The Leaders' Lab

You can deliver excellent work for years and still be overlooked if nobody understands the value you’ve created.

I think one of the biggest career misconceptions is believing that good work will automatically speak for itself. We expect our managers to notice our achievements, recognise our contributions and make sure the right people know what we’ve accomplished.

Sometimes they do. But the quality of your work alone doesn’t guarantee visibility or recognition.

In this episode of The Leader’s Lab, I want to talk about something I’ve learned throughout my 20+ years in tech and leadership: communicating your impact is just as important as creating it.

How do you make your achievements visible without feeling like you’re bragging?

How do you build a reputation as an expert within your organisation?

And why is sharing your experience with colleagues, especially those who are earlier in their careers, such an important part of professional growth?

I’ll also share a personal example from organising a major leadership event with my team, including the challenges we faced, what we learned along the way and why I believe it’s important to talk openly about both our successes and the work behind them.

For me, communicating your achievements has never been just about personal recognition.

It’s also about sharing knowledge, helping others learn from your experience and creating opportunities for collaboration.

Because your work doesn’t speak for itself. 

You need to help people understand the impact it makes.

🎙️ I’d love to hear your perspective: do you feel comfortable talking about your achievements at work, or is it something you still struggle with?

New episodes of The Leader’s Lab every Tuesday and Friday.

Don’t forget to follow Kristine for more insights, stories, and leadership inspiration: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Also ⁠⁠⁠⁠find my book here⁠⁠⁠⁠

Subscribe to The Leader’s Lab and leave a review to support the podcast and inspire the next generation of leaders.

Your first 100 days in a new role are about much more than demonstrating your skills. They’re also about the relationships you build, the trust you establish and the way people experience working with you.

In this week’s Friday Books episode of The Leader’s Lab, I’m exploring Captivate by Vanessa Van Edwards and how its insights into human behaviour, communication and first impressions connect with our recent conversation about the first 100 days in a new job.

When you join a company, you’re entering an environment where people already have established relationships, expectations and ways of working. Understanding those dynamics before trying to influence them can make an enormous difference.

We explore how curiosity can become a professional advantage, why learning to read the room matters, and how to balance warmth with competence without turning every interaction into a performance.

Being liked is valuable, but being trusted, respected, and recognised for your contribution helps you build lasting professional relationships.

The goal of your first 100 days isn’t to become unforgettable.

It’s to become someone people can rely on, someone who understands the culture, and someone whose skills genuinely contribute to the team's success.

Book of the week: Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People by Vanessa Van Edwards.

Don’t forget to follow Kristine for more insights, stories, and leadership inspiration: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Find my book here

Subscribe to The Leader’s Lab and leave a review to support the podcast and inspire the next generation of leaders.

Your first 100 days in a new role can shape your reputation, your relationships, and your future in the company. Yet so many professionals make the same mistake: they arrive determined to prove how much they know before taking the time to understand where they’ve landed.

In this episode of The Leader’s Lab, Kristine Naltchadjian shares what she’s learned from more than 20 years in tech and leadership about navigating those crucial first months, whether you’re stepping into your first management position, joining a new team, or taking on a senior leadership role.

Drawing on her own experience of joining a company to lead a major cultural transformation, Kristine explains why understanding expectations, building internal trust, and defining what success actually looks like should come before making big changes.

She also introduces a practical framework for approaching your first 100 days:

Days 1–30: Learn. Listen, ask questions, meet people, and understand the business, its culture, and the dynamics of your new team.

Days 31–60: Contribute. Start delivering small, meaningful wins while continuing to build relationships and credibility.

Days 61–100: Position yourself. Develop your strategy, clarify your priorities, and establish how you’ll contribute to the organisation’s long-term success.

Along the way, Kristine discusses the mistakes that can damage your reputation early on, from trying too hard to impress to constantly comparing your new workplace with your previous company.

Whether you’re preparing for a new opportunity or have recently started a role, this episode will help you approach your first 100 days with greater clarity, confidence, and intention.

🎧 Listen to the latest episode of The Leader’s Lab and discover how to make your first 100 days count.

New episodes of The Leader’s Lab every Tuesday and Friday.

Don’t forget to follow Kristine for more insights, stories, and leadership inspiration: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Also ⁠⁠⁠find my book here⁠⁠⁠

Subscribe to The Leader’s Lab and leave a review to support the podcast and inspire the next generation of leaders.

What matters more when building a team: the skills someone already has or their willingness to learn and grow?

Welcome to Friday Books, our weekly series on The Leader’s Lab, where I share books that have influenced the way I think about leadership, management, personal growth and understanding people.

This week, we’re exploring Mindset by Carol S. Dweck, a book that I believe offers an important perspective on how we approach challenges, learning and success.

In my recent episode about hiring, I shared why I look at personality and growth mindset before evaluating someone’s skills. Today, I want to explore that idea further through Carol Dweck’s work.

We’ll look at the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset, how our beliefs influence the way we respond to feedback and failure, and why understanding these patterns matters when we manage people and develop our own careers.

After more than 20 years in tech and management, I’ve come to appreciate how important it is to recognise someone’s potential to develop alongside the experience they already bring.

I hope this episode encourages you to reflect on your own mindset and how it influences the decisions you make, both professionally and personally.

Book of the week: Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck.

Don’t forget to follow Kristine for more insights, stories, and leadership inspiration: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Also ⁠⁠⁠find my book here⁠⁠⁠

Subscribe to The Leader’s Lab and leave a review to support the podcast and inspire the next generation of leaders.

Hiring the right person is one of the most important decisions we make as managers, and having the right skills on paper doesn’t necessarily mean someone is the right fit for your team.

When I hire for my teams, I look at personality and growth mindset first, then at skills. Of course, experience and expertise matter, but over the years I’ve learned that how someone thinks, learns, responds to challenges and works with others can tell you much more about how they will grow within a team.

In this episode of The Leader’s Lab, I’m sharing how I approach hiring after more than 20 years in tech and management. We’ll talk about why hiring can be so long and complex, what I look for beyond the CV, how panel interviews can help, and why I still believe business cases can reveal what a great interview can't.

I’ll also share some of my own experiences with candidates who looked perfect on paper and performed brilliantly in interviews, only for the business case to completely change my perspective.

There is no perfect formula for hiring.

For me, the real question is not simply, “Is this person talented?” It’s “Is this the right talent for this team?”

New episodes of The Leader’s Lab every Tuesday and Friday.

Don’t forget to follow Kristine for more insights, stories, and leadership inspiration: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Also ⁠⁠find my book here⁠⁠

Subscribe to The Leader’s Lab and leave a review to support the podcast and inspire the next generation of leaders.

There is no shortage of management advice online.

There are books, courses, frameworks and plenty of theories about what good leadership should look like.

What we talk about much less is what actually happens when you’re the person who has to make the decision.

In this opening episode of The Leader’s Lab, I’m introducing a new two-month series about management as I’ve experienced it over more than 20 years in tech and leadership.

Every Tuesday and Friday, we’ll talk honestly about hiring, firing, promotions, performance reviews, visibility, difficult decisions, career growth, success, and the value you bring to a company. I’ll share real examples from my own career, including lessons from my seven years at Google, alongside the things I’ve learned from getting decisions right, getting them wrong, and managing people through both.

I also want to explore something I believe strongly: working for a company is a partnership. You bring your skills, time, experience and energy, and you should understand what you expect in return. That relationship becomes particularly important when we talk about performance, growth and the next step in your career.

This isn’t a textbook management course, and I’m not here to pretend there is one perfect way to lead. It’s my experience, my perspective and an invitation to think about your own.

Don’t forget to follow Kristine for more insights, stories, and leadership inspiration: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Also ⁠find my book here⁠

Subscribe to The Leader’s Lab and leave a review to support the podcast and inspire the next generation of leaders.

After two years dedicated to journalism, personal growth, and rediscovering what truly mattered to me, I was ready to return to the professional world.

Joining Deloitte marked the beginning of what I now consider the third chapter of my career. It was also the first time I realized that experiences that initially seem unrelated often come together in unexpected ways.

In this episode, I share what it was like to return to a structured corporate environment after stepping away, how journalism skills unexpectedly became an asset in a marketing role, and why this experience reinforced my belief that careers are rarely linear.

I also reflect on my experience building executive communities, working with senior leaders from some of the largest organizations in France, and discovering a level of strategic thinking that profoundly influenced my own professional development.

Most importantly, this episode is a reminder that the periods in life that seem uncertain or disconnected often become the experiences that shape us the most.

Perhaps nothing in our careers happens by chance after all.

Don’t forget to follow Kristine for more insights, stories, and leadership inspiration: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Subscribe to The Leader’s Lab and leave a review to support the podcast and inspire the next generation of leaders.

In this episode of The Leader’s Lab, Kristine reflects on a chapter of her life that many people describe as a career break, although she now sees it very differently.

After leaving corporate life, navigating major personal changes, and stepping into an entirely new phase of life, Kristine intentionally gave herself two years to explore what came next. What appeared from the outside as a professional pause was, in reality, a period of transformation, self-discovery, and strategic reinvention.

She shares how she approached this transition with both courage and practicality, planning her return to the workforce before she had even stepped away.

The conversation also explores the importance of staying connected professionally while redefining your path. Kristine discusses how networking became a central part of her journey, from intentionally reaching out to people across industries and organizing coffee conversations to remaining active within professional communities through volunteering, workshops, and ongoing learning.

This episode is a reminder that stepping away does not necessarily mean falling behind. Sometimes, creating space to reflect, learn, and reconnect with yourself becomes one of the most important investments you can make in your future.

If you are questioning your next chapter, navigating a career transition, or wondering whether you can reinvent yourself without losing professional momentum, this conversation is for you.

Don’t forget to follow Kristine for more insights, stories, and leadership inspiration: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Subscribe to The Leader’s Lab and leave a review to support the podcast and inspire the next generation of leaders.

In this episode of The Leader’s Lab, Kristine reflects on one of the most transformative chapters of her life: the period after leaving corporate leadership, navigating divorce, moving into a new apartment, and suddenly finding herself facing a question many ambitious professionals eventually encounter.

What happens when the career you spent years building is no longer the only thing defining your life?

Kristine shares how she intentionally created space to explore what came next, why she gave herself two years to reflect, learn, and experiment, and how careful planning allowed her to take a leap that many people only dream about.

The conversation explores career transitions, financial courage, personal reinvention, and the often-overlooked reality of stepping away from a structured professional life. Kristine also opens up about her first experience with personal development work, joining a small group program that unexpectedly introduced her to something that would later become a major part of her journey: a deep curiosity about people, their stories, motivations, and personal growth.

This episode is a reflection on identity, self-discovery, new beginnings, and the powerful realization that some of the most important chapters of our lives begin when we stop asking what we do and start asking who we want to become.

Don’t forget to follow Kristine for more insights, stories, and leadership inspiration: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Subscribe to The Leader’s Lab and leave a review to support the podcast and inspire the next generation of leaders.

In this episode of The Leader’s Lab, Kristine reflects on a pivotal chapter of her career, when she made a decision that surprised almost everyone around her: turning down the security of a traditional full-time opportunity in favor of a contractor role that offered something she valued even more, freedom, autonomy, and the opportunity to learn.

Drawing on her experience working across France and the CIS region, she shares how cultural differences shaped her perception of work, why she never viewed contractor and full-time roles through the same lens as many people around her, and what she learned from navigating international business environments, complex team dynamics, and career-defining choices.

Kristine also opens up about one of the most challenging workplace experiences of her career: feeling isolated inside a team, struggling to understand unspoken tensions, and learning how to stay focused on the work even when the environment around her felt uncomfortable.

This conversation explores career decisions, workplace culture, international leadership, resilience, office politics, personal growth, and the importance of building a career based on your own values rather than other people’s expectations.

Because sometimes the opportunities that shape us the most are the ones that make the least sense to everyone else.

Don’t forget to follow Kristine for more insights, stories, and leadership inspiration: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Subscribe to The Leader’s Lab and leave a review to support the podcast and inspire the next generation of leaders.