Fly High Coaching

An executive I spoke to recently had been out of work for almost 3 years.

He did everything right.

Redone resume.
Used ChatGPT to customize every application.
Followed every tip he saw online.

Still no interviews.

The problem wasn't effort. It was sequence.

Most professionals make at least one of these mistakes in the first 30 days after a layoff:

— Applying online before updating their positioning
— Leaning on friends and family for job market advice
— Staying busy instead of staying strategic

Here's what actually works:

Step 1: Stabilize before you react.

A layoff carries real grief. Skipping past that leads to panic-driven decisions. Calculate your financial runway first. Three months? Six? Knowing that number removes urgency from the equation and puts clarity back in.

Step 2: Get strategic, not busy.

Online applications have a low conversion rate at senior levels. Before you send one, get clear on 3 things: the scope of role you want, your compensation target, and what you will not tolerate in your next position. That clarity shapes every document and every conversation.

Step 3: Activate the right support.

People who love you can't give you market insight. Work with people who understand hiring at your level, early, not after two years of frustration.

Most senior roles come through relationships, not job boards.

The sequence matters more than the speed.

If you've just been laid off or feel like your search isn't moving, this episode will shift how you think about your next 30 days.

Click and listen to the podcast 🎧

www.fly-highcoaching.com

Porschia Parker-Griffin, MS, PCC, has a way of asking the questions that get right to the heart of things, and this conversation was no exception.

Ego is one of the most quietly destructive forces in any workplace, and it does not always look the way we expect it to. It shows up in a meeting, where someone's idea is dismissed before it is fully heard. It shows up in the leader, who mistakes tenure for wisdom. It shows up in the silence, where feedback and collaboration should be.

I had the honor of joining Porschia on the Career 101 Podcast to talk about something I am deeply passionate about: multi-generational mentorship and what it actually looks like to build a workplace culture, where every generation is seen, valued, and given the space to contribute.

The truth is, leadership is not about being the smartest in the room. It is about being the most open. And that kind of openness requires us to check our ego at the door, intentionally and consistently.

I am so grateful for Porschia's platform and the richness of this conversation. If you lead people, work alongside people, or are simply trying to understand the generations around you better, this episode is for you.

Give it a listen and let us know what resonates. Listen to the full episode here: https://www.fly-highcoaching.com/mentoring-at-work

Most companies think they have a mentoring program.

What they actually have is job shadowing with a nicer name.

Dr. Summer Watson has worked with enough organizations to spot the difference fast.

She says mentoring programs fail for 4 reasons:
→ They don't actually exist, despite what leadership claims
→ There's no follow-up or oversight once it starts
→ Engagement drops off because there's no structure
→ Nobody owns it, so everyone assumes someone else is

None of these are generational problems.

They're leadership problems.

The fix isn't a bigger program.

It's a smaller, clearer one.
→ Real check-ins.
→ A defined point person.
→ Milestones that actually get tracked.

Dr. Watson's framework also drops the word "mentee" entirely.

Everyone is a shared learner.

Everyone, traditionalist to Gen Z, has something to teach and something to learn.

That single shift in language does more to break down generational walls than any formal training session.

If your mentoring program checks any of these 4 boxes, this episode is worth your time. Dr. Watson breaks down exactly what successful cross-generational mentorship looks like in practice.

Click and listen to the podcast 🎧

Multi-Generational Mentoring at Work with Dr. Summer Watson | Fly High Coaching Multi-Generational Mentoring at Work with Dr. Summer Watson by Fly High Coaching | Jun 18, 2026 | Career 101 Podcast, Organizations Last Updated on June 18, 2026 by Fly High Coaching Listen In On Spotify | Apple Podcast | Pandora | YouTube Music Mentoring at work only succeeds when leaders understan...

Most managers think engagement is about perks, flexibility, and culture committees.

It's not.

After 20+ years in HR, Rachel Platt says it comes down to two things:

1. Clear job expectations tied to outcomes (not tasks)
2. Managers who give timely, actionable feedback

That's it.

Get those two right, and succession planning gets easier. Performance management gets easier. Retention gets easier. Everything downstream improves.

But most organizations skip the foundation and wonder why the rest isn't working.

Here's a tool Rachel uses with her clients to figure out what's broken:

Stop. Start. Continue.

Sit down with your team and ask three questions:

— What do we need to stop doing?
— What do we need to start doing?
— What is working that we should keep?

You can run it on a project. On a compensation plan. On your entire people strategy. It works because it gives everyone a voice, surfaces issues you can't see from your seat, and helps you set real priorities fast.

The goal isn't to have all the answers. The goal is to stay curious enough to ask the right questions.

As Rachel puts it: "We reserve the right to get smarter."

If your team is disengaged and you are not sure where the breakdown is, this episode will change how you think about it.

Click and listen to the podcast 🎧

Essentials of People Engagement Strategy with Rachel Platt | Fly High Coaching Essentials of People Engagement Strategy with Rachel Platt by Fly High Coaching | Jun 4, 2026 | Career 101 Podcast, Organizations Last Updated on June 4, 2026 by Fly High Coaching Listen In On Spotify | Apple Podcast | Pandora | YouTube Music People engagement strategy is one of the most talked abou...

Most career advice isn't wrong.

It's just not written for you.

And that's the problem nobody talks about.

You've all followed the playbook.

Work harder. Move faster. Say yes to everything.

Build the resume. Chase the title. Hit the timeline.

And somewhere along the way…

You look up and realize you've been running someone else's race.

That's not failure.

That's what happens when you take advice built for the masses and try to force it into a life that doesn't fit.

Bad career advice doesn't blow up in your face.

It just quietly costs you.
Your energy, your clarity, your direction.

Until one day "doing everything right" still feels completely wrong.

Porschia unpacks exactly this.

And she didn't hold back.

She got into:

→ 5 career myths most professionals are still running on
→ Why "proven" advice creates more confusion than clarity
→ How to make decisions aligned to *your* path, not someone else's expectations

This one hit different.

Because it's not about working harder or finding better strategies.

It's about questioning the frameworks you've been handed.

Real career growth starts when you stop borrowing someone else's roadmap.

→ Your strengths. Not trends.
→ Your values. Not expectations.
→ Your goals. Not timelines.

Full episode is linked below.

If you've ever felt stuck while doing everything "right," this is for you.

Drop a comment: What's one piece of career advice you followed that led you somewhere you didn't want to be?

Fly High Coaching At Fly High Coaching we work with those who are serious about creating a life they love! We cater to seasoned executives, ambitious professionals, and business owners with their career and business development. Our team of professional coaches, consultants, and writers is passionate about helping yo...

Scaling a business sounds exciting…

Until it starts breaking things.

More clients.
More revenue.
More moving parts.

And suddenly… it feels heavier, not better.

Because most people misunderstand scaling a business.

They think it’s about doing more.

More offers.
More hires.
More complexity.

So they grow fast…

And lose control even faster.

Here’s the truth:

Scaling isn’t about adding.

It’s about strengthening.

No strategy (just a plan)?
You’re executing… but not progressing.

No data?
You’re deciding… but mostly guessing.

No systems?
You’re growing… but nothing holds.

That’s why so many founders hit a ceiling.

Or build a business they don’t even enjoy running.

The shift isn’t:

“How do I grow faster?”

It’s:

“How do I grow without breaking what’s working?”

We unpacked this in our latest podcast with Steven Pemberton ($4M+ in ecom sales).

→ What scaling really means
→ Strategy vs plan (and why both matter)
→ Why growing too fast creates bigger problems

If you’re scaling, or about to…

The full episode is linked below!

Fly High Coaching At Fly High Coaching we work with those who are serious about creating a life they love! We cater to seasoned executives, ambitious professionals, and business owners with their career and business development. Our team of professional coaches, consultants, and writers is passionate about helping yo...