Unlocking Career Growth: Insights from Global Talent Leader, Dr. Shveta Miglani

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Welcome to the A World of Difference podcast. I'm Lori Adams-Brown and this is a podcast for those who are different and want to make a difference. Does it feel like your whole world has just been turned upside down? Are you having trouble remembering to drink water or eat? Does it feel like you're walking in quicksand?

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Welcome back to A World of Difference where we celebrate our differences and how they shape our work, our lives and our communities. I'm your host, Lori Adams Brown and today, gosh, you are in for such a treat. We have got a powerhouse of a guest joining us. Somebody whose career has literally spanned the globe, transforming thousands of lives along the way. Today we're sitting down with none other than Dr.

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Shveta Miglani. Now let me tell you, this woman is a force with over two decades of experience at some of the biggest names in the business world. Think micron technology, GlobalFoundries, SanDisk, Palo Alto Networks and Salesforce. Shweta has been on the front lines of organizational development and talent management and she's trained over five and professionals across 10 different countries. I mean, wow, right?

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But here's what I absolutely love about Shweta. She doesn't just talk theory. She takes those really big complex concepts about leadership and career growth and she really breaks them down into real practical steps for the rest of us. Steps that really help people show up as their best selves at work and thrive in today's very fast paced and ever changing job market. Shweta has really shared her insights at top tier forums like the Chief Learning Officer events and USC Marshall School of Business.

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And today she's here with us to Talk about what it really takes to navigate career growth, leadership development globally, and the power of investing in yourself. In this episode, we discuss everything from building your board of mentors to navigating distributed team meetings across time zones. So if you're looking to level up your career, feel more confident in your leadership, or you just want to soak up some serious inspiration, this episode is for you. All right, buckle up, friends, and let's dive into this amazing conversation with the one and only Dr. Shveta Miglani.

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Hi, Shweta. And a very warm welcome to the A World of Difference podcast today. Well, thanks, Lori. Good to be here. It is great.

00:03:24
I'm really excited about this conversation. Our audience is very global all around the world, and many have lived in multiple countries and places and love to travel for work and for fun. And so I'm really curious to know, what are some of the cultures and places that have formed you as a person that you really cherish? Such a great question to start with. I was born and raised in India, and in India itself, I moved in many different states, so got an amazing experience in living in different states, speaking different languages and cultures and food, which was the highlight in many places.

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And as I've grown up, moved to the U.S. i've been here. This is home for the last 25 years. And I always start by sharing. I have actually 22 different residential addresses in my lifetime and more to come.

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Right. It never stops. It's just been an amazing journey of learning and gathering those golden nuggets as I meet new people and learn about their cultures. That's amazing. I know a lot of people listening can relate to that, me included.

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And as we get into our conversation today, I'm really excited to know about how those cultures and places that formed you have really impacted you as a person and your career, which, you know, I think that a lot of the lessons in life are they flow in and out of who we are as people. There's a big kind of conversation right now about the portfolio career, how people are not just having this one career in this one place forever and ever, but that they are utilizing the social media that we have, they're utilizing the creator culture, they're utilizing their ability to give courses asynchronously or virtually in addition to the work that they do. And it kind of reminds me about how the cultures of the world kind of form us. Anyway, I sort of like the concept because I think it's kind of a metaphor for a lot of us who've lived and worked in a lot of places. But you have had an incredible career across multiple companies like Micron Technology, Salesforce Global Foundries.

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What inspired you to to specialize in talent management specifically and organizational development? Thanks for that question, Lori. It's just been an interesting unplanned journey, to be honest. When I first moved to the US to study, I was going to change the world with my pen, which would have been in journalism. As they say, the pen is mightier than the sword.

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And that's what I really came to do when I moved to the US for education. But a lot happened during that time. We saw the world change with nine with how the media also shared stories. So I was conflicted because I didn't think I had the resilience to be in such a difficult situation. 911 is one example.

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But there are so many on a daily basis that journalists have to cover, right? And I don't think I was prepared for that. And I at that time found a fantastic mentor who I was a teaching assistant with and he asked me a very straightforward, straightforward question. He said, what makes you excited? And I said, I love communication.

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I love using different mediums for communication. And he very gently asked me, he said, do you know something about instructional technology or instructional design? And I obviously didn't. I come from a land where most people are either engineers, accountants or doctors. And so I had not had the pleasure of learning about other paths in your career.

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And I'm so glad this mentor pointed me in the right direction. I learned about psychology of learning, cognitive learning about growth, mindset about how can you use science to actually help people learn faster so that they can apply it faster, and adult learning theories and things like that. So that just got me excited about this journey, which I started earlier in the wrong place, but then got pivoted into the right direction and I loved it. I completely jumped in with both feet. Got my masters in it, got excellent opportunities after that, and since then instructional design was the start of it.

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Then I realized there is such a big world out there within the talent field, which is how you hire people. How do you assimilate them within the organization so that they can bring their best selves to work. And of course the business and the organization can also see productivity and achieving goals. So that just year by year I learned about leadership development, about performance, and eventually I said, you know, I just don't want to read a book and teach people. I want to be the expert in this.

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So I decided to do my PhD as I was raising a family and Working full time, but I wouldn't change a thing. That just got me the best of myself. I juggled many balls in the air. But I think, Lori, I'm sure you can. You must have experienced this and can attest to it.

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When we have a lot to do, we actually plan our days better. So that's how my career shifted. I learned and built the foundation around truly helping the individual maximize themselves, maximize their career, and making sure that the organization is aligned to what both sides of the coins wants to do, which is individual development as well as business development. Yeah, that's so interesting the way you put it. I think that especially your point about juggling all these things.

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I think that it used to be, at least I felt like earlier in my life and career you kind of only saw the parents sort of juggling many things. But I think that increasingly with so much information coming at us all the time, with geopolitical events feeling really heavy for a lot of people, because we have more real time information about what's going on in war zones, for example, when we're in other countries or in disaster relief efforts, you know, the fires here in California, people around the world have been messaging me, you know, from Tai to Africa and checking in. And even though I don't live near the fire zones, we're in the northern part of California. You know, people are seeing things in real time. And so there's a lot to be juggled.

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In fact, I was at a talent A dinner last night in San Francisco with several talent development experts and one of the young people who's there's kind of this new entrance into the workforce. They're young professionals, they're in a different generation, and they're looking to the people who are further down the road to say, how do you do that? So, you know, we get the whole how do you have a work life balance question a lot, which I'm not sure is a helpful question, but I think that I relate to what you're saying in that we do just need to be more focused and schedule our time, you know, allow ourselves to have time even to reflect and stay curious. And it does require, you know, that kind of, you know, getting ahead of the game. You talk about that a bit in your book Take Charge of youf New Job, your success playbook.

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You really provide a roadmap essentially for career success. Whether it's a Gen Z starting out in a new role or whether it's somebody who's pivoted, you know, done a career change like you, they can all find something in there. So I'm curious to know what are the biggest mistakes you think professionals make when they're starting a new role, and how could they avoid those? Yeah, thank you for that. It's interesting.

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Every person is so different, but I've also seen patterns emerge. For instance, I'll give my own experience. When I joined one of the biggest companies in the world, I won't be taking names. People can read my book to see that the name, everybody knows the name. And it's a company that's known for giving perks.

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Like they have games on site, massage tables, you name it, free food. And when I joined, I was much younger. This was. I'm talking about several, several years ago. It was so interesting for me that I felt like I made it, which was great for my confidence from a boost standpoint.

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But I got so lost in these. In this noise, in these extracurricular, in these ways of engaging and getting to know your company, getting to know people around you. The biggest mistake I made is I did not focus on asking my leader, what does the success look like? What are the priorities that we need to focus on? That should have been my first goal.

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And I am one of the first people to say I didn't do that. I mean, I did have conversations with her on a regular basis, but I saw myself getting distracted more and more. That's one thing, firstly, is understanding what your expectations are, what your boss really wants you to work on for the next two quarters at the minimum. And then you get, you know, the understanding you understand. It's like getting on a dance floor and understanding the rhythm.

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Understanding the rhythm is such an important piece when you join the organization and then some of the names you took of the organizations I've worked at or partnered with. Every culture is different. They might all look like these are tech companies or these are software companies or semiconductor companies, but they are all so different. And you have to make sure that you look around, observe, ask your leader, how are decisions being made? How is communication handled here?

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How are approvals handled here? All of those questions help you to understand the culture, which a lot of times new hires and newcomers don't ask. They wait to be told what to do sometimes. And I'm not saying everybody does. I've seen many people who really take charge, as my book says, but that's what differentiates you and especially Lori.

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In the last year, we have seen a lot of people lose jobs, lot of people having a tough time. So they are working hard to find that job that will help them economically, that will help them making sure they can get to that next step in their career. But what if they get into that role and not plan for the next six months? Success, right? That's where a lot of people fall into that ditch and think, hey, I've joined this company and that's it.

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I have my foot through the door. But they don't realize they need to work doubly hard to make sure that they can be successful. Because today the competition's high. When they hire you, a lot of people say, I wish you had started yesterday. So the expectations are high and that's where they want to make sure that their investment in you pays off.

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And that's the reality of it. As much as I love to say, you know, organizations want to see the best of you, they want to see authentic leadership, all that is good. But the bottom line is they also want to see that their investments pay off. So we have to keep that on top of mind and make sure we don't get distracted. So lack of distraction is, I think, one of the biggest ways you can be successful.

00:13:52
That's really good and it's not easy. Our world is filled with distractions. Companies are filled with distractions. We have information coming at us all the time, whether it's being pinged on Microsoft Teams or so much email, meetings and meetings virtually in person, all the hybrid stuff going on. And so it is the challenge.

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It's one of the biggest challenges for people in the workforce. But you've trained over 5,000 professionals in 10 different countries, so you must have seen some patterns among those who succeed quickly in their careers versus some of those who struggle. Would you speak to that a little bit for us? I think proactiveness, where I've seen the biggest differentiator, is where people are proactive, asking the right questions, planning for those one on ones. I've seen a lot of people, they just walk into a one on one and I had a story when one of the people I was coaching mentioned she started a new job and she was a little bit disappointed the way her leader spoke to her.

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And I asked her, tell me more about it. And she said, well, I walked into the one on one and immediately my leader said, you're just walking in without a laptop, without a book, how are you going to take notes? How are you going to keep a track of what I'm going to ask you? That was actually really good feedback. But this individual thought this person was picking on them and that was not the case.

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So that was A great aha moment for her to say. When you walk into these discussions, as much as you want to keep it informal, you have to be prepared. So I think that is where a big differentiating factor is, where I've seen people being proactive, making sure they set the agenda. So when I do my one on ones with my team, I always said, this is your meeting, you walk in with the agenda. And one of the things I learned from one of the team members who reported to me, she always sent me her agenda 24 hours before.

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That made me comfortable because if she had questions that I also needed some information around or I need to be prepared, I felt she was in this as a partnership with me. Not to sideline me, not to corner me. But she was there to make sure that her time is maximized and my time is maximized. So these are small things that I feel actually differentiate people. And today she's actually promoted twice in the company.

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So that's good to say. Because of that pattern that's emerged and no matter which country you're in, people appreciate it. Coming on time, people appreciate it. I know we are all so busy. You just alluded to that we're running from one meeting to the other.

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But the moment you enter a meeting five minutes late, and if that becomes a pattern, you might apologize, people might nod their heads and get the meeting started, but that stays with them. So I think a lot of it is hygiene around how you show up, how you prepare for your meetings and how you follow up. Those things itself will be seen as a differentiating factor. That's one thing and I think the other part of it, as a leader, one of the things I talk about in my book is making sure you have a stakeholder map. So if I hire somebody new or if somebody is coming in to meet me as a new person in their company, I'm so impressed when they're already asking me questions.

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I'm so impressed when they're already taking names and saying, I heard John would be the right person to talk about sales, or David would be the right person to talk about business development. Those kinds of stakeholder mapping discussions will only take you further, will get you prepared. So I think the answer is really simple. Being proactive and being prepared, no matter which meeting you're attending is really important and not just taking it. Getting into a session for the sake of it.

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Because many times you get invited to 20 meetings at a time without actually being told what the agenda is, without actually being told what your role within that discussion might Be so ask about it. Be proactive in making sure that your accountability is made sure that you're being able to be accountable. Sorry about that. Being able to be accountable is important. And making sure that your values are right in those discussions.

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Otherwise you will get so busy in meetings that you won't get a chance to actually do the work that needs to get done. And then that flows into work, life balance. Right. If you don't know what energizes you on a regular basis, you will have burnout. And burnout is the biggest reason why people are taking a step back, why people are actually letting go of their jobs or their careers because they can't handle it.

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So the way you plan your day and making sure you have at least some time planned for you that energizes you, whether that's reading a book, taking a walk, spending time with your family and friends, whatever that is, do it on a daily basis. Because if you say, I'll do it on the weekend, those five days that you're working almost 50 to 60 hours, you will see the burnout come through. So those are just some things that I discuss in my book and provide some ideas, but that's where my mind goes when it comes to differentiators. Yeah, that's such excellent insight. I think that, you know, leaders, they, they initiate, they say, here's a situation, I don't have all the answers, but let's go together and let's figure that out together and let's be curious.

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You know, I think that when people show up into one on ones that are, you know, that I've had direct reports over the years when they show up and they know what they want to talk about, it, it does help managers. It helps managers know, oh, this is what they need. I mean, ultimately the role of a manager is to resource our people to do their work well and make sure they're doing as much as possible of what they love and what they're good at. And if they absolutely loathe it, to try to share that workload somehow among the team. And that happens in the one on ones where you get that information.

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So many people have very invisible work out there, and that's a time to really be visible. And I, you know, I can relate to that. Really understanding when you have a person showing up so prepared and also, you know, working in maybe a very high risk of burnout culture by, you know, making sure they're caring for themselves is really important. I will say that it's also, you know, the burnout Culture, there's only so much someone can do. There's only so many bubble baths or books, you know, or walks that I really hope that one of the things we start to see in talent development is that the support of the system increasingly is there.

00:20:14
And I'm hearing a lot of those conversations. Which brings me to my next question, which is what are you seeing as some of the biggest trends shaping talent development today? I hear a lot about upskilling. I hear a lot about how to have conversations about political polarization geopolitically around the world. This is something in the workforce people need skills around.

00:20:33
Right. So what are some of the trends you're seeing from your perspective? And how can professionals and organizations adapt to some of these talent development trends? Sure. I think the first one that you pointed out, upskilling, reskilling.

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That's one of the biggest discussion points that we have. Every conference I've attended or presented at Skilling is the question that really comes up. And it is something that we've seen in the last two years take center stage. And it's a tough one because that's the part that people really don't understand. How do we go about it?

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What is so different about Skilling that we were not doing in training before? Right. And the idea there is honing down, honing down and laser focusing on helping that individual in not just adding a new skill into their portfolio, but from an organizational lens, creating data around who has the right skills for today and who has the right skills for tomorrow. And how can we, from a talent development standpoint, help them to build that career path? Right.

00:21:32
We've talked about career pathing for ages. We've talked about competencies. And when skills came through, you will appreciate this. A lot of us, and me included, I was apprehensive. I thought this is another new that we are throwing out there like competencies was big a lot for a long time and it was difficult to adapt to, difficult to implement, and we complicated it.

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I think we created so many layers behind it that for a people leader in any company, when their job is to get the product out, get their job done on a regular basis, when we in talent development over complicate things, no matter how smart we make it look, the adaption, the adoption or the adaptation doesn't really come through. Right. And that's where the problem is. Because if you don't give the individual the time to learn something, to adapt it as well as to apply it or reinforce it, then that skill is never developed. And that's the same problem we've had for years in leadership training and management training, where people say, hey, I had my middle managers go through this training, but I don't see the changes come through.

00:22:42
Right. So that's why I think Skilling becomes such an important journey for us as talent development leaders and as organizations, because we have, for instance, the current company that I was working at, we had such a large number of employees globally and we were ramping up pretty quickly in different countries and different functions. Now, the best part was talent mobility, something we really focused on, but it was really hard to know who has what skills. Let's say if you're ramping up a new division or we are ramping up a new team, how do I know internally who are the people who have that information? It's only if I know somebody.

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I would tap them on the shoulder and I would bring them in into this conversation. But that didn't level the playing field. It was basically who knows whom is the person who gets the chance to move forward. So that's why Skilling became such an integral part of our direction, which was, let's start building a database. Let's start making sure that people have an opportunity to talk about their skills, to document it and to show incremental progress right through the years, which was not done earlier.

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It was only then verbally, you would know somebody's done this project or somebody's done that. And this makes a huge difference in performance management. This makes a huge difference when you're creating succession plans and when you're identifying those high potentials in the workplace. So I think Skilling itself is such an amazing thing that we can implement, but it's not going to be easy. We'll have to unlearn a few things as an organization and we'll have to start putting in a new mindset within the organization, especially companies that pride themselves in hiring for stronger degrees.

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That will need to change because in the next few years we'll start hiring more from a skills perspective rather than just a degree that somebody would have. Right. That will help us to build talent faster. That will help us to bring talent inside the organization faster. And that will lead to so many aha moments for the individual as far as for the organization.

00:24:53
And then the second trend I wanted to talk about was AI. Right. How can we, in talent development or talent acquisition, Talent management. Right. We have so many different terminologies today.

00:25:04
How can we use AI to make those redundant processes easier for the individual as well as for the manager, which eventually Saves so much time and effort for the organization. Like today. Performance management is such an incredible process, but it takes so much time and I know leaders who dread that and I know leaders who love it because they have actually identified the best tools for them and they are moving faster. Right. So AI can help us in so many different places.

00:25:38
Also things like LXP platforms that can actually help integrate companies to find information faster. So if I want to learn about communicating as a leader, some companies have such big catalogs that the moment they put something like communication As a leader, 25 programs will show up up or online trainings will show up. Right. We are getting bombarded, as you said earlier, with so much information. How do we laser focus on what will align with my function, what will align with my role, and what does my organization need today?

00:26:10
Right? At the end of the day, your value is set based on where you're working and how are you being perceived and the skills that you're bringing to the table. Right. So I think all of that adds value. So AI tools can really help help the individual.

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And AI tools can help organizations to laser focus and to help their leaders to find time. Because time is such a big luxury today. That's the hard part. That's the hard juggle that people have a hard time doing. Yes, 100% relate to everything you're saying as we.

00:26:44
In light of all of that, the upskilling that you mentioned and the AI component, I would be interested to know kind of what you're thinking. You know, we see AI and automation transforming all industries, really, and employees and leaders, or having to rethink skill development to stay competitive. What role do you think the like EQ and cq, the emotional intelligence and the cultural intelligence play in the upskilling process? As we position our talent to work and partner with AI, where we allow AI to be what it does best, which is better than we do it. You know, that really automated process of all the tedious aspects and then where we get to be more human and lean into our humanity as leaders, as managers.

00:27:27
How do you see those coming together in the future? Yeah, I love AI. I think it really helps for you to plan your day better. I talk a lot about planning. Right.

00:27:36
And I think as a leader, that's the best gift you can give yourself is planning ahead and planning better. And AI tools can do that. They can help you to sift through your emails, prioritize it. All of those fascinating things that we see in the media. From a talent perspective, AI can help us to get to market faster.

00:27:55
By that I mean is I mentioned my background is starting with instructional design. So knowing what good and what quality is is important. But AI can help us in the future to design those things faster, to get them to the market faster and through consumer feedback, seeing what works and what doesn't, right? So ChatGPT is a great example. Every time I ask a question to ChatGPT and say, say, help me build something simple, I'll say, help me build an agenda for today's session.

00:28:24
ChatGPT will do that and then will actually ask a question. Was this helpful? The moment you respond to it, it's learning, right? Machine learning is coming into play and it's learning and saying, that's her tone, that's the way she likes to ask questions, that's the way she thinks things are important. So it plays with you in understanding what works best for you.

00:28:45
So individually, I think we can work around that and make sure we use that to get better and to move faster in our industry as a leader, where I think the humanity piece is so important is it can help you from a directional standpoint. But when we look at workshops that we focus on in leadership development journey, in making sure we have the right managers, in making sure we have the right discussions going on, that's still something AI cannot do best fully. I don't think today it can. Maybe in the future it might just surpass all our expectations. Interesting part is when people react to what you're saying.

00:29:22
Like you're talking to me right now, you're nodding, so I know we are talking in the right direction. If I see an expression on your face, I'll pivot fast, right? I'll make sure it's not something that I keep on talking about for a long time, but change and make sure that you can understand or like what I'm saying, right? It's the same thing when you're a leader. When you're talking to a individual and you give them feedback, but you see no expression on their face, that's the time you pivot.

00:29:47
That's the time you emotional intelligence comes into play, right? Just because I have a list of feedback I'm giving to that person, doesn't matter if on the first point of feedback this person is distraught, then there's no use going into those other list of things, right? So emotional intelligence is still going to play a big part as we move forward. In fact, that is what's going to help amplify the use of AI in our everyday lives. And if we forget that if we just put all our bets on a tool on AI, we'll be missing the big picture.

00:30:20
And again, that will be a differentiating factor for the leaders who can do that well, we'll see their growth, will see their teams doing better, and the leaders who don't will keep on hitting that roadblock. I love that answer and wholeheartedly agree. I think we're seeing a lot of this in Silicon Valley and in talent development, but certainly globally. This is a big conversation and really awesome to hear your perspective on it. It's so insightful.

00:30:43
So your book really. I want to get back into that for a second. You really emphasize taking ownership of your own career. This is your role. You're in the driver's seat.

00:30:51
And so how can professionals really proactively create opportunities for themselves instead of sort of waiting around for people to notice what they're doing, for their work to be visible and in order to get promoted or to get recognized for their work, how can people take charge of the that? Yeah, you mentioned this earlier on. You talked about people's talent or intelligence is not just today in the specific job or title that they have. Right. It is so much more than that.

00:31:20
Now, many organizations have either framed a mentoring program or they encourage it. And if they don't, I always recommend people find a mentor. Don't go out for that biggest bling bling person that you see in your organization. Remember, that person's already too busy and that person maybe has already been approached by 20 people. Look at what you want to develop.

00:31:44
Right. I know when I was early in career, I used to look at English is not my first language. I grew up in a country where we had a different language. And so sometimes I feel like I can think about that idea, but it's really hard for me to articulate that. So when I was reflecting on my own skills, one of the biggest things I looked at is I made a list of three top things that I wanted to get better at and communication was on the top of it.

00:32:09
So as I observed people in my organization, within my peers, within my team, I would be fascinated by people who could take a thought or a concept, articulate it, influence the decision making, and still continue with it. Right. So it was not just about that one moment of aha. But they actually created a long process about it. And it's funny, when I would approach those people, they would go like, oh, I didn't even know I did that because it came so naturally to them.

00:32:35
Right. So for me, it was more about what is it that I want to work on? Laser focus on that and then find the right people. And I have had many people in my lifetime also that I've been lucky to mentor, but there are times that they would just reach out to me and say, I would just like to connect with you, which is great. Right.

00:32:54
But in today's world, everybody's busy and I want to give back as a mentor. People want to give back, but if you don't help them identify what you want to focus on, then those conversations will just be about family, about what movie you watched, and you will lose time before you know it. Right. Which is not bad. I still think that helps to build trust and foundation.

00:33:16
But let's get to that part where it can help you and in turn, you can help the mentor to learn about what you are good at, what knowledge you can spread. So I would say finding a mentor internally and externally, that was a big aha moment for me because I would get so I would say laser focused just within my organization that there were times that I was not focusing on what are the benchmark practices happening within my own industry, within the companies that I support, within the people that I support. Right. And so finding a mentor externally helped me because I was able to get all of that information just through a cup of coffee or through a zoom discussion. So in all, I say get a board of mentors because everybody will have different strengths that you're looking for.

00:34:03
And one mentor is great to start with, but making sure through the years you build relationships and then that people can help you. Somebody might be good in communication. Somebody might be good in creating a great strategic map that might be helpful for you as a leader. So there are so many different knowledge channels that you could tap into through that. Secondly, continue learning.

00:34:26
I have a hard time when somebody says, been there, done that. That is great. Build on it. Continue building on it. Continue challenging yourselves and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone.

00:34:38
Now, the only caveat there is pushing yourself outside the comfort zone is I've seen a lot of new hires. Sometimes the overconfidence steps in and they go like, oh, yeah, I did exactly that in my previous role. So this is absolutely. I can do this in my sleep. Let me do something else.

00:34:54
I would say don't do that. The first two quarters don't show off your skills because you were brought in to do a project. You were brought in to achieve an objective. You were brought in to make sure your team is successful if you were brought in as a leader. So make sure.

00:35:10
You focus on that first and then expand on your learning and then expand on sharing what additional knowledge and skills that you have. So be thoughtful, read the room and continue learning through a mentor and through all the various learnings that we have available, like, for example, LinkedIn learning, I mean, pay $25 and learn whatever you want to write. Or there are so many other courses out there, like Coursera, like Udemy, you name it. Right. The industry has exploded with great resources.

00:35:42
So find time and in fact, make time for yourself to do that. That's a great answer. Yeah, I've seen something very similar and I think going in and listening and learning because as you mentioned, every culture is different. So just because you've done this in another company or in another industry doesn't mean you know how to do that here in this place. Right.

00:35:59
So we do need to listen and learn in the beginning. I'd love to know kind of a little bit about your, your thoughts around, you know, professionals are trying to grow in their career, but we're also doing this as a team. Teamwork is a big deal. And on the team there might be various differences both in geopolitical issues and cultural differences. How can people really make sure that they are growing in their career and being visible, but also sharing that approach?

00:36:21
Do you have any tips for people on that? That's a great question. In fact, I recently had some issues where we had to make sure that our teams were understanding each other even when they were in different geographical locations. So simple things like time zones, simple things like, when do we keep a meeting? Oh my gosh.

00:36:39
If you do a 6am meeting here, that's a crazy time somewhere else or somebody had to give up something. Right? So I have noticed as a leader, if you have a global team under you, if you have global peers that you're working with, when you do meet and greets or when you have those initial conversations, understand for them what's their most productive time, what works for them, what doesn't work for them from a time zone perspective. So, for instance, I would say, and I applaud countries that do that, one of the countries we were working with, for them walking out at 5pm was the utmost importance. Picking up their kids was of utmost importance and they didn't want to sacrifice that in any way.

00:37:23
So, fine, if that's the case, how do we make sure other folks who are from other geographical regions, how do we help manage that? So we had to figure out different ways of working around, you know, that team that was in A specific country and had a specific level of expectations. But having those discussions up front was amazing. There was one country in which, until their boss didn't go home, they wouldn't go home. That would mean they would have long hours, and that would mean the burnout that we saw was real time with them.

00:37:54
So sharing with them and saying, it's okay, it's okay for you to make sure that you can get home so that you can take a phone call if you want once you get home safely. Right. In your own location, or when it's late at night, you don't have to take a taxi back home when it's not safe for you in your region. Right. So there were so many different challenges that we had to work with and provide expectations, provide it's okay to take a break and go out for a walk.

00:38:21
It's okay to do these things. That was hard. But I'll be honest, Covid really humbled us. It really humbled us to say, what can we do better? How can we make sure it's okay for your child to come running when you're on a zoom call?

00:38:36
Right. I don't know if you remember that video of the gentleman and his family and his wonderful child coming in and that got so much discussion going in the talent field also in the HR realm. Also, let's make it okay. Let's make it okay. Because we're all working from home now.

00:38:51
The tides have shifted. I think lot of corporations are now looking at coming back on site full time. Many have already done that. We are seeing a lot of news come up around it. So changing that mindset, making that shift, making that humanity still stick, but making sure that you have the parameters and expectations clear with your people is important.

00:39:15
So how does that help from a career development standpoint is always say you might be the most skillful person that's there in the industry, but where you sit today, in which location you're in, in which team you're in, and which culture you're in, whether that's your country culture or your company culture, you have to figure out a way to make sure that they see your work and you make sure that you are acknowledged for it. So a lot of people that I talk to say, I don't care. I don't want to be a manager. I would focus on the technical part of my job and go deeper and deeper in that, because that's what makes me happy. Have those conversations with your leader.

00:39:54
Make sure they open doors for you for additional projects where you can Learn and get more technical expertise. And then there are some people who shy away in saying, I want to be a people leader. What can I do to get there? Don't be shy. Make sure your leader knows that.

00:40:09
And again, I say read the room. If you feel your leader is not taking that input directly. Find other ways to do it. Find out who are the influencers without the title in your organization or in your larger teams. Find out how you can work with them to showcase your skills and to show value that you're bringing to the table.

00:40:31
So I think there are different ways you can do it. You, again, have to be the most observant person when you join a new team, a new job, or a new company. And you have to make sure that you are ready to make that shift. Because if you stay in your comfort zone of saying, hey, I already did this in the other organization, I can use the same playbook here. It usually doesn't work.

00:40:54
You always have to shift and move things around. That's great advice. I'm interested to know if you could give just one piece of advice to somebody who's stepping into a leadership role for the first time. Maybe they are finally making from the bottom rung, which is we call the broken rung for women. Because a lot of women over the last 10 years of McKinsey's research haven't even made that first step into the manager role.

00:41:18
But whether it's a new manager, maybe they're an executive in a new company, maybe they're just taking on a chro role, or they've maybe made it into the board of directors. If they're just stepping in. Has there been any advice you were given, maybe by a mentor or something you've just come up with, that you would say to somebody, what would that one thing be? Always walk in with your values. Who are you as a leader?

00:41:40
Because if you don't know that story, others will not understand it. I learned it the hard way. I remember I went to Arkansas, taking on this new job, meeting the team, very excited, and I didn't go with the plan. I just said, I'm gonna have lunch with them. I'm gonna show them my authentic side, which is great.

00:41:58
But they were waiting for this position to be filled up for the last six months. So they were eager to know me as a leader. And that's where I made a big mistake, because I remember sitting in the room with them. They were around the table and they said, said, so, Shivatha, how would you define yourself as a leader? And I was mumbling.

00:42:17
I was like, I was not prepared. I was not prepared to talk about either I was saying everything under the sun or I was not laser focusing. Right? So that's the biggest lesson I learned. Walking away from that meeting is like, people want to know who you are as a leader.

00:42:31
How do you communicate, how do you make decisions? And if you've not done it, do it today. Sit down with that exercise, Maybe create one or two slides. If you are a company where slides are something that they work with, walk in with two slides. Or if they are not a company that likes slides, walk in with your notes.

00:42:51
But make sure you have that in front of you because if you don't understand who you are or if you're unable to articulate it, you won't be able to get that message through to your team. And your team are your soldiers who are going to make you successful, who are going to make your team successful. And you are measured on that success. So I would say that's the biggest advice I give leaders is walk in with your definition of what leadership looks like, of what you are as a leader. And how do you define success for a team?

00:43:21
Those things can help clarify and communicate better with the people you're going to work with day in and day out. Great answer. I really love that. And if people want to know more, they can obviously reach out to you, find you on LinkedIn and different places. So that's really my last question for you, is how can people find you and more of your.

00:43:41
Like you said, I have my website, shwetamiglani.com and they can also sign up for my upcoming book coming out soon. So, Lori, there are so many different ways and LinkedIn is the best way to find me. I always respond as quickly as possible and I am looking forward to hearing from people, hearing what's top of mind for them as a leader and see if I can be of help. Thank you so much for this conversation. I'm going to have you hang out with our difference maker community.

00:44:05
So I'm going to ask you one more question there about what making a difference means means to you and how you've embodied that. But thanks for being with us today, Swetta. Thank you. It was amazing. Shweta, thank you so much for this interview we just had on the podcast.

00:44:17
I'm really kind of wondering, you know, in your work, coaching thousands of professionals across different cultures and industries, you've likely seen firsthand what separates those who thrive from those who struggle. Kind of what's one lesser known game changing strategy or mindset shift that high achievers could really use to accelerate their growth. And how can our difference maker community here sort of understand how that's been a part of the difference you're trying to make in the world? Let us know a little more about that for you. Yeah, I think as a leader, something that I have learned myself and when I coached so many other different leaders, what sets them apart from a success standpoint is planning their week, planning their day and making sure they hold on to those minutes as strongly as their life depends on it.

00:45:05
Reason being is because as a leader you see yourself losing energy by the end of the day, especially if you're a global leader, which I was for many years and I've seen when I've worked with other leaders, by the time 6pm hits, they've burnt out or they have no energy to talk to their global teams. And that's not fair. Right? It's not fair for them and it's not right for the individual who's leading. So I would say when you plan your day, when you put those high priorities meetings in front of you, that really gets you going, that makes you successful.

00:45:39
That goes to show the work your team is doing. Put an Excel sheet or a Google sheet together because if you don't identify your stakeholders and put the must haves on the top, then you'll be spending a lot of time with those. Nice to have discussions and nice to have discussions might make you a popular person, but it won't help you to get to your objectives or to achieving your goals with your team. So one thing I've learned is if you don't have an Excel sheet today, start putting the names out there, start putting in the frequency of how many times you want to meet with that individual or those teams because you will see that the success of your own leadership and your team and your function comes through when you know who the right players are. And that's what makes people successful.

00:46:28
Because we see so many technical and amazing leaders not growing in their career is because they shy away from this. Don't shy away. I would say this should be part and parcel of the job that you take on and you should be committed to it. For some people it might take more effort, but do it and make sure Sunday night with a nice cup of coffee or if you're a wine drinker, have a glass of wine, put your plan in place, put your action in place and make sure that you can share that with your leader. Because managing up is another skill that's very important and people learn it through lots of ups and downs, but making sure your leader who supports you, who has your back and who's your sponsor knows exactly what you're working on.

00:47:13
So those are my few tips there. Excellent tips. Thank you so much for just investing in talent and multiple industries for writing this book. Book. We're really excited for it and just for sharing the difference that you're making today.

00:47:26
You're showing up as a person who has all this knowledge built throughout your career and and giving it away so freely. And I'm really excited for all of us to get to have your book in our hands and and learn more from you. Thank you so much for showing up for our difference makers today and we will certainly link all your information in the show notes for them as well. Thanks Lori. Wow.

00:47:49
What an insightful conversation with Dr. Shveta Miglani. I hope you took away as many practical tips and aha moments as I did. And if you're ready to take charge of your career and step into your next role with confidence, make sure to check out Shweta's newly released book, Take Charge of youf New Job, your Success Playbook. Master your new role and achieve unstoppable success.

00:48:13
And wouldn't she know quite a bit about that? Having had new roles in her own career and having really experienced a lot of success and helped others achieve success in the different businesses and organizations where she's worked, she certainly is an expert in this area. So you definitely want to get a copy of her book. You can sign up and get a copy now by visiting her website@shweta meglani.com that's S H V E T A M. We'll put the link in the show notes.

00:48:39
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00:49:01
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00:49:28
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00:50:10
Until next time, stay curious, stay kind, and let's keep making a difference together. You are so loved, you matter. And whatever the world looks like around you and your corner of it right now, just know that you are making a difference just by showing up in this community to me. And it means the world to me that you would be here, a part of these conversations. So just know that you matter and those around you matter.

00:50:32
So care for yourself, show yourself some love. Spread love to those around you. And that's how we're going to make the world a better place altogether. Thanks, difference maker. Before we go, I just want to take a moment to thank you.

00:50:45
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00:51:19
You are such a vital part of this journey, and every time you listen, every time you share, you remind me of why we do this. Because you are out there making a difference in your own beautiful, messy and imperfect way. And that that matters more than you know. So thank you for being here, thank you for showing up, and thank you for making the world a little brighter, a little kinder, and a little more whole. Until next time, take care of yourself and keep making a difference.

00:51:50
You are loved. I'll see you in the next episode.