Build your career
agility and thrive

Brendan
United States
Picto Business to Arts
Business to Arts
Brendan
United States
Pivoting from fund-raising to painting
Discover Brendan’s extraordinary journey from a near-death experience to a career as thriving artist. Battling adversity after a violent mugging, he found solace in painting and writing, turning his passion into a full-time business. His fusion of business acumen and artistic flair propelled him to success even through the challenges of Covid-19. Brendan’s story is a testament to resilience, reinvention, and the pursuit of a fulfilling, multifaceted life. Read more
Abel
The Netherlands
Picto FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early)
FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early)
Abel
The Netherlands
Strategic Sail to FIRE Freedom
Abel‘s voyage to Financial Independence and Retire Early (FIRE) is marked by meticulous planning. He pursued a business education, eventually becoming a CFO. Abel and his wife embraced frugality, saving one salary while gradually growing their income. With strategic goals and an Executive MBA at INSEAD, Abel transitioned to a location-independent portfolio career, achieving FIRE. Now contemplating a fully retired life on a boat, Abel imparts essential lessons on starting early, disciplined planning, and enjoying the journey to financial freedom. Read more
Permjot
United Kingdom
Picto FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early)
FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early)
Permjot
United Kingdom
From Corporate Success to Financial Independence
Permjot‘s initial success in London’s corporate world left him pondering the role of chance in achievement. Passive income from successful asset management granted him the freedom to explore a different life. Relocating to Nova Scotia, he leveraged his skills in leadership and investment to engage in meaningful, often pro bono work. Shedding ego-driven motivations, Permjot now finds joy in helping others succeed. His evolving roles reflect a conscious pivot, demonstrating that age-appropriate reinvention is key to a fulfilling life. Read more
Mary
USA
Picto Show to Business
Show to Business
Mary
USA
Professional actor Director, Training & Development at Bumble and bumble, coach and facilitator
Mary’s practical disposition gave her a balanced start in her acting career, and allowed her to build her craft carefully. She had been painfully shy in childhood, but took advantage of a move to a new neighborhood and high school to let her theatrical juices flow, getting involved in all aspects of drama, and moving on to a Theater major in university. By this time she was hooked, but she felt a need for a plan B, dipping her toes into various linked areas such as broadcast journalism and psychology. None of the alternatives felt quite right, however, though she did realize that they were all somehow linked to a “connection with people”.  She auditioned for graduate school, did well, and made the inevitable move to New York city in 1990. Read more

Professionals face many critical crossroads in their careers, sometimes unpredictable, sometimes more expected, but for which they were often not truly prepared.

This book discusses many such career transitions – from leaving a corporation to joining a non-profit, evolving from athlete to executive, or returning to a former employer.

Using the stories of 50 leaders interviewed all over the world, the authors describe what provokes the change, the challenges it creates, how the individual is surviving the transition, and what effective leaders do to navigate and grow from it.

The book offers a simple, easy-to-use framework to help make the most of any uncharted transition.

To thrive, you have to follow a four-stage process of Exploring, Experimenting,
Engaging and Expanding. Drawing on examples of a wide range of companies, Disrupt Your Career also provides recommendations to help organizations better acquire, develop and retain talent.

With both compelling stories and rigorous research, Disrupt Your Career serves as a call to exploit novel ways to approach careers and presents practical advice to help both individuals and organizations better prepare, manage, and make the most of career changes – ultimately leading to more fulfilling careers.

This book brings a fresh approach – based on the stories of a diverse and colorful range of career changers – that will inspire many to explore similar moves. It also provides excellent thinking for organizations, where there is still an enormous need for improved approaches to career management.

Herminia Ibarra
Charles Handy Professor of Organizational Behavior at London Business School

How often have you wondered if those that leave your organization are doing so for the right reasons? What would you give to know more, and lose less? Disrupt Your Career holds one of the keys to this increasing challenge for leaders, and outlines a series of insights and processes that can lead to better career comfort for individuals and enhanced, more effective career management for organizations. Tirard and Harbour-Lyell tell the stories that illustrate the career transitions with simplicity and empathy, and make it obvious that we can all learn from them.

Åsa Landén Ericsson
CEO of Cygate, Board Member of Grant Thornton Sweden, Formpipe and Rhenman & Partners

For a leader in any substantial organization, one major preoccupation beyond attracting the very best people is also keeping them stimulated, challenged and fulfilled. This book provides invaluable insight, research and strategies for improvement in both talent strategy and career management. The stories are inspiring and authentic, indicating new paths to follow, and innovative approaches to managing career paths for both companies and individuals.

Jean-Claude Le Grand
Senior VP Talent Development and Chief Diversity Officer, L’Oréal

An essential, soul-saving guide for anyone navigating a non-traditional career path, including most women. And for the companies smart enough to attract them – and creative enough to benefit from their adaptive skills.

Avivah Wittenberg-Cox
CEO of 20-first and author of Seven Steps to Leading a Gender-Balanced Business

Disrupt Your Career makes a significant contribution towards the career challenge, by illustrating various uncharted transitions with compelling and insightful stories. The frameworks are strikingly simple, and the book provides invaluable options and strategies for organizations and individuals alike.

Gianpiero Petriglieri
Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour at INSEAD

Career disruption will happen to everyone – and most of us are ill prepared. This captivating book shows how to understand career transitions and gives fascinating and practical ideas about how best to navigate. A must read for anyone embarking on a life change.

Lynda Gratton
Professor of Management Practice at London Business School

Whether you are an individual pondering a big change, or forced into transition by yet another downsizing, or you are leading an organization and hoping to stem the early attrition of your people, there is something here for you. The stories are compelling, and the frameworks for action simple and solid.

Per Heggenes
CEO, The IKEA Foundation

…combines insights drawn from stories of successful career changers with rigorous research and practical ideas that can be put to immediate use. The book beautifully demonstrates that career reinvention is not only possible, but should be embraced in today’s VUCA world.

Kevin Cashman
Senior Partner, CEO & Executive Development, Korn Ferry and bestselling author

Antoine Tirard is a talent management advisor and the founder of NexTalent. He is the former head of talent management of Novartis and LVMH.

Claire Harbour is a coach and global talent expert, the founder of Culture Pearl and a speaker, consultant and writer about all things to do with optimizing talent across borders.

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