Career Advice To Young Adults From A Corporate Recruiter

What do you want to be when you grow up?


How many times have you been asked this question? How many times have you asked it of others? And why is it so difficult to answer? I don’t know. It’s hard to say.

Early this week my good friend and colleague, Nancy Anton, was the guest speaker for the 2019 Career Day program hosted by the Rotary Club of Greenville. More than 100 high school juniors were in attendance as well as about 100+ Rotarians. The room was full of energy and optimism for the future.

Nancy opened up with the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” She then shared some statistics that made us feel better for not having an answer:

75% of students enter college as “undeclared”
50% of college students change their major during their college years

By a show of hands, most Rotarians in the room were not in jobs that they had envisioned when they were in eleventh grade. We just didn’t have enough information or life experience to know at that time. So why do we keep pressuring young people to know what we didn’t know at that age?

Even though Nancy’s presentation (and this blog post) is primarily for the benefit of young people trying to find their path, the career advice that Nancy shares is germane to all of us. Whether you are early career, mid-career, seasoned, retired, expired, or considering an encore performance, pay attention. Nancy’s career tips can help you to help more young peopole to begin their career journeys. Her tips might even be useful in helping you to manage your own career. You never know…

Six Career Tips to Help Young Adults Find Their Path
Inspired by Nancy Anton, corporate recruiter and career counselor*

Career Tip #1: Get More Information

Nancy encouraged the students to get more information. She said, “Good decisions are based on good information.” She explained that many people pursue careers that follow what their parents or family did. Why? Because it’s familiar. It feels safe.

Career Tip #2: Be Curious and Ask Good Questions

Nancy recommended that the students be more curious. “Curiosity shows intelligence,” she stated. Ask some of these questions the next time you are networking with someone in a profession, field or job that you might have interest in:


  • “What do you like most about doing what you are doing?”
  • "What makes you successful in doing what you’re doing?”
  • “What qualities and skills are important to do what you do well?”


Career Tip #3: Spend Your Time Wisely

There are many ways to learn and find out what career paths might be right for you, including:

Take a summer job doing something you are potentially interested in doing. Don’t just default to a summer job that pays well or is easy to do. Rather, stretch yourself to land a summer job or internship that puts you in the position to get more information about what it’s like to work in different fields.

Short term assignments are also a great way to see what other people do. “Temping” through agencies can offer young people a great deal of exposure and variety in a short period of time. Nancy has found that temping allows young people to figure out “Is this me?” and “Is this where I want to be?”

Job shadowing is a great way to get information. She told a story of a young person who was a wait staff professional serving a group of doctors at a local cafe. In a casual conversation, the doctors picked up on the fact that the young person was possibly interested in a career in medicine. One of the doctors invited the young person to come to the hospital and job shadow him for a day. This job shadow experience provided the young person with a great experience and a lot more firsthand information about what it might be like working in the medical industry.

Networking is also a great way to get more information, suggested Nancy. Talk to your parents’ friends and neighbors who are in jobs/fields that you might be interested in. People know people. And if you ask good questions and follow up, they are likely to want to help you along your path.

School Counselors. Some high schools and most colleges have career advisers and school counselors that are truly exceptional in providing students with the mentoring, information, and motivation to explore career possibilities. Make an appointment and have a conversation. Check out what services they can offer you. What should you do if you find a counselor that is a naysayer and doesn’t believe that you will amount to much? Find another counselor, mentor, or adult who is more helpful and encouraging.

Career Tip #4: Do Your Research

There are many online resources available to help young people gain more information and ideas about possible career paths that might be a good fit for them.

For example, Glassdoor has millions of jobs, salary information, company reviews, and interview questions – all posted anonymously by employees and job seekers.

YouTube has a number of educational videos on different career paths and fields. And if you need some inspiration and ideas worth sharing, check out the many talks on TED.com. For example, Scott Dinsmore tells his personal story of how to find work you love and then getting started doing it.

No money for college? Before you saddle yourself with thousands of dollars’ worth of college debt, check out what college scholarships and grants are available.

Nancy told an amazing story of interviewing a gentleman for a corporate attorney position. His resume showed that he had a college degree in mining. Nancy asked him how he went from having an interest in mining to becoming an attorney. He told her that his parents didn’t have money to send him to college. So, he searched for college scholarships and found one at Texas A&M that was offering a full ride to students who would pursue a degree in mining. He went for it. While at Texas A&M he asked if he could also do a minor in computer science. They said yes. After graduation, he landed a job with IBM, consulting with their clients in the mining and infrastructure sector. Then he learned that IBM had a tuition reimbursement program for employees. He applied for that and began night classes at law school. A few years later, he had earned his Juris Doctor degree. So why was he interested in mining? Because it offered him a free college education and a pathway to begin his career.

Career Tip #5: Have a Good Reason for Leaving

Someone in the audience asked Nancy how long they should stay in a job in order to avoid the negative impression of being a job hopper. Nancy responded that she worries more about the candidate who has done the same job forever, versus the candidate who has changed jobs a few times. Of course, she has seen candidates who have worked for the same company for many years, but with many jobs and different assignments that clearly shows their continuous growth, development, and learning.

Nancy cautions young adults not to quit their jobs just because they are bored, angry with the boss or colleague, or don’t see a fast track career path. “It takes between 6 -18 months to become fully competent in a job. You must stick through it.” She referred to being “agile” as an important attribute to demonstrate on the job (and in your resume).

Generally speaking, a pattern of job hopping creates concern for recruiters and employers. It triggers a thought bubble in their head, “What’s going to happen if they become unhappy at my workplace? Are they going to leave me, too?”

There are many good reasons to leave a job (even if you don’t have another job to go to, although that would be the preferred situation). Nancy’s advice to all in the room: “You have to make sense of your career moves.”

Career Tip #6: Attitude is Everything

Even when you have a difficult or disappointing job experience, it can still be a valuable learning experience for you, if you have the right attitude. Don’t fear change; embrace change as an opportunity to learn and grow, and to experience new and different things. “There’s value in learning what you don’t want to do. Keep your mind open, and ask for help,” stated Nancy.

And keep in mind that positive attitudes need care and feeding. Inspiration and reflection are part of the dietary requirements for a positive attitude. Consider what you are reading, watching, listening to, and hanging out with. Do these external inputs make you feel more positive, or more negative, or perhaps neutral? Do they build you up or tear you down?

One of my favorite gifts to give to a graduating high school or college senior is the book, Work on Purpose by Lara Galinsky and Kelly Nuxoll. This book follows the careers of five young professionals who choose fields based on what others told them would be best for them, only to discover they are miserable. Their journey to find a new career path is truly inspiring. The companion organization, Echoing Green, is also doing amazing work to equip and motivate young professionals to do more meaningful work. They act as a social innovation fund to be a catalyst for change and impact.

One Final Thought

As Nancy closed her Career Day talk at the Rotary Club of Greenville, she suggested that the students and the adults consider asking a better question. Rather than asking, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”, try asking this question:


“Where are you going to get started?”

***

About Nancy Anton

Nancy is an expert corporate recruiter and career counselor. She serves as a Senior Recruiter with GE. Prior to that, Nancy was Corporate Recruiter with Cigna, MassMutual and Talent Acquisitions Manager for Legrand. Nancy has been recruiting over 15 years, with a history of filling 75-300 positions a year. Known as The Voice on Recruiting, Nancy is a national speaker and trainer Corporate America. She has trained over 2,000 recruiters sharing the fundamentals of recruiting, agency law and ethics. Learn more about Nancy Anton on her LinkedIn profile.

[Note: The ideas and opinions contained in this blog were inspired by the notes I took while Nancy Anton gave her presentation at the Rotary Club of Greenville’s Career Day on March 26, 2019. I have inserted a few of my own pearls of wisdom to young adults looking to launch their careers. Nancy Anton has reviewed and approved this message.]

Speaking Your Truth: The Courage to Practice Candor

By Kathy McAfee • July 2, 2025
The topic of free speech is everywhere these days. From the breaking news reports to our social feeds, we’re seeing conversations about the right to speak, protest, and peacefully assemble being pushed to the forefront. At the same time, we’re watching those rights be questioned and, in some cases, restricted. In divided or uncertain times, speaking up can feel risky. But choosing to be silent comes with its own cost. It takes courage to use your voice, and not just one kind. Speaking your truth often requires social courage, physical courage, and intellectual courage. You have to be willing to be uncomfortable. To risk being wrong. To risk being misunderstood. Sometimes, staying quiet feels easier. But easier doesn’t always mean better. As my friend and writing coach Lois McKenzie puts it in this article , “The prerequisite for speaking isn’t perfection. It’s caring enough about something bigger than your own comfort to risk being wrong, misunderstood or judged.” That quote hits home for so many of us. Too often, fear dresses itself up as humility. But real leadership means choosing visibility over safety, honesty over harmony, and growth over comfort. One of the most underused forms of free speech is candor. Candor is the choice to be forthright and sincere in our communication. It’s not about being blunt or harsh. It’s about showing respect for others by speaking clearly, directly, and with care. In the book Actualized Leadership: Meeting Your Shadow, Maximizing Your Potential author Dr. Will Sparks includes candor as one of the nine essential attributes of actualized leadership. It is one of the behaviors that actualized leaders do consistently well. Cander is also included in the “Confidence Sequence” grouped with objectivity and courage. (see Chapter 8). Here’s what stands out about actualized leaders: They don’t sugarcoat the truth. They don’t avoid difficult conversations. They don’t use honesty as a weapon. They speak to be clear, not to be right. Candor also helps prevent unnecessary drama and wasted time. And it builds trust between people. Dr. Sparks reminds us, “Whether you’re leading an organization or making decisions about a personal relationship, you owe it to yourself and anyone else involved to be candid.” (page 105 of Actualized Leadership ) If candor feels hard for you, you’re not alone. Many of us were raised to keep the peace, smooth things over, or avoid conflict. But holding back can be just as damaging as speaking carelessly. You can be kind and candid at the same time. One helpful approach that I’ve used successfully is to start a conversation with this simple question: “May I be candid with you?” This question invites permission and sets the tone for a more open exchange. It helps the listener emotionally prepare themself for what might be an uncomfortable conversation. It also builds confidence, creates connection, and helps move things forward. As Dr. Sparks explains, “Rather than agenda-laden or hurtful bluntness, candor is about respecting the value of others without making assumptions about likely responses or reactions.” (page 105) Does candor help or hinder your goal attainment? I believe there’s a strong link between reaching our goals and learning how to speak our truth. Candor isn’t just important in leadership. It’s essential for progress in our personal and professional lives. When we speak clearly, we create clarity. When we speak our truth, we build trust within ourselves and with others. When we communicate with courage, we inspire others to do the same. So consider this your invitation to reflect on your own voice. Ask yourself: What does free speech mean to me? Where am I withholding honesty, and why? What fears stop me from being more candid? Who do I find it hardest to be honest with? How do I typically respond when others are trying to speak their truth and be candid with me? What might happen if I found the courage to speak more freely….and allow others to do the same? Empower yourself with the right to speak freely Imagine what your business and your life might look like if you gave yourself permission to speak your truth more often. Candor could be the tool that unlocks that next level of growth, connection, and confidence. What truth do you need to speak next? First be candid with yourself.

What Does it Really Mean to be Free?

By Kathy McAfee • June 4, 2025
With Juneteenth on the horizon, I’ve found myself reflecting more deeply on the idea of freedom, what it means, how we experience it, and how often it’s something we must reclaim for ourselves. Juneteenth commemorates a pivotal moment in American history. It marks the day in 1865 when enslaved African Americans in Texas finally learned that they had been freed, two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation had been signed by President Abraham Lincoln. Slavery was officially abolished later that year with the ratification of the 13th Amendment. And yet, freedom is not a one-time event. It’s not a single document, a holiday, or a moment in time. It’s an ongoing journey. I first learned about Juneteenth when I interviewed Dr. Opal Lee for my book Fearless Female Leaders . I was deeply moved by her story. I think you will be too when you read the book. At 97 years old, Opal continues to work for unity, justice, and peace. Even after successfully leading the movement to make Juneteenth a national holiday, she didn’t stop. Her commitment to building a better world remains as strong as ever. Her story, “The Fearless Face of Freedom,” appears in Chapter 8 of my book and continues to inspire me, and many others, to keep asking big questions about what freedom looks like today.

Planting Seeds of Opportunity

By Kathy McAfee • April 15, 2025
The coaching session that changed the way I think and do new business development. Planting seeds as a metaphor is powerful!

How to Overcome Presentation Procrastination

By Kathy McAfee • March 26, 2025
I’m excited to announce the relaunch of a digital toolkit that has saved my ass numerous times in the past. It’s called The Control Center presentation toolkit and it includes exclusive content from my book, Stop Global Boring . This presentation toolkit literally saved me this past week. Saved me from what, you ask? 👹 Presentation procrastination: that’s what! You know the pressure of pulling together a fantastic presentation with all the bells and whistles but having it stay in your head as a big vision, but absolutely nothing materializing in real life? Hours go by, days go by, weeks go by… and still you remain in procrastination land. You manage to skirt by when the boss keeps asking you to review your slides. In truth you haven’t created a single one. Or maybe you pulled up an old presentation and tried to update it. But you know in your heart that it stinks. The pressure and reputation risks are building by the hour. Can you just wing it like you've done before? Truth be told… None of us are immune from the pain and agony of presentation procrastination. Not even me. (and I teach this stuff!) For the past four weeks I’ve been struggling with getting my presentation together for a major presentation with an exciting new client. I could visualize it all in my head, but nothing was materializing in a way that was actionable. Finally, I opened up The Control Center presentation toolkit and used the tools of my own making. And it worked! Fast as lightning, the pieces started to come together. I figured out my key message, critical content, support materials, opening and closing statements, and ways I could engage the audience so this wasn’t just a boring, talking-head-style presentation. Best of all, my energy is up and I am feeling confident and excited about this presentation opportunity. So different than the negative feelings I was experiencing when I was stuck in procrastination land. Shifting into GO mode This week I’m headed to Chicago to present two breakout sessions for the Arthritis Foundation at their Staff Summit. (Check out their website - they have helpful resources ). My session is entitled: Power of the Pitch: Presenting with Influence and Impact . I will be giving the session with little or no slides. My goal is to teach them how to summon the courage to be creative (not controlled), to be original (not ordinary) and to be bold (not bland or boring) when they give presentations and talks. And I will give them presentation planning tools and techniques to prevent procrastination from setting in. Are you prone to presentation procrastination? Many people think procrastination is laziness, but I think procrastination is a response to FEAR. Fear of failing… Fear of falling short of expectations… Fear of being judged or criticized… Fear of being boring… And in the case of presentation procrastination, plain old fear of public speaking! In my twenty years of working with clients on their presentation skills and communication mastery, I have also seen many bad habits that waste time and bore audiences to death. The biggest bad habit in presentation preparation (other than waiting until the last minute and winging it), is hiding behind your PowerPoint slides. Many of my clients equate presentations with PPT slides and refer to their slide deck as the presentation itself. Worse yet, building slides is often the very first thing they will do to prepare for an upcoming presentation. This is not how you should prepare for a presentation Slide building should be the very last thing you do in the presentation preparation process. How do you break this bad habit? How can you regain control and find a better way to begin preparing for a presentation? Get The Control Center Presentation Toolkit For $19.97 you can get 13 powerful tools in PDF-writable format and a workbook that will act as a roadmap to help you plan, build, deliver and critique your presentation performance. The toolkit includes my signature presentation tool called Clean Sheet Thinking which will help you develop your high-level game plan for your upcoming presentation. Using this powerful tool from The Control Center toolkit you can go from the agony of procrastination to the thrill of seeing the strategic vision of your presentation come to life! From procrastination to persuasion in less than 30 minutes! That’s what can happen when you use the tools in The Control Center presentation toolkit. If that’s not worth $19.97, I don’t know what is! 🛍 Save yourself with The Control Center presentation toolkit 📖 Save your audience by reading my book Stop Global Boring

Don't Let Your Relationships Drift

By Kathy McAfee • February 13, 2025
Kathy McAfee shares her philosophy that "Networking is more than an event or activity; it is a strategy for a successful life." But too many working professionals let their relationships drift away through inaction, neglect, stress, lack of time and lack of communication and appreciation. Kathy offers insights and tips to help you learn how to reconnect and to renew the important relationships in your life.

How would you RATE your boss?

By Kathy McAfee • January 15, 2025
Over the course of my long career, I have had my fair share of good bosses (like Simon Fraser and Yolanda Canny), and some bad bosses (who know who they are). If I were completely honest with myself, I would also say as a manager of people, I have been rated by some direct reports as a very good boss and by others, I’ve been viewed as a really shitty manager. I own it all. Learning from negative role models Looking back, I see that I have learned as much from the bad bosses as I have with the good ones. The same goes for role models: there are plenty of examples of terrible leadership, as well as the great. While it’s frustrating to see how frequently the unethical and unprincipled leaders get away with stuff, there’s an opportunity to learn a great deal from them. Being a student of leadership often means we need to observe and study not only what we aspire to, but also the opposite. I observed a great deal of negative leadership lessons during 2020, the first year of the pandemic. In fact, negative leadership was a primary inspiration and catalyst for me to develop the curriculum of my new signature program: The Fearless Leader 8-week group mentoring leadership development program . As I re-read the discussion guides for each of the eight weeks, I remember the context of bad leadership and bad bosses that were operating at that time - as I’m sure you’ll recall from that year! And yet, we survived, and grew, and became wiser. Bonus - a new program was born! Our leadership must evolve as we move into 2025. I see an urgent need for each of us to hold on dearly to our values and principles of ethical leadership, no matter how much craziness falls down on us from the top. When you think of some descriptive words about our leaders today, what words come to mind? For me, “power”, “control” and sadly, “greed” come to mind. Classically a male-dominated expression of leadership, power and control are only one form of leadership. There are many other leadership styles and expressions. And while many people praise command and control style leaders as strong, their regimes tend to be quite damaging to those in their care. Win some. Lose some. Winning doesn’t instantly make you a great leader; nor will winning make you a good boss, or a wonderful partner, or worthy parent. It takes so much more than that. I believe that how you handle the losses reveals so much more about your true character as a leader than winning will ever do for you. Choosing to accept your losses with grace, dignity and humility will also build your resilience. So let’s all remember that winning isn’t everything, nor is it the only thing. Being a good leader doesn’t just happen by accident. You have to make an intentional decision and take intentional actions towards being a better kind of fearless leader. In 2025, resolve to be a good boss, a better leader, a respectful colleague, and a positive role model for current and future leaders who you will influence directly or indirectly. My advice to all would-be fearless leaders is this: Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you. Seek honest and open feedback. Listen. Create a positive workplace culture. Be accountable. Admit when you are wrong. Apologize. Think before you speak. Be humble and kind. Be grateful. Share. Help others. Leave the world a better place. Pay it forward. Be fearless, but don’t be a jerk.

The value of seeing things differently

By Kathy McAfee • December 30, 2024
Years ago, my husband and I inherited a beautiful free-form wall sculpture from his world-traveling uncle named Otto. Created by Czechoslovak artist Herbert Seiler, this piece has been proudly hung in our homes over the years since Otto’s death. The piece has always intrigued me but not for the reasons you might think. Crafted from copper and other metals, molded and shaped to create a feeling of ships at sea. But by tilting our heads and looking at the piece from a different angle, the art becomes something different. Can you see it?

Vote to Protect Women's Health and Freedoms

By Kathy McAfee • October 30, 2024
[Sensitive topic warning: Infertility, miscarriage, abortion.] I never thought I’d be sharing this personal information, but the stakes are too high in this election. I must tell you my personal story of my medically necessary abortion. It happened twenty-four years ago. I was thirty-eight years old and just returned home to the States following a fabulous three-year work assignment in Europe for my company. I was at the peak of my career and the future looked bright. My husband and I decided that we were ready to start a family and have children. After trying for more than a year, I found myself having difficulty getting pregnant. Turns out my fallopian tubes were damaged, and it was not possible to get pregnant the old-fashioned way. I remember how painful it was to be going to other people's baby showers knowing that I couldn’t conceive a child without medical intervention. So… We opted for IVF. IVF was difficult for me in so many ways: physically, emotionally, psychologically, and financially. With every needle injection and awkward procedure, I was reminded that no matter how well I planned and organized my life, there were certain things I just couldn’t control. The first round of IVF produced only one viable egg. It didn’t take. The second round of IVF we got lucky and produced six viable eggs. We took a risk and implanted all six embryos in my body at once, understanding the possibility of having twins or triplets. In the end only one egg took hold in my womb. Days after we got the good news, I remember singing a song while hiking with my husband, “One, singular egg-sation, every little step she takes.” A few weeks into the pregnancy, we decided to share our wonderful news (perhaps prematurely) with our extended family and close friends. It was so joyous and exciting, until… Failure to thrive At the appointment for our second ultrasound, our spirits sank when the technician couldn’t find the fetal heartbeat. You should have seen the look on her face. We knew in an instant that our heroic efforts to have a family had failed. Our fetus (which we called our Little Peanut) had failed to thrive. A medically necessary procedure The next thing I knew my doctor had scheduled a medically necessary abortion known as a D&C to remove the dead tissue inside my womb. In my grief, I didn’t really understand why I was having this procedure, but the doctor told me that it was necessary to safeguard my health and any future possibility of having children. So, I followed the doctor's orders. Knowing what I know now, I’m grateful that I had the procedure as it protected me and my future. I was lucky back then that the government wasn’t involved in this very personal and private matter between me and my doctor. Healing takes time It’s taken many years, but I have healed from my miscarriage and the loss of my motherhood dreams. I have learned to accept and embrace our child-free lifestyle. I have found other productive ways to apply my maternal instincts and to grow as a person. In fact, I have dedicated my professional life to helping women break through the barriers to leadership and have fulfilling careers and lives. My life is blessed in so many ways. But still… I worry about women. I worry about women and girls of child-bearing age and their freedom to make decisions about their own bodies and futures. I fear for their health and well-being. These women are our future leaders. I want them to have the freedom and opportunity to realize their full leadership potential. More repressive legislation is coming… The same medically necessary abortion procedure that saved my health and my future is now restricted in many parts of the US. In some states like Texas, doctors and healthcare providers are being threatened with prison sentences and loss of their medical licenses if they provide these necessary health care services to their patients. Right now, pregnant women across this country are suffering and dying because they can’t get the health care that they need. According to the March of Dimes more than 30% of pregnancies end in miscarriages. Miscarriage. With abortion bans continuing, many women who experience miscarriages could find themselves in life-threatening situations. And it’s getting darker… Some states and groups are calling to make IVF illegal. Others want to monitor women’s movements to prevent them from traveling to other states to get the health care they need. There are leaders out there who want to pass a national abortion ban, like Trump and Vance, and the folks at the Heritage Foundation who are the architects of Project 2025 that seeks to obliterate sexual and reproductive health and rights for all people. The illusion of exceptions Many states, including South Carolina where I live, legislators placate their constituents by including the phrase “with exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother” into legislation and their stump speeches. This is a façade and a logistical impracticality. It’s also inhumane. Women shouldn’t have to be at death’s door to get the health care they need. We want “the health of the mother” and all women to be the norm, not the exception. To achieve this, we must include abortion care (and contraception and IVF) as legal, safe, accepted and respected health care. There’s still time to restore reproductive rights and protect women With every moment that goes by, women are at risk in states with Trump-inspired abortion bans in place. Women’s health is also threatened by politicians (and the billionaires and think tanks who support them) who have intentions to ban abortion at the national level. Choosing the wrong leaders in this election (up and down the ticket) could have grave consequences on women’s health. And that would have devastating impacts on women and families and the health of our nation for generations to come. Voting (not violence) is the way we make change in America. If you value and respect women, you will vote to protect their reproductive rights. If you value freedom and health care for all, you will vote to protect democracy. This election I proudly cast my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. Because lives depend on it. And I urge you to do the same.
A woman is sitting in front of a banner that says meet fearless virtual assistant

It’s All Systems Go with Sam McCracken

By Sam McCracken • January 30, 2024
You’ve heard the expression, “All Systems Go.” It indicates a state of readiness for immediate action. This is how my fearless virtual assistant, Samantha (Sam) McCracken makes me think-feel-do. I believe the phrase “All Systems Go” originated from space flight control centers and was the confident response given when everything was ready to launch. I can only imagine how many people, steps, procedures, systems, tests and trials, and investment preceded that confident declaration of readiness. As woman-owned business that has been operational since 2005, I cannot even remember how many different methods and systems I have experimented with. I seem to have a propensity for complexity and personalization. Perhaps it’s how my brain works. I am not an analytic, systems thinker. I am more of a creative entrepreneur type. I remember writing my first book Networking Ahead for Business about the importance of networking follow-up. In my research for the book I quoted another expert who narrowed in on what I was missing – the system. Opening my own book this morning and finding the passage, I am reminded of the importance of systems even with routine activities such as professional networking. Taking my own advice from my own book (first published in 2010 and updated in 2017), I built a networking follow-up system. But it wasn’t efficient. It wasn’t fast. And it didn’t allow me to scale my efforts and impact. In short, my system wasn’t particularly powerful. I was still bogged down with all of the follow-up tasks and unable to leverage the fearless networking I was capable of. So I took the next local step and I outsourced some of my administrative tasks to a Virtual Assistant. Basically I dumped my messy system onto to the VA in hopes that they would transform it into something magical. It was good and helpful but I was still missing something important. I was missing the SYSTEM. “Whoever said ‘the fortune is in the follow-up’ first could have been a billionaire if they only got a penny for every time someone said it. And yet, they’ve only got it half right. Follow-up is important, that’s true. But the real fortune is in the follow-up system ." ~ Lisa Robbin Young And then the pandemic came along and we all had to learn new ways of delivering our work and value to our clients. I took a course with David Newman called High Fee Mastery. It was a game-changing investment for me. This is where I learned the 8-week group mentoring virtual model of delivering leadership development training and coaching. Within a few months The Fearless Leader™ 8-week group mentoring cohort program was launched. It was fantastic to find a new brand, platform and purpose. My business service offerings had transformed to 100% virtual delivery. I was (and still am) very happy about that! But tasks were taking too long to complete. For example, onboarding new cohort members was a manual nightmare. My SYSTEMS were scattered. David Newman didn’t seem to have that problem. I wondered what he had that I didn’t have. Okay, let’s be honest, David is fearless, gifted, driven, and Uber confident in what he does and how he does it. He knows his value. David also had someone quite talented behind the scenes. I asked him to please introduce me to his operations manager (and my future fearless virtual assistant) SamMcCracken, business owner of Sharp Business Support. Find the right people to create the right SYSTEMS. After my first consultation call with Sam, I immediately sensed that she would bring tremendous value to my business, my life and my work day. I still remember the three questions she asked me to think about and write a list of (paraphrasing here): 1. things you don’t have time for 2. things you don’t enjoy doing 3. things that need to get done but are not the best use of your time I whipped out my list and shared it with Sam. It became our initial project list. Within a very short period of time, I could see the systematic improvements in my business operations. Things were easier and faster to get done. Less rework. Fewer steps. Sam quickly got me set up on new technology platforms including Airtable, Zapier, Jotform, Calendly, Lead pages, Squarespace, Mighty Networks, Stripe, MailChimp, Google Docs, Loom, ROCK – just to name a few. And although we have many pieces, they all fit and flow together. It’s amazing looking back how many new things I’ve been exposed to and how much more I’ve been able to accomplish…with Sam McCracken at my side. That’s why she is known as “Done For You Tech.” SYSTEMS can make work more fun. Sam sets up my systems, optimizes them, and then teaches me how to use them. We collaborate and communicate daily. Best of all she is a delight to work with. Pleasant, professional, calm, creative, solution-oriented, highly skilled, fast as all get out. And best of all, there is absolutely no drama. What used to burden me now brings me joy and reward. I have to chalk that up to Sam McCracken. She’s my secret weapon…and I’m happy to share her with you. Did I mention that she lives in Spain? The time zone difference has never been a problem. She recently sent me a few favorite pictures of her. I like this one best. It says to me, “With the right systems and the right people on your success team, you can work anywhere anytime, even at a coastal cafe in Spain should you choose.” With Sam McCracken by your side, you too could operate like this! Is this the world’s longest recommendation, or what? Please forgive me if I am overly effusive (gushing even) about how pleased I am to work with Sam McCracken. I want her to continue to grow and succeed in her business. Just today I recommended her to my colleague Cheryl Jones of Thriving With Cheryl Jones and her new podcast Thrive 55+ . If you are an established coaching/training professional like me, spending your precious time on tedious operations and technology – when you could be out there transforming people, Sam McCracken can help you streamline, automate and grow your business. (Note: I have lifted this from Sam’s LinkedIn profile. ) There are two main things she helps her clients with: 1. They need an online course built for them, but they don’t know which tool(s) to use, or they don’t have the time. Sam can build an online course in as little as ONE DAY, with my VIP Day package. It’s true – ONE DAY! 2. Operations aren’t as smooth as they could be. There’s a lot of “stuff” going on, and things could definitely be streamlined. Sam implements systems to organize and automate many of the business operations, resulting in higher accuracy, response times, and profits. Trust me it works! For those of you who are systems-thinker and want to carefully analyze whether or not you are ready for a Virtual Assistant, Sam prepared this outline for my blog to help you assess your need for a Virtual Assistant: Assessing Skills and Specializations: Finding the Perfect Fit for Your Business by Sam McCracken, owner of Sharp Business Support Introduction Setting the Stage: The Challenges of a Disorganized Business Identifying Common Issues: Lack of Organization, Inefficient Processes, and Time Drain The Role of Virtual Assistants (VAs) How Virtual Assistants Can Be the Key to Organizational Transformation Choosing the Right Virtual Assistant Assessing Skills and Specializations: Finding the Perfect Fit for Your Business Implementing Effective Systems Unleashing Efficiency: How Automation Can Save Time and Resources Building a Foundation: The Importance of Well-Designed Systems and Processes Regaining Control: How VAs Help Business Owners Reclaim Their Time This outline would flush out into a great eBook. Maybe Sam will produce it someday (probably in ONE DAY knowing her). But do you really need an eBook to tell you what you already know that you need. If you are anything like me, you know you need help developing a SYSTEM for your business. Carpe Diem. Let’s get going. With Sam McCracken by your side, you too will be All Systems Go!
The year 2024 is written on a colorful background

What Are Your Fearless Goals For 2024?

By Kathy McAfee • January 18, 2024
I hope it’s not too late to wish you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR. May 2024 bring you vibrant health, happiness, joy and fulfillment of your professional and personal endeavors. I’m curious what goals have you set for yourself for 2024? What do you hope to accomplish? Where will you put your energy and attention? I have set some fearless goals for 2024 including finish building a new house (a dream project that my husband and I have been working on solidly for the past 2 years. Time to move in already!), launching a new book called Fearless Female Leaders , with coauthor Rosemary Paetow. This book will be the first in a series of Fearless Leader Books. And of course, I want to expand my signature program, The Fearless Leader . I will do that by building out my team of trained facilitators who can bring the program to move people around the world. Personally, I would also like to resume traveling and see more of the world. I have my eyes set on Costa Rica and Portugal this year. And, I want to be there for my aging parents and in-laws. That’s primarily what has driven me to select SHOWING UP as my 2024 Word of the Year. I want to show up as my best self every day, everywhere. I intend to show up for myself and for my family. It’s a tall intention, and one that I will no doubt fail and disappoint often. But every morning I ask myself “How will show up today?” I even keep a daily journal to record how I actually show up. So far, I like my chosen Word of the Year and I believe it will serve me well in the remaining 349 days or 8,369 hours in 2024. I have plenty of time and opportunity to show up…and so do you! What are your fearless goals for 2024? You might be wondering what I mean by fearless goals? A goal is a goal is a goal, right? When I think of fearless goals I imagine something big and important, that really matters to me, that I really want to accomplish for me… and that scares the living daylights out of me. When I think of my fearless goals for the future, I am reminded of a quote by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.” What is so important to you that you won’t let something like fear stop you? Consider these areas of your life When selecting fearless goals for 2024, consider these different aspects of your life: 1. Professional/occupational 2. Personal 3. Health 4. Family 5. Travel / Adventure 6. Personal Brand 7. Leadership 8. Other I hosted a recent virtual event called Fearlessly Informal Coffee Chat and we had 23 people attend. In addition to getting to know each other through networking, we discussed two questions in breakout groups: 1. What’s your Word of the Year for 2024? Why did you choose it? How do you see this playing out? Who will help hold you accountable to this intention? 2. What fearless goals have you set for yourself in 2024? Why do these matter so much to you? What strategies will you use to overcome fear and ensure you make progress towards your goals (even if baby steps) Formalizing your 2024 fearless goals I invite you to give these above two questions some reflection before the New Year’s spirit gets away from us and we’re in the grind of doing, doing, doing. Why note write a passage of intention in your journal. Share your goals with trusted people in your life and ask them to hold you accountable. You could write a New Year’s Letter and share it with your network. That’s what my mentor and friend, Arthur Samuel Joseph did. And it moved me profoundly. Who is Arthur? He is one of the world’s foremost authorities on the Human Voice. He is a 7-time author, Master Teacher and creator of the Vocal Awareness Institute. He has coached, trained, supported thousands of world-class athletes, artists, leaders and performers of all kinds, including people from the business world, like me. In fact, I am currently enrolled in his one-year Vocal Awareness Mastermind Group. It is such a privilege to be in the same room as Arthur, even if it’s virtually! With his permission, I am sharing with you his beautiful and inspired words about the importance of LEGACY – something we all need to be thinking about and doing more carefully. LEGACY: Arthur’s Annual New Year’s Letter January 10, 2024 As I write this New Year’s letter, I approach a landmark in my life. I will be 78 this month. The landmark is that I begin my 60th year of teaching! Because of this, this year’s letter takes on even greater personal significance for me. In preparation for this creative moment, I have done a great deal of reflection re-reading many pieces I have written in the past and thinking deeply about the future—not just mine—the future for all of us. As a country, the U.S. is perhaps experiencing the most challenging time since our Founding Fathers created America. Wherever those of you in the world who will read this letter live, perhaps your country/your society is also struggling. The ‘overarcing ‘purpose of this letter is to support each of us in being and doing our very best for our Selves, our families and as we choose, the societies in which we live. In this regard, since the creation of Vocal Awareness, one fundamental goal has always been Personal Sovereignty: To help all those I work with to achieve their own enlightenment and enjoy their own empowerment. As I continue deepening and evolving within my Self and within the Work throughout the decades, I have come to recognize and respect that of course, as I have always said, ‘Voice is Power’—that When we Own our Voice, We Own our Power’. In my evolution, I have come to grasp what this really means—beyond the obvious—Voice is vibration—it is energy. To enable us to live in the sovereignty of who we are capable of being—’our supreme excellence’—we want to be able to integrate our very vibration, the energy of who we are in full Conscious Awareness in everything we do, everything we feel; everything we say —as integrally as mindfully as honestly as possible within our Self, in our very thoughts and with whomever we speak. As one of my favorite poets, Rainer Maria Rilke said over a hundred years ago, “I want to unfold. I do not want to stay folded anywhere, because where I am folded, there I am a lie.” Here is another translation of Rilke’s same poem: “I want to unfold. Let no place in me hold itself closed, for wherever I am closed, I am false.” Whatever interpretation/translation one reads, the goal is the same—to live in the truth of who we are—doing and being our very best every single day. Living in this way can enable each of us to truly fulfill our legacy, our promise and through the vibration and energy we carry forth—not simply feel empowered, but actually, be empowered . In turn, in this precarious time rather than being victimized by it, we can instead rise above and perhaps through our Voice, our vibration, our very energy, bring others along with us, enabling our Selves, our community, our families to be healthier, stronger, more compassionate and loving, making the world a better place because we are in it. In preparing for today, one of my readings was to go back to my first book The Sound of the Soul from 1996. The following excerpt is from the final chapter: ‘Vocal Awareness: Creating a New Mythology.’ “…Vocal Awareness and the dissemination of its principles is my vocation, my calling, my lifelong artistic and professional passion. Why do I tell you this? Not because I think Vocal Awareness will be as central to your life as it is to mine, but because I would like you to see Vocal Awareness as fundamental to your life as breathing and communicating are…The practice of Vocal Awareness can be a bulwark against the changing tides of life. It offers a metaphorical, spiritual, and practical structure upon which, in your way and through your power, you can build a life of honor and success…I hope as you [finish reading this letter], you will see your Self as embarking upon the most exhilarating chapter of your new life…one that has brought you closer to your Self… I so love living a life guided by and supported with the Conscious Awareness that Vocal Awareness shows me. I merely have to require my Self to surrender to its ethic because Vocal Awareness has taught me so well how to be the best of my Self possible at all times. I long ago recognized that there are no shortcuts, that, in fact, the only way out is through …Continue your ascent. Continue soaring. Feel the full investiture of your Self in every breath, in every sound and with the fullest integration of mind/body/spirit.” The Sound of the Soul closes with a quote from a poem by the Nobel Laureate, Seamus Heaney. As this poem was so seminal in my personal evolution, I quoted it before and am passing the last stanza on once again as part of My Legacy as I begin my 60th year of teaching as it explains why God gave me Vocal Awareness at such an early stage of my life as my Journey was just beginning. “…I rhyme to see myself. To set the darkness echoing.” I was given Vocal Awareness to see, heal my Self, claim my Self, better serve God, the Work and by extension help others do the same. May this year’s letter contribute to your legacy and be as a beacon that illuminates your path, your Journey, helping you in even some small way reach the fulfillment of your Deeper Self as you claim the life you deserve. Here’s to a bountiful 2024 and beyond! Sincerely, Arthur