Transition State

Marcella just got offered a job she didn't even want— and rejected from one she did want. Or, at least, thought she wanted. But now that her company is back on track, at least for a little while, and the start-up's success depends on her project, should she even be looking for jobs in the first place?

This 1:1 coaching session is part of Executive Coaching for CSOs, a scientific executive coaching program that includes individual coaching, corporate strategy, annual planning, weekly feedback, and personalized training videos. Learn more at www.kathy.science/cso. This recording was edited for time, clarity, and privacy.

Marcella is a great leader, far beyond what I'll ever be— but she can be a little too nice. And that has consequences— for her and her team. But now also for the entire company, because suddenly everyone's job depends on the success of her project. It's crunch time, and she's got to figure out how to bring out the best in people— without questioning herself along the way.

This 1:1 coaching session is part of Executive Coaching for CSOs, a scientific executive coaching program that includes individual coaching, corporate strategy, annual planning, weekly feedback, and personalized training videos. Learn more at www.kathy.science/cso. This recording was edited for time, clarity, and privacy.

Marcella is preparing for interviews— even though she still doesn’t know if she needs a new job. The job she has is what she wants, but this job could be what she needs. But it's hard to solve both problems at once— and in this session, we figure out how to deal with that. How long does it take to get a new job, what is an interview really about, and what if she has to decline a good offer?

This 1:1 coaching session is part of Executive Coaching for CSOs, a scientific executive coaching program that includes individual coaching, corporate strategy, annual planning, weekly feedback, and personalized training videos. Learn more at www.kathy.science/cso. This recording was edited for time, clarity, and privacy.

RESOURCES:

Apply to work with me at www.kathy.science/coach.

If Marcella loses her dream job, she’s gonna need a new one. Because she needs money to pay the bills. That’s the “job” part of “dream job.” Scientists often say “I don’t care about the money, I just want to do what I love,” but what do you do when the London rent comes due? It’s a dream job, not a dream hobby. The “dream” part matters, but unless you’re independently wealthy, the “job” part does too.

And that’s why this kind of loss is devastating & destabilizing— you’re not just losing a dream, you’re losing the mechanism by which you feed yourself. It’s a double loss. And in this session, we figure out what to do about that, practically & emotionally.

This 1:1 coaching session is part of Executive Coaching for CSOs, a scientific executive coaching program that includes individual coaching, corporate strategy, annual planning, weekly feedback, and personalized training videos. Learn more at www.kathy.science/cso. This recording was edited for time, clarity, and privacy.

RESOURCES:

Get Time Warp for CSOs at www.kathy.science/time.

Apply to work with me at www.kathy.science/coach.

I want to thank Marcella for her bravery. This is right after she suddenly lost her dream job. The primary purpose of these coaching sessions is to help her achieve her dreams. Seeing how she does that, seeing what it takes to have a career & life like hers, so that you can use that to achieve your own dreams, is the secondary purpose. She gave you a great gift— to show that this is not easy, to prove just how hard it is, even for the superstars among us.

This 1:1 coaching session is part of Executive Coaching for CSOs, a scientific executive coaching program that includes individual coaching, corporate strategy, annual planning, weekly feedback, and personalized training videos. Learn more at www.kathy.science/cso. This recording was edited for time, clarity, and privacy.

RESOURCES:

Get Time Warp for CSOs at www.kathy.science/time.

Apply to work with me at www.kathy.science/coach.

Even when you know what to do & when (which most of us do), it’s hard to do actually do it. We ALL fall into the habit of answering emails in the morning— even those of us who shouldn’t. Especially those of us who shouldn’t. That doesn’t mean we’re wrong, and it doesn’t mean we won’t get what we want— it just means it might take longer. So if, like Marcella, you have a goal achievement method that works, this session is about how to adapt so that it works in your new job.

This 1:1 coaching session is part of Executive Coaching for CSOs, a scientific executive coaching program that includes individual coaching, corporate strategy, annual planning, weekly feedback, and personalized training videos. Learn more at www.kathy.science/cso. This recording was edited for time, clarity, and privacy.

RESOURCES:

Get Time Warp for CSOs at www.kathy.science/time.

Apply to work with me at www.kathy.science/coach.

Marcella is REALLY good at achieving her goals, but the method she uses to do that isn’t working as well in a start-up as it used to during her postdoc. Not because the method is wrong, or she’s wrong, but because the nature of a start-up is different— your priorities change on a dime. Not just once in a while, but every day. So you can’t plan in advance. And this session is about what to do instead.

This 1:1 coaching session is part of Executive Coaching for CSOs, a scientific executive coaching program that includes individual coaching, corporate strategy, annual planning, weekly feedback, and personalized training videos. Learn more at www.kathy.science/cso. This recording was edited for time, clarity, and privacy.

RESOURCES:

Get Time Warp for CSOs at www.kathy.science/time.

Apply to work with me at www.kathy.science/coach.

Marcella’s promotion to Principal means that she’s now the boss of her colleague. A colleague who also applied for that job— but didn’t get it. Because Marcella got it. And if that’s not enough, that colleague just came back from maternity leave & wants to work from home, which is a request that Marcella may not be able to grant— no matter how much she wants to. Being a manager is hard. You have to do a lot of things that you don’t like. And today’s session is about where your responsibility for your direct reports ends— and where theirs begins.

This 1:1 coaching session is part of Executive Coaching for CSOs, a scientific executive coaching program that includes individual coaching, corporate strategy, annual planning, weekly feedback, and personalized training videos. Learn more at www.kathy.science/cso. This recording was edited for time, clarity, and privacy.

RESOURCES:

Get Time Warp for CSOs at www.kathy.science/time.

Apply to work with me at www.kathy.science/coach.

Meet Marcella, Principal Scientist of Discovery at a biotech start-up who leads a large cross-functional team. In her first coaching session, Marcella talks about why she wants an executive coach, even though she’s not an executive— yet. We discuss what she needs to succeed in her new job, including how to lead when you can’t lead by example anymore, the level of scientific expertise you need to achieve in all the other research lines in your company, and how to figure out what your new boss wants from you.

This 1:1 coaching session is part of Executive Coaching for CSOs, a scientific executive coaching program that includes individual coaching, corporate strategy, annual planning, weekly feedback, and personalized training videos. Learn more at www.kathy.science/cso. This recording was edited for time, clarity, and privacy.

RESOURCES:

Get Time Warp for CSOs at www.kathy.science/time.

Apply to work with me at www.kathy.science/coach.

Drawing for ep1: energy level diagram

1. Where you were yesterday

2. [Big gap]

3. Where you are now

4. [Small gap]

5. Where you need to be tomorrow

6. [HUGE gap]

7. Where you think you should be (yesterday)

Step into the office of Executive Coach Dr. Kathy Chaurasiya as she helps a new Principal Scientist lead her team— through one of the toughest challenges a biotech start-up can face. 

These 13 sessions are part of Executive Coaching for CSOs, a scientific executive coaching program that includes individual coaching, corporate strategy, annual planning, weekly feedback, and personalized training videos. Learn more at www.kathy.science/cso. The recordings were edited for time, clarity, and privacy.