In this episode, Christiana Smith Shi, former Nike President of Consumer Direct and author of “Career Forward Strategies from Women Who’ve Made It,” shares insights from her book on adopting a long-term mindset for career planning, rather than focusing solely on short-term objectives. She addresses the specific hurdles younger women encounter at the start of their careers and underscores the need to tackle these challenges to foster gender equality in leadership roles. Christiana differentiates between “fake it till you make it” and impostor syndrome, highlighting the need for confidence alongside acknowledging areas for growth. She offers actionable guidance on job applications, encouraging women to overcome self-doubt and rethink qualifications, and discusses strategies for negotiating salaries and benefits to help close the gender pay gap through evidence-based negotiation.
Key Takeaways
[0:19] Christiana shares a surprising aspect of her background – her proficiency in Swedish folk dancing. She talks about her latest book, “Career Forward: Strategies from Women Who’ve Made It,” emphasizing a forward-thinking mindset for long-term career planning. Christiana discusses challenges faced by younger women entering the workforce and shares a real-life success story.
[08:27] Jan recounts a scenario of career overwhelm, leading to Christiana to talk about the concept of “turning into the skid” for career resilience. Christiana stresses facing challenges, conducting self-assessment, and making informed decisions. She also shares practical advice including time management and navigating the balance between high standards and avoiding perfectionism.
[13:47] Christiana distinguishes “fake it till you make it” as a confidence-boosting tool for new situations, emphasizing the need for self-awareness and skill development. Christiana discourages the use of impostor syndrome, inviting a rejection of the negative label and embracing learning curves.
[16:01] Christiana addresses the hesitation women often feel in job applications. Advising a shift in perspective, she encourages a broader interpretation of qualifications. Christiana emphasizes understanding hiring executives’ perspectives and reframing qualifications to showcase applicable skills.
[19:15] Christiana discusses challenges individuals, especially women, face when seeking a raise. Christiana emphasizes a fact-based approach, advocating for documentation of expanded responsibilities and benchmarking compensation. She highlights the importance of timing, considering the company’s context, and the need for allies to affirm contributions.
[25:41] Christiana recounts a defining career moment during partner election at a consulting firm. Faced with work-life balance challenges, the firm encouraged her to propose a solution, resulting in the creation of a successful part-time program. Christiana underscores the impact of assumptions on decision-making, urging individuals to turn assertions into questions and seek feedback from trusted networks to maintain a strategic orientation.
[32:20] Christiana reflects on her distinguished career, highlighting key lessons: taking responsibility and adapting recognition. She shares a pivotal moment of learning to own mistakes and acknowledges leaders who take responsibility for their teams. Transitioning from professional services to industry, she emphasizes the changing currency of recognition and adapting leadership styles to acknowledge efforts across diverse teams. Christiana encourages the value of research, meaningful feedback, and the ability to act on feedback for career growth.
[37:45] Christiana challenged listeners, particularly women in early or middle careers, to set their career GPS. She encourages individuals to define their impact, identify preferred skills, values, culture, and people. The challenge is to commit to deliberate actions each year, moving towards those career goals.
[39:16] And remember, A wise woman wishes to be no one’s enemy. A wise woman refuses to be anyone’s victim. – Maya Angelou
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Quotable Quotes
"Your job is not your career." Share on X "Your career is a journey; think about managing toward that goal as you move ahead." Share on X "Steer into the skid because then you regain control of the car. It's counterintuitive, and it isn't your first instinct, but it is the only way to regain control of the car." Share on X "You're there for a reason, that the people who put you in that position did not make a mistake." Share on X "Fake it till you make it if you need to, but back that up with a plan to fill in the gap so that you get comfortable quickly doing what you're supposed to do." Share on X "Impostor syndrome is a negative downward spiral. It is actually labeling yourself as not belonging where you are, as not being qualified to do what it is that you're there to do." Share on X "For women, there is this reluctance to appear toot your own horn. All those things. And I can't tell you how many times I've said to women, "You are nowhere near being self-promotional. You need allies. You need sponsors. You need… Share on X "Having a little bit of a ratification coming in from others is also super helpful." Share on X "I value leaders who take responsibility. If you screw up, you move on to the next thing and the reward is you're getting more money, you're getting promoted, you're moving on." Share on X "Learning that the currency of recognition had changed and adapting my style so that I acknowledged effort, impact, and results across a much bigger population of employees than I had ever dealt with." Share on X "Take responsibility for things; you're also taking responsibility for fixing them. That way you're not going to leave or abandon or dump the team that screwed up." Share on X “Hold yourself accountable every year to thinking about specific actions that you want to commit to yourself that you will take over the next year to continue to move yourself toward that career goal." Share on X
This is the book mentioned in our discussion with Christiana
Resources Mentioned
- The Leadership Podcast | theleadershippodcast.com
- Sponsored by | www.darley.com
- Rafti Advisors. LLC | www.raftiadvisors.com
- Self-Reliant Leadership. LLC | selfreliantleadership.com
- Christiana Smith Shi LinkedIn | www.linkedin.com/in/csshi
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