SELF EMPLOYEED

Coach

US Navy

Special Operations Medic

I help high-achieving professionals achieve peak performance in high-stress situations without falling victim to stress and burnout. From college dropout to Special Operations team, I share my lessons learned.

Hey, I'm Joel.

TLDR people

I spent 12 years on a Marine Special Operations team. I have dedicated my life to mastering the art of discipline, mental toughness, and resilience. I help clients to harness their inner warrior to conquer life's challenges and emerge stronger. 

The long story. 

I spent the first 22 years of my life lost. Dropped out of college, and worked dead-end jobs. No direction in life. Through finding discipline and mental toughness I was able to enlist in the military and build a career in Special Operations.

Mental toughness and discipline have allowed me to do things I never thought possible: 

- 50-mile runs
- 10 mile swims
- 20 Mile ruck runs

Plus much more.

Most people go through life never realizing what they are capable of. 

Come learn with me. 

You can find me on X here : https://twitter.com/TheSuccessCycle

Joel Blades

Helping execs in new roles accelerate impact, build credibility fast and avoid costly transition mistakes | xIBM Consulting | xPwC | Certified Executive Coach

You’ve just landed your next big executive role - congratulations!

Now comes the part no one prepares you for: making it successful.

The hard truth is, 40% of executive transitions fail within 18 months.

And the cost is staggering:

2.5x to 30x the executive’s salary in lost productivity, turnover, and disruption.

Career damage for the executive that can take years to recover from.

Maybe it's your first time at the senior leadership table. 
Maybe you've done this before, but this time, the stakes feel higher. 
Different company, industry, department or role.

Either way, you know this first year will define your reputation and your results.

Tell me if this sounds familiar:

You've inherited a team that doesn't fully trust you yet. 
You're navigating company politics, shifting priorities, and sky-high expectations. 
Everyone's watching, but no one's guiding. 
You're smart, experienced, and capable. 
But the pressure to prove yourself is relentless.

This is exactly where I come in.

I help new executives thrive where 40% fail by guiding them through the high-stakes first year.

My coaching is confidential, personalized, and focused on helping you:

✔ Earn trust quickly and secure early credibility
✔ Navigate politics and hidden organizational dynamics
✔ Build and align your leadership team for quick wins
✔ Make high-impact decisions without costly missteps
✔ Lay the foundation for long-term success and legacy

 Why Trust Me?
• 25+ years in Fortune 500 consulting, partnering with senior executives 
• Led $30M+ transformation portfolios and 250+ person practices at IBM 
• Led risk strategy for $100M+ proposals and complex transformations 
• Built and delivered IBM's top global executive coaching programs 
• Certified executive coach with 300+ leaders coached

If you’re ready to accelerate your impact and avoid costly missteps,

let’s make your first year your strongest. 

📩 DM me “Executive Transition” and let’s talk.

Dora Vanourek

If you're not growing in your job, you're shrinking.

But shrinking feels like stability.

Like patience.
Commitment.
Paying your dues.

So you start telling yourself:

'The market's tough right now.' 
'I'm lucky to have a job.' 
'Maybe next year will be different.'

And while you're being 'patient':

Someone with half your experience gets promoted.

Someone who started after you becomes your boss.

The job-hopper is making 40% more.

If your company isn't investing in your growth, 
you're not building a career -
you're maintaining theirs.

They get your best years. 
You get a review that says 'meets expectations.'

Growth isn't just about moving up.

It's about expanding your skills.
Taking on challenges that scare you.
Working with people who believe in you.

Ask yourself:

- When did you last learn something that changed how you work?

- Who's invested in your development this quarter?

- What skills are you building for your next role?

If it's tough to answer these, you're not stable.

You're stuck.

And stuck is just shrinking in slow motion.

The riskiest career move isn't leaving too soon.

It's staying too long.

How will you feel next year if nothing changes?

Your growth doesn't need permission.

♻️ Repost to help your network
➕ Follow Dora Vanourek for more

If your workplace makes you smaller to fit in,
it's time to find a bigger room.
When you feel smaller, it's not you - it's the culture. 

Because the wrong environment will turn 
your strengths into insecurities.

Here's what that looks like:

❌ You stop speaking up because your ideas get dismissed

❌ You downplay your wins because celebrating feels unsafe

❌ You dim your expertise to avoid threatening fragile egos

And slowly, you forget what it felt like to be yourself.

The right people don't need you small.

So here's your checklist:

→ Do people celebrate your wins or compete with them?

→ Can you disagree without being labelled "difficult"?

→ Are your strengths treated as assets - or threats?

You're not the problem.
The room is.

And you have two moves:

Change the culture.
Or change the room.

Don't just survive in spaces that shrink you.

Find the people who make you braver, sharper, bigger.

Build with the ones who raise the standard - not lower it.

Because you deserve to thrive, not just survive.

💬 Who's in your corner - making you better?
Tag them. They deserve to know.

♻️ Repost to remind someone their potential isn't negotiable
➕ Follow Dora Vanourek for career insights

The most painful part of growth:

The people closest to you will try to stop it.

And the faster you grow, the more uncomfortable others become.

It's not personal - it's human nature:

- People prefer the version of you they're used to
- Some feel threatened by your progress
- Others try to keep you "safe" in your comfort zone

Here are 5 powerful ways to protect your growth:

1. Audit Your Circle 👥 
↳ Who celebrates your wins vs. who diminishes them?
↳ Distance isn't betrayal, it's boundaries

2. Stop Explaining Yourself 🤐 
↳ You don't owe anyone a justification for growth
↳ Let your results do the talking

3. Track Your Progress 📈
↳ Screenshot encouraging feedback and messages
↳ Celebrate small victories, they compound into big changes

4. Find Your Growth Squad 🔗
↳ Seek people 2-3 steps ahead of you 
↳ Invest in mentors who've walked your path

5. Trust Yourself 💪
↳ Your intuition knows before your mind does
↳ Bet on yourself when no one else will

The people who truly belong in your life will celebrate your growth. 

Don't shrink yourself to make others comfortable.

♻️ Repost to help your network
➕ Follow Dora Vanourek for more

Life is too short to spend time with people
who secretly hope you fail.
You know exactly who they are.

The ones who:

- Ask about your promotion with fake concern
- Share your mistakes but never your wins
- Go silent when good things happen to you
- Always have a 'but' after congratulations
- Remember every time you stumbled

Stop making excuses for people who wouldn't make time for you.

Choose people who:

- Text you job opportunities
- Celebrate your wins like their own
- Defend you in rooms you're not in
- Push you toward your potential
- Actually want you to succeed

Your circle should expand your possibilities, not shrink them.

It's not mean to cut people off.
It's mean to yourself not to.

Choose people who choose you back.

♻️ Repost to remind someone they deserve real supporters
➕ Follow Dora Vanourek for more

A year ago, I left my 25+ years tech consulting career.

To build something of my own.

My friends couldn't understand why I'd leave stability.

Others questioned if it was "too late" to start over.

A few called it a midlife crisis.

But then I found my new people.

Entrepreneurs who'd walked away from golden handcuffs.

Creators building empires from their expertise.

Leaders who measured success differently.

Their ambition didn't make me feel behind.

It showed me what was possible.

When you change your path, you need people who've already taken the leap.

5 ways to upgrade your circle:

1. Audit your conversations - are you talking about problems or possibilities?

2. Join spaces where your future self would hang out, not where you currently are.

3. Share your bold goals openly - ambitious people are drawn to other dreamers.

4. Ask "What are you building?" instead of "How's work?"

5. Give yourself permission to outgrow relationships that hold you to your old life.

Your old circle will keep you comfortable.

Your new circle will keep you growing.

Evolve your circle.
Choose growth.

♻️ Repost to remind someone to find their circle
➕ Follow Dora Vanourek for more

Fear-driven leadership works fast.

But the damage works faster.

Too many leaders obsess over hitting this quarter's numbers.

Meanwhile, their best people are quietly updating their resumes.

When people are afraid, they choose:

- safety over success
- silence over solutions
- survival over growth

What to avoid as a leader:

❌ Threatening job security
↳ "Many people would love to have your role."

❌ Using subtle threats
↳ "We need to talk about your career here."

❌ Manufacturing fake urgency
↳ "This needs to be done by EOD" (when it doesn't)

❌ Keeping people guessing
↳ Unclear expectations, moving goalposts

❌ Weaponizing performance reviews
↳ Don't treat reviews as threats

What to do as a leader:

✅ Recognize and appreciate often
↳ Ensure your employees feel valued

✅ Invest in their growth
↳ Create clear paths for career advancement

✅ Share the bigger picture
↳ Help them see how their work creates meaningful impact

✅ Give your team ownership
↳ Trust them to make decisions and take risks

✅ Stand behind your team
↳ Protect them from politics and have their backs

Fear might get you compliance today.

But trust gets you people who care.

♻️ Repost to inspire people-first leadership
➕ Follow Dora Vanourek for more

A harsh truth we often learn too late:
At work, you're replaceable.
At home, you're everything.

We chase success and tell ourselves it's all for the family.

Until one day, we look up and realize:

- Your work got the best of you
- You missed important moments
- The people you love got the leftovers

Here's how to change that story:

1. Make family time sacred
↳ Schedule it first, protect it fiercely

2. Set boundaries that actually work
↳ That email can wait. Dinner with family can't

3. Challenge every "urgent" task
↳ Most things can wait until tomorrow

4. Say No to what drains or distracts you
↳ Your energy is limited - protect it

5. Break the "always on" myth
↳ Constant availability isn't loyalty - it's a trap

6. Define what success means to you
↳ No bonus replaces missed moments

7. Trust your team
↳ Empower others to step in when you step away

8. Stop postponing joy
↳ "Someday" is a dangerous word

Success feels empty if you lose yourself getting there.

Protect what can't be replaced.

♻️ Repost to remind someone
➕ Follow Dora Vanourek for more

I'm turning 50 this week 🎂
Grew up in communist Czechoslovakia
where entrepreneurship was illegal.

Success meant getting a job at a prestigious company.

And staying there until retirement.

So that's what I did.

At 48, I looked at my life and realized:

I'd followed every rule.
Done everything "right."
And I still felt trapped.

So I built my escape route.

One LinkedIn post at a time.

A year later, at 49, I left.

Now I have freedom and flexibility I didn't know was possible.

But when I started writing,
my biggest challenge was coming up with ideas.

Staring at a blank screen every day:

- What do I even talk about?
- Will anyone care?
- How do I stay consistent without burning out?

This is why Stanley (Your Content Coach) matters so much to me.

It's the tool I wish I'd had earlier.

It helps me: 

- Give me honest feedback when I need it
- Flag when my audience is tired of a topic
- Turn one coaching session into 4 different posts

My posts created with Stanley outperform my others by 35-40%.

No matter how stuck you feel.

No matter your age.

No matter what you were taught about "safety" and "success."

You can move forward.

It’s never too late.

If you're building your escape route,
try Stanley for free today: https://lnkd.in/g9nvAJzJ

#stanleypartner

Your job title isn't your identity. 

But it took me years to learn that.

I spent years attaching my identity to:

- The prestigious company name on my business card
- The title that made me feel important
- The projects that validated my worth

And then I watched wave after wave of layoffs hit our industry.

Seeing talented people devastated
because their identity was tied to their job title.

This made me realize:

When you anchor yourself to external things, you lose your power.

But when you anchor yourself to purpose, you become unstoppable.

Here's how to make that shift:

1️⃣ Know What Matters to You
↳ Write down what you find most meaningful at work
↳ Ask: "What impact would I create if I knew I couldn't fail?"
↳ Let this clarity become your compass

2️⃣ Build Skills You Own
↳ Focus on abilities that serve you, not just your employer
↳ Master skills that go with you across industries
↳ Invest in learning that strengthens your purpose, not just your resume

3️⃣ Create Something of Your Own
↳ Start a side project aligned with your purpose
↳ Build a community around what you believe in
↳ Develop value that exists independent of any job title

4️⃣ Draw Your Lines
↳ Define your non-negotiables before you need them
↳ Say no to opportunities that don't align
↳ Measure success by your own values, not external validation

5️⃣ Care Without Clinging
↳ Give your best effort while staying emotionally unattached to outcomes
↳ Treat every role as a vehicle for your purpose
↳ Stay ready to pivot when something no longer serves your purpose

Stop building your identity around your employer. 

Start building it around the impact you want to create.

♻️ Repost to help someone find their power
➕ Follow Dora Vanourek for more

Quote credit: Erica Williams Simon

Most resignations start the same way.

With a manager who never notices.

People check out long before they officially leave.

Their disengagement builds slowly - one overlooked issue at a time.

High performers notice everything.

They see who contributes and who coasts.

When you tolerate mediocrity, you're telling your best people their standards don't matter.

They deserve better.

And so do you as a leader.

Great leaders do these 5 things differently:

1. Set the bar clearly
→ Define what success looks like - no guessing
→ Write the rules so no one's confused

2. Address issues early
→ Small problems turn big when ignored
→ Have tough conversations before things escalate

3. Be present, not just available
→ Prioritize 1:1s so people know they matter
→ Truly listen, and catch problems early

4. Do what you say, every time
→ Keep every promise. No exceptions
→ Show visible progress to build trust

5. Celebrate what matters
→ Recognize the behaviours you want more of
→ Skip "good job" - say exactly what worked

What you tolerate becomes your culture.

Make sure it's one your top performers want to stay in.

♻️ Repost to help your network
➕ Follow Dora Vanourek for more

Hard work doesn’t burn people out.

Poor leadership does.

The solution isn't meditation apps or productivity hacks.

It's fixing the leadership habits destroying your people:

1. Micromanaging:
↳ Constant oversight drains energy and destroys trust

2. Constant urgency:
↳ Making everything urgent creates chronic stress

3. Lack of appreciation:
↳ Hard work without rewards is a top reason for burnout

4. Not respecting work-life balance:
↳ Always-on culture leads to always-burned-out teams

5. Ineffective communication:
↳ Unclear direction creates confusion and decision paralysis

6. Not providing support:
↳ Setting people up to fail, then wondering why

7. Ignoring feedback:
↳ Not being heard destroys trust and makes people feel powerless

8. Information hoarding:
↳ Operating in the dark causes constant stress and preventable mistakes

9. Impulsive decision making:
↳ Constant pivots exhaust everyone

10. Tolerating toxic team members:
↳ One bad apple really does spoil the bunch

Your team doesn't need more yoga sessions or mental health apps.

They need leaders who make them feel valued, supported, and heard.

Lead with empathy, not just with metrics.

♻️ Repost to promote healthier cultures
➕ Follow Dora Vanourek for more

McKinsey: 89% of leaders miss critical warning signs

76% learn too late; 34% never learn at all.

Incredible carousel from my friend Malay Matalia 🔥
Check him out for more insights like this.

Harvard found:
- Great leaders catch these signs early
- The average ones learn from exits
- The poor ones never learn at all

11 wake-up calls leaders need to hear today:

1. When bad news stops flowing:
→ You haven't built trust
→ You've built fear

2. When the calendar is full but the impact is minimal:
→ You're managing time
→ Not driving results

3. When you blame the team but claim wins as yours:
→ You're not leading
→ You're just taking credit

4. When you're the smartest in meetings:
→ You're hiring for comfort
→ Not for growth

5. When decisions only flow down:
→ You've created soldiers
→ Not future leaders

6. When resumes are getting updated:
→ Your open-door policy
→ Was just empty words

7. When challenges stop coming:
→ Your team has already given up
→ You don't listen anyway

8. When celebrations are louder without you:
→ You're limiting your team
→ Not the catalyst

9. When you speak more than listen:
→ You're leading by power
→ Not valuing your team's insights

10. When no one outgrows their role:
→ You're creating ceilings
→ Not empowering your team

11. When being right matters most:
→ You've stopped leading
→ You've stopped growing

Remember:
Listen to what your team is saying.
And what they aren't saying.
Their silence speaks volumes.

What other wake-up calls would you add?

♻️ Repost to help someone
➕ Follow Dora Vanourek for more

11 Wake-Up Calls All Leaders Need to Hear

89% of careers don't fail because of technical gaps.

They fail because of poor soft skills.

An incredible carousel from my friend Malay Matalia 🔥
(Give him a follow)

Your career grows as fast as your human skills do.

9 powerful skills most people never truly learn:

1️⃣ The SHR Method
→ Makes people feel truly valued
→ Creates instant connections
→ Builds lasting relationships

2️⃣ Body Language Mastery
→ Only 7% is what you say
→ 38% is your tone
→ 55% is how you move

3️⃣ The 4-Bullet Update
→ Clear communication
→ No confusion
→ Maximum impact

4️⃣ Speaking Excellence
→ Record yourself
→ Review your patterns
→ Refine your delivery

5️⃣ Strategic Questions
→ Build deeper connections
→ Create genuine interest
→ Foster real relationships

6️⃣ Friday Highlights
→ Build team trust
→ Increase visibility
→ Drive accountability

7️⃣ Emotional Intelligence
→ Stay above drama
→ Build respect
→ Maintain professionalism

8️⃣ Name Mastery
→ Show genuine care
→ Create lasting impressions
→ Deepen connections

9️⃣ Continuous Learning
→ 30 minutes daily
→ Compound your knowledge
→ Accelerate your growth

You deserve to thrive, not just survive.

Build the soft skills that get you there.

What's your most valuable soft skill?
Share below ⬇️

♻️ Repost to help your network
➕ Follow Dora Vanourek for more

9 Soft Skills to Accelerate Your Career

If you're not willing to fight for your team,
you don't belong in management.

I'll never forget watching my manager 
in a senior leadership meeting:

"You're asking my team to do 3 top priorities. 
Pick one.
Or give me more people."

The room went silent.

Then they picked one.

That's when I learned:

Real leaders don't just manage work - they protect people.

10 ways great leaders protect their teams:

1. Block Burnout Triggers
↳ Kill the root causes before exhaustion turns into resignation letters

2. Stop the Fake Urgencies
↳ Everything can't be urgent. Push back on manufactured crises

3. Eliminate Useless Work
↳ Cut low-value tasks such as creating reports that nobody reads

4. Push Back on Deadlines
↳ Negotiate realistic timelines. Say no to deadlines that require overtime

5. Require Priority Trade-offs
↳ Ask stakeholders to remove something else before adding new work

6. Cut Through Bureaucracy
↳ Push back on unnecessary approvals and processes that slow down your team

7. Protect Deep Work
↳ Create distraction-free times and keep "quick requests" from destroying focus time

8. Defend Their Reputation
↳ CC their wins to skip-levels. Stand up for them when they're not in the room

9. Shield from Office Politics
↳ Handle the organizational drama so your team can focus on real work

10. Limit Meeting Madness
↳ Prevent endless meetings that destroy productivity and focus

Your team doesn't need another manager.

They need a leader who truly has their back.

Be that leader.

PS: What's one thing you wish more leaders did for their teams?

♻️ Repost to help your network
➕ Follow Dora Vanourek for more

Being smart isn't always an advantage.

It'll keep you stuck if you fall into these traps.

You work twice as hard.

You know you're capable of more.

But others still seem to get ahead.

It's not a lack of talent.

It's these traps holding you back:

1. The Overthinking Trap 🌀
↳ You spend months researching instead of taking action
↳ Avoid analysis paralysis with the 24-hour decision rule

2. The Comfort Zone Trap 🏝️
↳ Being the top performer in a small pond limits your growth
↳ Commit to one project that scares you every quarter

3. The Knowledge Hoarding Trap 📚
↳ Your bookshelf grows while your results stay the same
↳ Match every hour of learning with action

4. The Solo Player Trap 🧑‍🚀
↳ You avoid asking for help, seeing it as a weakness
↳ Find mentors who've already achieved what you want

5. The Intelligent Excuses Trap 🦊
↳ You use smart logic to justify staying average
↳ The real danger isn't failing - it's staying the same

6. The Multi-Potential Trap 🎭
↳ You have many talents but never commit to any
↳ Choose 1 focus for 90 days and say no to everything else

7. The Perfectionism Trap 🎯
↳ Your high standards become an excuse to never start
↳ Lower the bar and avoid endless revisions

Don't let these patterns keep you stuck.

You already have what it takes.

♻ Repost to help your network
➕ Follow Dora Vanourek for more

taplio

The Battle

Joel Blades

Dora Vanourek

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreDora Vanourek's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Joel Blades

Dora Vanourek

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

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);}Dora Vanourek's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreDora Vanourek's LinkedIn Performance