The context

Diane had spent 14 years at a major financial services company. She was successful, happy, and loyal. Then the company changed around her, and the politics got harder to navigate. By the end, she described it as feeling like a divorce: betrayal, grief, and a lot of questions about what she had done wrong.

She decided to leave. That set off a chain of decisions, each one high stakes: how to search, which offer to take, what to negotiate for, and how to succeed once she got there.

The advice

Diane worked with Phyl Terry, CG’s founder, as her coach through every stage, and joined a Job Search Council during her search.

• See the bigger picture. Phyl had studied her company in the context of the whole industry. That helped her understand what was happening, see that it wasn’t her fault, and spot paths forward she hadn’t considered.
• Use different kinds of support for different things. Her Job Search Council was group therapy and motivation: peers in the same boat, keeping each other accountable, practicing and cheering each other on. Her coach brought emotional steadiness, new industries to explore, and a trusted sounding board when the offers came.
• Decide on what matters to you, not on guilt. She had two offers. One was from a large firm that paid more, but required working far from headquarters and lots of travel, and some of the pay was a promise, not a guarantee. The other was from a smaller regional firm with less pay, a location her family was excited about, and a CEO she believed in. When the first firm’s recruiter made her feel she’d been unprofessional for considering another offer, Phyl helped her see through the pressure. She didn’t owe anyone a yes just because they had invested time in her.
• Negotiate for what you need to succeed, not just the money. With the firm she chose, she aligned with the CEO on budget and resources, on how he’d support her development, and on a shared understanding that she was being hired as a change agent and would need his backing.
• Keep the coach after the crisis. The conversations didn’t stop once she landed. They continued through a promotion, a changing role, and most recently a new CEO.

The outcome

Diane chose the regional firm, negotiated the support she needed to lead change there, and has since been promoted. As her role and leadership have shifted, she’s kept coming back to the same coach. In her words, companies and bosses come and go, but her coach has been a constant.

Why it worked

The coaching relationship spanned her whole career, so the advice came with real context about her and her history.

A coach and a peer council gave her two complementary kinds of support at the same time.

She had someone outside the situation to help her separate pressure from what she actually wanted.

The broader point

There’s no “happily ever after” in a career. It stays stressful, challenging, and rewarding all at once. The leaders who navigate it best have people in their corner long before, during, and after the big moments.

The advice might seem obvious now. Having peers to act on it with is what made the difference.

What are you waiting for? You don’t have to do this alone.