SkillSharp The Podcast... Career Advice To Stay Sharp! · SkillSharp Media

SkillSharp The Podcast - Professional Pivot Series -"Are You An Influencer?" Putting The Power Back In Your Hands

·43 min·3 clips

"What am I good enough at today that I can start my own business?" turns the pivot into entrepreneurship.

1. SkillSharp The Podcast’s "Professional Pivot Series" episode "Are You An Influencer? Putting The Power Back In Your Hands" centers on layoffs, pivots, and career self-management. 2. The conversation features Todd and Brian, with Todd describing recruiting and career-coaching work and Brian pushing the discussion toward action. 3. The episode asks what a "professional pivot" means when the job market is unstable and "no one's safe." 4. One speaker says a laid-off contact kept her LinkedIn current, stayed active in organizations, and still lost her job. 5. The speakers compare that situation with the financial crisis, when bankers in New York City were laid off and people worried about homes and food. 6. A response to that crisis was volunteering, giving resume feedback, and staying busy in career-related work. 7. The episode argues that making connections before you need them matters because relationships can lead to work later. 8. Todd defines a pivot as recognizing a job path that will not lead to satisfaction and redirecting toward a better fit. 9. He gives marketing as an example, where someone might move from traditional marketing to digital marketing over a 5-, 10-, or 15-year outlook. 10. Brian breaks career reaction into three phases: people who see layoff signs, people trapped by "golden handcuffs," and people who try to stay under the radar. 11. A long example from Warner Brothers shows how DVD revenue gave way to streaming over 15 to 20 years. 12. The speakers also mention the record industry, Pandora, file sharing, and how music distribution upended old business models. 13. They connect that pattern to AI, saying it will change careers and require people to improve skills incrementally week by week. 14. The discussion emphasizes volunteering as a way to learn, make connections, and gather market intel before a crisis hits. 15. Mentoring comes up as another form of volunteering because it exposes professionals to younger workers' priorities and new technologies. 16. The speakers say self-accountability can reveal blind spots like PowerPoint or Excel skills that need improvement. 17. The tone is conversational and practical, with examples, back-and-forth agreement, and a few moments of repetition for emphasis. 18. The format moves like a coaching dialogue, with Todd and Brian answering each other and building toward direct career advice. 19. People facing layoffs, recruiters, and mid-career professionals will get the most from this episode. 20. Listeners wanting deep narrative structure or entertainment may skip it.

As heard by us

A grounded conversation about layoffs, agency, and staying useful.

The episode keeps its focus on a simple point: in a shaky job market, people can still control how they show up, how they build skills, and whether they keep adding value where they are.

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Why you'd press play

If layoffs are on your mind, this helps you think like someone with leverage.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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