Melissa’s Memos
You Don’t Have a Network. You Have a List of Contacts.
Senior leaders tell me all the time that they have a strong network. Then they start a job search and discover they don’t. What they have is a list of contacts. That’s not the same thing. In 20+ years on the hiring side, here’s the difference I’ve watched play out: A list of contacts is…
Read MoreThe 5 Phrases That Are Quietly Undermining Your Authority
Senior leaders almost never lose authority all at once. They lose it in small phrases, repeated over months, that they don’t even know they’re saying. Five I’ve watched undermine smart, capable executives and what to swap them for. 1. “Sorry, can I just add something quickly?”Translation to the room: I’m not sure I deserve to…
Read MorePlaying Smaller Than the Room
There’s something I tell every senior leader in their first session with me. Almost word for word. I tell them: I’m not here to make you into someone different. I’m here to help you see yourself more accurately.Because here’s what I’ve learned in 20+ years of doing this work. Most of the senior leaders who…
Read MoreCareer Capital
Two senior leaders. Same industry. Same starting point ten years ago. One is now a SVP at an household-name company. Big title. Public profile. Speaking at conferences. The other is a VP at a less-known company. Quieter. Smaller team. Most people would tell you the first one has won the decade. Here’s what I’ve learned…
Read MoreMoving Through a “Hard Quarter”
If you’re a senior leader having a hard quarter right now, this is for you.I’m not talking about the kind of “hard quarter” that ends up in your annual review as a growth moment. The actual kind. The one where the numbers are off, the team is tense, the executive above you is concerned, and…
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