Elizabeth Lenihan Career Consultant

I was quoted in Fast Company last week exploring why "career cushioning" is booming right now. The consensus across the piece: this isn't really new behaviour; it's an old instinct with a new name. What's changed is the trigger. Layoffs, AI, and trust between employers and employees have taken real hits. So people are keeping their options open, because they don't want to be caught off guard. Here's where I landed: Career cushioning shouldn't be a knee-jerk reaction. The people who navigate career uncertainty best aren't the ones who scramble when the ground shifts; they're the ones who never stopped investing in themselves. Continuous development, pipeline thinking, and a clear career trajectory map shouldn't be your emergency plan. They should already be baked into how you manage your career. You can't outsource your career development, and the people who progress most consistently are the ones who learn how to lead it. Full article here: https://lnkd.in/dv5rDMar #careeradvice #careercoach #careercushioning #futureofwork #careerdevelopment