Newsletter

I'm going to tell you something that might sting. The story you lead with in interviews — the massive programme, the nine-figure impact, the team of hundreds — isn't landing the way you think it is. I was working with someone recently who is genuinely exceptional. The kind of person who built things at Amazon most companies couldn't dream of. And a contact at a startup he was targeting said it to his face: "You're talking about Amazon scale and Amazon resources. That's very d

Right now, a lot of senior people who want a new role by Q1 are planning to start looking in January. January is the worst time to start. ​ This is what actually happens at the end of the year: hiring slows for about four weeks. New-year budgets aren't released, decision-makers are out, and processes that were moving in November stall until mid-January. Then everyone who told themselves "I'll start fresh in the new year" floods in at once. You end up running the hardest versi

You sit down to write about yourself, and the first thing out is "I deliver results." Which is true. It's also what everyone at your level says, right before they reach for "cross-functional leadership" and "driving impact." Don't fight it. The generic version always comes out first. It's the reflex — the shape your work takes after years of being measured on outcomes and never once asked to explain how you actually got them. But your story lives one level down from that sent

Most people start a senior search by protecting a number. The comp they're on, the level they've reached — those become the floor, and the search turns into a hunt for roles that clear it. Reasonable. Also backwards. When the level is the target, you aim at the label. You filter for the title, screen for the band, and end up interviewing for roles you can technically do at a company you'll technically tolerate. You clear the bar. And six months in, you're running the same sea

"I think I could go the Director route at another big company. But there's a VP role at a startup that's got my attention. And honestly, part of me just wants something smaller where I'm building again." Same person. One breath. Three directions. I hear a version of this almost every week right now, and it never sounds like confusion. It sounds like someone with too many good answers. Every option is real. Every one is genuinely them. So they keep all three alive — a little n

Three final rounds in four months. Each time, genuinely strong feedback. Each time, the offer went to someone else. That's not bad luck, and it's not a skills problem — by the final round, your ability to do the job has already been vetted three times over. What I see with senior Amazonians is a specific pattern. They get to finals constantly. The resume works. The screen works. The early conversations work. And then the last round — the one that should be a formality — is wh

There's a specific kind of paralysis that hits senior Amazon leaders when they start interviewing externally. It's not that they don't know what they've done. They know exactly what they've built, the scale they've operated at, the decisions they've owned. The problem is that at Amazon, they never had to explain it. The system did that for you. Your level, your scope, your org chart position — it all spoke before you opened your mouth. The people you were trying to impress al

Something I notice on almost every Amazonian I speak with: ​ You'll describe something genuinely impressive — and then immediately wave it off. "That's just how it works there." "Everyone does that." "It's not a big deal." ​ Except it is. And almost nobody outside Amazon can do it. Running a programme across twelve teams in four geographies with no direct authority over any of them? Most organisations can't get three people aligned without someone pulling rank. You did it acr

Here's something nobody prepares you for when you leave Amazon: ​ You've spent years communicating to people who already know you. Your VP knows your scope. Your skip-level knows your track record. Your peers were in the room when the decision got made. You've never had to explain what you do from scratch — because your audience always had the context. ​ And then you're out. And suddenly the audience is... everyone? Hiring managers you've never met. Recruiters who've skimmed

Many senior clients aren't signalling their scope and impact in a way that the market understands. See how well you're signalling the market and how to fix it.

Last week I wrote about why capable people stall mid-search — how most of the time it's not a tactics problem, it's a compression problem. The direction isn't tight enough for effort to compound. A few of you wrote back and said: I've made the decision. I know what I'm going after. It's still slow. So this week I want to talk about what comes after the decision. Because that part is less obvious than people think. And it's where a lot of senior searches quietly lose weeks. Th

One of the trickier moments in a job search looks like this: Things are finally moving. Conversations are warmer. Your name is circulating. And instead of feeling calm, you start thinking: “Should I be doing more?” ​​ “Should I broaden this?” ​​ “Am I being too narrow?” That impulse is understandable.It ’s also where a lot of people quietly derail themselves. The mistake I see at this stage When early momentum shows up, people often respond by expanding : More roles More titl

Every January, I hear some version of this: “I know what I want next. So why does it still feel like things aren’t clicking?” Sometimes it’s timing. Often, it’s something simpler. The issue I see a lot People aim for more senior roles - but still describe their work at a more junior level. Not because they’re unqualified. Because they default to talking about what they did, not the decisions they made. The work is strong. The signal isn’t. Why this matters Hiring managers don

I recently had a wrap-up conversation with a client - someone whose search took longer and went in more directions than he expected. He landed a role he’s excited about, and while I’m over the moon for that win, the real story (I think) is in what the process taught him. His search wasn’t straightforward - there was clarity work, networking, timing, and a lot of figuring out what actually felt right. Here’s what he shared: 1. “I had to put my own oxygen mask on first.” He’d b

Every week, I see brilliant, senior people who led complex launches, programs, or GTM motions…struggle to explain their impact in a way that makes anyone outside their company understand (or care). And it’s not because they’re bad at storytelling. It ’s because high-performance cultures train you to value the wrong parts. A few examples: At Amazon , you’re rewarded for diving into the weeds. You succeed by knowing every defect, dependency, and operational nuance. Inside Amaz

You finally got the email. A recruiter screen is on the books. Cue the panic: “It’s been years since I’ve done one - what do I even say?” ​​ Let’s clear something up: A recruiter screen isn’t an interrogation or a skills test.It ’s a fit check — to confirm the basics before they move you forward. They’re listening for a few things: Do you meet the minimums for the role (skills, level, background)? Do you sound like you want the role ? As it is written - at this level, pay

You apply for a role that looks right. Then you hear: “We’re worried you might be too senior.” It sounds like you’re overqualified,...