TransformingYourCareerTransformingYourself

  In a 2021 interview with Bloomberg Law , Paul Weiss chair Brad Karp noted that the firm was nudging the lawyers to take their vacations.  To those outside the loop we know as the working world that might seem peculiar. Isn't part of getting out there and earning a living looking forward to a vacation? And aren't posh vacations a brand enhancer? The realities are more complex. As one client in the public relations sector quipped: I was afraid that when I returned from vacation my desk wouldn't be there. Lots can take place while you're away and it could be directed to lessening your influence, power and even basic job security. Your competitors/enemies at the office could be waiting for the moment you're away. In addition, what about all those assignments which should be getting done? In the legal sector, there's the critical matter of not adding to your billable hours when you're not there at the firm. That could negatively impact everything from if you...

 The illusion of safety at work has collapsed, of course.  With his weapon visible Shane Tamura managed to penetrate all the security measures, ranging from human to electronic, in Midtown Manhattan. Obviously, employers can't guarantee that those working at their physical locations will be insulated from violence. This is at a time when many of the businesses operating in Midtown have gutted much of remote work. Blackstone, which is housed where the massacre happened, had been among the first to mandate RTO.  It has required five days a week. Among those murdered has been one of Blackstone's executives: Wesley LePatner.  Not that human beings are entirely safe being at home. Still resonating in the collective memory bank of residents of single-family houses is the triple murder during the 2007 home invasion of the Petit household in Cheshire, Connecticut.  At the time Dr. Petit was at-home, not in his office. He was knocked around but not killed as had been...

  Soaring headcount numbers are no longer a sign of the health of a business and its sustained growth.  In fact, as  The Wall Street Journal  documents, it can signal you're not looped into Generative AI. Integrating that powerhouse technology into every aspect of the business, from strategy to processes, should facilitate a significant downsizing of the need for human employees and contractors.  Obviously, what used to be and maybe still is in some sectors a brand enhancer can soon enough raise questions about what's keeping the business stuck in the pre-Gen AI era. This can even be true in the more tradition-bound legal sector. For example, recently  The New York Law Journal  published data on what New York law firms had the largest number of lawyers. I have a hunch that was intended to be positive coverage for those firms. Here are some of the stats: Kirkland & Ellis 969 Paul Weiss 925 David Polk 865 Simpson 789 Will clients balk about indirectl...

  Politico's article on the flight of obit writers from The Washington Post set off deep reflection on the weighty matter of prestige and power. That is, featuring in long long form in that publication and more those who had died. The more includes The Economist, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.  On LinkedIn, executive communications pro Neil Hrab was among those who looped in and asked what I thought.  Well, here is where I think we are. The exits of WaPo official obit writers could signal yet another sweeping change in the media landscape. That is, the phasing out of the long-form obits.  No longer would journalists be officially assigned as obit creators. And those other journalists at brandname publications wouldn't venture into that territory in fear of alienating some sources with the candor required for a legit obit. The first line of a solid obit could kick off with the negative of the deceased having needed a turnaround or finally experiencing...

  The good news is that Claude, created by AI player Anthropic, is producing amazing results for those in the legal sector.  In the cheering section is US Supreme Court Justice  Elena Kaga n. She cites it for its performance with complex constitutional issues. On LinkedIn, high-profile posters also rate it high among the AI bots for lawyers. One even ranks it the highest. That includes its crisp presentation of data.  So, that means, sure, as we already know, that there have to be watchdogs for accuracy and editors for an engaging but non-wordy read. But, also now we are finding out that this is a tool the legal community can integrate into its processes - and enhance their brands.  As clients demand that it's incorporated into how the assignment will be managed, those law firms will have the edge in business development if they are far along in the learning curve on the application of AI.  Currently those so situated are getting that kind of story out. In ...

Who or what public relations agency is guiding executive communications at Microsoft? Their employment should be reviewed. Microsoft's head Satya Nadella decided to make the public statement internally that he, well, felt bad about the layoffs. This year there were 15,000 cut from the team. Well, anyone who has ever lost a job, whatever the circumstances, knows those axed probably felt lots worse than Nadella. And, come on, what does he feel so bad about. Since the RIFs, the stock has surged. That reinforces his own job security and ups the value of his brand.  It was not only saying that he felt bad. It was the way he said it. If he was trying to convey empathy he was way off. His presentation was erudite, not from the heart. For example, look at this: “Progress isn’t linear. It’s dynamic, sometimes dissonant, and always demanding. But it’s also a new opportunity for us to shape, lead through, and have greater impact than ever before.” The feel-bad and the explanation of strategy ...

  Through "Hulk Hogan v Gawker," a pop-culture celebrity - Terry Gene Bollea - became a change agent in digital media. It was about an invasion of privacy. Through the $140 million verdict jurors in Florida sent the message to all media - not just Gawker - that some lines couldn't be closed. Smug Gawker, which had some very important people terrified, went out of business.  The rest of media realized that their malpractice insurance wasn't enough for the snarky platforms to risk, you bet, crossing some lines. That was 2016 and there ended the era of reckless mocking of whoever and whatever by online publications.  In addition, the public got an introduction to a version of litigation financing. Billionaire Peter Thiel, whose alternate sexuality Gawker outed, pitched in to pay for the litigation.  Lawyer Charles Harder went on from there to represent Melania Trump in a defamation complaint.  Hogan chose his enemy wisely. Gawker's meanspirited ways turned off many...

For those willing to stick their necks out just a bit, the glam of the 1960s is available again. That was a time when anyone could loop into the influence and power of street theatre. We were all stars. The celebrity status didn't require money. Some will recall how dumpster diving and having only one pair of jeans washed nightly were a political statement. But it was okay to have wealth, as long as it was shared, somewhat.  That heady state of being is open again. To start orbiting in it all you need is to be just a wee bit brave in veering away from what is currently the status quo. In opinion. In lifestyle. In how to support yourself. In how you consume. In your role models.  Examples of those who opted out to get in are Harvard educated lawyers Ryan Powers and Rachel Cohen. But you can also gain entry in a big way like Zohran Mamdani has in the way he's running for mayor of New York City.  What a relief to no longer feel less-than because you're not a billionaire, a m...

The world is full of underachievers in careers and failures in intimate relationships. One version of that syndrome is those who followed the cracker-barrel advice to just be themselves. Such misleading guidance has been reinforced with the current meme of authenticity.  It's finally coming out of the closet that it is not only not smart to try to be yourself. But that it's also impossible. We human beings have many selves.  That's exactly why there is a flight into psychotherapy when the selves are in conflict. Or attendance at spiritual retreats.  For example, there is the ambitious self which can be at war with the self which feels a need to be a rebel. It might have been Ryan Powers' ambitious self which got him through Harvard Law School. But then his activist self kicked in and he was fired at law firm Davis Polk allegedly for publishing anti-Trump opinion pieces. Did he lose control over the outspoken self?  In intimate relationships there is the self which...

  Conventional wisdom, at least in recent times, is that the business of the business of large law firms is corporate, that is transactional practices. That's where the rainmakers bring in clients and along the way those clients also will seek assistance with their lawsuits.  Well, documents Bloomberg Law News , that's changing.  The rainmakers are popping up in litigation practices. Clients for that kind of service, who are pleased, will also bring in their transactional legal needs. In addition, according to the listings on Firm Prospects, currently there had been almost triple the jobs in litigation compared to corporate. Corporate - 685. Litigation - 1861. Three factors are drivers.  Litigation is recession-proof. And more of the "experts" in this slowing economy are projecting a recession. Given these economic realities, many businesses are sitting on decisions which would require a law firm's corporate practices. But when you gotta sue you gotta sue. Or may...

  Those skeptical of the employment vulnerability of professionals in the legal sector just got shaken up.  In its home state of Washington Microsoft has laid off 32 company lawyers and five paralegals. AI is generating new staffing strategies. Obviously, lawyers' employment security is not only threated by the aberrant purges in US Gov.  Meanwhile, landing a lawyer job in-house has been increasingly tough. A poster on Reddit Big Law observes: "This [being hired in-house] is one of the most competitive markets in recent memory. Lateral hiring has been down and so has in house hiring. Every single in house job now gets triple the resumes and tons from fourth and fifth years. That means the traditional plan of getting about four+ years experience working for a large law firm, then transitioning in-house may not be in the cards. Discontented lawyers might have to figure out another kind of exit plan. That was not the situation years ago when I coached those who had left ma...

  Right now, Boomer luck hasn't run out. The week starts with Dow futures on the rise . And enjoyment of that current good fortune is coming with not much "survivor guilt." What has taken hold is a turning inward. Called the "Vibe Shift," it's totally okay to take refuge in self-care instead of being preoccupied with the suffering of those less fortunate. Me First? Maybe. As for the chicken or the egg, there's the question if the Trump administration created this ethos of social/emotional/moral isolation or sized up what was percolating in the culture and took political advantage of it.  Meanwhile, I warn those I coach: Don't wind up poor. There are fewer and fewer safety nets. For the aging that means not retiring. Sure, you can get out of the rat race of what is known as a "career." But continue to work at something for income.  Essentially that's a Partial FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early). In some situations that work-at...

  Find common ground.  That's what Zohran Mamdani is doing to move the dial from being the Democratic Party nominee for mayor of New York to actually being elected. For example, at a tech conference he praised Michael Bloomberg who funded Mamdani's opponent in the primary - Andrew Cuomo. That puts him in that tent. Hopefully, comfortably. That's also the promotional strategy commercial brands are pursuing. They are appealing to where consumers are, not pushing change-agent causes. Probably that approach will dominate the Super Bowl ads.  And if you want to get hired and then keep your job you'll have to figure out the intersection between what you have to offer the employers and how to package it and what exactly they need, at the time. Add to that what kind of person they want on team. In assessing how applicants performed on AI screeners I had to stay in the check boxes of what was required. There was no wiggle room. On the job you have to figure out the prevailing n...

When we Boomers were doctoral students in the late 1960s we mocked an outlier classmate who actually ate dog food instead of traditional fare. He invested his money in building a small export rug business. Long story short, he did a FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early). Meanwhile, the rest of us struggled in the work world for raises/promotions and were throw into a tizzy if the boss seemed distant. Currently, with jobs becoming so much more demanding and hard to get FIRE is on a lot of minds. And not as an aberration or fantasy. Those most in the know, such as the knocked-around techies on professional anonymous network Blind, discuss offbeat ways to do a FIRE. For example, in this Blind post they recommend, like the doctoral student eating dog food, non-conventional types of living. They range from: "Being homelessness is the new FIRE recipe." to "Live in your car and invest the surplus you save on rent in stonks. Better yet ditch the car and live under a bridge ...

  Anyone who has worked in public relations or marketing should have down cold one reality: Humor is a risk.  That's because what's experienced as funny is subjective. One person's ha-ha can be offensive to another.  Sure, humor's quite effective in getting, holding and growing attention. There, for instance, was the impact of the Super Bowl Hyundai Ryanville commercial.   So, it's often worth taking the risk. Until now. That's what late-night comics, office workers and members of social clubs are finding out. Axios puts it this way: "In a hyper-partisan world, comedy targeting politics risks alienating sizable audiences or drawing ire from people in power." Already the Trump administration has lambasted Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel. Stephen Colbert's program will be no more. Some speculate Colbert is out not primarily for financial reasons but because the jokes might have assessed to be at the expense of the current administration. In these ten...

  The Atlantic , which might fancy itself America's Chief Thought Leader, makes this observation about the end of Stephen Colbert's late night program: "CBS’s current ownership seems determined to demolish this legacy."  The article about this by David A. Graham starts out with a backgrounder about what CBS used to be in American life. Probably only Boomers recall that. And probably they don't even care. The communications landscape keeps disrupting too much too frequently for any of that to provide insight on how to succeed currently. Or even be interesting. The same applies to individual careers. It dings your brand to showcase who you used to be. That also goes for past accomplishments. In this strange new world driven by generative AI and uncertainty as standard, usually former success models are irrelevant. Even back when Bob Iger returned for a second round as CEO he learned that harsh lesson. To his surprise he had to view the business through a new set of ...

  On influential professional anonymous network Reddit Big Law former Davis Polk associate Ryan Powers didn't receive much empathy or support. Ryans claims he was terminated by the firm for what he published. The facts  of his situation were unambiguous. Powers was told by the law firm to stop publishing articles which in some way were critical of the Trump administration. This is standard policy with most employers. Surprisingly, he was simply given a warning. Most would have anticipated his getting the boot immediately - after the very first posting.  Then Powers pulled a cute: He drafted yet another article, this one focused on a Davis Polk client Palantir which also does assignments for the administration. He requested that they review it before he published. Yes, he had been previously told not to publish any such material. And he asked the powers-that-be to use company time to review yet another article. There is a Yiddish term to describe that kind of move: ...

Professional services is different from many other white collar fields. In the latter, at least right now, there's a glut of talent. Even "perfect applicants" aren't landing job offers. Talent is being told, "You're a dime a dozen." But in niches like law and consulting, talent will always provide the infrastructure. To use the cliche, they are the human capital. Even Generative AI will probably not negatively affect the value of the big brandnames in professional services.  So law firm Paul Hastings' current talent raid is getting attention. This time it swooped down on competitor Paul Weiss to hire away partner Kristina Leskinen.  Her special area of expertise is M&A. For instance, she handled the Time Warner Cable deal. During a decade at Paul Weiss, Keskinen became a partner a year ago. This is the second loss of a partner in corporate for Paul Weiss since it had made a deal with the Trump administration. Yes, there had been exits by partner...

  Reddit Jobs - as well as its more specialized professional subreddits such as Big Law, Consulting and Public Relations - is jam-packed with this lament: The posters have been searching for jobs in their field for too long and not landing any offers. So, they have gotten to wondering if they should consider radical shifts. Those transitions range from reskilling in knowledge work to training for hands-on work. The latter could be personal caretaking or the trades. What do I recommend? Actually for those who come to me for coaching after a few months of a fruitless search I do the usual recommendations. You know, retrofitting all search materials and practicing for interviews according to what AI screening mandates. But, along with that I deliver the oldest and most effective insight: Nothing gets you a job like having a job. Therefore, grab work. Any kind. That could even open doors to a fresh approach to earning a good living.  A laid-off middle manager in Pharma couldn't g...

  It's about 6:20 PM New York time. CNBC reports Dow futures down 200. You know: the proposed high tariffs for Canada and Mexico.  That kind of derailing we Boomers can absorb. The terror is that there will be a wipe-out. Let's hope that the proposal is yet another game of chicken. And the Trump administration backs off. In my coaching I guide older clients through the recent rollercoaster ride in the economy. Most of the over-65 are hedging by continuing to work for income.  UPDATE: The drop on Futures is at 100, down from 200. Here's more from CNBC. Rattled by the uncertainty? Faith-based Coaching. Special expertise with transitions, reskilling and aging. Psychic/tarot readings, upon request. Complimentary consultation with Jane Genova (Text 203-468-8579, janegenova374@gmail.com ). Yes, test out the chemistry.

  She was warned: Many in her field of communications flagged Linda Yaccarino that shifting to the job of CEO at X was an impossible undertaking. Sure, the ambitious long to jump from advertising/public relations to operations. But usually factored in is the reality that success might not be in cards. They weren't for Yacarrino. She left after two years. Some contend her brand is in tatters and "she will never work again," at least not in a high-powered role. The lesson here is obvious: Don't flatter yourself that you can make it where others haven't. Desperation for a job shouldn't be an incentive. Neither should the chance of being associated with an influential within the organization.  When you stumble out of that context, as if from a bombing, there won't be sympathy. Professional anonymous networks Reddit, Fishbowl, Blind and Glassdoor out those situations which should be avoided. Just post a query: How is it to work for ...? Sure, some do succeed. ...

  Way back in 2024, one of those glut of surveys noted that 43% of contact centers were already using AI technology. Of course, with the business' stock price depended on cost-efficiency that probably has significantly increased.  That is the present. And that will be the future. You're not going to halt this trend. But you can get the hang of managing it so that you can reach the human you need to speak to without the mounting frustration too many are experiencing. And when you do you can limit the amount of overwhelm the situation could create for you. Here are the three steps.  Step one: Practice a variety of responses to the prompts over the phone. That's how you can uncover the one which lets you through the gate without having to provide more and more information which is irrelevant to the issue.  For example, with an insurance company I discovered that if I don't provide the policy number I wind up quickly on the line for talking to a human. With a comput...

LINKEDIN NEWS FEATURED THIS ARTICLE   Goldman Sachs' tech head Marco Argenti coined the term "hybrid workforce." That's when humans and AI work together. And the bank is piloting the hybrid workforce. CNBC reports that Goldman Sachs: " ... is testing an autonomous software engineer from artificial intelligence startup  Cognition  that is expected to soon join the ranks of the firm’s 12,000 human developers ..." Meanwhile, Bloomberg documents that AI will eliminate 200,000 bank jobs around the world. Ford, Amazon, Paul Weiss and many more businesses have become candid about the possible negative impact of AI on jobs.  Isn't it on short time when policy makers around the world inform some human beings of this reality: You'll never work again. And they will be offered a form of Universal Basic Income . That is, a strings-free monthly stipend for not working.  The inability of the young and aging to land work currently might not be a temporary phenome...

  This time the rollercoaster was set back in motion by the 35% tariffs on Canada. Boomers are wondering what carnage will happen on the Dow today. Futures have plunged 300 points.  As gigs get harder to get for additional income what's in the nest egg becomes more critical to financial survival.  UPDATE: Dow Jones Industrial Average Index Index: DJI Compare 44,402.34 USD ▼  -248.30 (-0.56%) today July 11, 9:31 AM EDT  ·  Market Open Rattled by the uncertainty? Faith-based Career Coaching. Special expertise with transitions, reskilling and aging. Psychic/tarot readings, upon request. Complimentary consultation with Jane Genova (Text 203-468-8579, janegenova374@gmail.com ). Yes, test out the chemistry.

Today, it's a long-form analysis in Politico of the continuation of negative consequences from the dealmaking by nine law firms with the Trump administration. The headline reads: "The Fallout Is Growing on Trump’s Deals With Law Firms" Although soapy, the whole thing has a solid following.  Predicably, singled out for special vilification out is Paul Weiss, along with its chair Brad Karp. This is a drama which started at the end of March when Karp became the First Mover in negotiating with the administration in order to lift the Executive Order. Yet, as we bear witness today it still holding on in primetime. That's even, as with the afternoon soaps, a lot of the content is copy and paste. Those in professional services who understand mob behavior and crisis management might ascribe the venom to the unfortunate reality that Paul Weiss has become the scapegoat for a development progressives probably didn't believe would ever happen. It has been a highly visible en...

  Maybe Stanford Graduate School of Business professor Jeffrey Pfeffer nailed it. He has observed that lawyers tend to underestimate the role of power. He teaches a course at Stanford Law School on power.  Well, it's turning out that even lawyers such as the partners at prominent firms who have achieved power are underestimating the opposition's raw power. What they seemed to assume is that their money - and, oh, there's a lot of that - would override power. Bloomberg Law News mocks that belief: "Lawyers at large firms anted up some  $30 million  for Harris’ failed presidential campaign last year. Over the past few months, they helped build a $25 million pro-Cuomo PAC. Among Cuomo’s supporters were  Cahill’s Floyd Abrams , Paul Weiss chair Brad Karp, and Jenner & Block partner  Jeremy Creelan ." Cuomo didn't do so hot.  The speculation is that those lawyers who bet so badly on money instead of other fundamentals of power will sit out the New York ...

  Things are going our way again on the Dow, Boomers. Dow Jones Industrial Average DJI: ^DJI 44,494.12 +253.36  (+0.57%) As of Wed. Jul 9, 2025 9:41 AM EDT · Free Realtime Quote (USD) · Market open But just as we might be considering enjoying our investment proceeds (instead of holding off on withdrawals) we should consider that even with Medicare/Medicare Advantage Plans we could bump up against the burden of medical bills.  For example, I recently changed my United Healthcare Medicare Advantage program to a state further east where I will be relocating. Co-pays have increased. Consulting with a specialist is about $50 versus $35.  Urgent care is $40, not free as in this state. A night in the hospital is about $380 (just for the bed) and that will be billed for five days. The ER is $125. So, we do need a reserve in our checking accounts. Of course, those co-pays I cited are small stuff. About 18 months ago I was in a serious accident and hospitalized. The overall bi...

Global advertising player WPP reported lower profit guidance. On the London market its shares went down about 15%. WPP is the umbrella parent for agencies such as Ogilvy. So this development could deliver a scary message about employment security for creatives around the world.  Of course, like so much of professional services, WPP is being impacted by a decline in new business because of worldwide economic uncertainty.  But there's something else going on here. Those organizations which could be its clients or had been its clients now have access to AI tools which allow them to create their own marketing campaigns. As confidence grows in this DIY approach, the advertising business as we've known it could shrink to a niche function which provides high-value strategic advice and some implementation.  The hit AMC series "Mad Men" chronicles how glamorous, creative, influential and lucrative that ad industry had been in the late 1960s. Soon enough, though, even a histori...

Every day, LinkedIn is becoming more and more the platform for influence. As well as for sharing news, ideas and mourning rituals. Your brand is determined by the number of followers, which LinkedIn makes public. Suppose you're not attracting a lot of likes, comments or reposts? That will ding your brand.  No need to go outside that walled garden. What you need to know or want to experience is now available on a one-stop basis on LinkedIn.  With executive tenure shorter, Katherine Kleyman's briefing on how to handle exit interviews is must reading. Yes, go over it over twice since you could need it in the next year or two.  Prominent lawyer turned global inspirational speaker John Tarantino helps the shaken professional class review values. He lets you in almost daily on his own journey from traditional success to a different kind of purpose. We collectively grieved about the young girls who perished in the Texas flooding.  In addition, you can out the ham-handed fir...

Dow Jones Industrial Average Index Index: DJI Compare 44,581.95 USD ▼  -246.58 (-0.55%) today July 7, 10:57 AM EDT   ·   Market Open   UPDATE: It is getting worse. Dow Jones Industrial Average Index Index: DJI Compare 44,467.97 USD ▼  -360.56 (-0.80%) today July 7, 12:19 PM EDT  ·  Market Open