Karen Jones’ Post

Have you ever been haunted by the ghost of your former career self? On a recent evening, my husband and I were driving home from dropping our son off for a redeye flight, and we passed an office complex. Noticing a solitary illuminated frame with a worker barely visible inside, he remarked, “I feel bad for that person. It’s almost 10, and they are the only one still at work.” There was a palpable silence. We were both thinking the same thing: That used to be me.🙋🏻♀️ There was a time when I was often the last one out, exiting through the dark building, flailing my arms like a tired wizard to wake up the light sensors. ⚡ What was I doing back then? 🚩Modeling terrible work-life balance for my team. 🚩Totally ignoring my need for self-care. 🚩Letting perfectionism convince me that I had to keep working this hard (...or else what?). Any of this ring a bell? How did you find your way out of this pattern, or are you still the solitary light in the window (home office counts too!)? *********** I help folks get clarity on career goals, elevate their leadership skills, and navigate career transitions. Interested in learning more about coaching? Set up an introductory call, and let’s start a conversation.

"Your life is your story. Write well. Edit often." - Susan Statham This quote captures a powerful message about personal and professional growth. It challenges us to be the authors of our own lives. I spent much of last year crafting a new chapter of my career journey, pivoting from 20+ years as a television communications executive to coaching, consulting, and teaching. I wrote multiple drafts before landing on the right direction. And I had been outlining ideas for many years leading up to my decision to leave. Consider your career as a narrative you are writing. Each role adds a chapter to your story. Are you making decisions that reflect your main character's goals and motivation? Are you ready to edit out the parts that no longer serve the plot? Editing is about sharpening the focus. It's about continually aligning daily actions with long-term objectives. This perspective isn’t just about career progression—it’s about creating a life that reflects who you are and who you aspire to be. How are you writing and editing your story today? *********** I help folks get clarity on career goals, elevate their leadership skills, and navigate career transitions. Interested in learning more about coaching? Set up an introductory call, and let’s start a conversation.

Silence or Violence? Which do you choose when a conversation gets heated? 🌶 🌶 🌶 How we handle conflict can profoundly impact our professional and personal relationships. 🧊Do you withdraw into silence, with a cutting, “Fine. Whatever.”? ☄️Or is your approach more scorched earth-style, “I’m going to tell you all the ways in which you are wrong about that!”? Both responses block the chance for dialogue and solutions, and neither leaves us feeling very good. Are there other options to explore? “Crucial Conversations” offers great insights to de-escalate a high-stakes conversation. Here are a few strategies: ⛔️Recognize the Signs: Be aware of your physical and emotional response when you move into silence (withdrawing, avoiding) or violence (controlling, labeling, attacking). ⏰ Take a Timeout: Stepping away gives everyone a moment to cool down and reset. 🤔 Reframe the Conversation: Shift your mindset from winning the argument to asking yourself, “What do I really want or need from this conversation?” ⛑️ Create Safety: When conversations become charged, it’s often because at least one participant feels unsafe. Restore safety by identifying a shared goal or mutual purpose. 📹Start With Facts: These are actions that can be recorded - without assigning interpretation. I have found these insights useful for navigating difficult conversations and transforming confrontation into dialogue. 🕊 Personally, I have experience in both withdrawing 😶 and coming in 🔥 🔥 🔥 . How about you?? Awareness is the first step to change! ***** I help folks get clarity on career goals, elevate their leadership skills, and navigate career transitions. Are you interested in learning more about coaching? Set up an introductory call, and let’s start a conversation.

Raise your hand if you're overdue for a routine medical visit! Access to healthcare is something I've grown very appreciative of over the years, for myself and when supporting care for my octogenarian mom. (My buddy Carol Kim writes brilliantly about this topic!) As I sat in a clinic for a routine check-up recently, being tended to by a caring team of nurses, I felt a swell of gratitude. Amid the appreciation, another reflection hit —access isn't always about having insurance. It can also be about overcoming the barriers to obtaining care. Even with the privilege of having coverage, scheduling appointments can be a big challenge, not to mention taking time away from work, drop-offs, and all that life throws our way. It's easy to fall into the habit of prioritizing everything and everyone above our own needs. It reminded me of those darn plates so many of us are spinning—career, family, and more. But taking care of our fundamental needs isn’t just a nicety; it’s a necessity. Just like scheduling crucial meetings and deadlines, maybe ask yourself, “How can I block off time on my calendar for my well-being?” whatever that looks like. Schedule that mammogram. Get your teeth cleaned. Make an appointment to get that thing that’s been bothering you looked at. Creating space for "I need" is the key to sustaining your most precious resource. 🫵🏼

Do you remember your first solo bike ride? 🚴♀️ Someone you trusted—maybe a parent or family friend—was there, running alongside, holding the bike steady while you pedaled your heart out. Their presence was reassuring, a promise that you wouldn’t fall. But suddenly, you looked back and realized... they had let go and were cheering you on. You were riding solo! That flash of panic. Of feeling abandoned. "I can't do this on my own!" But then, surprise—you kept going. Not only were you riding, but you were experiencing a thrilling exhilaration. “Wait, I am doing this!” It's like starting a new career or stepping into a leadership role—the fear of the unknown and the self-doubt can be terrifying.  But what if you've been pedaling solo for longer than you realize, and you already have everything you need to succeed? ***** I help folks get clarity on career goals, elevate their leadership skills, and navigate career transitions. Set up an introductory call, and let’s start a conversation.

"I can't believe March is already over! It's the first day of a new quarter! I haven't accomplished nearly as much as I should have by now! Why can't I get started?!" The experience of feeling overwhelmed can be very, well, overwhelming. 😩 Sucked into a vortex of "shoulda, coulda, woulda," how can we break through this loop to focus on small steps forward? Love the reframe in this NYT article, "Feeling Overwhelmed? Try Tallying Your Tiny Wins" [linked below]. A metaphorical penny jar to capture your achievements, for wins, large and small, to activate a positive feedback loop for morale and motivation. So, here's a challenge: Starting today, let's pay attention to our tiny wins, no matter how small. Maybe it's sending that long-overdue email, organizing our desk, taking 10 minutes to stretch, or just managing to drink more water today. Let's fill our virtual jars with these glowing orbs of progress and remember that every small step counts. 🌟

❓ Would you like to be famous? In what way? ❓ Before making a telephone call, do you ever rehearse what you are going to say? Why? ❓ When did you last sing to yourself? To someone else? These are 3 from a series of 36 questions that were part of a study on “Interpersonal Closeness” (by Arthur Aron et al). The premise was self-disclosure to achieve relationship-building. It's wonky stuff, for sure, but these questions help peel the outer layers to get at a better understanding of ourselves and others. Imagine applying this kind of curiosity and openness in new relationships, personally and professionally. How much more connected could we feel? Have you ever tried something similar as an ice-breaker with a new person or group? What questions would you ask to deepen a new relationship? [My responses are in the comments. How about yours?]

"You can't read the label from inside the jar." The first time I heard this idea, it took me a moment to wrap my head around it, but then the marble dropped into place. Aren’t we all rolling through life inside our own jars, our own encapsulated identities? What are the boundaries of our self-knowledge? These boundaries, often invisible to us, shape our perceptions and interactions, guiding our decisions and relationships. Embracing this concept can be illuminating. It encourages us to ask, “What could I be wrong about?” Coaching can offer a framework to reflect on an external view of our jar, helping us navigate and extend the boundaries of our self-awareness, revealing and overcoming limiting beliefs. By exploring these obstacles through a targeted conversation, we can move towards achieving our goals. Have you ever wondered what’s on the label of your jar? ***** I help executives and other professionals get clarity on career goals, elevate leadership skills, and navigate career transitions. Set up an introductory call, and let’s start a conversation.

Cheering for Ready To Succeed co-founders Romi Lassally and Patrick McCabe and their being featured as nonprofit leaders who will impact the world this year. RTS empowers foster and first generation college students to graduate college and launch successful careers, with the shortest possible distance between its mission and its impact on scholars' lives. I'm proud to serve on the board.

Does your boss mode ever make an uninvited appearance? When you catch a glimpse of yourself showing up in ways that are a bit 𝙚𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙖? My husband and I recently spent 3 days at a cooking class in Napa. We were organized into teams of four, each group with 3 or 4 recipes to prepare for the family-style lunch. There was a moment when I caught myself falling into boss mode: making a detailed timeline, delegating tasks, all around trying to run a line like my own personal episode of “The Bear.” No, chef. 😔 As a coach, I know there is growth in noticing behaviors that may be appropriate and serve us well in certain environments, but which are not needed (or welcome) in others. These moments of self-awareness can be enlightening and humbling. I was able to dial back, loosen up, and not take myself so darn seriously (but don't mess with my mise en place.) And most importantly, the risotto with peas and porcini mushrooms was yummy😋.