The Real Work of Leading an Inherited Team (Part 3 of 3): Why Knowing What to Do Isn't Enough
This is the final post in a series on leading an inherited team. Parts 1 through 3 covered the gap between the briefing and reality, why listening has to come first, and the three patterns that consistently slow new executives down. This one is the honest part.Here's...
The Real Work of Leading an Inherited Team (Part 2 of 3): Listen First. The Rest Can Wait.
This is Part 2 of a series on what it actually takes to lead an inherited team. In Part 1, we talked about why the picture new executives receive before stepping in is often incomplete. Here, we get into what to do about it — starting with the instinct most leaders...
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...
Recent blog posts
Having Difficult Conversations with Direct Reports
A difficult conversation with your direct report is ultimately a spiritual challenge, so my clients really love the concept of "bearing witness".
- 17 May 2017
Your Mixed Class Background
To build out your real-time strategy for promotions, pay raises, and professional exposure, we need to locate you in the chain of your family...
- 11 Apr 2017