Insights and Advice from John 

This exchange comes from a question about being placed on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) and the expectation of being fired. The employee described the stress of the process, feeling set up to fail, and wondering if there was anything they could do to protect themselves. The response explored options for navigating the situation, including negotiating severance, reframing the PIP, and shifting responsibility back onto management.

I came across this question recently — someone shared that one of their team members had completely redesigned how the team works, taken on way more than expected, and was already running out of things to do. Smart, self-driven, and impactful. But the role (and maybe the company) just isn’t big enough for her.Here’s how I responded:Talents like this are rare, but instead of asking how to use her, ask yourself: how can I mentor her?

There comes a moment in your career when the work ethic that got you here stops working. You’re still capable. Still competent. But the grind doesn’t give you the same results—or the same pride—that it used to.

They reached out—across departments—to someone in sales. Just to talk. To explore. To see if there was a better fit somewhere else in the company. A quiet act of curiosity. Of hope. A powerful step in career progression, seeking opportunities in a space where they felt trapped.

In customer service, as in life, being the best doesn’t always get you ahead. More often, it gets you stuck.

When I started my last job, I had a clear idea of what I was there to do. I saw myself as an in-house consultant, the special projects guy—someone who could help solve problems and improve things. I assumed that’s why they hired me.

In my last piece, I talked about developing an entrepreneurial mindset at work—not for your employer’s benefit, but for your own. This mindset shift helps you take control of your career, even in a job that's not working for you. But mindset is just the beginning. 

Hate your job? Feel like you're being pushed around, undervalued, or stuck in a toxic environment? Quitting might seem like the only way out, but there’s another option—shifting your mindset. Thinking like an entrepreneur, even while working for someone else, can help you take back control, make your job more bearable (or even better), and open doors to new opportunities.

In Part One of this series, I explored how modern hiring tech — job boards, algorithms, and applicant tracking systems — has paradoxically made finding a job harder. What was supposed to streamline opportunity has instead created noise: too many choices, not enough clarity. This follow-up dives deeper into a different, but equally important factor: demographics — and how a misunderstood generational shift has led to labour market stagnation.

The job market feels off. On one hand, we’re surrounded by opportunity—endless postings, smart technology, the promise of AI making everything easier. On the other, there’s a quiet sense of desperation: people struggling to find work, jobs staying open for months, and a disconnect between what’s needed and what’s available. How can both things be true?