Author: Jane Horan

Persistent Optimism or Grit?

I often wonder about the link between optimism and success. Last month I had lunch with a remarkable entrepreneur, Ms. Koo. She regaled me with stories of serendipitous life events…

Self promote or not?

I’ve grappled with this question for some time. In my first book, I Wish I’d Known That Earlier, I wrote about the 'power of self', and of 'team promotion.' Both…

Do you need a robust career plan?

…or will a flexible one serve you better? A few years ago I spoke at a global banking conference in Hong Kong. My topic was career navigation, the audience was…

Remove Your Straitjacket

Reach a new level of what you can do. A few years ago I worked with an incredible marketing leader whose motto was: "A brand should not be a straitjacket…

Waiting for the pause…

Last week I gave a talk in Singapore to a prestigious group of female employment lawyers and HR professionals. At the end of the dinner, one of the participants who…

Whom Do You Trust?

Many people responded to my blog last week on "asking for introductions" with one word – "trust". The word of the week. Everywhere I seemed to be and everything I…

Can you introduce me to…

...someone who can change my life? "Probably not, but I'll try." Does this exchange sound familiar? Maybe only the first question, as the second part is a big promise. How…

Too Many Opportunities

This past month, my career conversations centred on uncertainty, being stuck, hitting a plateau, feeling unfulfilled. We sit with these feelings, not moving into action, postponing the inevitable. I read…

Career “Your Way”

Confusion begets confusion until we reach enlightenment. Sound new age-y? Last week’s blog, “When Passion Runs Out”, apparently hit a chord. I received responses ranging from, "this topic could not…

When Passion Runs Out

Who owns your career? You Do. But once in awhile we hit a stumbling block, or need to climb over huge rocks on the road to career success. I had…

You Can’t Stand Out If You Don’t Stand Up

My recent webinar on political savvy at the Wirl Summit reminded me of the many excuses we make: not talking about what we do; not connecting with our network; or…

How the Language of Leadership Has Changed

English may be the language of commerce, but we seldom consider the 'feelings' for words across cultures. The two most widely spoken languages are Hindi and Mandarin. Language at the…