People Stack Podcast

Turtling isn’t moving. If everything is a test, if you always feel under assault, then you cease forward motion. Circled wagons don’t get to Oregon. These are the thoughts in my head after a recent conversation where the person I was speaking with saw themselves as an underdog in an adversarial system. Work isn’t supposed to be like this. And neither is life. There is a better way. Start now.

We cater to folks who solve complex problems for a living. It stands to reason that once they see their own career, and the life that it comes with as a set of complex problems, that they can solve that, too. The flaw in that logic is the same flaw that permeates all buy vs build decisions: the amount of time, knowledge and focus it takes to build a custom career that takes in all of the variables, and produces successful results is greatly underestimated. And frankly when you get a glimpse of the rest of your life, you want it to start right the hell now.

A type of bullying I’ve personally experienced is making someone wrong for wanting more out of themselves, their work, and their life. I see this showing up in the folks we talk to as well and it’s time to put a stop to it. Is Ambition a four-letter word in your world? Are you unable or unwilling to voice that you’re destined for something MORE? Check out today’s episode because Ambition Inhibition has a long-ranging impact on how far, how fast, and how well you’ll achieve.

There’s a great deal down at your local big-box gym. For only pennies a day you too can get an hour a month a personal trainer! These things crop up all over the place and the number of hours they offer, or the price they ask is entirely irrelevant because the gym knows you won’t use it. In fact 63% of gym memberships go entirely unused whether they pay more for a trainer or not! Most timeshares go unused as well and yet folks shell out for them month after month - even pre-COVID. So why would you want to apply the same broken system to your career coach?

You’ll often hear time and money being equated in business. The fact of the matter is that time is way more valuable than money. Your time is a finite, non-refundable, non-renewable resource and the kicker is, you don't know how much you had to start with. And you just made more money listening to this! So how do you make the best use of your finite time so you can have the money and the life worthy of investing your time in? It takes a plan, and it takes action. Find out more in this episode!

There are at least 2 kinds of optimism in the world. One shines a light in a dark room, helping you find the door to something better. The other lulls you into complacency, numbing the pain of the dark. If there are things in your life that are “this sucks but I can deal with it, its temporary” you too may be addicted to Hopeium. In this episode Rob shakes the false hope of waiting for things to improve and spurs action toward that door to something better.

As tech folks, we’re taught to scope things down and be reasonable so that we can deliver on time and satisfy our clients and customers. But that’s killing your ability to see and achieve a dream career. In this episode Rob talks about unlocking your ability to dream big without sacrificing your hard-won tech skills. Do not miss this one!

When we talk with tech managers about their OBSTACLES to building their dream careers, we hear a lot of different things. Their boss, the job market, covid, ageism, sexism, not having a degree, their team, their colleagues, being on an H1B visa, the messed up performance review system…. And while it’s perfectly normal and human to think these are the true obstacles… They’re not. The one true obstacle is YOU! Learn more in this episode so that you can be the Master and Commander of your tech career and finally achieve the advancement you know you’re capable of! Do not miss it!

Very often, potential clients ask us: Can you tell me the steps to advancing in my tech career? Those are straightforward. It’s the same for everyone: Get crystal clear on your mission Build your excellence as a tech leader Evangelize your excellence Negotiate for your new Hell Yes position Celebrating landing that new badass job! Like a combination lock. What are the steps to unlocking one? Turn to the right to the first # Turn to the left past the first # to the second # Turn to the right again to the third # Open it And then you’re going to ask me: Great? What are the #’s? Ah, that’s the part I can’t tell you! Only YOU know the #’s to unlock your tech career. But we can guide you to find them. Here’s how! Don’t miss this episode!

Has this ever happened to you? Someone less qualified with less experience got the job YOU wanted? And you may ask: Why??? Aren’t jobs awarded based on qualifications and experience? Yes and… There’s more to it than that. Check out this episode to find out the pieces of this puzzle that you’re missing so that you can land that raise, promotion, or Hell Yes job - without sacrificing your authenticity or integrity! Check this one out immediately!

Depending on what stats you look at, somewhere around 5 MILLION people lost their jobs due to covid. And they’re looking for jobs right now! And trust me, they’re motivated!!! We know this because some of them are our friends and clients. So if you’re waiting, thinking about, mulling over, collecting more data on whether or not to go after that raise, promotion, or new job… I”m here to tell you that every day you wait, it increases the chances that SOMEONE ELSE will land YOUR dream job. We see it all the time. And more so right now. How do you get out of analysis paralysis and take action NOW! Find out on this episode! Check it out!

For a lot of our clients, the thing that gets them to commit to upgrading their career is: “My career is burning down. If I don’t fix it, nothing will be left.” That’s the truth. And you MUST see this truth in all it’s flames if you’re ever going to move out of your current hidey-hole comfort zone. In this episode I shine a light on this truth from ALL the angles - your money, your job, your impact, your relationships, your health, & your lifestyle. It’s all burning down. How do you stop it? How do you step into your power as a badass leader and get on the path towards career GROWTH - instead of career DESTRUCTION? Tune in right now! You do NOT want to miss this one!

Rob and I did a zoom-out on client trends this week and we noticed a pattern… When clients start working with us, the vast majority of them are stuck (and frustrated) because their career plans are not panning out. They had a plan to up-level and make more money, but life got in the way. Now they’re stuck. If this sounds at all like you, I want you to give this episode a VERY close listen. I’ll reveal what’s REALLY going on and how to fix that career “stuck-ness” once and for all so you can finally be on the path towards building your DREAM tech career! Check it out immediately!

Struggle is a tricky thing. You might be struggling in your career and not know it. This is because of the human condition - we cope. We are VERY good at coping so that life doesn’t hurt. Even if you’re coping, you’re still struggling, and there’s a huge cost. You’re going to stay stuck in your career - leaving hundreds of thousands of dollars on the table. You’re going to lose opportunities for growth and advancement. You’re going to feel the stress of a mediocre life. So how do you know if you’re struggling - even if you’ve been coping for years - so that you can get unstuck and upgrade your career? Check out this episode right now!

We often tell our clients that we’re here to help them have the necessary, uncomfortable career conversations so they can create their dreams. Their response is often, “Define uncomfortable.” The main distinction that we share is that there’s a difference between discomfort and struggle. If you want to get unstuck and get to the next level in your career, discomfort is required. The struggle is optional. In this podcast, I talk more about this distinction and how to harness its power so you can command a salary of at least $200k/year while you live a life full of joy, meaning, and purpose. Do not miss this one!

Prospective clients often ask us, “How much is it?” And, because of the human condition, your brain often goes to, “Can I afford to do it?” I understand why you think that’s a great question. But I’m going to turn your assumptions upside-down. What if that’s a terrible question? What if the BETTER question is: “Can I afford NOT to do it?” Because there are costs to NOT getting the expert career help you need. Financial, emotional, lifestyle, physical, spiritual costs… The list goes on. In this episode, learn what it’s costing YOU to try to fix your career without expert help. Tune in immediately!

Who do you surround yourself with? Is it people who drag you down? They say you should just be happy with what you have? They tell you to “play it safe?” And question your growth saying, “You’ve changed.” Or… ...do you surround yourself with people to LIFT YOU UP? They encourage you to climb even higher! In this episode, I talk about how to build the best tribe possible, so that you can you soar in your career and in your life.

Now that your priorities are clear - I talked about that on the last podcast - it’s time to say NO to everything that’s NOT a priority. And I understand how challenging that can be. Every day, you’re soaked with a tidal wave of messages, requests, demands, and must-do-now’s! How is an authentic, assertive servant leader supposed to deal with all of these? Check out this episode to find out how!

What are the MAJOR categories - the BIG rocks - that you’re going to focus on? Your health? Your relationships? Your career? For most people, their career is not one of those major categories. And that’s a travesty! If you don’t intentionally choose to make your career a priority, you’re missing out on major opportunities for advancement, personal growth, and more money! Check out this episode to learn how you CHOOSE to make your career a priority in 2021 and make it STICK!

I asked Alexa to play some Christmas music and “Holly, Jolly Christmas” came on. Great song. Catchy tune. But, what does it mean? Holly is a plant!? I kinda get the jolly part. It SOUNDS good...but...maybe I’m overthinking it? And then I realized, that’s EXACTLY how so many of our clients feel when they start working with us and we talk about building their DREAM tech career! It sounds good! But what do you mean, exactly? In this episode, I explain what I mean about your dream career. AND how you go from “just a dream” to taking action to build it in reality! Do not miss this episode!