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Latest Writing
Beware the leader title on a middle-manager job
I wanted to share something I’ve been seeing quite a bit of lately: people being hired to fill big jobs without being given what they need to succeed. Those jobs are really hard to get these days, thanks to a tight market and seemingly endless interview rounds. By the time the offer arrives, candidates are so relieved they’ll sign anything. Even candidates who do negotiate compensation and benefits aren't spending enough time considering the terms of the job itself. Things li

Faye Penn
3 days ago1 min read


How people in new roles wind up in emergency coaching (and how to avoid it)
Most early leadership failures are preventable if you treat your onboarding like the strategy project it actually is. Too often, I’ve seen people in big new jobs figure out that they needed coaching only after they stumbled. They failed to gain their team’s trust, got off to an awkward start with their new boss, unwittingly alienated people they needed on their side or came in swinging without taking time to understand why things are the way they are at their new organization

Faye Penn
Feb 102 min read


37 free ways to upgrade your life, even as January tries to ruin it
Free offerings to help you yogacize and declutter — or paint more, garden better and tell funnier jokes, depending upon your ambitions for 2026.

Faye Penn
Jan 23 min read


I asked 20 people to choose between me and AI. Here’s what happened.
I talk to a lot of people who are anxious about AI taking their jobs. Until recently, I wasn’t all that concerned about my own.

Faye Penn
Aug 12, 20257 min read
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