For decades, professionals relied on their employers to guide career growth, provide training, and ensure job stability. That era is over. In today’s workplace, if you’re not actively managing your career, you’re falling behind.

In this episode of The Future of Less Work, Nirit Cohen sits down with David Fano, CEO of Teal, to discuss why career ownership is no longer optional. Whether you’re happily employed or considering your next move, waiting for your company to invest in you is a mistake.

David shares why the best professionals treat their careers like a business—continuously learning, networking, and staying aware of industry shifts before they need to.

Want to dive deeper into this topic? Read Nirit's Forbes article, "⁠Why You — Not Your Employer — Must Focus On Your Own Career Development", to explore these ideas further.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZMG7BVU63o

Guest Information:

David Fano is the founder and CEO of Teal, an AI-driven technology platform that helps consumers find and land jobs they love. Teal’s mission is to empower professionals with the tools, insights and guidance they need to navigate their career in the increasingly complex digital jobs landscape. Prior to founding Teal, Fano served as the Chief Growth Officer at WeWork where he grew the team from 400 to 4,000 people – and launched physical and digital product lines such as WeWork Enterprise, WeWork HQ, and We Membership. In the span of four years, he helped build a global growth team that opened and sold over two million square feet of space per month. Prior to that role, he founded CASE, a building information consultancy, which he grew to 65 people before it was acquired by WeWork in 2015. Since launching Teal in 2019, Fano has grown the company to 26 employees and they serve nearly two million professionals to-date. His work at Teal is a direct extension of his mission to empower professionals to take control of their career paths. Fano graduated from Columbia University with a Master’s degree in Architecture where he was also an adjunct professor.

Teal’s Career Growth Platform:

https://www.tealhq.com

Follow David on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidfano/

Your Turn:

What’s holding you back from owning your career? Is it a lack of skills? Not knowing where to start? Financial concerns? Fear of making a change? Drop your thoughts in the comments or on social media using #TheFutureOfLessWork. We want to hear from you! Tag us, and we’ll personally respond with insights, resources, and ideas to help you move forward. Don’t wait for a career breakthrough—start building it today.

Chapters:

00:00 - Take ownership of your career

03:52 - Why you shouldn't rely on your employer for career growth

05:10 - Is AI about to change your job—even if you stay put?

07:30 - You should always be looking for your next opportunity

09:28 - Every job experience belongs to you

11:54 - Career fulfillment as a salaried employee

13:37 - AI will simplify the job search process

19:20 - Will skills replace degrees in hiring?

22:00 - How can job seekers prove their value beyond resumes?

24:09 - Why upskilling is no longer optional

26:10 - Are you using your company's career development resources?

29:53 - Why your career growth is your responsibility

31:44 - What’s holding you back from your dream career?

33:58 - How to network without exposing you're looking for a job

37:22 - Let go to grow your career