Moment 84 - VP Of META Explains How To Get Exactly What You Want: Nicola Mendelsohn

Nov 18, 2022 13m 3s 13 insights
This episode offers actionable career advice, emphasizing self-awareness, proactive communication, and leadership. It covers understanding core strengths, building a support network, embracing vulnerability, and negotiating effectively for career progression.
Actionable Insights

1. Proactively Ask for What You Want

Do your homework on your worth and desired opportunities, then clearly articulate your requests (e.g., pay raises, new roles) rather than assuming others know or will offer them. The worst that can happen is a ’no,’ which then prompts a decision on your next steps.

2. Bring Your Whole Self to Work

Foster an honest and open work environment by sharing aspects of your personal life, as hiding challenges or pretending to be someone else hinders performance and overall happiness. This allows for fair judgment and ultimately leads to higher performance.

3. Embrace Nerves as Growth Signals

Reframe feelings of nervousness as an adrenaline rush and a sign of impending growth, using it as motivation to prepare thoroughly and perform at your best. This mindset shift helps you get ready and be on your A-game.

4. Build an Informal Board of Advisors

Assemble a personal ‘board of advisors’ consisting of mentors or experienced individuals who can offer diverse perspectives, advice, and inspiration for your career decisions. These are people a few years ahead who have done similar things before.

5. Seek External Feedback for Self-Awareness

Actively ask trusted friends, family, and work colleagues for honest feedback on your strengths and weaknesses, as you are often not the best judge of yourself. This helps you create a stronger vision of yourself to work from.

6. Negotiate Your Value with Data

When discussing compensation or career progression, research market value, present your achievements, and align them with clear deliverables or KPIs to make a data-backed case for your worth. Do not simply accept what is offered without understanding your value.

7. Lead with Empathy and Tailored Motivation

Understand the individual motivations and challenges of your team members, adapting your leadership style to help each person perform at their very best. This personalized approach ensures you can effectively motivate your team.

8. Leaders Must Model Vulnerability

As a leader, demonstrate vulnerability and openness by bringing your whole self to work, setting a crucial example that encourages others to do the same and builds a more authentic culture. This top-down approach helps form a supportive environment.

9. Pivot Based on Data, Not Ego

Be willing to change your mind and pivot strategies when evidence and data suggest a different course, demonstrating humility to admit when something isn’t working and move forward. Remember, ‘data wins arguments’ and helps you avoid stagnation.

10. Set Clear Written Deliverables

Establish clear, written deliverables and expectations for your team, maintaining a ‘North Star’ to guide efforts and ensure everyone understands their objectives. This clarity is reinforced through regular one-on-one meetings for updates and advice.

11. Understand Your Core Strengths & Enjoyment

Focus your career on what you genuinely enjoy and are intrinsically good at, as pursuing only what you’re good at without enjoyment leads to less fulfillment and happiness. Aligning these two aspects creates a more satisfying career path.

12. Inject Fun and Laughter into Work

Consciously incorporate fun and laughter into the workday, especially during meetings, to alleviate tension and create a more positive and productive environment. This helps to break the seriousness and foster better team dynamics.

13. Respond to Rejection Constructively

If a request is denied, ask for specific reasons why, present your supporting data, and seek a clear path or criteria to achieve your goals in the future. This transforms a ’no’ into an opportunity for understanding and future planning.