Employee Experience

Most professionals fail to recognize the warning signs of a problematic client until it's too late. Here's what to watch for. Last year, I concluded a coaching client relationship that had delivered significant breakthroughs over many months. Despite the progress, one particular incident revealed that this individual needed therapeutic support, not executive coaching. What followed was both unprofessional and unexpected: a one-sided tirade that cast blame for issues clearly stemming from unresolved personal matters unrelated to our work. The final straw wasn't the outburst itself—it was the casual suggestion afterward to "discuss how to move forward" after this person made it clear there was no future and their victimization was all my doing. When professional lines are crossed, there's rarely a path back. Here's why: 🔹Trust becomes irreparable Once the foundation cracks, the entire relationship structure becomes unstable 🔹 Power dynamics shift permanently The professional equilibrium can't be restored after boundary violations 🔹 Future interactions become tainted Every conversation carries the weight of the previous breach 🔹 Your credibility suffers Accepting unprofessional behavior signals it's acceptable to others 🔹 Energy drain becomes unsustainable Managing damaged relationships takes focus away from clients who respect boundaries 5 Red Flags Hidden in Plain Sight (regardless of your industry): 🚩The Scope Creeper Consistently pushes beyond agreed parameters without acknowledging or compensating for additional work 🚩The Emergency Manufacturer Creates artificial urgency around non-urgent matters to demand immediate attention 🚩 The Boundary Tester Regularly pushes against professional limits to see what they can get away with 🚩 The Credit Hijacker Takes ownership of collaborative successes while blaming you for any setbacks 🚩 The Payment Negotiator Consistently questions fees, delays payments, or attempts to renegotiate terms mid-engagement The Resolution: I removed this individual from my network and systems entirely. I hold no ill will toward them—I genuinely hope they find the professional support they need to address the underlying issues that led to this behavior. Both for their own well-being and to prevent similar situations with other professionals they may work with in the future. Could our relationship have ended more professionally? Perhaps. But we can only control our response to what we're given. Setting, enforcing, and reinforcing boundaries isn't just professional practice—it's essential for sustainable success. Never let anyone diminish yours. What boundary violations have you encountered in your professional relationships? How did you handle them? Enjoy this? ♻️ Repost it to your network and follow Joshua Miller for more tips on coaching, leadership, career + mindset. #executivecoaching #business #relationships #careeradvice

Stop calling your team a family. Here's why it's a mistake. Strong leadership starts with setting the right boundaries. Too many business owners make the mistake of treating their team like a family. But here’s the truth: Your employees are not your family. Families are built on unconditional love. Businesses are built on mutual respect, clear expectations, and results. If you blur the lines, you risk: ↳  Unclear boundaries: Employees feeling pressured to overwork ↳  Emotional decision-making: Leading with personal bias instead of business logic ↳ Toxic culture: Favouritism, blurred professional lines, and workplace drama No one teaches you how to lead a business. I learned the hard way. I made the mistake of treating my employees like family, thinking it would build loyalty and boost performance. I organised free office massages, after-work drinks, away days, and team workshops - believing a fun culture would drive results. But it didn’t. Instead, it led to blurred boundaries, resentment, and a lack of accountability. I’m not saying leaders should be cold or overly strict. But employees aren’t family - they’re professionals hired to do a job. Our role as business owners is to create a strong culture where people feel valued, respected, and motivated - without confusing personal relationships with leadership. So, how do you build a strong, high-performing team instead? ↳ Set boundaries and respect professional space ↳ Lead with professionalism, not emotions ↳ Build a culture of respect, not friendships ↳ Prioritise results, not relationships ↳ Create a culture of growth, not entitlement A great team isn’t built on blurred lines and personal bonds - it’s built on trust, clear expectations, and accountability. * Have you worked somewhere that blurred the lines? How did it turn out? ♻️ Share this post to help other leaders build a strong team. ➕ Follow me, Jen Blandos, for actionable daily insights on business, entrepreneurship, and workplace well-being.

The leadership boardroom is no longer four walls. If your influence stops at the meeting table,  You are already losing it to someone more visible than you. 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀... ➖ Brilliant in strategy ➖ Unmatched in execution ➖ Fade into irrelevance simply because they refused to lead where the conversation is happening now online. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 ⬇️ The ones replacing them aren’t always better leaders. They’re just better seen. ⚠️ This isn’t about chasing likes. It’s about owning your narrative before someone else writes it for you. 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆’𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹-𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱: → Your credibility is Googled before it’s experienced. → Your voice is compared to others before it’s heard. → Your influence is measured by reach as much as results. For my clients, C-suite executives, founders, and senior leaders 𝗜 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗮 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲-𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹: 🟢 Strategic Value Content – Insights that prove expertise without giving away trade secrets 🟢 Authority Signals – Wins, partnerships, and milestones positioned as collective success stories, not personal bragging 🟢 Digital Leadership Rituals – Consistent, intentional engagement that shows you’re present, informed, and connected The leaders who master this don’t just keep their influence They expand it beyond their titles, industries, and even geography If you are still leading like it’s 2010, you are not just behind You are invisible 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄... 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺. Make sure that’s you or watch someone less qualified take the stage.| #ExecutiveBranding #ThoughtLeadership #LeadWithCredibility

This is the quiet source of anxiety in sales. Not quota. Not your boss. Not the pipeline. It’s the stories your mind tells when the room goes quiet. “What if I miss quota? “What if they say no?” “What if I lose my job? Your mind, wired for danger, fills in the blanks with fear. It doesn’t know the difference between a real wound and an imagined one. Cut your hand while chopping vegetables, and adrenaline surges. You spring into action looking for a bandage. But just thinking about misssing quota? Your body still braces for the blow. You’re not bleeding. But your nervous system doesn’t know that. It’s not the situation that hurts. It’s the meaning we attach to it. Being behind on quota just is. But the panic comes from the whisper: “This means I’m failing.” “This means I’ll be let go.” So what do you do? You notice. You pause. You label the thought: “I’m having the thought that I’m going to lose my job.” And in that small moment of awareness, You create a gap. Space. And in that space you ask, softly: Is this a fact, or is this a story? (Facts can be observed. Stories can’t.) What else could be true? You don’t have to fight the thought. Just watch it pass. Like a cloud. Like a wave. The simple act of observing your thinking turns down the volume. Because the skill isn’t in avoiding discomfort. It’s in learning not to believe every thought that knocks on your door. You’re the sky. Focus on getting better at your craft. Let everything else drift by like clouds. Unwanted situations happen. Suffering is optional.

I unplugged completely for 7 days. No email notifications, no endless scrolling, no "quick checks" of messages. The first day was honestly uncomfortable. I reached for my phone 37 times (yes, I counted the phantom grabs). By day three, something shifted. I found myself fully present in conversations. Ideas flowed more freely. I slept better than I had in months. What surprised me most wasn't what I gained, but what I didn't lose. No professional opportunities vanished. No emergencies went unaddressed. The world continued turning without my constant digital presence. I see this same digital overwhelm with my clients all the time. They're juggling countless platforms and tools, constantly feeling the pressure to "show up" online. The common fears I hear: - There are too many tools to maintain - The noise on social media is deafening - What if I get overwhelmed and burn out? - Do I really need to continuously show up to stay relevant? If this resonates with you, here's what I've learned in my social media journey. 1. Audit your digital toolbox. Which platforms actually serve your goals? Be ruthless about eliminating the rest. 2. Schedule intentional offline periods. Even a 24-hour break can reset your relationship with technology. 3. Focus on quality over quantity. It's better to maintain a strong presence on one platform than a weak presence everywhere. 4. Embrace content repurposing. One thoughtful piece can be transformed in multiple ways across platforms, reducing creation fatigue. 5. Consider outsourcing. Sometimes, the best solution is admitting you don't have to do it all yourself. I'm not suggesting we all abandon technology. These tools power our work and connections. But perhaps we've forgotten they're meant to serve us, not consume us. #DigitalWellness #MindfulTech #WorkLifeBalance

After many years leading high-performing finance teams 🏢💼, I've seen talented junior professionals make mistakes that can hold back their careers. Based on my experience, here are the 3 biggest pitfalls to avoid if you want to set yourself up for long-term success in finance roles: 1️⃣ Getting Too Heads-Down 👩💻📉 It's easy when starting out to put your head down, grind through tasks, and not come up for air. But you miss critical context about business priorities that shape decisions. Take time to understand company goals, competitive landscape, and how your analysis translates into impact. Ask yourself - why are your tasks strategically important? 2️⃣ Lacking Commercial Context 📈⏰ Mastering the hard technical finance skills is crucial but not enough. You need business fluency to understand performance drivers, communicate insights simply 📊, and influence decisions. Make effort to learn the basics of sales, marketing, product - ask peers about their roles and pain points. 3️⃣ Failing to Translate Numbers into Insights 📉💡 Finance professionals have a treasure trove of data at their fingertips. But leaders don't make decisions based on numbers alone - they want your insights and recommendations based on analysis. Storytelling with data is an art and a key CFO skill. Always share the "so what" behind the numbers! The future top CFOs will bridge technical expertise with commercial strategy and leadership. 💼Avoiding these early career pitfalls will set you up for success as a rising finance star! ⭐ Have you faced any similar challenges? Would love to hear experiences and connect. #CFOInsights #FinancialLeadership #CareerAdvice #RisingStar

I’ve seen this happen in projects: You’ve probably felt it too! When everything feels urgent, nothing really gets done. → Every task is marked “ASAP” → Everyone’s rushing → Deadlines keep shifting anyway As a project manager, I’ve seen what happens when teams run on pressure: → People move fast, but without clarity → Priorities change daily → The actual goal? Gets lost in the noise Here’s the truth no one says out loud: You can’t deliver well in panic mode. Real progress needs breathing room. Time to think. Time to understand what we’re building — not just ship it faster. Here’s how you can break out of urgency mode: 1. Ask: “What happens if this waits?” You’ll be surprised how many “urgent” tasks aren’t actually urgent! This one question can help you breathe. 2. Stick to 3 clear priorities Not everything needs your attention today. But a few things need your full attention. 3. Protect thinking time Even short pauses help you catch mistakes before they happen. Good work needs space — not speed. Clarity > Speed. Focus > Panic. If you’ve been stuck in urgency mode lately, drop a “focus” in the comments — Let’s build healthier, calmer ways of working — together.

🔥 How I deal with production outages A while back, I pulled an 18-hour work streak because of a major production outage. At the time, it felt like survival mode: endless debugging, log diving, and coffee refills. Looking back, here’s what that experience taught me: 1️⃣ Calm > Panic In the middle of an outage, panic only multiplies mistakes. Staying calm helps you think straight, prioritize, and communicate better. 2️⃣ Break Down the Chaos We didn’t solve the outage in one shot. We chipped away at it — isolate → test → verify. Small wins eventually led to resolution. 3️⃣ Teamwork Matters Outages aren’t solo battles. They’re a relay race. Having teammates who can jump in, review, and take over keeps energy and focus alive. 4️⃣ Document While Fixing The best post-mortems are written during the storm. Capturing what worked (and what didn’t) saved us from repeating the same mistakes later. That 18-hour sprint wasn’t about being a “hero.” It was a reminder that resilience, process, and team collaboration are what really carry you through production fires. Today, whenever I face outages, I don’t think: “How fast can I fix this?” I think: “How can we fix this in a way that future us never faces it again?”

The fastest way to get hurt at work? "We’re family here." No, you're not. And believing that lie can cost you your peace. I’ve seen it play out like this: – You share something personal. – You overextend emotionally. – You go the extra mile - not for the role, but the relationship. And when tough decisions come? It’s still business. Not family. Your workplace can be kind. Supportive. Even deeply meaningful. But it's not your home. And your colleagues aren’t your siblings. The moment we confuse personal loyalty with professional roles, we set ourselves up for burnout, disappointment, or worse -emotional manipulation. Be human. Be empathetic. But protect your peace. Boundaries are not barriers. They are self-respect. Let your work relationships be built on trust, not blurred lines.

𝗜𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗜, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘂𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲. Blockbuster didn’t die because of Netflix. It died because it didn’t pivot. Same with Kodak. Same with taxis. This isn’t about tech disruption—it’s about 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. After pivoting from pro rugby to data engineer, and eventually to C-suite roles and patent-holder, I’ve learned one truth: Relevance isn’t a title you earn. It’s a habit you practice. Here are 5 practices that will keep you relevant in a world changing faster than you can think: 𝟭. 𝗦𝗮𝘆 𝗬𝗲𝘀—𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 Getting onto IBM’s Watson team changed my life. But saying “yes” was just the start. What mattered was the maniacal focus I brought once I was in. Don’t just say yes to opportunity. Shut down all the noise and fully immerse yourself. 𝟮. 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱 I decided to stop checking by phone in line at the coffee shop. It felt trivial—but that urge was so powerful. I kept at it, and one day while standing in line, it sparked the idea for my 𝟭𝟭𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁. Innovation lives in the space between stimulus and response. Most people have collapsed that space to zero. 𝟯. 𝗕𝗲 𝗮 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 The shelf life of a skill is a maximum of five years. But watching short videos while multitasking isn’t learning—it’s intellectual junk food. Real students create space to absorb and metabolize, not just consume. 𝟰. 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵—𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗟𝗲𝘁 𝗜𝘁 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂 I run with no headphones. Just me and my thoughts. It was painful at first. But that discomfort gives way to the kind of clarity that shaped one of the most impactful off-sites my team has ever had. 𝟱. 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 A network of 10,000 connections means nothing without trust. That big break that changed everything? That was someone investing in you as a human. When I led a global team of 832 people, I met every one of them individually. I discovered that at its core, leadership isn't about managing skills or strategy. It's about cultivating hope. The post-AI era doesn’t belong to the fastest learners. It belongs to those who can think clearly, act deliberately, and 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯. I explore these principles in my TEDx talk: 🎥 “𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘈𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘥 𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘵” Would you like to watch it? Comment ‘TEDx’ in the comments below and I’ll send it across.