Jo McDermott

stand out career development

  • Are You A “Flat-Tire-HIPO?”

    What Is A Flat-Tire-HIPO? You know those people, those really, really talented people? Those people who REALLY get things done or those people who can spot the 2 numbers in a 20 page spreadsheet that have issues. Or those who… Continue reading

  • Think Your Job Is Secure? Think Again. PLEASE.

    Think They Can’t Do Without You? There are lots of reasons that we think we are indispensable at work.  We know more than anyone else.  We’ve been there longer.  We have a close interdependent relationship with the boss.  We’re way… Continue reading

  • Do You Really Need A Mentor?

    Do You Need A Mentor? It’s common to hear that you need a mentor for career success.  Is that still true?  Yes. You need a mentor.  You need several.  Over the course of your career you need people who help… 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

  • Brand Schmand. Defining Who You Are.

    Branding When you think of Coca Cola what comes to mind?  The iconic bottle?  The taste?  What about Apple?  Or Amazon?  Or Chanel?  If products are well-branded then when you think of them, you think of the product, the name,… Continue reading

  • Stand Out: Work On Projects

    Internal People on Projects When I work as a consultant on big change projects in companies, there are always consultants (outsiders) and business representatives (insiders).  The insiders are usually identified as subject matter experts, business leads, and sponsors.  Despite what… Continue reading

  • The Specialization Sweet Spot for Career Success

    Too Specialized–The Other Kiss of Death I wrote recently about avoiding the Career Kiss of Death by avoiding becoming a commodity.  Becoming too specialized can also be a kiss of death.  I once worked for an electronic publisher that published… Continue reading

  • Avoid the Career Kiss of Death–Don’t Be A Commodity

    Stand Out or Be Out One of the worst things that can happen to you career-wise is for your employer (or potential employers) to see you as interchangable with other people with the same skill set.  If they think that… Continue reading

  • How Do You Get Noticed?

    Do You Get Noticed? Do you feel like you work as hard as every one else?  Do you feel like your deliverables are better than others?  Do you feel like no one notices how hard you work, or how good… Continue reading

  • Keep Up Or Fall Behind

    If You Want To Stay Employed To stay marketable in today’s workforce, and to be considered for continued promotions, you HAVE to keep up.  Maybe back in the day that wasn’t as necessary–maybe you got to be an expert within… Continue reading