with others. Correct your posture.

• Dress executive appropriate.

• Take accountability for your mistakes.

• Get comfortable saying no.

• Prepare your big conversations and negotiations.

• Temper your emotions. Practice stoicism.

• Be open to positive and negative feedback.

• Practice assertiveness in low-risk situations.

Further Reading 
📚 Interview Preparation: Crush Your Next Interview
📚 Leaders Go First: Why Some Executives Get What They Want (And Others Don't)
📚 Why Didn’t Your Last Role Work Out?
📚 Be More Assertive During Behavioral Interviews
📚 You're Insecure. Why Not Own It?

Realization Step #3: Figure Out Compensation

Tip #1: Study the market compensation trends and benchmarks.
Set the stage for negotiation armed with data.

Getting Comp Data

• Ask Jacob

• Ask Your Network

• Befriend HR, CHRO, CPO

• Befriend KornFerry & Recruiters

• Pavilion Comp Benchmark

• Pavilion Exec Comp Guide

• Betts Recruiting Comp Guide

• Levels.fyi

• Pave.com

• Salary.com

• Candor.co

• DON'T USE: Glassdoor

• DON'T USE: LinkedIn

Tip #2: Benchmarks aren’t gospel.
Your role is unique. If you’ve navigated the role in your favor or expectations have increased, what others make is largely irrelevant.

Realization Step #4: Deliver Winning Negotiations

Tip #1: You don’t get what you’re worth; you get what you negotiate.
Question: When does a negotiation begin? 
Answer: You're already negotiating.

PS> Bring up severance after you receive a written offer.

📚 The 10 Commandments of Executive Salary Negotiation

Tip #2: Never be so sure of what you want that you wouldn’t take something better.
Oversharing is a killer; concentrate on the information you drip and the timing of when you do it.

Negotiation Tips

• Use selective word mirroring.

• EQ is more important than IQ.

• Leverage calibrated questions.

• Magnify positive emotions.

• Fair is the F-Bomb of negotiations.

Further Reading
📚 Chris Voss 5 Best Negotiation Tips
📚 Leverage, You're Doing It Wrong
📚 Executive Negotiation: How Much Money Do You Want?
📚 How To Spark A Bidding War

Empowerment Notes

Support Your TEAMS

• Teach others to find clarity, create opportunity, and realize their dreams.

• Embrace each moment, slow down, and care personally.

• Accept yourself and others with grace.

• Meditate to retrain healthy habits and move through your actions more mindfully.

• Support safe environments and inspire diverse teams to collaborate, take risks, and work towards their passions.

Empowerment Step #1: Know Your Greatest Impact

Tip #1: Take a stand.
MAYO Clinic: Being assertive reduces stress and improves communication.

When It's Time To Say Hard Things

• Did you mean it?

• Can you defend it?

• Did you say it with love?

• If yes to all three—say it and let the chips fall.

📺 Luvvie Ajayi Jones

Tip #2: Be disciplined and consistent.
If you study those who have achieved great things in any walk of life, you will always find self-discipline in action.

Empowerment Step #2: Shred Anxiety & Imposter Syndrome

Tip #1: Be grateful.
Researchers have found that the brain can't respond to anxiety and gratitude simultaneously — which means it's one or the other.

📚 Gratitude - A Mental Health Game Changer
📚 The Neuroscience of Gratitude & Effects On The Brain

Tip #2: Embrace a growth mindset.
Train your brain to be more optimistic by adding (YET) to negative statements.

Empowerment Step #3: Establish Your Leadership Style

Tip #1: Share a user manual on how to best work with you.
Gather a 360-degree assessment of your leadership and build a 1 pager for your team.

⤵️  Download from (Thanks) Rick Smolen!

Tip #2: Be adaptable.
Change is constant and inevitable, and leaders must be flexible to succeed. E.g., some functions or people respond better to autocratic, process-driven leadership. Some require democratic process.

Empowerment Step #4: Always Consider What’s Next For You

Tip #1: You never know what your future self wants.
The Sunk Cost Fallacy is when we continue endeavors we have invested time, effort, or money into it, whether or not the current costs outweigh the benefits.

📺 You Don't Actually Know What Your Future Self Wants Shankar Vedantam

Tip #2: Give grace; forgive yourself and others.
Use GRACE to transform your leadership, friendships, and community. Grace is a catalyst for positive change to enable the greater good.

Leadership With GRACE

• Generosity, the will to do something more for others.

• Respect, the dignity of life and work.

• Action, the mechanism for change.

• Compassion, the concern for others.

• Energy, the spirit that catalyzes us.

📚 John Baldoni

Further Reading 
📚 Executive Leadership ≠ Celebrity. Is It Still Right For You?
📚 Will You Lead Through Challenging Times?
📚 The 4 X-Factors of Today's Leading Executives
📚 Feeling Anxious? You’re Welcome
📚 Is It Contentious To Not Have Consensus?
📚 Use Philosophy To Be A More Persuasive Leader
📚 The 7 Habits of Highly Toxic Companies (+Rx)
📚 Beat Ageism And Stop Competing With Children

Full Presentation

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See also: Top book recommendations to support the learning and development of your executive career. 

PS — If you'd like me to deliver this 90-minute presentation to an executive group that you're in, buzz me an email.