Jo McDermott

Career development

  • Genericize Yourself, Increase Your Options

    Broaden Your Opportunities For the first ten years of my career, I did product development and operations at an electronic publisher.  Before the Internet.  Explaining what I did was very hard.  (It would be a lot easier now).   When I… Continue reading

  • Are All Organizations This Crazy?

    People frequently ask me, “Are all organizations like this?”  This political?  This crazy? Yes and no.  All organizations are functional and dysfunctional in their own ways.  Like families.  Even the very best organizations rub some people the wrong way. Organizations… Continue reading

  • Are You On Your Way to Failure?

    Derailment Executive coaches call it “derailment.”  Derailment happens when the organization has made an assessment of you that basically takes you off the planned (yours or the organization’s) trajectory of your career.  Derailment is usually talked about from the perspective… Continue reading

  • Who’s Looking Out For You?

    Are you a “High Po?” A ‘High Po’ is a high potential employee.  Organizations identify employees as high potential and invest in those employees.  Companies identify and invest in high potentials (HPs) because they believe that the HPs have the… Continue reading

  • Manage Your Boss, Manage Your Career

    Isn’t Your Boss Suppose to Manage You? Yeah, in an ideal world, your boss is smarter than you.  You boss is a leader who inspires and motivates you.  Your boss knows how to get the roadblocks out of your way… Continue reading

  • 5 Books That REALLY Changed My Career

    Here She Goes Again I suggest books all the time to my friends and clients.  I’m sure some people hide the eye rolling from me while they think: “here she goes again.”  I learn best from books, so I want… Continue reading

  • It All Starts With That First . . . Step

    Know What You Want I used to be in charge of Executive Development for a large corporation.  One day a middle manager came to talk to me about her career dreams.  Within the organization, she had been designated a “hi… Continue reading

  • How Can I Know What I Want To Do (When I Grow Up)?

    It’s OK to have changing career goals.  It is normal, in fact.  Many people either fell into their current career by happenstance, or they selected one that is no longer (or never was) satisfying.  They struggle to figure out the… Continue reading