Melissa’s Memos
Authority in Senior Leaders
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. Four 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 MoreExecutive Coaching
There’s something I tell every executive 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 executives who come…
Read MoreCareer Capital vs Velocity
Career capital is not the same as career velocity. Two senior leaders. Same industry. Same starting point ten years ago. One is now a SVP at a 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…
Read MoreStaying Confident Through Rejection
A client asked me yesterday how he’s supposed to stay confident after the fifth “we went in another direction.” I don’t think he liked my answer. But here’s what I told him. And I told him. You’re not supposed to. Staying confident through five straight rejections in a senior job search isn’t resilience. That’s denial. What…
Read MoreYour Introduction Matters
A senior director called me last month. She’d been looking for six months. 52 applications. 4 interviews. 0 offers. The first thing she said on our call was, “I think I’m just too senior for the market right now.” I hear some version of that sentence almost every week. Here’s what was actually happening: she…
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