The Real Work of Leading an Inherited Team (Part 1 of 3): The Briefing You Were Given Isn't the Whole Story

Most advice about inheriting a team starts with day one. This series starts earlier — with what new executives are actually walking into, why the picture they were handed is only part of the story, and what it really takes to lead an inherited team that performs.You...

Principal Executive Career Coach Job Opportunity

Are you a seasoned leader with deep experience in corporate and tech environments?Is developing team members a favorite part of your job? Do colleagues consistently seek your mentorship? Are you ready to transition out of a corporate role and leverage your...

We're building the data that doesn't exist yet

Question: Is LinkedIn still working for job search? The real story, how roles are actually being found, and which moves actually made the difference — rarely gets told.So we're telling it.How Senior Leaders Actually Get Hired - 2026 Data Project takes...

Stop Avoiding the Hard Conversations: Why Radical Candor is the Essential Read for Every Leader

By Daria Lojko Executive Coach, Close Cohen Career Consulting & HR Director, Expedia. Kim Scott’s Radical Candor is arare leadership book that speaks to the heart and the intellect. The newly revised and updated edition sharpens the author’s original premise—care...

What Starbucks' Restructuring and Layoffs Taught Me About the Power of Networks

By Nancy Poznoff is a former VP at Starbucks, now Executive Coach, Close Cohen Career Consulting & CEO, Mother Bear.I’m a former VP at Starbucks and like many, the news hit hard for me in late September: Starbucks announced the closure of hundreds of stores...

Ebook out now! "7 Game-Changing AI Apps for Senior Level Candidates: Close Cohen's Job Search Playbook"

Hello readers, our team at Close Cohen Career Consulting has tackled the AI mandate - locate 7 AI apps to recreated our tested, highing achieving 7 stage roadmap for senior level candidates.Here are the results, see the Ebook: "7 Game-Changing AI Apps for...

Leadership Actions to Boost Productivity at Work for Senior Management, Directors, and VPs

Why Most Teams Are Trucking Along — and Why That's the ProblemEver wondered what makes a great team truly click? It's not magic. High-performing teams are carefully built, brick by brick, through intentional leadership.When your people feel safe to speak up,...

Big Tech Career Firm Expands to Raleigh-Durham Amid Six-Figure Layoffs (May 13, 2025)

-Triangle pros to get Big-Tech career tactics as job cuts continue(Raleigh-Durham, NC, May 13, 2025) As RTI International cuts 340 roles amid federal funding shortfalls and IBM refocuses its Research Triangle Park workforce, even six-figure earners in one of America's...

Your Next Big Thing: Approaching your Job Search with a Founder’s Mindset

Alright, let's dive into a mindset shift that can truly revolutionize your senior-level job search. As someone who's navigated the startup world twice - first with founding Close Cohen Career Consulting and then with Included, our AI-powered people analytics platform...

Close Cohen 2024 Year in Review

As we sat down to review 2024, one thing became crystal clear —we have worked with some incredible leaders.No matter the challenge our clients have faced: from navigating AI transformation, leading through RTO shifts, or stepping into bigger roles — you all...

Recent blog posts

Think Again book review — Close Cohen blog.

Book Review: How you can build stronger executive presence with Think Again by Adam Grant

As an Executive Coach, I invite clients to examine what served them well in the past and to discover if it still […]

20 Sep 2021

Great Resignation and hiring managers — Close Cohen blog.

The Great Resignation Part II: Hiring Managers, We See You

Another Day, Another Open Headcount The Great Resignation Part II:Hiring Managers, We See You All this “Great Resignation” talk conjures […]

3 Aug 2021

Preparing to give your notice — Close Cohen blog.

The Great Resignation Part I: Prepare to Give Your Notice

Do these 3 things before you Quit Your Job and Seek Freedom The Great Resignation Part I:Prepare to Give Your […]

27 Jul 2021

Senior leader interview loop preparation — Close Cohen blog.

How We Prepare Senior Leaders For Their Interview Loops

Senior leaders are accustomed to preparation before execution, so it’s natural they seek us out for support when preparing to […]

7 Jun 2021

The ONE Thing book review — Close Cohen blog.

Lies, Truth, and Extraordinary Results — The ONE Thing Book Review

With a title that sounds like marketing jargon, I was unsure what to expect from The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple […]

23 Mar 2021

2020 Year in Review

2020 was a year for the history books for Close Cohen Career Consulting, just like for each of you. We […]

26 Feb 2021

An Incredible Journey

Announcing: Rebrand to Close Cohen Career Consulting Interesting pandemic isn’t it? I recently surveyed a group of middle-aged professionals (sometimes […]

11 Feb 2021

Career outcomes and results — Close Cohen blog.

The Outcome

This past month a wonderful client of ours –a senior female software engineer, sent an email to us titled “The Outcome.” As you can...

22 Mar 2020

2019 Year in Review

2019 was an exciting year, we nearly doubled the number of clients served from 2018. Two dedicated staff were hired to uplevel the customer...

31 Jan 2020

Pick a Fight

The key to a great, successful fight that moves your strategy forward is to pick the overlooked, undervalued or forgotten aspect in your landscape...

21 Oct 2019

For people who love to work — Close Cohen blog.

We are For People who Love to Work

We are for people who love to work. People who always need a mountain to climb, for people who know […]

13 Oct 2019

Close Cohen Careers: Executive Career Coaching & Job Search _ Pitch anything book

The Book We Love To Hate

The book Pitch Anything by Oren Klaff is a secret weapon in our arsenal of senior and executive level career coaching. But […]

26 Aug 2019