Tag Archives: workforce

How Your Headshot Forms Impressions In Milliseconds And What To Do About It

February 17, 2026 The Silo Leave a comment

In today’s uber-competitive, rapid-fire workforce, a headshot isn’t about looking good; it’s about being believed. ..in an instant. From LinkedIn profiles and resumes to professional biographies and press mentions, your professional photo becomes the stand-in for you when you’re not in the room. Psychology shows that people form impressions in milliseconds, and your image carries the weight of that decision. The difference between forgettable and compelling is rarely accidental. And the implications can be make-or-break consequential.

The Career Accelerator Headshot:
How to Convey Trust, Authority & Likability in a Single Frame

In business, first impressions often happen before a word is spoken. This is what makes your headshot is more than a picture; it’s a visual handshake, a silent introduction that conveys confidence, likability, and professionalism in a single frame. Like a handshake, it can be firm and reassuring, or limp and forgettable. The difference often lies in small but critical choices.

It Lives Everywhere

A headshot lives everywhere a professional’s reputation does—LinkedIn, websites, pitch decks, press releases. Before colleagues, clients, partners, vendors or hiring managers meet you, they meet your image. That photograph carries cues about how trustworthy you appear, how engaged you seem, and whether you project authority or warmth. Research in psychology consistently shows that people form judgments of competence and likability in milliseconds. Your headshot is the first test of that instinct.

Here are some tips to best ensure your photo visually conveys your desired personal brand image:

Do’s: Making the Most of Your Visual Handshake

Do use genuine expression. Confidence is communicated through the eyes; likability through the mouth. Together they create the balance of authority and warmth that makes people lean in. Forced smiles or stiff stares fail that test. If your smile doesn’t reach your eyes, it is fake.
Do consider the message you want to send. A corporate board member may want gravitas; a startup founder may want energy. There is no right answer other than the one you decide on. The headshot should serve that purpose, not just “look good.”
Do refresh periodically. If your appearance has changed meaningfully, update your headshot. Mismatched expectations can erode trust before you’ve even said hello. A ten year old shot or an AI shot is professional catfishing.

Don’ts: Pitfalls That Undermine Presence

Don’t rely on selfies or casual snapshots. What may work for personal social media rarely translates into professional credibility.
Don’t over-edit. Excessive retouching may erase authenticity and make you look like you lack confidence. A headshot should present the best version of you, not an unrecognizable one.
Don’t ignore body language. Slight posture cues—a tilt, crossed arms, leaning too far back—can signal defensiveness or disengagement. Tilting your head towards the shoulder closest to the camera makes you look weak.

The Broader Impact

A strong headshot doesn’t just open doors; it can also align a team’s brand. When a company or firm presents cohesive, polished headshots across its leadership, it communicates unity, credibility, and attention to detail. Conversely, mismatched or outdated images suggest inconsistency and a lack of care and resources. In an age where clients, investors, and partners often vet online before meeting, those subtle cues matter.

Think of your headshot the way you’d think of a handshake in a critical meeting: intentional, practiced, and aligned with the impression you want to leave. Done well, it can become one of the simplest yet most effective tools in your professional arsenal.

For the Silo, Chris Gillett.

Famed headshot photographer and expression coach Chris Gillett is nationally-regarded for his work helping executives, entrepreneurs and attorneys master the “visual handshake” by combining confidence and likability in every image. Connect with him at www.liketherazor.com

Culture

Why Good is the New Average in Today’s Workforce

February 9, 2026 The Silo Leave a comment

A growing paradox is reshaping the 2026 workforce: strong performers are still losing their jobs. According to a January 2026 HR Dive survey, nearly 50 percent of companies expect layoffs in Q1, even as most plan to hire selectively for growth roles, exposing a market where competence alone no longer protects careers. Strategic growth advisor and ‘The CodeBreaker Mindset‘ author Chitra Nawbatt warns this moment marks the rise of a “competence trap,” where professionals optimize output while organizations quietly reprice value around speed, adaptability, and influence. The result is a workforce operating by outdated rules in a system that has already moved on. Below are more of her insights.

How to Stay Relevant in 2026

Across industries, a growing number of professionals share the same uneasy feeling: despite strong performance and proven competence, job security feels increasingly fragile. That anxiety is not imagined. The rules of work are shifting in plain sight, and the changes are cutting through roles that once felt insulated from disruption.

Layoffs

Layoffs are no longer limited to underperformers or redundant teams. They are appearing in the middle of organizational charts, within core functions, and among employees who were recently labeled essential. According to strategic growth advisor Chitra Nawbatt, author of “The CodeBreaker Mindset: The Unwritten Rules for Success,” this signals a deeper structural change in how companies define value.

“Competence used to buy you time,” Nawbatt explains. “In 2026, competence is table stakes. The market is rewarding a different set of behaviors, and many professionals are still playing by the old rules.”

This shift is often mischaracterized as a simple story about machines replacing people. In reality, the more immediate force is organizational redesign. Companies are flattening decision layers, reducing bureaucracy, and repricing labor around speed and adaptability.

Reuters already reported that Amazon was preparing additional corporate job cuts as part of an effort to streamline its structure and remove management layers, even as it continues to invest selectively in priority roles tied to long term strategy.

“The narrative is convenient,” says Nawbatt. “Blaming technology masks the harder truth. Many organizations are still figuring out how to operate efficiently in a volatile environment, and people get caught in that recalibration.”

Data shows a contradiction

Data from HR leaders underscores the contradiction. A January 2026 survey cited by HR Dive found that nearly half of companies expect layoffs will likely occur in the first quarter, while most also plan to hire selectively for roles tied to growth initiatives.

This dual track of hiring and cutting reveals why performance reviews alone no longer predict job security. The system itself is changing faster than individual output can keep up.

Rise of the CodeBreaker

Nawbatt describes the professionals who thrive in this environment as CodeBreakers. The term does not refer to rule breakers for their own sake, but to people who understand that success is governed by both written rules and unwritten ones.

“Written rules tell you how things are supposed to work,” she says. “Unwritten rules tell you how decisions actually get made when pressure hits. In periods of reorganization, the unwritten rules are what determine who stays and who goes.”

Based on her work advising leaders and teams across multiple industries, Nawbatt outlines five shifts that separate those who remain relevant from those who become interchangeable.

1. Stop optimizing and start reading patterns

Efficiency can feel reassuring in unstable times, but it can also be misleading. Nawbatt emphasizes that productivity without direction often leads professionals deeper into roles that are quietly being deprioritized.

“The winners are not the busiest people,” she notes. “They are the ones who can see where budgets are tightening, where automation is accelerating, and where their work is becoming easier to replace.”

2. Treat unwritten rules as the real operating system

Most professionals are trained to follow job descriptions and formal processes. During restructurings, however, informal dynamics take over. Who is protected, which narratives leadership repeats, and how risk is managed become far more important than stated policies.

“When written and unwritten rules diverge,” Nawbatt says, “the people who notice early have options. Everyone else is reacting.”

3. Build a nonlinear value stack

The traditional career ladder assumed stability and long time horizons. In today’s environment, resilience comes from a portfolio of relevance that spans skills, relationships, and credibility across contexts.

“You are not competing for a seat anymore,” Nawbatt explains. “You are trying to become a node in an ecosystem. The goal is to create value that travels with you when structures change.”

4. Focus on information quality, not quantity

Modern organizations are saturated with dashboards, metrics, and opinions. According to Nawbatt, the ability to distinguish data driven insight from perception driven or manipulation driven narratives is becoming a defining leadership skill.

“Clarity is power,” she says. “The person who can say what is true, what is assumed, and what is being spun becomes indispensable when decisions must be made under uncertainty.”

5. Replace ladders with loops

Career progress in 2026 is less linear and more iterative. Learning, testing, building proof, and compounding impact now matter more than waiting for titles or recognition.

“High performers often get stuck waiting to be noticed,” Nawbatt observes. “CodeBreakers build evidence. They create work that can be demonstrated, taught, and scaled.”

A Market That No Longer Rewards Comfort

If this moment feels uncomfortable, that discomfort may be the point. The market has stopped rewarding stability for its own sake. The professionals most likely to thrive are those who confront change early and adjust with intention.

AI will continue to improve. Organizations will continue to thin. The defining question is not whether people can outwork machines, but whether they can outgrow outdated playbooks.

As Nawbatt puts it, “The CodeBreaker mindset is not about fear. It is about clarity. It is about understanding how systems really work and moving with discernment when those systems shift.”

Sources

For the Silo, Devyn Kerns.

Culture

Generation Z Job Advancement Difficulties Continue

May 16, 2024 The Silo 1 Comment

Revealing reports are exposing the extent to which Gen Z is grappling with a far tougher job market than ever before, spurring overwhelming financial angst and uncertainty. Below Gen Z authority, attorney and legislative policy pundit Cheyenne Hunt, J.D. — a TikTok influencer with 93.3K followers and 3.7M likes on the platform — provides front-line perspective on the trending topic.

“The challenges we Gen Z’ers face in today’s job market are unique and complex as we navigate unprecedented economic shifts and evolving workplace dynamics,” she said. “A better understanding of the systemic hurdles and barriers hindering Gen Z’s professional growth is needed to spark dialogue and help employers, policymakers and career advisors develop strategies to support this highly consequential generation of talent.”

6 Issues Stifling Gen Z Career Advancement

Gen Z, of which I am a part, has been dealt a rough hand with regard to this generation’s entrance into the workforce at large. We’ve collectively experienced so many “unprecedented” events throughout our formative years that have caused many to lose their meaning and purpose in their professional and personal life. For executives seeking to understand, and aptly integrate, Gen Z into staff teams, it’s essential to recognize and address the unique challenges and needs of this consequential generation greatly influencing the workforce. While there are a litany of issues undermining Gen Z career prospects, there are a few key set of obstacles that must be overcome to bolster this generation’s advancement opportunities:

1. Economic Inequality
Gen Z enters the job market with significant financial burdens, including high costs of living, especially in urban centers. To attract and retain these young talents, consider implementing comprehensive benefits packages that alleviate these pressures. This could include competitive salaries, housing stipends, or student loan repayment programs. By addressing economic barriers directly, your company can become a more attractive and viable option for Gen Z candidates who are often forced to make career decisions based heavily on financial factors.

2. Job Market Instability
Gen Z values stability as much as flexibility. In response to the economic volatility they’ve witnessed, it’s important to emphasize job security and long-term career prospects within your company. Develop clear career pathways and foster a culture that rewards dedication and innovation. Regularly communicate these pathways and growth opportunities to ensure young employees see a future within your organization.

3. Lack of Internal Opportunities for Upward Mobility
As outside hires for managerial rolls continue to increase in popularity, Gen Z struggles to find a purpose in work that does not present opportunities to be recognized by a promotion in status or salary in conjunction with increased skill and responsibility. In fact, many studies have found that young workers are more likely to achieve career advancement by jumping ship to a new employer every three years or less.

4. Technological Disruption
Rapid technological advancements lead to job displacement and the need for continuous upskilling, which can be particularly challenging for Gen Z entering the workforce. Automation threatens traditional entry-level roles, requiring Gen Z to adapt and acquire new skills to remain competitive in a job market they may not have even found a place in yet. Consider, leveraging Gen Z’s tech-savviness by involving them in digital transformation initiatives within your company. Offer roles that challenge them and allow them to work with cutting-edge technologies.

5. Lack of Mentorship and Networking Opportunities
Gen Z may lack access to mentors and professional networks that can provide guidance and opportunities for career advancement. Remote work creates fewer opportunities to make advantageous connections intentionally or even in passing. Traditional networking avenues may be inaccessible or less effective for Gen Z, who often rely on digital platforms for networking, which may not offer the same depth of connection.

6. Student Debt Crisis
Student debt is a pervasive concern for Gen Z, shaping their career paths and life choices. As an employer, offering programs such as tuition reimbursement or scholarships for further education can set your company apart. Additionally, support flexible work arrangements that allow for continuing education, enabling employees to pursue degrees or certifications that enhance their career growth while gaining valuable work experience.

Addressing these issues requires systemic changes in education, employment policies and societal attitudes to ensure more equitable opportunities for Gen Z career advancement. Given this generation is poised to soon become the largest sector of the workforce, it’s in everyone’s best interest to better set Gen Z up for success as a matter of public policy, economic stewardship and plain old good business practices. For the Silo, Cheyenne Hunt, J.D.

Cheyenne Hunt, J.D. is a progressive advocate and attorney specializing in progressive activism, legislative advocacy, communications and democracy-focused tech policy. She currently serves as a Big Tech Accountability Advocate with Public Citizen. Hunt graduated from the University of California Irvine School of Law, has earned Dual Degrees in Political Science and Public Policy from the University of Denver and serves as a board member for The Women of Global Change.

Art

Inspiring Mouth Painter Amanda Orichefsky Of Toronto

September 22, 2016 The Silo Leave a comment

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month in Canada, and Amanda Orichefsky wants to celebrate the contributions of workers with disabilities and educate the able bodied about the value of a diverse workforce inclusive of their skills and talents.

Amanda Orichefsky of Toronto, now 27, was born with arthrogryposis, a condition that robbed her of the use of her arms. Despite her disability, Amanda has pursued her passion for art, attending George Brown College where she graduated in 2010 with a diploma in Fine Arts & Animation.

Today, Amanda earns a stipend to further her painting studies as a member of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists, an international association of 800 disabled artists around the world. She also sells reproductions of her work to support herself. A younger Amanda was also asked to give a demonstration of her mouth painting skills to Wayne Gretzky, which was filmed as part of the commercial for Ronald McDonald House Charities seen above.

Amanda is also a member of the MFPA which has been operating in Canada since 1961 and is a member of the International Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists. There are currently 13 disabled artists working in Canada and over 750 others around the world. For the Silo, Ginny Grimsley.

For more information about the MFPA, to purchase product, or to view a full list of products available, visit www.mfpacanada.com or email [email protected]