Amazon

Continuous Improvement Manager

Area Manager

Site Manager

Junior Site Manager

Syddansk Universitet - University of Southern Denmark

Junior Research Assistant

Kverneland Group Kerteminde A/S

Master Thesis Project

ForeFlight

Data Consultant

Odense University Hospital

Semester Project

Follow for daily posts about Lean, CI & Innovation | Continuous Improvement Manager @ Amazon

Hi!👋 Ivan here

I'm an industrial engineer with 7+ years of experience in Operations Management and Continuous Improvement.

I serve two main groups of people:

	• Business owners and executives who want to turn their broken processes into brilliant ones (and save so much damn money) through Kaizen and Innovation

	• Founders and consulting firm owners within CI, Lean or Innovation who want to promote their businesses and make LinkedIn a legit revenue channel

(DM me for the details) 


I started writing on LinkedIn in October 2023. 

Since then, I have been sharing actionable, educational, and entertaining content to support LinkedIn community members in their continuous improvement journey. This helped me grow my audience from 9,000 to 100,000 followers in a year.

Join my newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/ddQncJM5

Ivan Carillo

26 Kaizen Leadership Mantras

Here are the 4 principles that I believe are most powerful (and why):

1/ Gemba never lies; go and see for yourself.

I've seen leaders make terrible decisions because they trusted Excel sheets over their own eyes. The problems that cost us millions are often visible on the shopfloor, but nobody bother to look. Reports tell you what people want you to know. Gemba tells you what's actually happening. I think the moment you stop walking the floor is the moment you lose touch with reality. Your operators won't lie to you if you show up regularly, ask good questions, and actually listen to their answers.

2/ Without psychological safety, Kaizen dies.

I've watched brilliant Kaizen programs collapse because people were terrified to speak up. Companies that blame individuals for systemic problems get exactly what they deserve. Silence. Workers hide defects, skip reporting near-misses, and watch waste happen rather than risk looking stupid or getting punished. I think this is why most Kaizen initiatives fail within a year. You can't improve what people won't talk about, and people won't talk about problems in a culture of fear.

3/ The person doing the work knows it best.

I learned this the hard way early in my career when I implemented a Kaizen idea. The operators supported it, then immediately went back to their old method the moment I left. Every time I've ignored frontline expertise, I've wasted time and money solving the wrong problem. I think we underestimate how much knowledge lives in the hands and muscle memory of people who do the same task hundreds of times daily.

4/ Kaizen culture doesn't support strategy. Kaizen culture is strategy.

I spent years thinking CI was something that helped execute our "real" strategy. I was wrong. Companies with a strong Kaizen culture adapt faster, survive disruptions better, and outperform competitors with superior strategic plans. I think this is the principle most executives miss. Your competitors can copy your products in months, but they can't copy a culture where thousands of people solve problems every single day.

P.S. What's your fav one in the list?

Founder of Gemba Walk AI — I help executives cut waste and fix the broken processes costing them millions

Brutal truth: most Kaizen implementations fail within 6 months.

Here's why (and how to fix it):

Common failure pattern..

↓ Launch with great enthusiasm 
↓ Form improvement teams 
↓ Run some workshops 
↓ See initial results 
↓ Get distracted by other priorities 
 ↳ Kaizen activities fade away

The missing ingredient? 
Systems thinking.

Successful Kaizen requires these systems working together:

1/ Total Quality Management

+Customer focus throughout organization
+Process-oriented improvement mindset

2/ Just-In-Time Production

+Elimination of waste in all forms
+Flow-based operations

3/ Total Productive Maintenance

+Equipment reliability and efficiency
+Operator involvement in maintenance

4/ Policy Deployment

+Clear targets cascading from top to bottom
+Aligned improvement efforts

5/ Suggestion Systems

+Employee engagement in daily improvement
+Recognition of participation

6/ Small Group Activities

+Quality circles and improvement teams
+Collaborative problem-solving
 
Most companies try to implement Kaizen 
…without these foundations. 

Remember:

Success requires patience.

+Start with one system
+Build it thoroughly
+Connect it to others gradually

…and never stop improving!

Founder of Gemba Walk AI • I help executives cut waste and fix the broken processes costing them millions

Most companies create fantastic value stream maps.

Then file them away. (I've seen it dozens of times) 

Video credit to Krish Sengottaiyan. Give him a follow

Teams spend weeks mapping their current state. 

They identify waste. 
They draft the future state

Then ...nothing changes.

You know why?

No one is responsible for the customer experience.

Traditional organizations are function-based.

→ Finance reports to CFO 
→ Operations reports to COO 
→ Sales reports to CRO

Each leader knows their department.
But nobody understands how value flows end-to-end.

No single leader owns value stream performance.

"Everyone" is responsible = No one is responsible

VSM needs an owner with authority. 
One leader who can make decisions across silos.

CEO could, but they operate too high to manage CI.

So it's key to assign executive-level VSM ownership. 

Before you map your next value stream, answer this:

Who owns the complete customer journey?

If you can't name them...
save yourself the effort.

P.S. Does anyone in your organization have E2E accountability for value delivery?

Career Strategist I Change advisor for Leaders | I help successful professionals build freedom, income & impact through portfolio careers | Speaker I Ex-Citi COO | Follow for modern leadership, career and change

Over the past 25 years, I have built a successful international banking career.
Most recently, I was the Regional COO for Citibank’s $2Bn business across 16 countries in Asia - leading large-scale transformations in digitisation and culture.

But in 2021, I walked away from my high-paying executive role.

Why?

Because I wanted more space.
More time with family.
More alignment between who I am and how I work.

But I didn’t want to start from scratch.
So I asked myself a question:
What if I could build a career around everything I already know - and love?

That’s how my portfolio career began.
And it changed everything.

Now, I help other professionals do the same.

What I’ve built since 2021:
→ A 6-figure portfolio business with 3 income streams
→ Founder of Change is Possible - a business community for professionals redesigning their next chapter
→ 100K+ LinkedIn followers (grew from 17K in under a year)
→ Coached 100+ professionals through successful career transitions
→ Host of a Top 20 global podcast on career change, Change is Possible
→ TEDx speaker, Forbes columnist, and Bloomberg TV guest

Want to build your own portfolio career?
🚀 THE PORTFOLIO CAREER ACCELERATOR (Launching October 2025) 
Apply here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1thkmph_EwRxLGfuL9muCsRir1uKDdF2nXYeI7X_1oSA/edit

This is an 8-week program designed to help you:
→ Turn your expertise into income
→ Build a personal brand that opens doors
→ Create your first income stream - even before you leave your job

Only 20 spots. 12 already claimed.

Other ways we can work together:
✔️ Join my business community — Change is Possible https://changeispossible.co.uk/ - doors open for new members on Sept.10, 2025
✔️ Book me to speak — I deliver keynotes on leadership, change, career reinvention, and the future of work - send a DM.
✔️ Hire me as an advisor — I support companies navigating complex transformation - send a DM to meet and explore.
✔️ Book 1:1 coaching — For senior execs ready to design their next chapter - send a DM.
✔️ Book my LinkedIn Growth Bundle — A 2-session intensive where I teach you the exact system I used to grow to 100K+ followers. Apply here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1bLp7wmK8xhIpfFu8beImvD5JZQHYsbraTBx5Orjx0zs/edit

P.S. Still wondering if change is really possible?
🎧 Tune in to my podcast Change is Possible — where 100+ professionals share how they redesigned their careers and lives. Watch here - https://www.youtube.com/@ChangeIsPossiblePodcast

Ani Filipova

Your loyalty is making you poor.

Not financially - but emotionally, creatively, and mentally.

I watched loyalty turn into heartbreak.
A friend spent 12 years in one company.
For 4 years, every year, they promised her the C-suite. 
Every year, she believed them.

Then they hired an outsider.
They said they needed “new blood.”

She called me crying: "I gave them everything."

Six months later? 
She's building her own consulting firm.
Sometimes betrayal is exactly the push we need.

Here's what nobody tells you about loyalty:

Companies aren't loyal to you.
They are loyal to their balance sheets.

When I finally understood this, everything changed.
I stopped trying to earn loyalty that was never mine to win.

If you are feeling stuck, read this twice 👇

1. Stop calling it failure
Outgrowing a role is a success.
You evolved. The role didn’t. That is still growth.

2. Name what you have lost
Creativity? Purpose? Joy?
Say it out loud. Write it down. Stop pretending it’s fine.

3. Calculate the real cost of staying
Not just salary. Your health. Your relationships.
Your dreams - dying one by one.

4. Build your bridge before you burn it
Test your ideas while you still have a paycheck.
One client. One project. One proof point.

I know you are scared. I know you feel guilty.
I know you think you owe them more time.
But you don't owe anyone your dreams.

Your loyalty is beautiful.
It speaks to who you are - someone who commits, who cares.

But maybe it's time to take all that fierce loyalty
And finally, finally point it toward yourself.

💭 What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?

💾 Save this for when courage finds you
♻️ Share it with someone who is scared to walk away
➡️ Follow me, Ani Filipova, for career clarity and reinvention

This amazing image is from my friend Loren Rosario - follow her! 🔥

li_at

JSESSIONID

Talks about #leadership, #careerpivot, #futureofwork, and #transformation

Executive Leadership Coach for Ambitious Leaders | Creator of The Edge™ & C.H.O.I.C.E.™ | Executive Presence • Influence • Career Mobility

Mark McGregor

Isn't it wild how society tries to map out our timelines even before we are born???

They literally have a checklist for your entire life:
Graduate by 22.
Married by 30.
Kids before 35.
Peak career by 45.
Then coast.

I broke every single rule.

💥 Had my kids at  40 - the doctor said - “geriatric.”
💥 Left my COO job at 51 - everyone thought I was crazy
💥 Gave my first TED Talk at 51.
💥 Launched my company at 52, 0 entrepreneurial skills.
💥 Started my podcast at 52 - with 0 podcast experience.
💥 Started my membership community at 54.

Now at 55?

- Writing my first book.
- Building my first portfolio-career accelerator.
- Creating something entirely new.

And I’m just getting warmed up.

You know who else refused to follow the timeline?

‼️ Vera Wang - entered fashion at 40. Built an empire.
‼️ Arianna Huffington - launched HuffPost at 55. 
‼️ Julia Child -  published her first cookbook at 50. 
‼️ Trinny Woodall - restarted at 53. 

These aren’t exceptions.
They are evidence.

Evidence that the “timeline” is complete BS.

I spent decades believing I was “too late.”
Too late for kids. Too late for change. Too late to matter.

But timing isn’t about age.
It’s about readiness.

And readiness isn’t something you wait for.
It’s something you decide.

Society will tell you there’s an expiration date on dreams.
Your family will remind you of your responsibilities.
Your mind will list every reason to stay put.

Meanwhile, life is happening.
Right now.
While you are waiting for permission.

Want to know how to actually restart?

1️⃣ Give yourself permission to want more.
Stop apologising for your ambitions.
The desire to grow doesn’t have an expiration date.

2️⃣ Use your so-called disadvantage as data.
At 55, I can’t compete on energy with 30-year-olds.
But I have 25 years of patterns they haven’t lived yet.
Your age isn’t a weakness. It’s intelligence.

3️⃣ Surround yourself with evidence, not doubt.
Unfollow the voices saying it’s too late.
Follow people who started later and won bigger.
Your environment shapes your belief in what’s possible.

The world needs what you’ve learned.
Your scars. Your failures. Your late-blooming wisdom.

Stop letting society’s timeline be your truth.

You are not too late.
You are exactly on time.
For your life.

💭 What’s one thing you’d start this year if age didn’t matter?
💾 Save this for the days doubt creeps in
♻️ Share with someone who thinks they missed their chance
➡️ Follow me, Ani Filipova, for real stories about breaking timelines

Thank you, Betsy Tong, for the image which inspired this post!

Today and any other day, you have a choice about the 80/20 principle.

You can use it to do less.
Or you can use it to become more.

We read about success. 
Dream about change. 
Talk about our goals.

We feel like we are doing something.
And we are.. but what?

The business plan you’ve perfected but never launched.
The gym membership you researched but never use.
The conversation you've rehearsed but never had.
The course you bought but never completed.

We spend 80% of our time on the 20% that makes us feel productive, while avoiding the 80% that would actually make us successful.

Why? Because the real work is uncomfortable:

→ Understanding deeply requires much more effort 
→ Doing the work is scarier than dreaming about it
→ Listening is more vulnerable than waiting to speak
→ Eating well consistently is harder than scrolling  
→ Building savings is less fun than investment strategies

Here is what I know:

You already know what your 80% is.
You know the conversation you need to have. 
You already know he habit you need to build. 
The thing you need to stop researching and start doing.

So the only thing left to do is to stop deceiving yourself.

Because once you prioritise the 80%, everything else genuinely does fall into place.
Not because it's easy. But because it's real.

💭 What's the 80% you've been avoiding?
💾 Save this for when you need to stop researching and start doing
♻️ Share with someone stuck in the 20%

Image credit: librarymindset on IG

Tetty Delviana

Some leaders read numbers.

Great leaders read people.

Perfect reminder from Mike Leber here.🔥

I've watched this truth play out for 25 years.

Like the manager who noticed her star performer started arriving at 9:00 instead of 8:30.
Small change. Big signal.
She asked. Her child was seriously ill.

Most leaders would've missed it entirely.
They are too busy reading KPIs to read people.

Throughout my 25 years in banking, I've watched brilliant strategists fail at basic humanity.
They master management but miss what matters.

Real leaders don't talk about empathy.
They practice it.

Here is how👇

1️⃣ They notice when something's off
The forced smile.
The heavy silence.
They check in before it breaks.

2️⃣ They ask before they act
No assumptions. No judgment.
"What's making this hard for you?"
Understanding beats assumption every time.

3️⃣ They protect dignity, not egos
Direct? Always.
Demeaning? Never.
Growth can't bloom in shame.

4️⃣ They slow down when others struggle
Compassion > urgency.
One person lifted beats ten tasks completed.

5️⃣ They normalize honesty
No masks. No pretending.
They make it safe to say: "I'm not okay today."

6️⃣ They stay kind under pressure
When kindness is hardest -
that's when it matters most.

7️⃣ They understand you carry more than tasks
Sometimes it's grief.
Sometimes it's fear.
Sometimes it's just life being heavy.
They lead with space for all of it.

The uncomfortable truth?

Experience teaches you process.
Empathy teaches you to understand people.

One builds companies.
The other builds humans who happen to work at companies.

We all get to choose which leader we become.

Which number resonated most with you?
Mine was 5 - took me years to learn that one.

Drop yours below 👇

♻️ Repost to spark more humanity in leadership
🔔 Follow Ani Filipova for uncomfortable truths about modern leadership and career

You tell yourself: "I just need better time management."

So you try: 

Waking at 5am. 
Time-blocking. 
Batching tasks. 
Saying no to "small things."

And you are still exhausted. 
Still overwhelmed. 
Still behind.

Because you don't have a time management problem.

THE REAL PROBLEMS you have are:

1. The Boundary Problem
You say yes when you mean no.
Your calendar is full of other people's priorities.

2. The Priority Problem
Everything feels urgent because nothing is defined.
You are reacting, not choosing.

3. The Identity Problem
You are the "reliable one."
The one who always covers when someone's out sick.
The one who stays late to fix others' mistakes.
And rest? Rest feels like failure.

4. The Energy Problem
You treat draining, sustaining, and energising tasks the same.
So you stay depleted.

5. The Clarity Problem
You've met expectations for so long that you lost your own.

6. The Courage Problem
You know what needs to change - but you are waiting to stop being afraid.

So what actually helps?
A simple reset:

The Three Lists Exercise:

List 1: What drains me
(The work, people, commitments that leave you depleted)
List 2: What sustains me
(Neutral energy - necessary but not inspiring)
List 3: What energizes me
(You'd do this even if no one paid you)

Most professionals discover their calendar is:
60% drain / 35% sustain / 5% energise.

No wonder they are exhausted.

Ready to flip that 60/35/5 ratio?

Here's where to start:
→ Take 30 minutes this week
→ Create your three lists
→ Move ONE thing from "drain" to "delegate"

That's it. One small shift.

Because your life won't change until your calendar does.

I spent 15 years in corporate before learning how to build and rebuild a career without burning out. If you are tired of being tired, this will help:

→ Free masterclass: How to start a portfolio career
(Link in featured section)

💾 Save this for later
♻️ Share with someone running on empty

Throughout my career I have seen two types of leaders: 

Type 1:
Those who develop thinkers and problem solvers.

Type 2: 
Those who hoard every decision.

The second type? They are everywhere.
Every decision needs their blessing.
Every email needs their approval.
Every idea dies without their permission.

They think they are indispensable.
They are actually organizational bottlenecks.

The good thing? 
We all get to choose which one we become.

Here is how to become the first type of leader:

1️⃣ Turn questions into coaching moments 

When someone asks "What should I do?"
I ask: "What would you recommend?"
Then I listen.
Nine times out of ten, they know exactly what to do.
They just need someone to believe they can do it.

2️⃣ Show them how you think, not just what you think 

Don't just give answers - share your process.
• What information do you look for?
• Which factors matter most?
• How do you make trade-offs?
When your team understands your thinking pattern, they stop needing you for every decision.

3️⃣ Disappear on purpose 

Every Friday - be completely unreachable.
Not to test them - to trust them.
First week: They'll hesitate.
Second week: They'll figure it out.
Third week: They'll surprise you with what they can handle.
Eventually, you can take that whole day off without drama.

The uncomfortable truth?

Organizations don't need more managers who create dependencies.
They need leaders who build capability.

Your real job isn't to have all the answers.
It's to develop people who can find them without you.


💾 Save this for when your ego wants to micromanage
♻️ Share with that leader who thinks they are "helping" by controlling everything

Follow me, Ani Filipova, for more uncomfortable truths about leadership and change.

Every week, I meet someone who wants change.

This is what they say:

- "I'll change when things calm down at work." (work never calms down)

- "I'll start posting once I'm clear on my message." (clarity comes from posting, not before)

- "I just need to do more research." (research becomes a hiding place)

- "I should wait until the kids / partner / parents settle first." (this is how we outsource responsibility for our own life)

These are all forms of self-protection disguised as logic.

Here's what I've learned:
The problem isn't lack of time, 
money, or clarity.
It's self-sabotage. 
Very clever, very respectable self-sabotage.

We do everything except the one thing that would actually move us forward.

I've fallen into these traps more times than I care to admit. 

So today, I'm sharing the 4 patterns that keep us stuck and how to break them: 
• Productive procrastination 
• Waiting 
• Moving the finish line so you never have to start
• Staying so busy you never have to commit

But here’s what kills me:
Each pattern feels so respectable.
So responsible.
So… smart.

You are researching! 
Planning! 
Networking! 
Preparing!

Everyone thinks you are crushing it.
Meanwhile you are dying inside because nothing actually changes.
......
If this hits a nerve, good.
Because awareness is only half the work - change starts with action.

That’s exactly what I’ll be teaching in my free live masterclasses this month:
1️⃣ Future of Work & Job Trends - learn what to expect and how to prepare
🔗https://lnkd.in/gT5S8Sbs

2️⃣ How to Build a Portfolio Career - turn your experience into a personal brand and multiple income streams
🔗 https://lnkd.in/gf-ifWqj

💭 Which pattern do you recognise most? (Be honest.)

💾 Save the carousel - you’ll need it when courage finds you.
♻️ Share with that brilliant friend who’s been “planning” forever.
➡️ Follow me, Ani Filipova, for more uncomfortable truths about career, leadership and change

Swipe to see the 4 patterns I see.

I love working with optimistic people.

Here is why.

Pessimists and optimists look at the same challenge…
and see completely different worlds.

The pessimist sees every problem as "end of the road".
The optimist sees every problem as a puzzle to solve.

The pessimist says, “That won’t work because…”
The optimist asks, “What if we tried…?”

So - can optimism be learned?
Yes. But not in the way most people think.

What CAN’T be taught:
• Your instinct to see possibilities vs problems
• Your natural response when things go wrong
• Your baseline emotional wiring

What CAN be learned:
• Interrupting negative thought patterns
• Choosing a different perspective intentionally
• Practising optimistic responses until they become habit

Some people are naturally optimistic.
Others train themselves into optimism through repeated practice.
For most of us, it’s both.

Here’s the part people forget:
You can’t just decide to be optimistic and expect it to stick.

You have to:
• Catch yourself in negative loops
• Actively reframe
• Surround yourself with optimistic people
• Build evidence that things work out

And this is exactly what I see inside my community every day - optimistic people building portfolio careers, choosing courage over comfort, and turning setbacks into stepping stones.

It’s pure magic to watch!!!

✨ The community opens for new members on Monday, November 24th. This is the last time we are opening this year.

If you are ready to surround yourself with people who see possibilities instead of problems, this is your moment - join the waitlist here: https://lnkd.in/gKeB77z9

🔔 Follow Ani Filipova for more on building careers with freedom.
♻️ Share this with someone who needs a boost today.

9:00 AM: "This is urgent."
9:05 AM: "Actually, THIS is super urgent."
9:10 AM: "Wait, THIS is the MOST urgent."

Sound familiar?

Meanwhile, your team?
Same 8 people as yesterday.

They can stretch.
They always do.

But physics doesn’t care about urgency.
There's a breaking point.

Then comes the magic phrase:
 “Manage it.”

Manage WHAT exactly?
The 47 "urgent" requests that came in today?
The team that's already working weekends?
The fact that everything can't be priority No.1?

I spent 25 years watching this circus.
Leaders who pile on work like they are playing Tetris.
Teams drowning while executives debate "resource optimization."

Reality check: 

Your team isn't a resource to optimize.
They are humans with a fixed capacity for miracles.

As a leader, YOU own this mess.
Not your team. Not "the business." You.

Stop saying "manage it" and start doing your actual job:

I created a carousel breaking down exactly how urgency tricks your brain and what to actually do about it.

The psychology behind why we fall for it every time.
The deadline games people play.
The dopamine trap that keeps you hooked on urgent tasks.

But most importantly - how to break free from the urgency addiction.

Because when everything is urgent, nothing is.

And your team? 

They are not machines you can overclock indefinitely.
They are humans who need leaders brave enough to say: "No, that can wait."

Swipe through the carousel for the full breakdown on beating the urgency trap.

Your sanity (and your team's) depends on it.

💾 Save this + the carousel for your next priority pile-up
♻️ Share with someone drowning in "urgent" requests
➡️ Follow me, Ani Filipova, for truths about modern leadership and career

Your team doesn’t need another meeting in the tower.

They need you on the floor.

I learned this from a COO friend during a warehouse crisis.
System failure. Orders piling up. Team panicking.

She didn’t call a meeting.
She didn’t delegate.
She didn’t create a task force.

She walked onto the warehouse floor and started packing boxes.

For three hours.
Side by side with her team.
No speeches. Just work.

That night, they shipped every single order.

The old leadership playbook says:
“Stay strategic. Don’t get in the weeds.”
“Your time is too valuable for tactical work.”

Modern leaders know:
Your team doesn’t need your PowerPoints when the building’s on fire.
They need to see you roll up your sleeves and get involved.

Because the pace of change today is brutal.
AI is disrupting companies and jobs daily.
Markets are shifting weekly.
Strategies are becoming obsolete monthly.

Your team is drowning in uncertainty.
And you are sending them another Slack about “alignment”?

Here’s what people actually need from leaders right now:

✅ Presence over process 
Don’t ping “Any updates?” - walk over and ask, “Need a hand?”

✅ Action over analysis 
The project’s on fire and you are opening a new slide deck? Just start fixing it.

✅ Speed over perfection 
Stop word-smithing the strategy doc; hit post, ask for feedback.

✅ Teaching over telling 
When someone misses the mark, don’t sigh and redo it.
Screen-share and explain your thought process. 
Turn that moment into a mini masterclass.

Ready to lead differently?

Stop scheduling meetings about the problem.

Start solving it.

💡 Save this for when leadership feels too theoretical
♻️ Share it with a leader who needs the reminder
➡️ Follow me, Ani Filipova, for truth bombs on modern leadership and change

The people most committed to your failure often wear the warmest smiles.

The saboteur appears helpful.
They are  "concerned" about you.
They want to "mentor" you.
They are "protecting" you from failure.

"Oh, I thought someone told you."
"No offense, but..."
"I'm just trying to help."
"Don't take it personally."

Because of all this:

→ You question your own competence
→ You work harder to prove yourself
→ You become grateful for crumbs
→ You apologize for existing

These are the tactics they use:

1. The visibility trap
2. The communication sabotage
3. The idea laundering
4. The information blackout
5. The resource starvation
6. The impossible timeline
7. The gaslighting special
8. The social engineering
9. The attribution shift
10. The isolation protocol

If you recognised yourself in any of these, you are not crazy.
You are being played.

Wait. There's a plot twist.

SOMETIMES THE SABOTEUR IS ...YOU
When you internalise their tactics and start doing their work for them.
When you silence yourself before they even have to.

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF:

🛡️ Create Your Paper Trail
• BCC yourself on important emails
• Summarize verbal conversations in writing
• Keep a private log of incidents with dates

🚪 Build Your Escape Routes
• Find sponsors outside your direct chain
• Create visibility beyond your saboteur's reach
• Strengthen peer relationships across departments

🧠 Stop Gaslighting Yourself
• That feeling something's off? It is usually correct
• Stop explaining away red flags
• Your instincts evolved for a reason - use them

The hardest truth about workplace sabotage?

It's done by people who smile at you daily.
Who ask about your weekend.
Who bring you coffee.

Because sabotage isn't about hate.
It's about fear.

Fear that your light might dim theirs.

Which tactic is happening to you RIGHT NOW?
Drop the number - and let's correct it!

♻️ Repost to help someone trust their instincts
👥 Follow me, Ani Filipova, for truths about career, leadership and change

P.S. Done playing defence in a game you can't win? The Portfolio Career Accelerator starts January 26th. Build your escape route while you still have options:https://lnkd.in/gw-h7p5h

Job security isn't earned. 

It's engineered.

Most professionals spend decades being loyal, working late, hoping their company will protect them.

Then layoffs hit.
The 20-year veterans get cut first.
The "indispensable" people discover they weren't.
The loyal ones learn loyalty doesn't pay bills.

Meanwhile, there's another breed of professional.

You know those people:
↳The ones who always seem to land on their feet.
↳They switch jobs during a recession 
↳They get headhunted for roles you didn’t even know existed.
↳ They are asked to speak at conferences, join advisory boards, get introduced to “the right people.”

And you wonder: How?

Is it luck? 
Better connections? 
Being in the right place at the right time?

Maybe.

But maybe they've figured out something most people miss:

Security isn't about working harder.
It’s about engineering visibility, value, and options ...
... long before you need them.

They are not luckier.
They are simply playing a different game.

If you are building real career security, revisit this list every quarter. 👇
9 invisible traits of professionals who never worry about job security:

1️⃣ They know their unfair advantage
2️⃣ They treat their career like a business
3️⃣ They have multiple income streams
4️⃣ They stay visible outside their company
5️⃣ They invest in relationships, not transactions
6️⃣ They know their market value
7️⃣ They solve problems, not just do jobs
8️⃣ They keep learning publicly
9️⃣ They diversify their identity

None of these requires permission from your boss
But building them requires intention.

Job security isn't about finding the right company.
It’s about becoming the person companies fight to keep,
or better yet, the person who doesn’t need them to.

If one trait jumped out at you, tell me why - your perspective will help others reading this.

💾 Save this to revisit during your next career audit
♻️ Share this with someone who’s playing it too safe
➡️ Follow me, Ani Filipova, for more uncomfortable truths about modern careers

---
P.S. I’m hosting a free live masterclass tomorrow on the job and career trends in 2026.
If you want to go deeper into these you are welcome to join us: https://lnkd.in/gT5S8Sbs

How do they do that??

We all have days when we lose perspective. 

When that happens, a few simple reminders can save the whole week.
Here are 10 that save me every time👇

1️⃣ You don’t have to have it all figured out
It took me 2 years to leave my corporate job.
And another 2 to figure out my portfolio career.
I’m still figuring it out, and I enjoy my life far more

2️⃣ Healing takes time, be patient
Some days you feel strong.
On other days, you feel broken.
That doesn’t mean you are not healing; 
it just means you are human.

3️⃣ Kindness is free
Not everyone deserves your energy.
But kindness?
Give it freely. It makes you feel better too.

4️⃣ Not every action needs a reaction
You don’t need to reply to every email in 2 minutes.
You don’t owe everyone a reaction.
Sometimes, the most powerful thing you can do is ....nothing.

5️⃣ Everyone’s journey is different
A CEO at 25 - great and kudos!!
At 45, finally doing what you want - even better!
One is fast. One is deep. Both are valid.

6️⃣ Smiles are contagious
You smile at someone, and they smile back 
(most of the time).
It’s that simple.
And science agrees.

7️⃣ Your thoughts shape your reality
If you keep telling yourself “I’m stuck,”
you’ll stay stuck.
But try saying, “I’m learning.” Watch what happens.

8️⃣ It’s okay to start over again and again
Changed your mind? Good
Changed direction? Better
Changed careers? Best
Every restart is an upgrade.

9️⃣ There is no timeline for your life
Society's schedule is made up.
Marriage by 30? Says who??
Success by 40? Define success.

🔟 Letting go is brave
That job. That one-sided relationship. That old story.
If it’s weighing you down, it’s time.
Let go, not to give up, but to make space.

The most successful people I know needed these reminders the most!
Because success without peace is just expensive misery.

Which one did you need today?
Mine was 4 - it has been a tough week.

Drop yours below - let's remind each other we are not alone.

♻️ And if you know someone who needs this, send it to them today.
🔔 Follow me, Ani Filipova for more reminders like this.
--
📌 Join my newsletter “The Change Blueprint” 
Free tools and frameworks to help you win at work and life 👉https://lnkd.in/gzDCH9t9

I spent 3 years "thinking about" leaving Citi.

You know what changed?
Not my clarity. Not my confidence. Not some magical moment of readiness.

I scheduled time to work on it.
That's it.

The most boring, trivial action turned out to be the most important one.

Big changes don't start with a vision board or a business plan, or finally "figuring it all out."

It starts with putting something - anything - in your calendar and actually showing up for it.

90% of career changes die in Google Docs.
Not because people lack courage.
Because they lack calendar time.

I see so many brilliant people stuck in the pre-planning phase. 
Thinking about it.
Dreaming about it.
Never starting it.

If that's you, I put together a carousel that breaks down the 6 boring habits that make change inevitable - from scheduling time to work on it to tracking tiny wins.

Most people have the research, the spreadsheets, the ideas.
What they don't have is the calendar time.

You show up to meetings you don't want to attend. 
Why not show up for yourself?

If you want to move forward, try this:

- Pick one tiny action
- Schedule it within the next 7 days
- Treat it like a dentist appointment: unmissable

Put 30 minutes in your calendar this week.
Any day. Any time.
Just show up.

Most people stay stuck because their calendar never changes.
If you needed this reminder - save it.

♻️ Share with that brilliant friend who's been "planning" forever
➡️ Follow me, Ani Filipova, for more uncomfortable truths about making real change

---

P.S. If this post hit home, you’ll love the two free masterclasses I’m hosting this month 👇

1️⃣ Future of Work & Job Trends — what’s coming next and how to prepare
🔗 https://lnkd.in/gT5S8Sbs

2️⃣ How to Build a Portfolio Career — turn your experience into a personal brand and multiple income streams
🔗 https://lnkd.in/gf-ifWqj

Swipe through to see what changed.

Your title was never your power.
The company just let you borrow it.

The day you leave corporate, you learn a terrifying truth:
Your badge gets deactivated - but your capability doesn’t.

When I left, I genuinely thought nobody would speak to me anymore.

No title.
No budget.
No org chart position.
Just me and whatever I could carry in my head.

Then I discovered something:

Everything I’d learned.
Everything I’d built.
Every pattern I’d spotted over 25 years…
It was all still mine.

The “power” I thought I’d lost?
I’d never actually owned it.
It belonged to the logo on my business card.

Real power - the kind that travels with you - works differently.

Here are the 7 power principles every professional needs when they step out of their job and title:

1. Control your narrative
My title disappeared.
My story became my new currency.
“I help professionals build portfolio careers” replaced “Regional COO at Citibank.”
Clarity beats prestige every time.

2. Stay hyper-visible
Inside corporate, visibility is automatic.
Outside, it’s a choice.
I posted daily, spoke at events, taught what I knew.
113K followers later, visibility became my new infrastructure.

3. Maintain your alliances
I didn’t vanish.
I stayed connected.
Those relationships became my first clients and my strongest advocates.
Your network doesn’t care about your employment status.

4. Own a niche
Generalists survive in corporate.
Generalists disappear outside it.
I picked one problem: helping professionals build portfolio careers.
Focus created magnetism.

5. Build value assets
Not skills. Assets.
Frameworks. Systems. Repeatable solutions.
Things that aren’t generic — and aren’t replaceable.

6. Make reputation your résumé
Citibank used to vouch for me.
Now my results do.
100+ professionals transitioned.
6-figure portfolio careers built.
Proof is the new endorsement.

7. Own who you are now
I stopped leading with “I used to be a COO.”
I started leading with the value I create today.
Confidence signals power more than any title ever could.

Jeffrey Pfeffer puts it bluntly:
“Titles create position power. Real power comes from personal assets and social capital.”

Your expertise doesn’t expire when your badge stops working.
Your value doesn’t shrink when you walk out that door.
It becomes fully yours.

These 7 principles aren’t theory.
I used them to rebuild my own career  and now they are the foundation of my Portfolio Career Accelerator.

8 weeks.
20 professionals.
Starting January 26.

If you want a career that travels with you, we build it step by step. Apply for the accelerator here: https://lnkd.in/g8bpRmYN

♻️ Share this with someone questioning their value outside corporate
🔔 Follow Ani Filipova for more uncomfortable truths about modern careers and leadership

The Executive Committee seat
The six-figure salary.
The CEO on speed dial.
The business-class flights.

I had all of it as a Regional COO at Citibank.

But I couldn’t control my own time.

And after 25 years in corporate, I learned something uncomfortable:

There are two types of wealth.
Most people only chase one.

-> Bank Account Wealth:
What everyone sees.
What everyone measures.
What everyone envies.👇
Your salary, savings, and assets
Your job title

-> Calendar Wealth:
Who decides your Tuesday afternoon?
Can you leave early without asking permission?
Do you choose your meetings or do they choose you?

The uncomfortable truth:
My bank account peaked when my calendar wealth hit zero.

Every promotion meant more money.
Every promotion meant less autonomy.

Regional COO at Citibank.
$2B business. 16 countries.
Couldn't control my own calendar.

Golden handcuffs are still handcuffs.
Just more expensive.

When I left in 2021, people thought I'd lost my mind.
"You are walking away from all that?"

I wasn't walking away.
I was walking toward something.

Built relationships beyond company walls.
Developed skills the company didn't own.
Created value beyond my job description.

Now I control both types of wealth.

Not because I chose one over the other.
But because I stopped believing it was either/or.

You can have financial security AND freedom.
But only if you build them intentionally.

Most professionals optimise for the paycheck.
Then wonder why success feels like prison.

Your company rents your time.
Don't let them buy your freedom.

If you are ready to build both types of wealth apply for the The Portfolio Career Accelerator: https://lnkd.in/g8bpRmYN

♻️ Share with someone trading their freedom for a paycheck
🔔 Follow Ani Filipova for uncomfortable truths about modern careers

Never say this when they ask, "What's your weakness?" in interviews.

The cliché humble-brags:

“I work too hard.”
“I care too much.”
“I’m a perfectionist.”
“I’m always pushing myself.”

I've heard it thousands of times.

If you are still saying these things 
You are telling me you lack self-awareness.

25 years in Senior Leadership and COO at Citibank.
Interviewed more people than I can count.
Almost everyone bombs this question.

Watch this video for the exact formula that actually works.

But here's a preview:

Pick a REAL weakness.
But be strategic about it.

Going for a sales role? Don't say you are shy.
But maybe admit you used to avoid difficult conversations with underperforming team members.

Then - this is crucial - show me the system you built to fix it.

Not "I'm working on it."
Show me the solution.

I used to say:
"I took on too much myself instead of delegating because I wanted to ensure quality. But I realized this was limiting my team's growth. So I created weekly planning sessions where I assign tasks based on each person's development goals. Now my team delivers better results and I can focus on strategy."

Real weakness ✅
Real impact ✅  
Real solution ✅

The interviewer doesn't care about your weakness.
They care if you can spot problems and solve them.

Show them you can do both.

💾 Save this for your next interview prep
♻️ Share with someone preparing for interviews
➡️ Follow me, Ani Filipova, for career truth bombs and interview insights

Most people don't dare to challenge their boss.

Not because they lack ideas.
But because they've seen what happens to the people who do.

"I disagree because...."
Eye roll. Heavy sigh.
"I have more experience. I know this won't work."
Conversation over.

Or sitting in a high-stakes meeting where the senior exec chair gives suggestions.
Never asks for opinions.
And when someone tries to speak?
Immediate shutdown.

If you are a leader and everyone nods at all your ideas…
That's not leadership.
That's obedience.

It's easy to lead people who agree with you.
It takes guts to lead people who challenge you.

Real leadership isn't tested by how well people follow your vision.
It's revealed by how safe they feel questioning it.

So how do you become that kind of leader?
These 3 behaviours make the biggest difference:

🛠 1. Ask for the objection
Stop asking: "Any thoughts?"
Start asking: "What might be wrong with this idea?"
People are more honest when you invite critique, not validation.

🛠 2. Speak last
If you speak first, most people will try to agree with you.
You'll kill fresh thinking before it starts.
Say less → hear more → lead better.

🛠 3. Praise the pushback
Reward the people who disagree with you,
especially when it's uncomfortable.
Your reaction to dissent teaches the whole team whether it's truly safe to speak up.

Remember: the goal isn't harmony.
The goal is better thinking.

Think of a leader you once felt safe challenging - 
What exactly did they do that created that safety?

👇 Share the behaviour so others can learn from it.

📑 Save this to revisit before your next meeting.
👥 Follow me, Ani Filipova, for daily content on Leadership, Career and Change.
📩 Want deeper weekly insights? Subscribe to my newsletter, The Change Blueprint - link in my Featured section.

I left Citi with a spreadsheet for everything:

✅ Money saved
✅ Schools sorted
✅ Life planned

Except one thing:
❌ What I’d actually do next.

A mentor told me,
“The road will show itself as you walk on it.”

I didn’t get it then.
Three years later, I do.

But I took one tiny step: I started writing on LinkedIn.

2,000 followers became 110,000.
Writing led to speaking.
Speaking led to a TEDx talk.
TEDx led to paid keynotes.
Keynotes led to coaching.
Coaching led to community.
Community is leading to an accelerator.

What I learned is this:

You can't see step 10 from step 1.
But step 1 reveals step 2.
Step 2 reveals step 3.

The path appears under your feet
AS you walk.
Not before.

And keeps unfolding as long as you walk.

💭 What’s the one step you’ve been avoiding?

💾 Save this if you are standing at the edge of something new.
♻️ Repost to remind someone else who’s hesitating.

------
If this post hit home, you’ll love these free sessions I’m hosting this month 👇

1️⃣ Future of Work & Job Trends - learn what to expect and how to prepare
🔗 https://lnkd.in/gYXnZkVZ

2️⃣ How to Build a Portfolio Career - turn your experience into multiple income streams
🔗 https://lnkd.in/gf-ifWqj

📩 And if you prefer bite-sized insights each week:
Subscribe to The Change Blueprint 
🔗 https://lnkd.in/gzDCH9t9

But this is what happened next

Courage looks good on everyone.
But most people never wear it.

Not because they lack bravery -
But because they’re practising courage on the wrong things.

You are being courageous about your boss’s opinion.
About disappointing your parents.
About what LinkedIn might think.

Meanwhile, you are being a coward about your own life.

Courage isn’t a lightning bolt.
It’s a muscle - built in tiny, uncomfortable reps.

This is what I know about courage:

1. Most people treat courage like enlightenment
waiting for the moment they feel different.
But courage works like going to the gym. 
You don't wait until you feel strong to lift weights.

DO THIS: Name one thing you'd do if fear weren't a factor. 
Now do it afraid.

2. You are confusing courage with certainty
Certainty is knowing the outcome. 
Courage is moving without it.
Every career shift I made came with zero guarantees.

DO THIS: Write "I don't know if this will work, but I'm going to try _______."

3. Train your courage when the stakes are low.
You can't build courage on the biggest decision of your life.
That's like training for a marathon by running a marathon.

DO THIS: Practice "courage sprints"
Say "I disagree" in low-stakes meetings. 
Wear the bold outfit. 
Speak first on Zoom.

4. Courage is tolerance, not confidence
You don't need to feel confident. 
You need to tolerate discomfort.

DO THIS: Build your tolerance like altitude training. 
Start with 30 seconds of vulnerability (a slightly honest post). 
Next week, 2 minutes (a hard conversation). 

5. Courage is contagious - so is cowardice
Your five closest friends are your courage ceiling.

DO THIS: Audit your circle. 
How many made a big change in 3 years? 
Zero means you are in a comfort cartel, not a courage ecosystem. 
You need 2 people who scare you with their boldness.

Courage compounds.
Every uncomfortable moment makes the next easier.

Stop waiting to feel brave.
Start with 5 minutes of discomfort today.

The life you want isn't waiting for you to feel ready.
It's waiting for you to act anyway.

💾 Save this for when comfort feels safer than growth
♻️ Share with someone who needs permission to be uncomfortable
➡️ Follow me, Ani Filipova, for more truth about choosing courage over comfort

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The Battle

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Ivan Carillo's LinkedIn Performance

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