I believe in JOY, even at work. This statement may sound a little Polyana, but I have experienced it in the corporate world and as a coach. I believe you can too. However, it is work (not the job - finding the joy).

Looking for joy? Then it is time to begin your quest for the path that leads you to that magical experience we all deserve. To start, are you even on the right track? Has the career path you have taken brought you something to look forward to next week, next month, or next year? Do you see a clear path ahead for your career?

If the path is correct, then is the work meaningful to you? So many get lost because they start their careers worried about what their parents expected or what their college peers believed they should be doing, and they find it hard to pursue their dreams after a few years in the job market. What do you believe? Whether you are keeping the cafeteria clean at the elementary school or working towards world peace, every job is essential...

I originally posted the story of my first furlough on my LinkedIn profile the day before I  headed back to work. I was surprised by the response I got in the comments and overwhelmed by the private messages.

It gave a voice to many who had similar experiences. Those who had lost their balance, boundaries, and understanding of their worth to the organization.

TODAY I share this with you as a reminder that you deserve a job you LOVE, but your job should not define who you are in life. 

The world is changing, and everyone has their own experiences. Every experience is real; the fear and pain is real—this is my experience of spending 30 business days on furlough – and mine alone.

Here is how it went down - I got the news on Wednesday that I would be starting furlough the following Monday. I am one of those crazy people that loves to go to work EVERY DAY. For someone who has worked consistently for as many years as I have, it was hard news. My...

It wasn't my plan to write about closing the loop, but it came up in three conversations this week. So before we get started - here is a recap of the stories shared with me this week.

One connection of mine told of a story where two separate people had reached out because their company needed someone with her skills, but she never heard back. 

The second example came when a friend told me of her frustrations with people reaching out to network, but once she responds, she hears nothing for weeks. She was especially frustrated because they were the one that needed the favor.

The third was a client discussing the age-old story of being ghosted by a recruiter. 

Do any of these situations sound familiar? With each person, I tried to play devil's advocate about what may have happened. The job filled faster than they expected, life gets busy, and delivering bad news is never easy. But is it fair to make excuses for these people?

Before I get on my soapbox, we have all done...

One of my favorite leaders always discussed the career arc when presenting potential candidates to the team. He wanted to know that they still wanted more; even if it was not moving to the next position or level in their career, they needed to want to achieve more, be more and give more. If they had stalled out and lost their curiosity, they were not getting the job.

So, where are you in your career arc? Have you reached the goals you set out for yourself? If you are living your dream, what is next? Many hit the goals they set out to achieve but then get lost in day-to-day work and wake up unsatisfied or exhausted.  Just a thought, even if you currently believe there is not another title ahead of you - there is always room to grow. When faced with success, why do we become complacent to our own limiting beliefs?  What can you do to make sure you aren't already sliding down the back end of the slope?

But wait -before investing more time in work, step back...

This past year has been an eye-opening experience for everyone.  No one I know is the same, and there have been a lot of lessons learned.

These are just a few that stand out to me. 

Difficult decisions had to be made. Of course, leadership is always full of difficult decisions, but these were some of the hardest in your career because of the uncertainty of the moment and the impact on so many lives. 

This leads to it was not personal; it was business. We saw leaders in anguish, trying their best to figure out the magic combination of balance sheets, furloughs, and inevitably in many cases, layoffs. 

Everyone sacrificed.  Our front-line workers gave and gave beyond what was humanly possible.  Many professionals worked more hours than ever and faced situations that, at moments, seemed impossible.  On the other hand, many feel guilty because they were not there to help with the solutions due to being furloughed....

Some of my most interesting work conversations are with friends, colleagues, and clients who have had a rough day at work. They are ready to flee for various reasons. They think their boss doesn't like them. They are overworked, underappreciated, behind on a project, or not enjoying their job as much as they had previously. 

And then I remind them, everybody has dysfunction at work.  

You know, that small part of the culture that is thinly veiled on Glassdoor.  During the interview, when you asked about it, they glossed over it with a generic answer.  Then when you left the interview, you wondered if you should be concerned (there is always a little truth to it, but remember it may not be the full story). 

Here are a few examples of the dysfunction you may experience on a bad day:

• Frustration with an always-busy culture, but they can't finish one project
• Exhausted from over collaboration - 74 people must sign off to move forward
• Extra work from...