Career Stewardship with Michael Melcher

There are coaches all around the world. In this episode, we examine executive coaching and career development from the point of view of someone who practices in a different hemisphere. Michael speaks with Ana Pliopas, Ph.D, a coach in Brazil who trained at the Hudson Institute, where Michael also did his coach training. They discuss how the pandemic affected the way people see their careers, the differences and similarities in how pandemic stress showed up in Brazil vs. the United States, and how coaching might show up differently in the two countries. She also shares what she learned in the course of writing her dissertation on the relationships among clients, organizations and coaches.

Career progress isn't just about how competent or hard-working you are. It can require the ability to attain and exert power within organizations. This is a scary thing because power tends to have a bad rap. You might think you can't attain it, or you might not want to attain it. As our guest Michael Chang Wenderoth explains, power is simply the ability to get your way in the face of opposition, and it's something that you can understand, unlock and use for your own benefit. Wenderoth is the author of the new book, Get Promoted: What You're Really Missing at Work That's Holding You Back, which is a practical, intelligent guide to mastering power at work. We discuss how capable people can end up stalling in their careers, how leadership literature might be encouraging you to do the wrong things, and why figuring out the how-to of workplace power can be particularly useful for women and people of color. And also why saying you need to deal with workplace power to get ahead in your career would be uncontroversial in many other countries.

In this episode, we speak Lara Sullivan, the CEO of Pyxis Oncology, and a friend of Michael's of many years. Lara has served as CEO since 2019 after roles at Pfizer, McKinsey & Co. and in private equity. No slacker, she also has both MD and MBA degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. In this episode, we discuss the role of curiosity in career success, how mentoring works differently from the way people assume, and the role of relationships in "de-risking" career moves. We also learn how studying Comp Lit in college can be a highly useful preparation for the world of business. And we'll discuss how what looks like a straight-line progression on the outside can feel very different on the inside. Lara has a uniquely amazing set of skills and experiences, but many of the lessons she's learned along the way are relevant to nearly anyone. A great conversation with an inspirational CEO. Not to be missed!

And we're baaaaaaaaack. Michael took a break to write a manuscript and manage some other life and career things, but here we are. We're kicking off this new season with an exciting Coaching Realness episode. Jennie Nash, America's favorite book coach and writing entrepreneur, last seen in Episode 31, returns to the pod, only this time as a client. Jennie's business is doing great but she's facing a big issue: namely, that to take things up to the next level she's going to have to let go of things, which is easier said than done. Michael and Jennie get into what is really at the root of this conundrum, what metrics really matter when you're developing a business, and the role of ego in setting out a compelling vision. Check out this juicy episode and hear what coaching can sound and feel like.

What is really goes on inside a mentoring relationship? How do these unique relationships start, evolve, manage bumps along the road, and be useful to both parties? In this episode, Michael is joined by Lauren Laitin, the founder of Parachute Coaching who is -- spoiler alert -- Michael's mentee. They review the random way that they met, what initially kicked off their connection, when it turned into a mentoring relationship, and what they've learned along the way. This episode has some mentoring realness a-ha's that you are unlikely to find elsewhere, such as: mentors aren't motivated primarily by whether they like you. And: you might have disagreements or conflicts with your mentor. Best practices for creating your own healthy mentor relationships at the end of the episode.

In 2018, Lauren Baer ran for Congress from Florida's 18th District. She won the Democratic primary handily and came close to unseating her rival in a deep-red district. While she had a stellar professional background, including stints working directly for two Secretaries of State and for the Ambassador to the United Nations, she was a first-time candidate and her district had never had an out, lesbian mom candidate running for the seat. She now runs Arena.run, an organization that prepares new candidates for office and trains staff to be effective. But years before all this, Lauren found herself in a career transition, wondering what she could or should do, and how she would accomplish that. That's when she and our host met, and it's when she was confronted big time with the anxieties and satisfactions that come up in networking. In this episode, Lauren talks with Coach Michael about her initial views on networking, how she made the process work with her, and how she took it to the next level when running for office. She also has great advice for people thinking of public office but who haven't quite taken the first step. An extra-delightful and interesting episode!

It's time for another real coaching session. Michael's client-for-the-day is Meghan Daum, host of The Unspeakable podcast and author of many bestselling and critically acclaimed books, including The Problem With Everything. Meghan is a writer who hit all the marks of literary success early in her career. She published her first collection of essays at 30, and since then has written several additional books of essays plus a comic novel. But in recent years she's made a big pivot and this has presented big challenges, as she shared in a fascinating episode she called The Tyranny of the Mid-Career Pivot. So Michael invited her on the show to have a coaching session about it. Michael is a huge fan of Meghan's work but in this episode is just a coach. The topic in front of them relates a lot to money - namely, how to make more of it. Curious? Tune in. This is some good stuff!

We often plan our lives assuming best-case scenarios: the fastest commute, the home that will always rise in value, the jump to a new exciting job. But sometimes we have to deal with things that are not on our wish lists. One of these is disability. Disabilities can be temporary or permanent, hidden or visible, predictable or a total surprise. At least 15 percent of the workforce deals with disability. What can you do to manage this? And what should your company be doing? In this episode, we are joined by Michael's business school classmate, Ed Gray, who is Director of Partnering Programs and Accessibility at Avid. In the past few years, he gradually lost his eyesight and he talks about his journey, what he's learned about living with a disability, and how you can navigate disability – and help your company navigate it as well. Notwithstanding the serious nature of the subject, Ed is as much a character now as he was when Michael met him in the 1990s. Join us for an informative, heartfelt, serious and funny conversation.

What if you end up achieving a big dream, but discover that it's someone else's dream, not your own? What do you do then? This week, we are joined by Executive Coach Jennifer Chow Bevan. Jenn and Michael talk about how putting your head down and working hard isn't always the best strategy for career happiness, and how true insight is difficult but can come over time. We talk about imposter syndrome, pivotal feedback moments that shake up our thinking, the pluses and minuses of the immigrant experience as it relates to careers, why "presence" is a loaded word, and what to do when we discover that the behaviors that got us here aren't necessarily going to get us there. A very personal, wide-ranging and fun conversation.

This week we go DEEP and ask: If you were really present in your life, as opposed to being stuck in your head most of the time, what might you experience? Michael is joined by executive coach Duncan Drechsel, who walks us through the subtleties of this thing called awareness: what is it, why it is important, and how we can develop it. We learn how cultivating awareness fits into leadership – and how our busy, task-oriented work lives seemed almost designed to prevent any actual awareness. Duncan shares three specific techniques for beginning to cultivating this mysterious but essential quality and – spoiler alert – none of these have to do with thinking harder.

You have a brain and, guess what, it has an impact on how you function. What can you do to make sure it functions well? In this week's episode, we speak with executive coach Deb Elbaum about what we can learn from modern brain science. Deb trained as a physician before going into coaching, so she's a great source for distinguishing evidence-based realness vs. wishful thinking. Among other things, we learn about the continued plasticity of the brain, why breathing and movement are so important to optimal brain functioning, and how you can use language to start creating new neural pathways. Listen in and learn how to help your own brain do its best work!

Michael Roberts is the Executive Director of Comprehensive Youth Development (CYD) in NYC. CYD partners with three public high schools to give support to students from disadvantaged backgrounds so that they can complete high school and start adult life successfully. (Michael M has been on the Board of Directors of this org for more than a decade.). Michael R is best known for his leadership and experience in the philanthropic and not-for-profit worlds, but he actually started out as a Broadway performer. He shares with us why courage is so important, what his parents taught him about planning for careers. and how to figure out where to make your mark in the not-for-profit world.

In this week's episode, we have a special guest, NPR host Ailsa Chang, who shares her own career story. Ailsa grew up as a high achiever, which led to a career in corporate law that she discovered she had no interest in. In her 30s, she enrolled in a Master's program in journalism and decided to pursue the much rockier road of radio journalism. And look at her now! Ailsa shares how likely success seemed when she started (spoiler alert: not very), why the radio is a more visual medium than television, and what it's been like being an Asian-American reporter during a year of attacks against Asian-Americans. She also shares the interesting fact that legions of people constantly tell her how she should speak, act and be, which is why any good career starts with embracing yourself. Not to be missed!

In our Pride Month special, Michael interviews bestselling author and general cool person, Dorie Clark, author of Reinventing You, Stand Out, Entrepreneurial You and, forthcoming in September, The Long Game. Dorie explores how to reorient ourselves to see the big picture so we can tap into the power of small changes that, made today, will have an enormous and disproportionate impact on our future success. We also talk about how careers have changed in the past 30-50 years, and how to approach shaping your career when many of the past paradigms have gone way. And we also share how we ended up with excellent mental health notwithstanding growing up in the dark, homophobic past and what learnings there might be from that.

Sometimes career stewardship involves writing a whole entire book! This is not a task for the meek but it is doable – and maybe it's doable with less pain than is normally associated with the process. In this week's episode, we speak with author, publisher and book coach extraordinaire Jennie Nash, who is the CEO of Author Accelerator and happens to be Michael Melcher's very own and highly valued book coach. Michael and Jennie talk about what would-be authors do wrong, why writing a book will probably not change your entire life but still possibly be worthwhile, and the role that book coaches can play in helping you get where you want to go. A lively, entertaining episode!

Networking is a necessary part of career stewardship. It can be hard to find the time, know what to say, and overcome discomfort. But it's even harder if you don't have preexisting relationships, grew up speaking a different language, and are trying to make a career change. Yet, it's still possible to triumph. In this episode, Michael takes a deep dive with a former client of his, "Emily." Emily was born and raised in another country, grew up speaking a non-European language, came to the U.S. as an adult, and attempted a major career change during a massive recession. She was successful – after a LOT of hard work. In this deeply personal conversation, Emily talks about what she learned, how she has dealt with doubt and imposter syndrome, and the ways her views on careers have changed. Not to be missed!

No matter how you slice it, work involves getting things done. "Getting Things Done" is the name of a bestselling book published nearly 20 years ago by David Allen, and it's spawned a community of ardent practitioners. In this week's episode, Michael Melcher is joined by Michael Dolan, a coaching colleague who also has deep knowledge of how this program works. We learn why the worst thing for our brain is an open loop, why most to-do lists are of limited utility, and how even though this work is about productivity, it can also make us into better human beings. Check it out, and then go check off those boxes!

Just because you've spent years of effort and hundreds of thousands of dollars on your education doesn't mean you are prepared for your big career. Crazy, but true. The world of work is different in many ways from school; just because you've been successful in one doesn't mean you'll hit the ground running in the other. So, what can you do? Today we're joined by Niki Khoshzamir, the CEO of PracticePro, a social enterprise that helps new grads set themselves up for success in their new careers. We talk about the unwritten rules of career success, why your most important relationship is your relationship with yourself, the challenges and rewards of being first generation, how to talk up potential mentors, and why looking for sponsors might be a distraction. Born and raised in Iran, educated in Vienna and the U.S., and a successful lawyer-turned-entrepreneur, Niki is fascinating person in her own right and has some great tips for cultivating resilience. Check it out!

Career stewardship includes knowing how to navigate problems like bias, prejudice, and bullying, as well as doing our part to create workplaces that don't have those problems. Currently, there is a lot of talk about these kinds of problems, but what can you actually do? In today's episode, we speak with Kim Scott and Trier Bryant and get some specific, practical tools for dealing with unfairness in the workplace. Kim Scott is the author of the best-seller, "Radical Candor," and recently wrote a wonderful book, "Just Work: Get Sh*t Done, Fast and Fair." Trier Bryant is a former Air Force Captain and veteran of Twitter and now the CEO of Just Work, the company. We talk about the specific different roles we can play in problematic situations, the different strategies we can use based on the nature of the problem, and in general how to move from being bystanders to "upstanders." A super-refreshing perspective on dealing with some thorny issues.

Politics is one of those careers that is featured frequently in television and movies, but how much do we really know about it? In this week's episode, we examine ways you can get into politics and what it's like when you're there. Our guest is Maria Robles Meier, a political staffer and inclusion expert who grew up in a working-class family in Nebraska and built a career working on Capitol Hill, ultimately running the Senate Diversity Initiative under former Senator Harry Reid. Maria and Michael talk about what it's like being the only person who looks like you, the difference between being fully engaged and only one foot in, and how she ended up having 1,500 individual networking meetings (that is not a typo!).