The Hidden Power of Career Reinvention
A conversation with John Tarnoff, Executive and Career Transition Coach, Founder and Community Partner of the Mid-Career Lab
Build your career
agility and thrive
News
Research: As Careers Get Longer, Midcareer Work Needs to Change
As careers lengthen, organizations must redesign midcareer work to help professionals in their 40s avoid burnout and sustain long-term growth.
From Motion to Momentum: Career Innovation, Reputation and Real Progress
A conversation with Tendayi Viki, Psychologist, Author, Speaker and Advisor.
Career stories
Ferdinand
USA, The Philippines
Returning Diaspora
Ferdinand
USA, The Philippines
Managing Director, Oper8tr
Co-Founder, DOCTOURZ
Ferdinand is of Filipino ethnicity but was actually born and raised in the US, his parents having immigrated during the 1950’s. They refused to teach him Tagalog, due to fears of racism and discrimination. As he advanced into more senior roles in training and offshoring within large corporations, he became known as the “Philippines expert”, as his familiarity with the culture was high–but he is nevertheless, despite appearances, a foreigner. He has now been in the country for several years, building an ambitious company, Doctourz, which aims to offer greater choice in medical services.
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Barbara
UK
Back After a Long Break
Barbara
UK
Interim HR Director, WPP Group
Founder, The Doubleknot Company Ltd
Barbara has recently undertaken what she calls her “fourth transition”, confidently having become an expert over the years in reflecting on what changes of context are appropriate for her at any given moment. Having dropped out of university with literally no idea of what she wanted to do, she entered the advertising industry via the secretarial route, and fought hard to climb up. She worked for a few years in a variety of independent agencies, progressing in a series of account management roles, and then decided to pursue an MBA. During a lecture on intangible assets, she had an “Aha!” moment, concluding that the next big business issue would be people, so she signed up for the HR route.
Tanja
Serbia
Non-Profit to Big Business
Tanja
Serbia
Eclipsed Ambitions
Tanja’s Odyssey through Shadows and Light
Dive into Tanja‘s riveting journey as a Serbian journalist navigating the chaos of Slobodan Milosevic’s regime, from facing police brutality to challenging corruption. Her multidimensional talents extend beyond journalism, leading her through roles in government, transformative initiatives in the court system, and a groundbreaking impact on the « darkest » industries. Tanja’s narrative unfolds as a modern-day Robin Hood at Microsoft, redistributing profits to purpose-driven causes. In a world where shadows linger, Tanja’s story is a beacon of resilience, purpose, and the relentless pursuit of light.
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James
United Kingdom
Coming Out at Work
James
United Kingdom
Unveiling Authenticity
James’ Journey to Self-Expression in the Corporate Spotlight
Dive into James‘ courageous odyssey of embracing his love for women’s clothing while navigating the corporate world. Growing up in a less tolerant era, James concealed his cross-dressing until he found solace and encouragement from his sister. A strategic approach to slowly revealing his authentic self in the workplace became his mission. With support from HR, D&I teams, and a progressive manager, James broke gender norms at Zurich Insurance, where acceptance and applause replaced anxieties. His story unfolds as a testament to courage, authenticity, and the transformative power of acceptance in the corporate realm.
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The book
Disrupt Your Career:
How to Navigate
Uncharted Career
Transitions and Thrive
By Antoine Tirard and Claire Harbour
Paperback, 310 pages
Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
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.
What people are saying
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
About
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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