🎤 Quotable Quote
“You don't have to have it all figured out. You just need to be able to prepare yourself to navigate what's next.”
— Charlene Pou
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🎧 This Week's Guest: Charlene Pou
Remember being asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"
Some of us had an answer.
Some of us made one up.
And some of us are still figuring it out.
This week on Leadership Rules, we sat down with Charlene Pou, founder of Strategic Engagement Group, where she helps educators and employers work together to create better career opportunities.
Charlene has spent her career working at the intersection of education, workforce development, and leadership. And she has a refreshingly different perspective on what it means to be career-ready.
For years, we've approached career readiness like a straight line.
Pick a career. Get the education. Find the job. Live happily ever after.
Except careers rarely work that way anymore.
There are detours. Unexpected opportunities. New technologies. Jobs that didn't exist five years ago.
And sometimes you reach the destination you worked so hard to get to, only to discover you'd rather be somewhere else.
Charlene's advice?
Stop preparing people for one destination. Start preparing them for whatever comes next.
That's a lesson for students, parents, educators, employers, and frankly, all of us.
💥 Leadership Rule of the Week
You Don't Have to Have It All Figured Out.
Charlene's leadership rule is beautifully simple.
You don't need to know exactly where you're going to end up.
You need the curiosity, confidence, and adaptability to navigate the journey.
And that requires a different way of thinking about success.
1. Instead of asking young people to commit to a career before they've had the opportunity to explore the possibilities, what if we encouraged them to experiment?
2. Instead of treating a career change as a setback, what if we recognized it as growth?
3. Instead of expecting new employees to arrive fully prepared, what if employers embraced their responsibility to keep developing them?
Because the goal isn't to create people who never change direction.
It's to create people who know how to find their way when they do.
And as Charlene reminded us, sometimes the most important lessons happen when you take a wrong turn.
💡 Other Topics We Loved!
• Potential isn't the same as opportunity. Charlene put it perfectly: "Potential exists everywhere, but opportunity does not." Our responsibility as leaders is to help connect the two.
• Curiosity opens doors. Rather than asking young people to choose a lifelong career, encourage them to explore what's possible.
• Exposure matters. Job shadowing, mentorship, and real-world experiences can reveal opportunities that students never knew existed.
• There's more than one path. College, apprenticeships, certifications, and other training pathways can all lead to meaningful careers. The right path depends on the person.
• Career readiness is a team sport. Educators and employers need to work together rather than treating graduation like a handoff.
• Learning doesn't end with a diploma. Employers have a responsibility to create opportunities for continuous learning, upskilling, and growth.
• AI is a double-edged sword. It can accelerate learning and expand possibilities, but we still need to use it responsibly and represent ourselves authentically.
One idea that particularly resonated with us was Charlene's challenge to parents.
We want what's best for our kids.
Of course we do.
But sometimes our desire to guide them means we're unintentionally limiting what they get to discover for themselves.
Instead of saying, "Here's what I think you should do," what if we asked:
"What interests you about that?"
"What have you learned about it?"
"Who could you talk to who actually does that work?"
Those questions might lead somewhere neither of you expected.
And that could be a very good thing.
📺 Learn More
🎧 Listen to our full conversation with Charlene Pou on Leadership Rules.
💼 Connect with Charlene Pou on LinkedIn.
📰 Follow her LinkedIn newsletter, Peak Potential, where she shares insights on education, workforce development, and building a workforce that works.
🌐 Learn more about Strategic Engagement Group, Charlene's organization helping educators and employers create stronger partnerships.
More leadership musings
🍪 Biscuits with the Boss:
What's something you're doing today that you never imagined you'd be doing ten years ago?
Maybe it's your career.
Maybe it's a hobby.
Maybe it's a skill you didn't know you had.
Or maybe it's something that didn't even exist ten years ago!
Share your answer with someone.
Then ask yourself:
What opportunity might I be overlooking today because it wasn't part of my original plan?
You never know where a little curiosity might lead.
🌎 This week in Here - There - Every F’ing where
We definitely did not see this coming! We now have songwriter on our job description. Have you heard our Ted Lasso anthem?! (If not, listen here.) After writing the lyrics, we used an AI music generator to put it to music and then spent (way too many) hours clipping the clips. It went so well that we are doing 2 things:
1) It will be available for pre-order on Spotify (or Apple Music or all the places) tomorrow and live on Tuesday, Nov 3rd.
2) We have asked a local musician if he would like the music rights to perform and record it so we have a live human version! (He's jazzed about it so we can't wait to hear that :) )
Believe!
Nick & Marnie
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