logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2020
42m 23s

Unpause Yourself

Harvard Business Review
About this episode

The pandemic and its economic fallout have caused many of us to feel like we’ve lost control over our professional lives. But there are steps you can take to get where you want to be, whether that’s restarting a career move, protecting a job you love, or finding a new one.

Kathleen McGinn, a professor whose specialty is career mobility, reflects on what moving ahead means these days and gives advice on when and how we should be pushing ourselves to advance. Then Daisy Wademan Dowling, an organizational consultant and executive coach, shares tips for protecting your job in a recession.

Our HBR reading list:

Sign up to get the Women at Work monthly newsletter.

Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org

Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

Up next
Jun 2022
Emily’s Taking a Break from Nine-to-Five
Our free-spirited, entrepreneurial co-host is applying advice from all our episodes on side gigs, freelancing, starting a small business — and quitting — to her own life. Emily reflects on her decision to leave her design job at HBR to fully focus on a long-time creative passion, ... Show More
8m 43s
May 2022
When a Relationship with a Colleague Goes Sour
Say someone on your team who had previously been friendly turns on you and is now making your life miserable and collaboration nearly impossible. Maybe they won’t respond to your emails or even look you in the eye? This is the distressing situation that “Cindy,” a listener of Con ... Show More
34m 25s
Apr 2022
The Essentials: Delegating Effectively
Delegating is a leadership skill that benefits you and your team. But determining when and how to delegate which tasks to whom can be overwhelming. And the discomfort many of us feel around assigning responsibilities to others or making requests of our colleagues can lead us to f ... Show More
45m 22s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2018
Career Transitions
Do you want to shake up your career? Dan and Alison answer your questions with the help of Whitney Johnson, the author of Disrupt Yourself. They talk through what to do when you’ve trained for one career and long for another, when you reenter the workforce after a long gap, and w ... Show More
35m 56s
Apr 2020
Working While Distancing
Are you suddenly working from home? Dan and Alison answer your questions with the help of Tsedal Neeley, a professor at Harvard Business School. They talk through how to be productive at home whether you’re alone or distracted by children, how to care for your newly remote team a ... Show More
27m 23s
May 2018
Lateral Moves
Could a lateral move help your career? Dan and Alison answer your questions with the help of Priscilla Claman, a career coach and former HR executive. They talk through when making a lateral move will push you forward and when it will hold you back. From Alison and Dan’s reading ... Show More
32m 10s
Apr 2020
Coronavirus Career Limbo
Is the Covid-19 pandemic messing up your career plans? Dan and Alison answer your questions with the help of Scott Galloway, a professor at NYU Stern School of Business. They talk through what to do when you’ve been laid off with a promise that you’ll be hired back eventually, yo ... Show More
26m 50s
Feb 2019
Working Mothers
Are you struggling to balance career and family? Dan and Alison answer your questions with the help of career coach Daisy Dowling. They talk through what to do when you’re returning from maternity leave, planning to have kids early in your career, or debating whether to quit your ... Show More
36m 37s
Dec 2018
Bored and Disengaged
Have you checked out at work? Dan and Alison answer your questions with the help of Dan Cable, a professor at London Business School. They talk through what to do when you aren’t excited about your organization, new assignments don’t hold your interest, or all the best projects g ... Show More
29m 57s
Dec 2020
New Chapters
Is it time to do something different in your career? Dan and Alison answer your questions with the help of Bruce Feiler, a researcher and the author of Life Is in the Transitions: Mastering Change at Any Age. They talk through what to do when you’ve been out of work and can’t fin ... Show More
30m 56s
May 2020
Quitting Mid-Crisis (Bonus)
Are you leaving your organization during a critical time? Dan and Alison answer your questions with the help of Shirli Kopelman, a negotiations professor at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. In this bonus episode, they talk through what to do when you’re plann ... Show More
13m 57s
Dec 2018
Job-Hopping
Are you worried about being seen as a job-hopper? Dan and Alison answer your questions with the help of Allison Rimm, a career coach and former executive. They talk through how to leave after a brief time on the job, explain a series of short stints on your résumé, or know when t ... Show More
32m 14s
May 2020
Career Reinvention
Are you contemplating a career change? Dan and Alison answer your questions with the help of Monica Higgins, a professor at Harvard Graduate School of Education. They talk through what to do when you’re having trouble breaking into a new field, you want to leave a secure career p ... Show More
32m 26s