The process of working with recruiters in a job search has always been mystifying to me. Since I came up through the nonprofit sector, the only recruiters we interacted with were looking for executive director level positions. They seemed to have nothing to do with the rest of us, except when they asked a few performative questions about what we (the lowly staff) were looking for in a leader.

But as I've worked with clients at all different levels and in all different sectors, I've learned a thing or two about how you can leverage recruiters as a helpful tool to identify and land an aligned position.

Here’s what I want you to know about the role recruiters can play in your job search…

Today we’re hearing from Alice Cable, a participant in last fall’s cohort of the Career Collaborative Accelerator. Alice was kind enough to give us a behind-the-scenes look into her decision to invest in herself through group coaching, what the coaching process looked like for her, and what’s changed in her life as a result.

In today's edition of #CareerDiaries, we hear from a midlevel nonprofit professional who is integrating what a new ADHD diagnosis means for her identity and workflow as a professional. Here, she takes us through the process of preparing to tell her employer about the diagnosis and asking for accommodations.

There are all of these moments in life that are incredibly defining– that create a ‘before’ and an ‘after’. Starting a new job, ending a relationship, moving to a new city, etc. So many of them I wasn’t aware of in real time. Today might be the first time I’m fully aware of the fact that yesterday was ‘before’ and tomorrow is ‘after’.

In my grief I wondered: How am I going to show up for work tomorrow?

She's probably said it before, but in the podcast This is Working with Daniel Roth, Brené Brown states that when it comes to your career "nothing is wasted."

That's absolutely true, but it's also a bit more complex than those words imply. I know this, because I used to take the concept that 'everything you've learned is useful' a bit too far.

Here are some myths that have been fully busted.

At Penney Leadership, we often ask clients what surprised them most about their answers in a Career Navigation assignment. The first thing that pleasantly surprised me about the Values Assignment was how effective it was at allowing me to quickly home in on 4 words that resonate as my core values–the beacons of light that guide my life journey with fulfillment, meaning, and purpose. The first three words that emerged felt like no-brainers. As a career coach, it’ll probably come as no shock to you that three of my core values are engagement, purpose, and connection. My fourth core value is grit, and here’s why I wasn’t expecting it.

I'm starting a two-month sabbatical next week. Usually, I work fast, cramming as much as I can between school bus pick up and drop off everyday. So slowing down for two months feels absolutely radical.

> I'm hitting pause on one on one coaching to make room for exploring new ideas and questions, and getting to work on a book proposal.

> I'm taking a break from the constant push-pull between the needs of family and the needs of my work.

> I'm allowing myself to settle in to a different rhythm for the summer season.

But I’m not wholehearted looking forward to this time. In fact, I’m a little scared of it. Here’s why.

All athletes know that rest days are essential to our ability to push harder and increase our strength, skills, and endurance over the long-run. Without the rest days, our bodies would fight back and fail us, resulting in chronic pain and serious injuries. This is true not only for formal athletes, but anyone who maintains a regular workout schedule–we’re athletes too!

The same is true for the white space in all types of art—it’s the unseen but crucial component that helps create the beauty we experience, whether it’s in the form of visual art, music, dance, film, theater, or literature.

So why is it so difficult for us to apply the same “white space” to our lives?

My five year old daughter burst into tears as we were reading her bedtime story.

She was due to start kindergarten in the fall, and the book she chose, Countdown to Kindergarten, brought up a tender worry: "Mommy", she said, "what if I’m not the best in kindergarten?"

As a girl, I was taught to try to be the best at everything so that I could get the best grades, open up the best opportunities, and go to the best college. As a first generation college student, I can understand why my parents instilled this mindset within me.

But as a woman who has had to do a lot of un-learning about perfection over the years, I was alarmed to hear this worry coming up for Avery at such a young age.

Grief at work is something we don't talk about enough, and yet, at one time or another, it will inevitably impact all of us. Grief is big, it's unpredictable, and it's a part of the human experience. Here’s a roundup of advice for how to help yourself through a tough time.

This week, we're hearing from Penney Leadership Strategic Career Coach Jessica Crowley. When Jessica joined our team, I was fascinated by the winding road that has brought her career to where it is today—and how her diverse experience is one of her greatest strengths, not a weakness. Here, she tells the story of what that journey has felt like for her. - Carole Ann

All the little choices I had to make—bottles, pacifiers, sleep training, going back to work, childcare, the list goes on—felt like some kind of an algorithm that added and deducted points, spitting out a calculated score on the Good Mom barometer. I was always tallying the score. And as a result I always felt anxious and guilty.

When I was first promoted to a management position, it wasn’t much different. I put so much pressure on myself to be a Good Manager—I wanted so badly to do right by my team. (None of us want to be one of those Bad Bosses, right?) But, like so many new managers, I was learning management skills on the fly. It was as new to me as changing diapers.

This week, a client who is interviewing for a new position asked me how to assess whether the company culture is the right fit.

"Culture" is a big concept that can mean a lot of different things. To some, it means a company's "vibe" or "personality." To others, it means the values and practices shared by employees. I've even heard it described as "a company's soul."

I'm a major fan of the word "practice." I've even considered getting it tattooed on my arm.

Because that's what everything in life is, really: practice.

In our leadership journeys, we often focus on the destination that we're aiming for: that role we've set our sights on, the moment when we step into leadership by managing direct reports or a heading up a big project, or a specific achievement that we think will give us the sense that we've finally "arrived."

But leadership is not something that suddenly kicks in when you reach a destination. It's a practice that happens all along the way.

Last Friday night at bedtime, I was reading a chapter book about Eva the owl with my seven year old daughter, Avery. Eva’s owl class was having a show and tell about their hobbies, and each student brought in something to share about what they like to do for fun. After all the owls shared, they talked about their parents’ hobbies. But while other kids could easily say what their parent enjoyed doing, Eva wasn’t quite so sure.

I turned to Avery before flipping the page and asked: “What do you think Daddy and my hobbies are?”

She thought for a quiet moment and then said: “Ummm…lying down and working??”

That hit me in the gut. This is why…

Late last summer, I received one of the most lovely emails I've ever gotten—and it was from someone I didn't even know. Jessica didn't expect a reply. But she wrote so wholeheartedly that I knew I needed to meet her. Now, I'm so proud and excited to introduce you to her as the newest member of the Penney Leadership team. That's right—Penney Leadership is shifting from a "me" to a "we"—a coaching practice with two Certified Professional Coaches.

A few weeks ago, I submitted an audition video for a TEDx event.

Speaking at TEDx has been calling to me for a few years now. The idea of getting the opportunity (and the public speaking coaching) to share a powerful, resonant idea with a room full of people sounds scary to me in a good way—the kind of scary that calls me into a greater version of myself.

In the end, I didn't get it…and here’s what that made me realize.

What's your unique leadership style?

There are hundreds of (often expensive) assessments available to “discover” your leadership style. But my approach is built on the belief that YOU are the expert on you.

I believe that taking the time to capture how you uniquely show up as a leader should be a generative process.

I've got Leadership on the mind this President's Day.

The presidency is, in some ways, the ultimate leadership position.

I heard somewhere that there is an equation for confidence:

Confidence = Time + Experience

Like Whyte's piece of paper metaphor, there is no shortcut or blast to get there—instead, it's about steadily building the work, one piece of paper at a time, until one day you look and it's a solid stack with heft and weight.
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I can point to it now and say: I've built a track record with my audience, but I've also built a track record with myself.
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Here's what I've realized about professional confidence:
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​1) There is an element missing from the equation.
​I propose a change:

Confidence = (Time + Experience) + Permission