Tag Archives: transition

Transition’s detours

Posted on October 18, 2013 | Leave a comment

“They’re probably ones that I would have said at some point in the last six months or ones I could say tomorrow or next week,” shared a focus group participant.  She and her co-participants had just discussed adjectives that ‘characterize transition.’  The surprise?  Regardless of the reason for the transition – job loss, divorce, career change, or life events related to parenting  – the adjectives were all the same.  Scary. Rewarding.  Embarrassing. Liberating.  Freeing.  Confusing.  Exhilarating.  Uncomfortable.  Unnverving.  Overwhelming.  Shameful.  Empowering.   Have you ever surfed transition’s emotion buffet? Continue reading →

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The Big Picture….

Posted on October 11, 2013 | 2 comments

Have you ever missed an opportunity to transition?   Knew that something wasn’t right but felt it wasn’t the right time to address it?  Or better yet, ignored the signs?  Or maybe you were oblivious to the signs entirely.  If I’m honest I completely missed an opportunity to transition about five years prior to my current one.  It wasn’t so much that I ignored the signs.   I was aware that I needed a change.  What I didn’t get was the enormity of the change required.  I can’t help but wonder if I’m not alone in this borderline clueless category.  Continue reading →

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Transition’s Required Armor

Posted on October 4, 2013 | 1 comment

“You just start thinking about other things that you can do. You think about your dreams and your goals.  You see it and it gives you hope.  And energy.  You feel energized,”  said Vicci Recckio, member of the Benson Babes.   The group, all participants in the Benson Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine, was featured on an NPR piece entitled, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Coat.   Their catalyst?  A coat purchased from a thrift shop for $10 and shared among participants who were undergoing cancer treatments.   A coat?  Could a coat really provide hope, energy? Continue reading →

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Assessing forward progress…

Posted on September 27, 2013 | Leave a comment

“What has been the most difficult part of your transition?” asked a friend in a shaky voice.  Her tone underscored her status.  She sounded on edge.   My guess was that she was reeling from yet another setback.    Ever been there?  I was momentarily silent in response to her question.  Which  parts?   In my mind several were vying for the preeminent spot…most difficult. Continue reading →

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Transition’s creative barrier…

Posted on September 19, 2013 | Leave a comment

“Have you started cleaning closets?”  asked a business school classmate of mine immediately after I started my transition.   She shared that another classmate, who had been a high-ranking executive in the financial services industry, did exactly that for two months following her acrimonious departure from an employer.   My friend viewed this activity positively, a cleanse.  Was it?   Is cleanliness or organization an accompaniment to transition? Continue reading →

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Bringing Transition Into Focus

Posted on September 13, 2013 | Leave a comment

“Take yourself out of autopilot,” encouraged Janice Marturano, a former executive at General Mills and now head of the Institute for Mindful Leadership.  Her plea was part of an overall recommendation towards purposeful pauses featured in,  In Mindfulness, a Method to Sharpen Focus and Open Minds (NY Times 3/23/2012).  She reasoned that with mindfulness, “overtime you’ll feel more focused and connected to yourself and others.”  Reverse autopilot.  Could that concept benefit you? Continue reading →

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Summer Book Review Denouement

Posted on September 6, 2013 | Leave a comment

“We are now in a position to move forward with you,” boasted a long-awaited email to a friend.  Imagine the excitement.  She’s been networking in pursuit of a new opportunity.   A new direction.  Maybe you’ve seen this movie?  Countless meet and greets.  Electronic job postings.  Online applications.  Long overdue or impersonal responses from hiring companies.   Not this email.   A sparkle?  A validation? Continue reading →

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Summer Book Review #31: Listening Below the Noise

Posted on August 23, 2013 | 2 comments

“Nothing at all.  Silence.  That’s the gift I’d offer,” shared a former executive who participated in the Research Jam last spring.   We were talking about creating a gift bag for women just beginning transition.   Silence came up again and again during our conversation.    She also shared a question that she’d grappled with early on in her transition, “Who am I if I’m not me?”   For her silence served as a catalyst to answering that question.  What is your relationship with silence?  Is it an unaffordable luxury?  A welcome guest? Continue reading →

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A decade’s lesson: maintain relationships

Posted on August 16, 2013 | Leave a comment

“I figured out how the guys do it,” screeched an exasperated friend following a conversation with a former colleague.  Over the course of the call my friend learned about a common practice in the financial services industry…parking certifications.  It seems that if a person leaves a large firm to ‘work’ in a consulting capacity said professional can hold onto their certifications.   Not so if that person simply becomes unemployed.  ‘That’s how the old boys network does it,” she fumed.  “They park someone’s certs and say they are ‘consulting.'”  She was beside herself.  From her perch….this ‘parking’ courtesy wasn’t often extended to women regardless of their vocation after leaving a large firm.  Continue reading →

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Transition’s initial step…..

Posted on August 9, 2013 | Leave a comment

“Don’t do that when I’m not around,” said my eight year old son.   “I like to learn when you’re on the phone,” he continued.  We were talking about what I do when he is at camp.   I told him that I held conference calls almost constantly while he was gone.  His comment surprised me.  I always perceived my work as an imposition on our time.  In fact I try desperately to manage work around my children’s schedules.  In a million years I wouldn’t have guessed that he would arrive at such a place.  Powerful concept. Learning. Continue reading →

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