Dear HBR:

Career Crossroads


Listen Later

Are you weighing the trade-offs of a big career decision? Dan and Alison answer your questions with the help of Claudio Fernández-Aráoz, a senior adviser at the executive search firm Egon Zehnder. They talk through what to do when you want to transition from individual contributor to management, you’re mulling over a more senior role at a smaller organization, or you’re having doubts about staying on a high-pressure career track.

From Alison and Dan’s reading list:

HBR: Make Peace with Your Unlived Life by Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries— “Tina was at a crossroads. Her daughter had recently left for college, and her husband had his own pursuits. And although she’d once enjoyed banking, she now bore little interest in her work. For some time, she had been asking herself whether she should quit. But what would her colleagues and bosses think of her?”

HBR: The Key to Career Growth: Surround Yourself with People Who Will Push You by Claudio Fernández-Aráoz — “Don’t hesitate to ask the truly big questions. What shall I do with my life? What really motivates me? What am I doing that I really don’t like to do? While pondering these questions, in addition to checking my capability, connectivity and credibility, I also engage my friends in conversation about three other Cs: contemplation (Am I in touch with my inner compass?), compassion (Do I show it for myself and others?), and companions (Who else might inspire me to new growth?)”

HBR: How to Stay Stuck in the Wrong Career by Herminia Ibarra — “We like to think that the key to a successful career change is knowing what we want to do next, then using that knowledge to guide our actions. But studying people in the throes of the career change process (as opposed to afterward, when hindsight is always 20/20) led me to a startling conclusion: Change actually happens the other way around. Doing comes first, knowing second.”

HBR: How Star Women Build Portable Skills by Boris Groysberg — “After studying the fortunes of more than 1,000 star stock analysts, we found that when a star switches companies, not only does his performance plunge, but so does the market value of his new company. What’s more, these players don’t tend to stay with their new organizations for very long, despite the generous pay packages that lured them in. Everybody loses out.”

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Dear HBR:By Harvard Business Review

  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6

4.6

740 ratings


More shows like Dear HBR:

View all
HBR IdeaCast by Harvard Business Review

HBR IdeaCast

1,881 Listeners

The Look & Sound of Leadership by Essential Communications - Tom Henschel

The Look & Sound of Leadership

1,139 Listeners

The McKinsey Podcast by McKinsey & Company

The McKinsey Podcast

381 Listeners

Coaching for Leaders by Dave Stachowiak

Coaching for Leaders

1,474 Listeners

TED Business by TED

TED Business

1,134 Listeners

The Strategy Skills Podcast: Strategy | Leadership | Critical Thinking | Problem-Solving by FirmsConsulting.com & StrategyTraining.com

The Strategy Skills Podcast: Strategy | Leadership | Critical Thinking | Problem-Solving

111 Listeners

Cold Call by HBR Presents / Brian Kenny

Cold Call

189 Listeners

Women at Work by Harvard Business Review

Women at Work

1,371 Listeners

The Anxious Achiever by Morra Aarons-Mele

The Anxious Achiever

571 Listeners

Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques by Matt Abrahams, Think Fast Talk Smart

Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

771 Listeners

Coaching Real Leaders by Harvard Business Review / Muriel Wilkins

Coaching Real Leaders

591 Listeners

The So What from BCG by Boston Consulting Group BCG

The So What from BCG

219 Listeners

Fixable by TED

Fixable

218 Listeners

HBR On Strategy by Harvard Business Review

HBR On Strategy

71 Listeners

HBR On Leadership by Harvard Business Review

HBR On Leadership

131 Listeners

New Here by Harvard Business Review

New Here

76 Listeners