The 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!