Jo McDermott

Career Development

  • If You’ve Been In Your Job 10 Years, Wake Up. Read This. In Fact, Read This Even If You Haven’t Been In Your Job 10 Years.

    You’re too expensive If you’ve been in your job 10 years, you’re too expensive.  For the company.  I don’t mean that you personally aren’t worth the money you’re making.  I mean that you aren’t worth it to the company.  Think… Continue reading

  • Do You Need More Education To Grow Your Career?

    How Do You Decide? I recently have had a couple of folks let me know that they have completed the next level of their education.  One of them reminded me that I had responded to his “I’ll be x years… Continue reading

  • My Boss Is Young Enough To Be My Child!

    Younger Bosses It happens to all of us–no matter how successful we are–if you stay in the workforce long enough, you’re going to have a boss younger than you.  Why does this matter?  Why do you care?  Yeah, yeah, it… Continue reading

  • Reflections on Being a Mother, Working and “Leaning In”

    Mother’s Day Mother’s Day is a great day to reflect on being a mother.  And on being a mother who works.  And on the controversy over Sharon Sandberg’s new book, Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead.  I… Continue reading

  • Who Are You And How Did You Get That Way?

    Understand Yourself One of the most important tasks of becoming a great leader and a successful Executive (and those things are not necessarily the same thing) is to REALLY understand yourself.  You need to understand what makes you tick–what motivates… Continue reading

  • Are You Stuck?

    Have you noticed that you’re not moving up in your organization any more?  Have your last couple of job changes been laterals?  Have your last couple of reviews been ho-hum? Are you starting to get the message that you’re stuck… Continue reading

  • Mentor Me, Mentor You

    Find a Mentor.  Use a Mentor. Be a Mentor. I’m sure you’re always hearing the advice that you need a mentor.  In fact, you’ve even heard it from me.    Why do people keep giving that advice?   There is research that  supports… Continue reading

  • Are You Too Old To Get a (New) Job?

    How Old Is Old?  Lately the theme of being too old has continued to pop up in my coaching practice like a Whack-A- Mole game on steroids.  The ironic thing is that the people who have brought it up have… Continue reading

  • Should Your Subordinates Like You?

    Should you be liked OR respected? This post is a follow on to my last post, Underground Relationships.  One of my readers said that he had a boss tell him that people working for you shouldn’t like you, just respect you.  He… Continue reading

  • Recruiters Are Prejudiced

    Recruiters Are People I know lots of recruiters.  I like lots of recruiters. In fact, maybe I like all the recruiters I know.  Recruiters are regular people.  And like regular people (yes, that means you too), recruiters are prejudiced.  We… Continue reading