Welcome to Her Ambitious Career, the personal branding and success podcast for corporate women.
In Episode 4, “Doing 'Office Politics' In Your Own Authentic Way” with my fabulous guest, Dessi Silassie, Chief DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) Officer at IHS Markit.
Dessi shares her beautiful, honest and vulnerable story about taking on a new leadership role where the team was tight and didn’t want their much-respected current manager to be replaced. “I had two options," Dessi says, "Option 1 was to come in strong and set out how the 'new world' would look: you can either get onboard with me or not. Or there was Option 2, which was to be vulnerable and let them know I understood that it was a difficult time - and difficult for them to accept me. I chose Option 2."
In this episode, Dessi and I chat about:
- What is authenticity?
- What are the layers of The Ego?
- How do you present an authentic leadership style, especially when under pressure?
- What happens when you 'do' office politics with an aggressive personal agenda?
Best quote from this episode:
“Over the last 5 years of self-learning, I have learned that we are like onions - each with multiple layers to our identity - but it doesn’t mean that everyone gets to see all those layers. The reframe of 'office politics' is making genuine connections with people. That natural curiosity, that sincerity and authenticity helps you build relationships and you form alliances within your organisation.” (Dessi Silassie, guest on ‘Her Ambitious Career’ Podcast)
Guest Bio:
Dessi Silassie is an Executive Vice President, leading teams in legal and diversity, equity & inclusion at IHS Markit. Dessi leads the teams who provide legal support to their Asia Pacific business, global Financial Services business, intellectual property for the company and last, but not least, she serves as the global chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer supporting the organisation’s commitment to maintaining diverse and inclusive high performance teams.
Dessi describes herself as "a player-coach leader who is passionate about solving problems with people and providing solutions to our customers and stakeholders through smart collaboration. I love what I do because it allows me to grow, develop and connect with people. Every day provides me with opportunities to be challenged and learn from others around me in a way that brings out the best version of myself."
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Host Bio: Rebecca Allen is a Career Success Coach for ambitious women looking to land dream career opportunities. She has worked over the last 10 years with clients from companies including ANZ Bank, Origin Energy, J.P. Morgan and Coca-Cola Amatil and loves getting those excited phone calls from clients saying they’ve been promoted, have negotiated a seismic pay rise or have moved into a role completely aligned with their mission, values and strengths. Her own ambitions include raising two beautiful, happy confident children; building a fun and impactful coaching business to empower 50,000 women worldwide; and visiting Alaska! Find Rebecca: www.illuminategrowth.com.au
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