TransformingYourCareerTransformingYourself

  When looking for a job or even when in a job , now normal is this: reduction in compensation.  What's driving that could be as simple as employers having the upper hand and knowing they can get away with lowballing pay. And/or, the business contends more funds have to be invested in growth strategies such as implementing AI. Another possibility is that financial performance is dismal. Being offered compensation below what you expected isn't new, though. One of my first coaching clients had been a laid-off speechwriter who decried that a freelance assignment was for $1,000. Normally that was a $2,500 contract. Back then the I'm Insulted theatrics were standard. But the pragmatic guidance I gave was: Take it. It's a fresh sample for your portfolio. Your skills don't atrophy. It is income. Hold the drama. Essentially, I give the same advice now. My signature mantra kicks in: Work gets you work. That job or contract assignment serves as a platform to hustle for som...

Sure, chat bots like ChatGPT make it easier for non-lawyers to file a lawsuit (pro se litigation). And recently, more have. Those filings have surged from 20,000 a year to 40,000 in federal courts. But, come on. Our fantasy life of how to get the bast**ds usually plays out in a bigger more glam more sexy context. We want the kind of legal representation that financial founder Leon Black has had and continues with. The brandname law firms have ranged from Paul, Weiss to today's Hogan Lovells. Bloomberg Law reports: "Hogan lawyers filed a lawsuit for Black Thursday morning, asking a judge to halt congressional demands that the former Apollo Global Management CEO provide documents and testimony as part of their investigation into Epstein ..." The case is "Black v House Oversight Committee, et al." Here is the complaint. Black, who walked out of the last House Oversight Committee meeting, is having none of it.  Maybe because he can afford the star-lawyer representa...

  The quest in business is to create a moat.  Essentially that's a competitive advantage that is difficult to replicate. It positions the business as the go-to. And that's the distinct edge Big Law firm Kirkland & Ellis has maintained. Have a high-stakes legal matter? You want K&E. The branding is that K&E always wins. In coaching former employees I heard over and over again that, even though they were relieved to be out of the New York office (Chicago wasn't as stressful), they respected how the firm manages to outfox the opposition. But moats need to be reinforced. Recently K&E did just that with investing $500 million for a proprietary AI platform. That will capture and store the total results-oriented genius of K&E case management. No longer will their lawyers have to start from scratch.  One seminal benefit will be to reduce the fee-for-service. FT reports that banks, which are major consumers of Big Law services, are demanding a piece of the cost...

  It's downright binary. Some of us invested. The bull market continues. Dow Jones Industrial Average Index Index: DJI Compare 53,199.26 USD ▲ +432.38 (+0.82%) today September 2, 10:41 AM EDT · Market Open

Only the oldest of us Boomers will remember. Historians could also put it together. That was how earning a living used to be. That was back in the early 1950s. It was the time before the post-war economic boom really kicked in and college introduced the working man's children to being all you could be. Usually you didn't have the opportunity to graduate from high school. You know someone. That someone got you in. The in could be the next 40 years on the railroad, unloading freight on the docks, moving paper at city hall or policing the mean streets. You obeyed the boss. Actually you knew to suck up. Eventually there was medical insurance. And that was that. Of course, there were exceptions. Members of the lucky sperm club got to be professionals. Medical doctors, lawyers, accountants.  Today the labor market replicates much of that. You bet, you better know someone. Those lamenting the grim realities of a current job search on Reddit have no idea that what they're encounter...

  Some in public relations are still making a buck. Actually, a good one.  The Business Research Company reports: "The global PR market is healthy, growing from $105.12 billion in 2025 to $110.35 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5%" But those thriving likely are not the usual players in the sector such as large Manhattan agencies. One-time powerhouse Edelman had three straight years of revenue decline. Boutiques that got the hang of the structural changes in the market have been taking over.  And as for in-house personnel, inertia will probably prevail. They'll hold onto their jobs - without effectiveness or influence, though.  During the Epstein Files fallout the spokespeople at Goldman Sachs and Paul, Weiss spun all that reputation management messaging. Got 'em nowhere. The news cycle kept running with the decline narratives. It still is. Social media pounded. Keeps pounding. See, the traditional functions of PR matter less and less. ...

 It's reality: There are a Beauty Premium and an Ugliness Penalty  generated by physical appearance.  Smirk. In the late 1960s, Dove became a loved brand by celebrating the natural beauty of all females. However, in the workplace certain types of beauty gave women an edge. Still do. As for males, especially in corporate and professional-services settings, specific body types, height, hair volume and facial features ensure ongoing promotability. So much so that it was a bitter joke among those not meeting those specs to muse about being doomed to middle management.  But there are myriad variations on this theme. For example. contrary to popular belief lookism can benefit males more than females.  My hunch is that's because too many organizations are still operated via male power. The game is really about them. In addition, there are ways around this reality. At least for those accepting how things are.  It is documented that those not the "type"  in ap...