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Career Transition
Navigate Your Next - Discover the Career You Want and the Path to Get There
If you are trying to discover what you want in your career and grappling with how to get it, my practical and pragmatic guidance is for you. If you want to learn how to be successful, I am here to guide you in building both the skills and the mindset to:
Discover What You Want in Your Career
- Get clarity on what you want in your career.
- Identify skills, habits, and behaviors you need to develop.
- Articulate your credibility and relevance to employers.
- Understand your fit with potential companies or teams.
Get What You Want
- Harness your motivation and turn your aspirations into goals.
- Focus and stay focused.
- Develop and execute your plan, including building your network to gain access, support, and acceleration toward your goals.
- Negotiate to shape the role and close the deal.
- Understand what success looks like for you and how to celebrate it.
Who is Career Transition Coaching for?
It is designed for professionals who are motivated and want to take a proactive role in shaping their careers. It is for you if you are on a trajectory where growth, learning, and advancement matter, whether you work—or want to work—in the corporate world, in nonprofit leadership, government, academia, or as an entrepreneur.
20s to Early 30s
Forging your career identity, beginning to match your competencies with your desires.
At a major professional services firm and confused as to what you want next?
Early 30s to Mid 40s
Shifting from following others' agendas to pursuing your own, discovering what truly motivates you.
Already an executive and wondering what is next? How to navigate your team and get to the next level or pivot to a new career?
Mid 40s to Mid 50s
Reflecting on the journey you've been on and deciding whether to continue on the same path or repurpose your skills and experiences in new ways.
Is the C-suite for you? How to think of success and how to celebrate it or move to something more meaningful?
Navigating Your Next coaching is for anyone who wants to chart a course toward meaningful, sustainable career success.
Why is Navigating Your Next Different?
My coaching method is different from the many other career- and habit-focused coaches available. Navigating Your Next is distinguished in three ways:
01
My coaching is informed by and based on proven lessons learned from actual real-world experience in world-class institutions, rather than by theorists or academics who have not been operational practitioners as consultants, managers, executives, and board members.
These insights come from my own thirty-five-year career and the many colleagues I have worked with, the successful executives and industry figures I have interviewed, and the reflections and feedback of the hundreds of people I've successfully coached in career transitions over the last five years.
02
Second, it is practical and pragmatic, focused on actionable frameworks, exercises, and advice. This is the insight and advice I wish had been taught in school and university and that I would have wanted at the three critical life-stage transitions as I grew in my career.
I have tested this methodology, the exercises, and the lessons learned with hundreds of professionals and executives, and they work.
03
Third, my method is descriptive but not prescriptive. I am not going to tell you—not going to prescribe—what to want. Many other career coaching methods dictate a direction or a destination - become like a marine, be in 'founder' mode etc.
They tell you what to be. I'm not going to name your destination. You own that decision. What I will do is help you to decide what you want and how to get there.
Tried and Tested “Steps to Success” Methodology
Navigating Your next is a seven steps-to-success methodology, based on my best-selling book, for how to get what you want. I have tested this methodology rigorously while coaching more than five hundred highly talented emerging leaders at McKinsey & Company and more than five hundred senior and first-time executives in my private practice. Based on extensive feedback and seeing positive outcomes, coupled with my experiences seeing what works and what doesn't in my own life, I now coach that methodology, confident it will work for you as it has for so many others.
In Praise of Career Transition Coaching with Julian
Julian brings a deep expertise and a methodological approach that was very helpful to me as I navigated a few career choices during my time at McKinsey. He has a unique ability to break down the most complex career dilemmas into tactical next steps. I continue to revisit his advice on how to find and engineer my way towards true north.
Hesam Hamledari
VP Product at Parspec
I worked with Julian while figuring out my next career steps. He brought insightful structure to our conversations and helped me think through my positioning in a clear, practical way. I appreciated his balanced, no-nonsense style and the way he guided without prescribing. Our sessions helped me step back, connect the dots across my experience, and translate that into a direction that feels both focused and authentic.
Alena Fedorenko
Applied AI at Anthropic, ex-Associate Partner at McKinsey & Company (QuantumBlack AI)
As I navigated my exit and job search process, Julian was extremely helpful in getting me prepared, including deeply challenging my thinking and making sure I was doing the career switch for the right reasons, sharing real examples of potential routes ahead of me, and helping evaluate job offers to pick the one that suits my expectations the best. Highly recommended.
Cagatay Gulec
Head of Product Activation at YouTube
I worked with Julian during a key career transition and found the guidance very helpful. Julian is a great listener, asking thoughtful questions and providing clear, actionable advice. I'd recommend Julian to anyone looking for practical support in their career growth.
Olga Mozhayskaya
Vice President, Strategy Execution at Flokk, Norway
I had the privilege of working with Julian Lighton, PCC, during a pivotal moment in my career when I made the decision to leave consulting. Julian's guidance as a career advisor was nothing short of transformative, and I would highly recommend him.
His ability to help me thoughtfully evaluate the pros and cons of different paths, navigate the complexities of networking, and identify the next best opportunity was invaluable. Julian brings a rare combination of strategic insight, empathy, and practical advice that empowers you to make confident, informed decisions. I'm incredibly grateful for his support and would highly recommend him to anyone seeking clarity and direction in their career journey.
Jennifer Miller
MD/PHD, Senior Director at Edwards Lifesciences
Julian is an excellent sounding board. He brings a grounded view to complex decisions and seems to have a framework for every occasion - always practical, never prescriptive. I appreciate Julian's ability to challenge set thinking while keeping the discussion moving productively.
Will Glevey
Senior Climate Strategist at Legal and General Investment Management
Julian was so helpful to me in thinking through leaving McKinsey. Several adjectives to describe Julian, which I greatly appreciated and benefited from, based on our work together are as follows: thoughtfulness, understanding, patience, knowledge/ expertise, relatability, humor, and structure.
Julian helped me "de-stress" what at the time felt like "such a big decision"and then put structure and action to my thoughts. He also leaned in on even very tactical items (e.g., resume updates and interview prep for my dream companies/ industries), all of which I think helped me immensely in finding exactly what I was looking for then, but also how to approach such decisions in the future.
Very thankful for my time with Julian and would very highly recommend!!
Jonathon Miller-Meeks
Associate Director at Walmart CX-OPS
Julian is a fantastic coach. I worked with him to help plan my career journey, and he immediately dove in with creative and thoughtful questions. Julian drew on his extensive consulting background to synthesize my situation quickly, contribute poignant insights, and outline a series of smart steps and areas for further reflection. Because he has worked across so many different industries and areas of expertise, we were able to spend our time efficiently — I had full confidence that he understood my body of work without me needing to waste time on explanation. What stood out most was how he balanced sharp strategic thinking with genuine curiosity, care, and support. He's had a deep and positive impact on my perspective, and I’m grateful for his guidance.
Rob McGowan
CPTD, Senior Learning and Development Manager at McKinsey & Company
As my coach, Julian has helped me navigate through pivotal moments in my consulting career. He provides concise, structured advice tailored to my unique needs as an experienced industry professional-turned-consultant. I look forward to our sessions every time. I would recommend him to any experienced professional!
Lynn Chau
Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company
Julian is a great coach. He takes the time to understand your motivators and values to guide you through the issue at hand versus applying a one-size-fits-all framework. Most importantly, he is honest and does not shy away from all aspects of his personal experiences at various organizations to help you better understand potential paths forward. I would highly recommend him as a career coach.
Clarysse Blanchard
Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company
Julian is one of the best coaches I know. He helped me gain a deeper understanding of my underlying valuesand aspirations, ultimately setting me up for a more thorough career journey. The impact of our conversations is hard to overstate, as they defined how I thought about my career steps over the past years. He is an active listener and is really invested in the success of the people he coaches.
Anna Kushnar
Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company
Julian has been instrumental in guiding me through pivotal career decisions. His approach is thoughtful and empowering rather than heavy-handed, making his counsel invaluable. He’s truly a gem in the industry.
Jack Resnick
J.D. Candidate at Standford University Graduate School of Law, Ex-McKinsey & Company
Julian was instrumental in enabling me during my time at McKinsey. He pushed me to read between the lines, ask the right questions, and make bold, well-informed decisions. I’m grateful for all his support and expert coaching!
Naoufal Sellam
Senior Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company
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