Secrets of the Career Game

Your personal brand is going to be the single most important investment that you make this year. Not your resume, not another certification, not even your performance review. Your personal brand is essentially your professional reputation personified. It shapes what senior leaders, peers, and stakeholders say about you when you are not in the room, and those conversations directly influence your opportunities long before you ever see them.
I see high performers get stuck all the time because they assume hard work speaks for itself. It doesn't, at least not entirely. Performance absolutely matters, but your reputation shapes how people interpret that performance and whether they believe you can operate at the next level.
In this episode, we discuss:
• What is a personal brand at work, and why does it matter for promotion
• How does personal brand influence performance reviews and nine-box ratings
• Why do high performers get overlooked for leadership roles
• How do you identify and communicate your unique value at work
• How long does it take to rebrand yourself inside a company

Making a career pivot without clarity is how smart professionals end up in the wrong job twice.
Before you make a career change, you need a clear destination. That's exactly why I wanted to interview Michelle Schaefer, bestselling author of Cultivating Career Growth, to talk about what actually creates a successful career transition.
We walk through the five questions that create real career direction. We talk about the work that energizes you versus the work that drains you. We unpack what transferable skills really are, what real company culture actually looks like, and the non-negotiables every professional needs to identify in order to define long-term fulfillment.
We also challenge some of the biggest job search myths circulating online. Sending hundreds of resumes without a strategy is not a plan. Online applications are only a small part of a strong job search strategy. And networking is not using people, even if it feels that way at first. We explain why it is the opposite. If you want referrals, influence, and real opportunities, you build relationships intentionally.
If you are considering a career change, navigating a layoff, or questioning your current role, this conversation will help you move from emotional reaction to strategic career clarity.
In this episode, we discuss:
• What are the five questions to ask before making a career pivot?
• Why does sending hundreds of resumes rarely lead to interviews?
• How much of a job search should focus on networking?
• How do you evaluate real company culture before accepting an offer?
• What are career non-negotiables and how do they evolve over time?
🤝 Networking doesn't have to be awkward. Learn how to connect authentically, grow your influence, and turn conversations into opportunities.
Get the Networking Guide → https://stan.store/thatcareercoach/p/get-my-networking-guide-now-p9qvc7eg

You've probably left a meeting thinking, I said all the right things… so why did nothing move?
I've been there. I once had an executive tell me that talking to me felt like drinking from a fire hydrant. I was giving context. I was giving data. I was giving analysis. What I wasn't giving was clarity on what I needed.
In senior rooms, information is not influence. Alignment is.
In this episode of Secrets of the Career Game, I talk about the simple shift that changed how I run meetings, pitch strategy, and communicate with leaders. The difference between dumping information and telling a story. The structure I use every time. And why strong communicators get trusted with bigger decisions.
If your work is solid but your meetings feel stalled, this one will land.
In this episode, we discuss:
• Why strong data alone does not create buy-in
• How to open with a problem statement that gets attention
• Why presenting options builds credibility
• How unclear resourcing leads to burnout
• How to end meetings with real momentum

What's one "corporate game" rule you've learned the hard way?
🎯 Take the full Level Up Leadership Course: https://stan.store/thatcareercoach/p/get-started-with-my-play-the-corporate-game-course
About Your Host: That Career Coach, Kendall Berg
Kendall Berg is a career coach and creator, helping ambitious professionals master the unspoken rules of corporate life. Through Secrets of the Career Game, she shares honest conversations and practical tools to help you communicate clearly, lead confidently, and navigate work with strategy — not stress.
☕️ Want personalized career advice? Book a free 15-minute Coffee Chat with me — let's talk strategy, leadership, or your next move.
Book your Coffee Chat → https://calendly.com/thatcareercoach/15-min-follow-up
Want to know more about Kendal Berg, that career coach?
Follow her on Instagram: @thatcareercoach_
Check out her courses on the website: https://thatcareercoach.net/

Watch on YouTube:@thatcareercoach_

If your team can't move without you, you don't have leadership; you have dependence.
Kendall Berg sits down with Leah Marone to unpack the Support, Don't Solve leadership model. This is the shift that stops constant interruption. It also builds real ownership. Leah explains why leaders often jump in too quickly, how this creates a dependency loop, and what to do instead. You will hear the first move that changes everything: validation first. Then questions. Then space.
This episode is for the manager who is always on call. It is also for the high performer who wants to advance without carrying the whole team. You will walk away with a clear reframe, simple boundaries that still feel human, and language you can use the next time someone brings you a problem.
In this episode, we discuss:
Why does my team rely on me for every decision at work?

How do I stop being the problem solver without sounding cold?

What does "support, don't solve" look like in real leadership conversations?

How do I set boundaries at work while still leading with empathy?

What should I say first when someone brings me a problem?

What's one "corporate game" rule you've learned the hard way?
🎯 Take the full Level Up Leadership Course: https://stan.store/thatcareercoach/p/get-started-with-my-play-the-corporate-game-course
About Your Host: That Career Coach, Kendall Berg
Kendall Berg is a career coach and creator, helping ambitious professionals master the unspoken rules of corporate life. Through Secrets of the Career Game, she shares honest conversations and practical tools to help you communicate clearly, lead confidently, and navigate work with strategy — not stress.
☕️ Want personalized career advice? Book a free 15-minute Coffee Chat with me — let's talk strategy, leadership, or your next move.
Book your Coffee Chat → https://calendly.com/thatcareercoach/15-min-follow-up
Want to know more about Kendal Berg, that career coach?
Follow her on Instagram: @thatcareercoach_
Check out her courses on the website: https://thatcareercoach.net/

Watch on YouTube:@thatcareercoach_
 Leah Marone is a psychotherapist, Yale Clinical Instructor, and corporate mental wellness consultant with over 20 years of experience. A former Division 1 athlete, she specializes in high-achievers struggling with imposter syndrome, perfectionism, and performance anxiety. Leah has conducted over 20,000 therapy sessions and contributed to Psychology Today, Newsweek, and The Atlantic. She works with organizations on burnout prevention, boundary setting, and emotional intelligence. A sought-after speaker, Leah has presented her Support, Don't Solve framework to leaders nationwide. Her new book, Serial Fixer, releases November 11th, exploring the hidden patterns of over-functioning and how to break free.


https://www.leahmarone.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/leahmaronelcsw/

You didn't get the raise or promotion you wanted, and suddenly quitting feels like the only way to get unstuck. Kendall Berg explains why that reaction is exactly how people end up hurting their long-term careers. She breaks down the difference between staying too long because of empty promises and leaving too fast without using all the information available to you.
Kendall talks about the trap so many professionals fall into when timelines stay vague. Promotions are always "coming soon." Bigger teams, more scope, more visibility are always just around the corner. Without a clear personal deadline, people stay stuck far longer than they should, waiting for a reward that never actually arrives. At the same time, she calls out the opposite mistake. Job hopping the moment a raise or promotion does not happen, without understanding context, budget cycles, or expectations, can be just as damaging.
This episode walks through what to do after a disappointing raise or bonus. Kendall explains how to set a realistic timeline for yourself, how to evaluate whether new responsibilities actually change the equation, and how to decide when staying makes sense versus when it is time to move on. The goal is not blind patience or impulsive quitting. It is making a clear, grounded decision you can stand behind.
In this episode, we discuss
What should you do when you don't get the raise or promotion you expected?

How vague promises like "soon" and "next cycle" keep people stuck too long

Why quitting immediately after a missed raise can hurt your career

How to set a personal deadline and hold yourself to it

What new responsibilities actually matter when deciding whether to stay

What's one "corporate game" rule you've learned the hard way?
🎯 Take the full Level Up Leadership Course: https://stan.store/thatcareercoach/p/get-started-with-my-play-the-corporate-game-course
About Your Host: That Career Coach, Kendall Berg
Kendall Berg is a career coach and creator, helping ambitious professionals master the unspoken rules of corporate life. Through Secrets of the Career Game, she shares honest conversations and practical tools to help you communicate clearly, lead confidently, and navigate work with strategy — not stress.
☕️ Want personalized career advice? Book a free 15-minute Coffee Chat with me — let's talk strategy, leadership, or your next move.
Book your Coffee Chat → https://calendly.com/thatcareercoach/15-min-follow-up
Want to know more about Kendal Berg, that career coach?
Follow her on Instagram: @thatcareercoach_
Check out her courses on the website: https://thatcareercoach.net/

Watch on YouTube:@thatcareercoach_