Mariposa Leadership, Inc.

Last week, I met with a Sr. Director of Biz Dev, who recently decided to find a new role at a different company. They wanted to use our time together to address the "art of the interview." This was our first coaching session; at the end, they said, “This was the best hour I have spent on my career in a long time; chock full of ideas.” I love when the execs I work with are super happy. Here are 3 tips they really appreciated: -FIND COMMON GROUND. A simple idea that you have heard over and over, but sometimes we underestimate the power of likability and relatability. While conventional wisdom says the interviewer’s task is to ask questions—and make you feel somewhat at ease in the stressful interview space—actually as the interviewee, the more YOU can make the interviewer feel at ease, the better. It goes a long way if your confidence, humor, and connection set you a part. You’re usually competing against 1-5 other very competent candidates, so you've got to stand out stylistically. All things being equal, we choose the people we relate to; it happens all the time in sales. An everyday example: Today, I met with 3 bidders for a major every-three-years big tree pruning job at my property. They all clearly demonstrated they could do a great job; all had good insurance; all could do the job on a day that worked for me. I chose the person I LIKED the best (appreciated their way of connecting with me + that they took the time to answer all my questions) even though they had a higher bid. How do you best find common ground? -Do prework to learn about each interviewer. Go to their LinkedIn: Where do they live? How long have they been at the company? Scroll down to see their hobbies + affiliations; mention one or two. And of course, it’s easy to mention who you might have in common on LI. -Initiate small talk about their weekend, week, or a Zoom background characteristic that jumps out at you (they can do the same so spruce up your Zoom environment). -ENUMERATION. When you are asked questions about the job, important to enumerate (1, 2, 3) your responses, like: “one primary approach I take to get that done is,” or “I have two ideas for you on that problem,” or “Three ways I would handle that issue is.” In all 3 cases, keep the answers concise! As a transitional question, you can say: “What else can I fill in? or “LMK if you want me to go a bit deeper on this.” You want to give the interviewer a chance to ask follow-ups to get more details; the shorter, the better.   -ENUNCIATION. I am not an advocate of worrying about accent reduction; I AM an advocate of going slower and not dropping syllables at the end of words. Likely in tech circles, either you or the interviewer speaks English as their 2nd, 3rd language. So we ALL need to slow down and ensure we understand each other. ----- What are your go-to style points to stand out in interviews?    ----- Have a leadership/career/interview topic you want to chat about: https://lnkd.in/gvaJrMVY

One of my favorite aspects of being an executive coach is teaching “Cracking the C-Suite” with Ethan Evans. Twice a year, we work with 40+ Directors/VPs and focus on 4 executive skill areas and key roles: 1) Strategic Influencing > Steward 2) Scale Culture > Conductor 3) Develop Talent > Coach 4) Executive Presence > Energizer   Here’s one great question that came up last class: “Networking takes a lot of time. Any advice on how to find time, prioritize, or a mental model for time management for networking?” This dovetails with a chat I had recently with a perspective client: While he wasn’t ready to leave his current position – he wanted to help get the next round of funding to support a new product launch – he also wanted to start “putting himself out there in 6 months.” I listened and said, emphatically, “Don’t wait, start your networking now....many execs I know like to sneak it in Saturday mornings.” I have been a bit of broken record lately with the idea of “sneaking in time” to coach, to exercise, and to strategize. Not any different with networking. If you put these practices on your calendar, they're far more likely to happen. Some would criticize this approach as just adding to an already crazy calendar. Gotta LET GO as you add. If you add calendar time for coaching/exercise/ strategy/networking, then LET GO of other meetings by delegating them. So this Saturday, here are two ways to get the networking going. Goals are to up your LinkedIn (LI) connections, deepen them, and establish thought leadership over time. This plan is helpful if you’re looking for a job now (or later), or if you’re merely wanting to meet experts to uplevel your knowledge. One, establish your "TOP-20 CONNECTORS": -These are first connections you know already; they have 3K+ followers who post regularly. Keep them on your radar. -Do coffee + get insights from them. Text on LI to reconnect, and ask for IRL coffee or a quick Zoom. Ask what they are seeing in the industry. If you’re seeking a job, ask for referrals in a follow-up text. -Follow their LI posts; like them, comment on them and repost. Two, determine your “REACH OUT ROADMAP": -Gain new connections (2nd level) via your current Top-20 connectors; add personalized LI messages naming your common connection. -Scale your network by posting articles you find interesting; eventually find your voice and start writing your own content. -Go to IRL meetings 2-4 times a month; find common ground with 2-4 people each time; and link on the spot (via LI QRC) or afterwards. Key to small talk is signature questions in your back pocket, ones that get your conversation partners to tell a story (e.g., "tell me what brought you here today"). ----- In what ways do YOU sneak in time for networking? ----- Want to chat more how you can best put your networking plan into place? https://lnkd.in/gvaJrMVY

"Cracking the C-Suite" is fast approaching. Please join Ethan Evans and me for Oct 5-6, 2024! https://lnkd.in/gZGVccdA We keep the class size small (under 50), so you not only hear stories and real-work examples from Ethan and me, but you also learn from your Director/VP peers as well. We bring four leadership focus areas alive: Strategic Influence, Scale Culture, Develop Talent, and Executive Presence. These are the cornerstones to "up your game" and set yourself apart to both get promoted and impact your company! Here's what one senior director said after they took the February 2024 course: "Highly recommend this course to growth-oriented leaders. Ethan and Sue offer real-work insights based on their impressive experience and challenge you to think critically. This course will overstimulate your brain in all the best ways.“ As always, happy to respond to any questions. Pls connect and message me on LinkedIn.

Aloha, Ethan Evans and I are super excited to let you know our next offering of the online Maven course, "Cracking the C-Suite," is officially open for registration. We would love for you to join us on Oct 5-6, 2024! And that's not all. This week (only) we are offering a 15% discount in concert with Prime Days. https://lnkd.in/gZGVccdA We keep the class size small (under 50), so you not only hear stories and examples from Ethan and me, but you also learn from your VP and Director peers as well. We bring four focus areas alive: Strategic Influence, Scale Culture, Develop Talent, and Executive Presence. These are the cornerstones to "up your game" and set yourself apart! For example, Strategic Influence and "stewardship" go hand in hand. How do you as an executive "see around corners" to bring the next best thing to your company? Here's what one leader said after he took the February 2024 course: "This course served some of the best leadership content at the executive level that I've ever been part of. Ethan's experience is delivered in a very insightful and relatable way, with concrete actions and ways to apply and no fluff; Sue complements this and brings structures and systems to challenge present beliefs and implement more easily. The cohort itself provided as much good provoking thought as the course presenters, so I walked away with far more than I bargained for. Highly recommended!" As always, I welcome your thoughts and questions. Mahalo.

If you missed the live version of the fireside chat with Ethan Evans and myself -- "How To Get the Most from an Executive Coach” -- you can catch it here on YouTube: https://buff.ly/3RWCjJN. We give you a birds eye view of not only our coaching relationship (when Ethan was an Amazon VP), we also give examples from the scores of execs we work with. Check it out and comment on what insights you have gotten from working with an exec coach. Mahalo!