The mental wellbeing of employees is a crucial part of the overall success of any organization. Today on Talk Talent To Me, we’re joined by the CHRO of Harvard Business Publishing, Angela Cheng-Cimini to discuss self-advocacy, career development, and most importantly, mental health. Angela shares how her father encouraged her to get into HR, why you (and your boss) need to advocate for yourself without being braggadocious, the importance of elevator pitches, ways to enhance your sphere of influence, be more visible at work, and so much more! We delve into the Mental Health First Aid Program and her current focus on mental health at Harvard Business Publishing. We even talk about how to measure success in mental health programs and what to do when a company doesn’t prioritize the mental wellbeing of its employees. Finally, our guest shares some pearls of wisdom about reflecting on your career, finding motivation, and knowing when it’s time to move on. 

 

Key Points From This Episode:

 

• How Angela’s dad inspired her career path to become CHRO of Harvard Business Publishing. 

• The importance of self-advocacy and the line between advocacy and braggadocious-ness. 

• Angela encourages everyone to practice their elevator pitches. 

• How to enhance your sphere of influence in your organization. 

• Why making the case for your value is a shared responsibility between you and your boss. 

• What Angela is busy with right now: the mental health of her employees!

• How to handle working in organizations that do not prioritize mental health. 

• Angela explains what mental health first aiders are and what they do. 

• The three business units in Harvard Business Publishing and her role in each unit. 

• Angela tells us about the role they are recruiting for at the moment. 

• How to measure the success of employee mental health programs. 

• Angela shares how she reflects on her own career motivations. 

 

Quotes:

 

“Know what’s important to your boss.” — Angela Cheng-Cimini [0:10:17]

 

“The bigger you enlarge your sphere of influence, the more likely you are to have allies in the organization and people who will think of you when there’s a piece of work that you can easily slot into.” — Angela Cheng-Cimini [0:10:25]

 

“Showing up for work is not just about your success, but how you make others successful.” — Angela Cheng-Cimini [0:12:11]

 

“[There’s no] single indicator. It’s a whole host of things that feed into whether or not employees can show up and be their best every day.” — Angela Cheng-Cimini [0:26:29]

 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

 

Angela Cheng-Cimini on LinkedIn

Harvard Business Publishing

‘How to Become More Visible at Work’ 

Mental Health First Aid Program