Career Change Coaching: New Industry, New Function or Your Own Company

Changing careers is a trail, not a leap

Most career changes don't happen in one dramatic jump. They happen one switchback at a time: a clear direction, a few smart tests and steady steps uphill.

I'm Mike Leighty, founder and head coach of Long Game Career Coaching. My own path has crossed functions and industries, from leading Cisco's Fast Track program, to leading global sales contact center operations at Adobe through its shift to subscription, to leading Scaled Analytics Portfolio Management at Nike. I grew up in the Bay Area playing year-round competitive soccer, I'm an Eagle Scout and I hold an MBA in international business and sports management from Saint Mary's College of California.

Three kinds of change, three different plays

Changing industry: Your skills may transfer, but the language doesn't always. We'll translate your experience so a new industry sees the value right away.

Changing function: Moving from, say, operations to product or from analytics to strategy means proving you can do work you haven't held the title for. We'll find the bridge roles, projects and stories that close that gap.

Corporate to founder: Going out on your own is exciting and risky. We'll pressure-test the idea, your runway and your readiness before you hand in your badge. (Coaching is not legal or financial advice, so business formation and money decisions belong with the right professionals.)

How we work through a career change

• Get clear: what you want more of, what you're done with and what you won't compromise on
• Map transferable strengths: the skills that travel and the gaps worth closing
• Test before you jump: informational conversations, side projects and small experiments
• Build your story: resume, LinkedIn and a pitch that makes the change sound like a natural next step
• Run the search or the launch: a weekly plan with checkpoints you control

Pick the right pace

• Training Camp ($1,500): a focused, short-term intensive to set direction and build your transition plan. Founding Member Training Camp is $1,200 for the first 25 clients.
• Career Conditioning: Base ($79/mo) group coaching, Build ($249/mo) with a monthly 1:1 plus group and Peak ($599/mo) with more frequent 1:1s plus interview, offer and negotiation support.

Big changes take time. Conditioning is built for the long game.

Honest expectations

Coaching is not therapy, legal advice or financial advice, and no coach can guarantee a job or a business outcome. What you'll get is a coach who asks hard questions, keeps you moving and tells you the truth. In person in Portland or by video anywhere.

Questions, answered