I’m a true Southerner because I will pull out my winter coat as soon as the temperature hits 50 degrees. I grew up in Montgomery, Alabama and got my undergraduate degree at AuburnUniversity. War Eagle!

 

Unlike graduates today, I didn’t have a clear cut view of what I wanted to do with my mathematics degree and was very lucky to interview with IBM during one of their massive hiring phases. I started out as a programmer and loved my IBM career. I was able to travel, work on exciting and leading edge technical projects and meet lots of very motivated and dedicated people.

 

I worked at IBM during the time when the letters meant “I’ve been moved!”

I’ve lived up and down the East Coast from Gaithersburg, Md., to Raleigh, NC. to Tampa Fl. to Mawah, NJ. And finally, Ashburn, Va. I retired from IBM in 2006 and now live in a lovely carriage house with my pet parrotlet, Pippin. My daughter lives nearby. When I’m not busy with my coaching business, I’m either reading mysteries, traveling or crafting. My current craft obsession is scrapbooking, both paper and digital.

 

As the oldest of four kids, I’ve always been bossy so making the transition to team leader and then manager was a natural career progression for me. But it was very difficult going from being responsible for and in control of my own work to being dependent on a staff that wasn’t always up to the challenge.

 

As a first time manager I had some wonderful mentors and peers who helped me figure out how to get results through others and who listened to me whine about bad bosses, bad employees and bad corporate directives. They also gave me constructive feedback and a push in the right direction when I needed it. In my turn, I gave back by mentoring others as well. I’m a firm believer and a live example that you don’t have to fit the corporate mold to be a successful leader.

 

 In this blog, I’ll share my insights and tips on how to juggle the demands of your boss and your staff while building your own career. 

 

I help my private clients make the transition from being a technical expert to becoming a confident leader who is sought out for key assignments and is considered a Top Talent in their organization.

Linda Griffin had a successful 30 year career at IBM. She gained experience in a wide variety of technical and managerial roles including Segment Executive, Business Continuity Manager, Business Development Manager, Database Analyst and Programmer Analyst. She holds a B.S. in Mathematics from AuburnUniversity and an M.B.A. from the University of South Florida. She completed her coach training at Coach Training Alliance.