The People Stack Podcast
Jen Bunk
We explore the intersection of Tech Leadership & Dream careers. We do this by creating inspiring podcasts - including interviews with amazing individuals in the tech leadership space.
Dr. Jen Bunk earned her Ph.D. in I/O Psychology (a.k.a. The Science of Work). She is a retired Associate Professor and an accomplished speaker & researcher. As the CEO of the People Stack, she’s used her decades of experience to coach hundreds of tech leaders to create their dream careers - and the dream lives that go with them.
Rob Allen (Jen’s husband) is a 20+ year software industry veteran who moved from IC to Leadership in 2010, where the focus has always been on helping the technical folks who worked for him live their best lives. In 2019, he broadened that to the tech community as a whole by joining Jen full-time at The People Stack as her Co-CEO.
Dr. Jen Bunk earned her Ph.D. in I/O Psychology (a.k.a. The Science of Work). She is a retired Associate Professor and an accomplished speaker & researcher. As the CEO of the People Stack, she’s used her decades of experience to coach hundreds of tech leaders to create their dream careers - and the dream lives that go with them.
Rob Allen (Jen’s husband) is a 20+ year software industry veteran who moved from IC to Leadership in 2010, where the focus has always been on helping the technical folks who worked for him live their best lives. In 2019, he broadened that to the tech community as a whole by joining Jen full-time at The People Stack as her Co-CEO.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jul 6, 2020 • 30min
Episode 141: The 5 silent, insidious diseases that plague tech managers (Part 1)
After serving thousands of tech managers for over 5 years, what patterns have we noticed?
There are many of them - and I want to point out a pattern that lurks beneath the surface.
Hardly anyone talks about it but we know it’s there.
It’s hard to talk about. It’s hard to put into words.
The pattern I’m talking about are the silent, insidious diseases that destroy the careers of tech managers.
What are they and how can you keep them from destroying YOUR career?
You will NOT want to miss this one!
Jul 1, 2020 • 21min
Episode 140: Fired for all the wrong reasons
Were you ever laid off - or fired - from a job for all the wrong reasons?
The good reasons would be: you weren’t performing up to par or you severely breached ethical standards.
Unfortunately, though, a lot of good people are fired for some really bad reasons.
If this has happened to you, please know that there is a way to thrive through this experience.
Find out how on this episode!
Jun 29, 2020 • 25min
Episode 139: “You’re the best boss we ever had.” You’re fired.
Over the past several months, we’ve had a string of clients who were fired or laid off from their jobs.
This wasn’t because they were poor performers.
In fact, one of them got glowing performance reviews and his team reported, “You’re the best boss we ever had.”
So why was he fired? Why does this happen? Has this happened to you?
I talk about all of this on this episode. Give it a listen!
Jun 24, 2020 • 27min
Episode 138: What 3 qualities are necessary to upgrade your tech career?
Will this work for you? Will you be able to advance in your tech career just like our clients have?
The answer is: I don’t know.
I can tell you this though - if you tap into just 3 qualities, you will set yourself up for success.
What are these 3 qualities? I share them in this episode.
Do not miss it!
Jun 22, 2020 • 26min
Episode 137: 3 clients. 3 stories of tech career transformation.
We get asked all the time: Who are your clients? Are they anything like me?
What kinds of help do you give them?
Really what you’re asking is: Will this work for me?
Will the help you give help me to transform MY tech career?
To show you that our clients are amazing humans who have overcome some very thorny problems, I’ll share 3 of their stories this week.
Which one inspires you the most?
Do not miss this episode!
Jun 17, 2020 • 13min
Episode 136: Hiring a resume writer is a terrible idea
I’m just gonna come out and say it: People put way, way, way too much emphasis on resumes!
There’s so much focus and pressure and worries around having the perfect resume.
That’s why people spend hundreds - sometimes thousands! - of dollars to have someone write their resume for them.
In this episode, I explain why this is a terrible idea.
Check out this episode now!
Jun 15, 2020 • 18min
Episode 135: Your resume doesn’t matter as much as you think it does
We get asked ALL the time: How do I write an amazing resume? How do I make sure my LInkedIn profile looks awesome?
Here’s the truth: What you say on your resume and LinkedIn doesn’t matter as much as you think it does!
It’s not nearly as important as what happens before and after.
What are the key steps that happen before and after?
Tune in to find out!
Jun 10, 2020 • 30min
Episode 134: Rolling the dice on your tech career
Do you sometimes feel like navigating your tech career is like rolling the dice?
Will today be the day your boss finally recognizes your efforts?
Will this be the quarter that you finally get that raise you’ve been promised?
Will this be the year that you finally advance to the next level of leadership impact?
I don’t want you treating your career like a game of craps! There's a much better way to approach it that puts you in the driver’s set.
Ready to embrace this new approach that’ll put the odds drastically in your favor?
Check out this episode now!
Jun 8, 2020 • 20min
Episode 133: War-gaming through your tech career
Remember the movie War Games? Where the computer was playing an “innocent” game of global thermonuclear war?
The computer kept guessing at the missile launch codes. Slowly bringing the world closer to World War 3…
Are you war-gaming your way through your tech career? Are you just guessing at the next step? Blindly inching your way closer to complete career catastrophe?
Obviously, this isn’t what we want for you! Ready to embrace a wiser strategy that that doesn’t involve guessing and drastically increases your chances of advancing in your career with confidence and ease?
Do not miss this episode!
Jun 1, 2020 • 20min
Episode 131: Over-achievement is NOT a sustainable career-upgrading strategy
If you want to upgrade your career and land that raise, promotion, or new job…
You just have to keep working hard, right?
You just have to keep achieving - and over-achieving, and you’ll win?
The truth is, this is a terrible strategy.
Ready to implement a sustainable strategy for advancing in your career?
Do not miss this episode!
