Hello, everyone, welcome to another episode of Maximize Your Career. I'm your host, Stacy Mayer, and super excited, as always, to be here with you again this week. So this week's episode marks the final episode that I will be recording live for you in 2021; and I wanted to use this episode as an opportunity to really reflect back on all of the accomplishments that we have made as women to be able to really step into those higher level leadership positions to show up as the executive ahead of time and to really start having more influence and making it larger impact at our organizations right now, this year. 

So, whether you were able to actually get the title change, or you're just now being invited into the conversation, I want to applaud you today. I want you to start to recognize the work that you're doing and how important it is for the rest of your career. And not just for the rest of your career, but for your family, for your organization, for the greater impact that you really want to be making in the world. Because, as you've heard me say on this podcast, your next promotion is only just the beginning. This is why we 3X our career because we're looking forward - we're thinking about that long term vision and we're making decisions today based on that long term vision. So maybe your wins from 2021 are just awareness that you're not building those relationships, that you're too far stuck into the weeds. Even if that is what you can reflect on and understand from 2021, you are five, ten, twenty steps ahead of the curve my friends, and I want to applaud you for that. 

I also want to look at some of the numbers, some of the changes that the work that we're doing here inside of Executive Ahead of Time and my higher-level Leadership Table and Boardroom masterminds - the work that we're really doing as corporate executives to advance our careers and the impact that that is making on our organizations at large. So, in today's episode, I'm going to be throwing a few numbers at you and also a bit of inspiration as you start to think ahead about the progress that you personally want to make. But really, what is your greater mission? Why do you want a seat at the table? Why does it matter to have you have that greater voice at the table? 

So, I'm going to start with the biggest number of all. I went back through my promotions that have happened this year inside of the Executive Ahead of Time program, and I did the numbers, and I actually had a 38 percent promotion rate - 38 percent of the women who joined us inside of Executive Ahead of Time in 2021 got promoted to higher level leadership positions. Yes, big round of applause for every single one of those women who said 'yes' to their careers this year, said 'yes' to themselves, and said 'yes' to the greater impact that they want to be making at their organizations. This is huge. And within that 38 percent, we had women get promoted who were individual contributors, who got promoted into leadership for the first time. We had women receive double promotions, so not just one promotion, but two promotions in a six-month period. We had women of color getting promoted into higher level leadership positions. We had women getting promoted into vice president roles, senior vice president roles, C-Suite level roles. We had women making salaries of 200,000 dollars more than their previous salaries. We had women receiving $50,000 bonuses. And that's just the promotions. So that's just the 38 percent of the women who were getting actual promotions as they graduated from Executive Ahead of Time. 

The other women have better relationships with the executive team. They're in line for promotions in 2022, and they have the steps necessary to ensure that they actually receive that promotion in 2022. They know how to do the follow ups. They know how to have these higher-level conversations. We have women who are getting promoted in other departments outside of their organization. They're getting promoted and they're set up for success, even though they're not the subject matter expert, even though it's a different group outside of their current group. This is the work that we're doing. #ShowMeTheMoney #NoKudosThankYou 

We are genuinely getting the title and the compensation to match the level of influence and impact that we are currently making at our organizations. And I just want to applaud every single one of you for showing up for that - whether you're listening to my podcast. And another statistic I'll throw at you is I have had at least a dozen people just in the last six months - so I need to start keeping track of this data - who have emailed me because they're podcast listeners and they got the promotion because of that. Just implementing the tools that I share with you inside of this podcast. And so, what we're doing here, what we're doing by showing up in this way, is that we're showing the executive team that we are ready for higher levels of leadership. 

And we think that we've been doing that before. We think that we have told them before that we've actually said, 'I want a promotion', but until we start to shift that perception, until we start to really show up as that executive leader, that's when the two come together. And so that's the work that we're doing inside of Executive Ahead of Time and all of my programs. 

That's the work that we're doing through this podcast. Before I continue with my rounds of applause and sharing with you some more accomplishments and amazing things that we've done this year, I want to encourage you to start sharing this podcast. Because I think that that is the next wave of really making this impact - is if we can start to share with other people the resources that are right here.

There is something that I talk about on this podcast sometimes it's called scarcity mindset. We think that if we get ahead, there's not enough room. There's not enough room for all of us at the top. But I want to tell you 'NO', we are living in an abundant world. There is room for more women in the C-suite. And not only is there room for more of us, but we can start getting there. The way that we're going to do it is to share what's working for us, to share my podcast with other listeners, and you can do that by literally just posting it on social media - who knows, might see it. If you see another corporate badass, if you meet somebody at a networking event, if there's a colleague at work that is challenged and seems like they would be great in a higher-level position, but they're not able to get themselves in there, then share with them what's working for you. This is the next wave of the process. 

When we start to get ourselves into those higher levels of influence and impact at our organizations, then we start giving back. This is why we do the work that we do. It's not just because we want the title, but it's because we really want to impact community. And that can start by sharing what you're learning and what's growing and what's working for you so far. 

Another thing I want to celebrate is that we took this work international. And by international, I mean Canada. And my mission is to double the number of women in the C-suite worldwide, and it starts with our homes, where I live, which is in California, in the United States. And this past year, over 30 percent of the participants inside of Executive Ahead of Time came to us from Canadian organizations. And the reason why I'm mentioning this is because as we start to spread this impact into other types of organizations, whether it's tech companies, health care, universities, nonprofits, we have women from all different types of industries and locations learning from each other because the challenges are always the same. 

It doesn't matter what type of company, what industry you work in. The challenges of what it's really going to take to navigate that political system to get yourself into that higher leadership position is universal across the board. So, we made our international presence known. And in 2022 - I tell you right now - my goal is to spread this message and this influence and my own personal impact even further. 

I would also like to recognize a few of the amazing promotion stories that happened this year inside of Executive Ahead of Time. There are three that really stand out to me. And one of them is from Cara. So, Cara received a skip level promotion, and what she did is she basically made her promotion pitch to her organization from her 3X'd vision. So instead of just thinking about her next promotion, she went for her next, next promotion. She actually made the case of what it was going to take for her to become a senior director, instead of a director, which would have been her next level. So a big round of applause for her. It worked, and now she is a complete corporate badass senior director. 

Another woman who I really want to recognize is Julie. Julie ended up receiving two promotions - one while she was inside of Executive Ahead of Time and one shortly after it. And I'd also like to say she is most likely my most valuable - Julie -so her story is that she was an individual contributor, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to be in an executive level position, but when she started Executive Ahead of Time, she realized that she was ready. She understood the value that she was going to bring in a leadership position. So not only did she get promoted into a manager role inside of Executive Ahead of Time, but a few months later she got a promotion into an even higher-level manager role and is now building out a team. I think she's building out her second phase of that team as I record this episode. So a big round of applause for Julie and the transformation that she has had and the impact that she's now making at her organization. 

And then another fantastic and amazing promotion story is from Kathryn. So, Kathryn was our fastest promotion this year. She joined Executive Ahead of Time, listened to Module One and showed up on her first coaching session with us, with the announcement that she had been promoted inside of one week of listening how to get herself out of the weeds. And you've heard me talk on this podcast about getting yourself out of the weeds is as much about communication and as it is time management. And when she started to communicate outside of the weeds and really show them, she was ready for this executive level position - a position that had been promised to her for two years now - she actually moved the needle on and got her promotion just one week after listening to the modules inside of Executive Ahead of Time. So big round for you Catherine - doing the work, putting in the time and making it happen for yourself. Super, super exciting. 

The other thing that we have done inside of the programs that I teach is we have Executive Ahead of Time, and it is the core foundational training modules. These are the rules of advancing into executive leadership. Now, the executive path that I coach women on starts with Executive Ahead of Time, this is my foundational training program that all women go through in order to continue working with me at the higher level. And this teaches them the skills of getting promoted into executive leadership, how to begin thinking and communicating like an executive leader. But that's just the beginning. So, we had almost 20 women go through my higher-level training programs in 2021. This is a huge and I don't mean to say that what we're doing in Executive Ahead of Time doesn't matter, but the work that we're doing inside of the Leadership Table and the Boardroom Masterminds. Holy cow. I tell my clients that when you get your foundation set, when you really understand and can get your head wrapped around where you're headed, what your 3X vision is, you start having those 15-minute ally meetings in your building trust all across your organization, that's when the good work can really, really get started. That's when we can start sharing our thought leadership with the rest of the world. 

So, I recently celebrated many of the corporate badasses inside of the Boardroom, which is my highest-level training program. And these women are just phenomenal. They have huge support from their organizations, their leadership is really getting recognized. And in this Doing It December series that I started just this month, I was able to really share with other people the leadership and the lessons and their wisdom of why they do what they do, why they deserve to have that, why they are motivated to have that voice at the table, why does it matter. And when we cannot only articulate that for ourselves, but share that vision with other people, the work can be so, so impactful. If you're somebody who's listening to this podcast and you have always dreamed of being a thought leader and really sharing your work on bigger stages, this is where you can go - once you get that foundation set, once you understand. And many of these women, they didn't wait to become thought leaders after they got promoted. The step is really to just understand what it takes and to start showing up as that executive ahead of time. That is why this work is so magical. I know that that is what I keep saying, but it is so, so, so, so true. So, I want to applaud some of the work that we're doing inside of the Leadership Table and the Boardroom. 

Now there are so many incredible women in this group, and one of them in particular who you have heard on this podcast before, and I'm always celebrating her - but it never, ever, ever goes without saying, and she never stops to amaze me - is Jennifer. Jennifer is just absolutely killing it. In January of 2021, she started her own podcast, to share her sales leadership with the world, and you should definitely check that out. I will link to it in the show notes. But now what she is doing is she's starting to be able to get pulled in to be on larger sales panels, to get pulled into higher level conversations at her organization. And she is going to be giving talks on stages in 2022, and she almost can't even believe it. She's like, 'Pinch me, what? What is happening here?' But once you're able to really step into the executive - the corporate badass that you always, always were - that's when you can start giving back to your greater community. 

I want to recognize the women in our group who are working in the biotech space - a much needed industry that needs to evolve and change after this global pandemic. And they are stepping into higher levels of leadership, giving talks to other outside organizations, and really stepping into making that impact so that they are not only driving the change at their organization socially, but also internally. And I want to acknowledge them: Kristi, Diane, Meli. I also want to acknowledge the women inside of our group that are continually striving to do more to pull themselves out of the weeds, to say yes to themselves, to continue to challenge themselves, to have higher level conversations, to continue working on their own mental health, to step into those higher performance levels of leadership. It is such a phenomenal opportunity to serve every single woman that both listens to this podcast, that joins my programs and then continues to want and desire to be on this mission, to really change organizations from the C-suite out. I applaud every single one of you. 

The other piece of the puzzle is this podcast, and I want to share with you a couple of the episodes that have really stood out and made changes so that you can go back and listen to some of those episodes if you missed anything along the way. So here are our three most popular episodes of 2021. The top three episodes were Episode 89: Five Things that Executive Leaders Do Differently Than You. Episode 81: Five Pieces of Career Advice You Should Avoid at All Costs; and Episode number 62: part of my Executive Essential series - How to Think Like an Executive Leader. So, if you haven't listened to those very popular episodes, make sure you go back and check them out. I'll link to everything in the show notes. 

Our three most popular interviews of 2021 were Episode Number 76: BS Business Speak - with two very dear friends of mine, Jill and Bob Wiltfong - amazing episode; and actually, a really fun and engaging book that you should check out and maybe put on your holiday list. And then Episode 90: How to Stop Overthinking and Trust Yourself with Melody Wilding. This was actually a mantra of mine in 2021 - where I would consistently whenever I felt nervous or anxious. I would literally put my hand on my heart and say, 'Trust myself, trust, trust, trust me.' And so, if you have not heard that episode, definitely go back and listen to it. Melody is a fellow author that I met in 2021 as well, and so she has a really phenomenal book that you should also add to your reading list. And then Episode Number 86: Case Studies from 3 Corporate Badasses on How They Became the Executive Ahead of Time. And I know it's really fantastic to listen to other people and their own journey and how they have used the tools that I teach inside of this program. So go back to episode 86 and listen to the women they are absolutely phenomenal leaders and change makers in their space. So, for sure, check that out. 

I also added some amazing women to my team. I hired an executive assistant this year, which was a huge accomplishment for me. Her name is Amy; and I also sort of promoted Marie, who has been working with me a little while on my marketing and my content that I put out into the world, and she edited and helped me with my book tremendously. So, I want to give a special, special thank you to Marie for all of the amazing work that she did to make sure that my book actually came out in 2021. 

And that leaves me with the last big accomplishment from 2021. And basically, it is something that I worked on since day one of 2021 and that was putting Promotions Made Easy: A Step-by-Step Guide to the Executive Suite out into the world. And it came out on November 30th and the reception that I have received is just beyond my wildest imagination. I can't begin to tell you - not only how grateful I am - but it also just really lets me know that the work that we're doing as executive leaders, really stepping up ourselves, stepping up our own game to show up as that executive and really start to challenge ourselves to make that level of impact that we want to be making. It really shows me that this is so, so, so needed and desired. And the women who have read this book so far - amazing Amazon reviews - we jumped to number one Amazon bestseller in 24 hours. We were listed as an Amazon hot new release during launch week. 

And the other thing is, I want to give myself a big round of applause for making this book happen. If you have never written a book, if you have written a book, you know that it is not easy; and I am looking at the corporate badasses inside of the higher-level programs in particular. And I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, they have a book in them'. It is right around the corner. And you're going to see so much more of them in 2022 as they start to put their thought leadership out there. 

It starts with the December Doing It series that I'm offering - I plan to offer many more outlets for these women to be able to really shine on the stage. And why is that so important? It's not just because it feels good to get up and get in front of people and share your ideas. But it's important because when you start to show up as that powerful role model, when you show up as that executive leader that you don't have -   many of you don't have people to emulate - these amazing corporate badasses. You see a lot of different people at your organization, than the leader that you want to be. And so, it's so important for us to really step onto that public stage and to show other women what is possible - what is possible when we just land that next promotion. So, if you're a senior director and you want to become a vice president, let's frickin' get it over with because you have way more work to do at your organization in the C-suite. So, we need to get that next promotion out of the way, so that we can start to move into the impact that we really, really want to be making.

So, I encourage everyone to spread this mission, to share about my book Promotions Made Easy, to give it to a friend. Definitely put it on your holiday reading list to share it with a woman you know that needs to get herself into that higher level leadership position. I encourage you to continue sharing this podcast. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And I encourage you to say 'yes'. Your organization needs you more at the C-suite than you need them. 2022 is your year to say 'yes' to say 'I am ready'. I am ready to find the tools not only to get myself promoted, not only to show my organization the value that I already bring so that they can start paying me for that value instead of just telling me how great I am all the time; but also, to really start to change your organization from the C-suite out.

I want to challenge you to do that. I know you're on board with this mission. If this resonates with you, send me a note. I love to hear from everybody, and I always reply to all of the emails myself. I am so, so, so grateful for you. Thank you for an amazing 2022, and really, I am. I just - I don't even know. I don't know what's going to happen, but it's going to be good. Take care and have a wonderful holiday. Bye.