Say It Skillfully® is a show that helps you to benefit from Molly Tschang’s expert guidance on the best possible ways to speak your mind at work in a positive and productive manner. In Episode 126, Molly is joined by a childhood friend of hers, Andrea, who shares an awesome success story of returning to work after 16 years raising her daughter. Hear how she had the foresight to “never go away” and intentionally stayed in the game and nurtured relationships that helped her return to work on her terms—terrific tips! And an inspiring example of how confidence in ourselves is the starting point! Andrea and Molly also talk about her experience with going from virtual back to the office and how, after being recruited to a firm that was a better fit, she was forthright about why she was leaving and left on a high note. Then, Jennifer is keen on ways to put method to the madness in the barrage of x-functional projects for her team… all of which are seemingly “priority.” Jennifer and Molly talk about how to handle the in-the-moment requests, as well as strategies to help all stakeholders appreciate her team’s workload and need to best “serve the whole.” They also cover ways to be even more effective in soliciting feedback, and addressing a possible disconnect—her boss seems satisfied, though she’s unsure other stakeholders are on the same page (even she and her team don’t feel they’re doing so well. 27:15).

Don’t miss these lively conversations, helping you navigate work while being invaluable and true to yourself.

Molly’s Thought for the Week: “Teamwork makes the dream work.”

More ways to help you #sayitskillfully!

Say It Skillfully® is a show that helps you to benefit from Molly Tschang’s expert guidance on the best possible ways to speak your mind at work in a positive and productive manner. Episode 125 is the 23rd monthly feature of “Our Voices,” intended to accelerate social change that levels the playing field—helping everyone live to their full potential. The aim is for you to see a bit of yourself in these journeys, and embrace—we’re more similar than not. Molly is joined by Dynamo mother-son duo, Ngozi and Okezue Bell, who share their journeys and learnings across continents and generations. Creating possibility never gets old! Born during civil war, growing up in Nigeria a very sick child, Ngozi had a mom and grandma filled with faith that she’d make it. Both parents were focused on education, but it was her chemist mom who declared, “Go do physics. As a woman you’ll have a chance to work in pioneering science.” Doing just that, Ngozi studied engineering and then went to Bell Labs/AT&T Electronics, was an appointee for America’s first Black President, and managed over $1B in revenue. She attributes opening that first door to tenacious hard work, saying, “I promise—if you give me the opportunity, I’ll be the hardest working person.” Growing up in Pennsylvania, youngest of four, Okezue talks of his unsurprising focus on academics as part of his early identity. Hear how a 6th grade lab dissecting frogs exposed him to science beyond the empirical and was a game changer. He’s honest about a teacher who told him “you won’t last in math and computer science.” Okezue decided to prove him wrong, fueling his go-getter spirit. Recently being 1 of 80 in the world selected as a Research Institute Scholar at MIT is just one of many achievements… Okezue shares his experiences with stereotypes and personal mission to integrate the next gen into STEM & technology, in ethical & responsible ways. He offers what he’s learned from both his parents, laughs about his “only-child vibes” and cherishes his sibling relationships. Career-wise, Ngozi became one of the very few females in a rarefied space. She reflects that organizations really weren’t looking to embrace diversity, but rather wanted a “diverse person.” She’s open about mistakes made, and wishes she had endeavored to bring about change in a different way. They’ll continue this in a future episode! Tune in to hear what mother and son appreciate most about one another. Celebrate their kinship and connection, and hear the wisdom, confidence and commitment of youth front and center! Molly’s thought for the week—Thank you Ngozi & Okezue! Go with the flow. #sayitskillfully Resources: * Take advantage of the wisdom of youth—you won’t regret it http://bit.ly/2s0P0KM * All Molly’s videos by category here: https://sayitskillfully.com

Say It Skillfully® is a show that helps you to benefit from Molly Tschang’s expert guidance on the best possible ways to speak your mind at work in a positive and productive manner. In Episode 124, Molly has a lively conversation with Ryan Berman, who inspires us to “fear more”! Don’t miss this incredible journey and many gems that help us choose courage and succeed on our terms. With gratitude, Ryan acknowledges his lucky start. He grew up with supportive parents in a “very safe bubble” with a big brother showing him what NOT to do! ;-) Innately competitive, he was driven to play many sports, though always with a smile. He shares the game changing experience of his youth, along with his childhood demon: the label of “being good with people.” He’s open about internalizing this as “I’m the dumb one” and taking a decade to finally let that go. The unintended benefit was his obsession to outwork everyone. A tv/radio major in college, Ryan talks fondly of his chance opening to pursue his love of creativity in New York City and the “madmen” era of advertising (have a chuckle at his first foray at “jingles”). He’s confident that “our jobs pick us!” A self-proclaimed “compensated observationalist,” he encourages hearing what’s NOT said. Much to learn from his perseverance and patience! Ryan shares undertaking his book and the realization in hindsight that he needed the book! And he notes how his different experiences have all contributed to his ability and success in founding Courageous, a change consultancy that helps companies operationalize courage. Ryan shares his “put it all on the line” moment as he took a leap to start anew—embracing “fear more” (not a fan of the term “fearless”). Ryan and Molly also cover his focus on “believership vs. leadership” and the distinction between resilience as a response to change and courage, to proactively drive it. Ryan’s antidote to the great resignation involves clarity, conviction and a great story. There’s much to digest personally and professionally in this episode. Join this master storyteller and hear his—you’ll appreciate his mantras: “Courageous ideas are the only ones that matter.” “Mistake it ‘til you make it.” Learn how to navigate work while being invaluable and true to yourself. Molly’s thought for the week: “Don’t just look at the world differently, do the world differently.” —Ryan Berman. Choose #Courage! The Book: Return on Courage http://www.returnoncourage.com/ The Podcast: Courageous Podcast https://lnkd.in/dYXsXvv The Company: Courageous http://www.couragebrands.com/ Your Challenge: Are You Courageous? https://vimeo.com/417691766

Say It Skillfully® is a show that helps you to benefit from Molly Tschang’s expert guidance on the best possible ways to speak your mind at work in a positive and productive manner. In Episode 123, Molly is joined by Kristen O’Leary, who inspires us to #ChooseKind and empower all children to thrive academically, spiritually, emotionally, and socially. Kristen models the courage she ignites in her students, though she never thought she’d be in education! Born and bred in Yonkers, NY, she recalls being bullied as the “odd man out”, though that taught Kristen to have the backbone to stick up for herself. While loving her college studies in theatrical/stage design, she realized it wouldn’t be a fulfilling career path. An innocent question from friends was all it took to open an unexpected door in the field of education for this 19-year-old. Kristen fell in love with teaching kids and talks about how her field work was critical to her studies. Thanks to her aunt, a chance internship at a school for the deaf led to a turning point. As she delved into special education, Kristen was moved by being immersed in the day-to-day struggles—part of a child and their family’s personal journey—and called by the opportunity to help and in many cases change the trajectory of people’s lives. Kristen is open about integrating married life and being a mom... the reality of daycare being way more expensive in the real world! Working part-time was their solution and created the path to her now dream job. Learn how her faith, community and early start in theater provided the foundation for Kristen to find her passion to help every child meet his or her potential. She offers thoughts for parents to best support their children, including not berating yourself for wishing you did something sooner or differently! And she encourages compassion in all, “we have no idea of what’s gone on for that person this morning.” Hear what she wishes for her own 17-year-old son, and don’t miss the many nuggets about leading oneself to choose kind, succeed on your terms and be the change you want to see in the world.

Learn more about the amazing John Cardinal O’Connor School, dedicated to children with learning differences: https://johncardinaloconnorschool.org

Resources to help you #sayskillfully:

Say It Skillfully® is a show that helps you to benefit from Molly Tschang’s expert guidance on the best possible ways to speak your mind at work in a positive and productive manner. In Episode 122, Molly is joined by Jim, who shares that the results of a recent employee survey don’t fully jive with what he’s heard from his team. He’s keen to understand the disconnects. How to handle this so that people really tell him what they’re thinking? They cover the power of walking in others’ shoes, and what it means to lead. Next, Adriana is project managing a move of the entire company to a new facility, along with a new phase of people coming back to the office. She’s keen to enroll people in driving change and feeling empowered. Adriana and Molly discuss the criticality of clear messaging on why being in the office is a good thing and the power of transparency in project managing the move (21:00). Finally, Vanessa is in an exciting next career phase... building on her cleantech experience and moving to a new area, ESG, and as a manager. Well aware that team members have expertise and experience that she needs to learn from, she’s keen to make a strong first impression, build trust with the team and come across as a strong leader. They talk about the role of vulnerability and her interest in being likeable as well as admired (36:45). Don’t miss these lively conversations that help you with how to navigate work while being invaluable and true to yourself. Molly’s Thought for the Week, from marketing guru Seth Godin: “The roads not seen almost always matter more than the potholes we hit along the way.”

Say It Skillfully® is a show that helps you to benefit from Molly Tschang’s expert guidance on the best possible ways to speak your mind at work in a positive and productive manner. In Episode 121, Molly is joined by David Shrier, who shares an epic journey of embracing creative chaos. Growing up, the message he heard was “fit in” and “specialize”; he was drawn to anything but. A wannabe marine biologist, studying theater arts and neuroscience, he was drawn to creating community-bonding experiences. While stubbornness can be a vice, David harnessed it as a virtue in the workplace. At GE-owned NBC, he stubbornly resisted naysayers and outperformed everyone else in the group by 500%; then, quickly learned how key it is to bring others along to avoid “immune response” to innovation! He shares a stint in NYC, interning (as in “clipboard holder”) for the director of RENT, where he got a taste of working graveyard shifts for no money. David was keen to “do art and make money.” He found the latter on Wall Street and honed his business and financial acumen. Bouncing around for 20 years in things he didn’t like so much, David is open that he really had no plan, until age 40, when he did, and re-booted with a job at MIT—a new beginning. Don’t miss David’s vivid account of making change happen. He translates academic theory into business practice and applies technology to solve big problems at scale in business and society. Join David and Molly to learn how to navigate work while being invaluable and true to yourself.

Molly's thought for the week, courtesy of David:

More on David DavidShrier.com

Say It Skillfully® is a show that helps you to benefit from Molly Tschang’s expert guidance on the best possible ways to speak your mind at work in a positive and productive manner. Episode 120 is the 22nd monthly feature of “Our Voices,” intended to accelerate social change that levels the playing field—helping everyone live to their full potential. The aim is for you to see a bit of yourself in these journeys, and embrace—we’re more similar than not. Entrepreneur Jerome Myers, renowned for making real estate investing look easy, joins Molly for a heartfelt account of his ups and downs. Son of a soldier and stay-at-home mom, Jerome grew up in a diverse setting of North Caroline and credits his parents (likely intentionally) for never talking of race—enabling him to never feel “disqualified”. He went from basketball to baseball to tae kwon do, enjoying academics and cultivating an identity as one involved in everything! He shares how one mentor, Mr. Blackwell, insisted Jerome be in the school’s academically gifted program, in one fell swoop changing his life trajectory. Jerome is open with the disappointment in those who “looked like me” not stepping up to support him like this “white guy” did, and how this fueled his passion to “make people think it’s possible!” He notes the shock of hearing his father talk about racism, and appreciates the constant messaging he’s received to “be the best you can be, remove race from the conversation and do all that you can.” He encourages: “embrace who you are, be with those who accept you, focus on what you can change and control…you are wonderfully made!” Jerome delves into what led to being a “corporate dropout, including the crushing blow when told he had to lay off his team that had delivered on $20 million of new business. Hear his growth from “they made me do it” to embracing the agency he had and committing to no longer be part of the problem. Jerome shares poignantly his journey through marriage, divorce and parenting his two beloved daughters. “All relationships end... by choice or circumstance. Tune in to hear Jerome being authentic, genuine and loving... inspiring all to know no boundaries and to commit to taking action so that all can be safe, seen and heard, and our true and best selves. #sayitskillfully Resources:

Say It Skillfully® is a show that helps you to benefit from Molly Tschang’s expert guidance on the best possible ways to speak your mind at work in a positive and productive manner. In Episode 72 Molly’s first caller Ryan opens vulnerably by acknowledging his “bubble” of white, male privilege. Feeling disappointment and shame for events of the past 18 months, he’s keen to be a part of the solution. Jane then shares how she felt asleep at the wheel, witnessing a newly acquainted Caucasian, male professional—who should know better—say to an early-in-career Asian woman at his company, “I don’t understand how your Asian boyfriend doesn’t have an accent, but you do. We need to fix that.” How to respond in the moment? And Molly helps Jane, Asian as well, unpack her own feelings (10:30). Then Jason calls in with mixed experiences on diversity in corporate America. While optimistic, he’s seen firsthand the negative impact when transparency is lacking and senior leaders are left off the hook for poor behavior. They also discuss ways employees and managers can help all to feel safe, seen and heard (22:45).

Say It Skillfully® is a show that helps you to benefit from Molly Tschang’s expert guidance on the best possible ways to speak your mind at work in a positive and productive manner. In Episode 119, Molly is joined by Beth Porter, who has become a creator of some of the highest quality tech-enabled learning experiences for people around the world. Beth describes what it was like growing up “small but mighty” with a tall personality in a short body as well as having a love for academics AND athletics—jock meets geek! Her early confidence stayed with her, enabling her to go from wide-eyed college student with passion for learning and teaching, to CEO who’s done pioneering research and led product and engineering teams; she developed a digital learning software used by more than 55 million people worldwide. Beth shares valuable lessons from her early career including the importance of taking time for yourself and valuing that each person is special. Beth is no stranger to adversity, don’t miss out on hearing how she remained stalwart in the face of unavoidable self-doubt, nearly going out of business and mastering the art of learning through failure. And, hear her thoughts on having to work in a “man’s world” for certain companies, as well as female entrepreneurs being funding-challenged in starting their business relative to men. Don’t miss hearing her story unvarnished. Beth inspires us all to know no boundaries and to commit to taking action, so that all can be safe, seen and heard, and be our true and best selves. Molly’s thought for the week—words from the Indian sage, Poonjaji: Stop. Stop everything. Then you will realize you are the freedom you have been searching for. Learn more about how Beth is transforming how we learn at: https://esmelearning.com. #sayitskillfully resources for you! * Questionable ethics? Here’s how you can lead and be part of the solution http://bit.ly/3a53gW7 * All my videos by category: https://sayitskillfully.com

Say It Skillfully® is a show that helps you to benefit from Molly Tschang’s expert guidance on the best possible ways to speak your mind at work in a positive and productive manner. In Episode 118, Tulio shows courage in calling in even though English is not his native language (bravo, Tulio!). He shares a job that started well, but sadly didn’t stay that way. While not pleasant, the lesson was clear: a trusted manager/employee relationship is key. Next, Cyrill is keen for how to get out of the uncomfortable situation of feeling stuck on calls, wanting to stop someone from going on and on. How to finesse this (8:15)? Then, Claire has both excitement and trepidation about considering retirement and creating what exactly to retire to. Claire and Molly have a lively conversation about how to think about this…from personal passion and the role “work” has played for her for decades, to making the most of her skills and experience, staying relevant and making a positive difference (20:20). Finally, Molly shares a helpful post she found on what you can say when someone is grieving, and shared examples, including: “I’m here if you want to vent, or just to listen.” “Is there anything I could do to make your life easier right now?” (the.holistic.psychologist)