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WARNING - Never tell your employer you are unhappy. When things are not going well, when they are unhappy with you, that is the one question they ask, more than any other. Are you happy here? Do you want to be here? It is always an unusual question, that catches you off-guard, and one they have never asked before. Often out of context or done in a leading way. Let me tell you a little secret. They don’t care if you’re happy. They are checking to see if their campaign to make you unhappy is working. You know, the false PIP, the micromanagement, the moving the goal posts with comp plans and endless commission disputes, to name just a few. The toxic environment, the targeting, retaliation, isolation, gaslighting, favoritism, humiliation, and discrimination to name a few more. All intended to make you unhappy so that you will leave on your own. If they ask you if you are unhappy, it is like a PIP in many ways, done with deceptive purposes. They are telling you that they are unhappy. That you might want to start looking for a job right away. A PIP likely is not far behind if you are not already on one or if they bother with one at all. The reason they ask if you are unhappy is that you are an employee-at-will. Employers don’t want to, nor must they employ unhappy employees. When they terminate you, they will consider it a mutual separation. After all you are unhappy and therefore don’t want to work there. You will likely not get unemployment or perhaps severance. If you tell them, you are unhappy, you are asking them to terminate you. If asked, always tell them you love your job, teammates, and company. You want to work there forever and are excited about what the future holds. And of course, if you’re unhappy, find a new job. Just do it while you are still employed and have a salary. Do it on your terms.

Real relationships always sustain through changes. When I was a shipper with significant spend & international freight responsibility, I had people calling me constantly wanting to connect and understand how they could move my freight. Those were mostly transactional calls - those folks disappeared from my network the minute I shifted out of that market - because they were short game players who mostly wanted what they needed to win. If you don't think building your people network is important, change industries and watch what happens. The real relationships won't change. Those are the ones where you should be focused as you're building your own people network. Reach out to at least TWO new contacts this month just to better understand what they do and ask how YOU can be helpful to them. One-side relationship building will get you a lopsided outcome.

Giving all your efforts for a company that will cut your role for the benefit of a profit doesn't sound like the best investment in yourself. Working for a company is a business transaction. Your life is permanent. Invest accordingly. Happy Friday LinkedIn land 👊🏻🤍

"On a scale of 1-10, where are you today from a confidence & mindset standpoint?" Several months ago, I started asking clients that question to help me understand exactly where they are in their business, career, or general professional situation. This question helps me understand the person overall - and it has opened the door to some amazing insights & conversations. Mindset is a key component in everything we do. And the world is really hard right now. Positive, negative, overwhelmed, frustrated, confident, not confident - ALL of those things are huge contributors to how we make progress in everything. Yet considerations for the impacts that people are feeling seems to be a low priority kind of thing to many leaders & organizations right now. I encourage you to check yourself regularly on the "1-10 scale" and be honest about where you're at. The number will tell you a LOT about what you should be doing for yourself.