Stacy Mayer: Hello, everyone! Welcome to another episode of Maximize Your Career with Stacy Mayer.

I am super excited to be here with you guys today because today I get to celebrate three of my clients.

These are extraordinary corporate managers who came to me, some of them a year ago, and one of them even just three months ago. And we've been working together to just make them even more extraordinary.

Now, when I talk about taking yourself to the next level, you are going to learn everything about what that means in today's interview.

Each of these clients, I started to notice in our recent coaching sessions, that they sounded different. The questions that they were asking in my coaching sessions were different. The way that they were showing up was different.

Now, I use this word different and you might be listening to this and say: 'Well, what does different mean?' And I thought, well, rather than try and explain that to you, why don't we just hear it from them directly?

So today's episode is meant to celebrate each and every one of them, but to also hear from their experiences about how they have actually gone through this transformation of leadership and really stepped up their leadership to that next level. Like, what are the actual actions and steps that they took to get there? So I'm super excited about this. And I just I know that you guys are going to love it. So let's just dive right in.

First of all, let's let's start with Sara. Sara, why don't you introduce yourself.

Sara Day: Hey, guys, I'm Sara. I'm a senior public relations manager at a high growth software company.

Stacy Mayer: Excellent. Thank you so much for being here, Sara. So why don't we just start out with: how are you defining success in terms of leadership these days?

Sara Day: Yeah. So a little bit about my journey. I've always been that Type-A, really strong performer, self starter, and I'm at that point in my career where I'm starting to bump up against that next level, and I'm realizing that, as I move forward, I can't own and do everything myself. I have to really rely on the team and trust folks.

And this really requires, I started to learn, a lot better self-awareness and emotional intelligence. And so one of the things I've been working, as you know, Stacy, is really just recognizing where I'm at, how I'm feeling, what I need, as well as those same questions are about the people around me.

And so success for me right now is being aware. It's aware when I'm like, I'm tired. This is not the right time for me to do this big, crazy project before I send an email. It's being aware of how other people might be feeling in meetings and recognizing that there might be kind of unspoken conversations happening or unspoken dynamics going on. And just being aware that sometimes it's not about me. Really stepping back and trying to see the big picture.

Stacy Mayer: Oh, my gosh. I love this. We're going to unpack basically everything that you just said.

So one of the things, and I wonder if you might be willing to share this. So really early on, not early on necessarily in our coaching, but when covid hit in March, there was a very specific incident that I feel like for you was pretty instrumental to you understanding that you didn't have to do everything. And then also in creating that awareness and knowing yourself and what you could take on and what you couldn't take on. Do you remember what I'm talking about?

Sara Day: Remind me.

Stacy Mayer: So it was basically when you took time off. So Covid, it seems like stuff's hitting the fan, right? Everybody needs everybody's help. And you took some time for yourself.

Sara Day: Yeah. Thank you for that reminder. And it it was really hard. So if you think about where we're at and covid, I do corporate public relations. It's my job to do crisis communications. Our product happens to also support use cases supporting covid. And so we were working 20 hour days, we were working weekends. It was bananas. And my child care had fallen through. We were out of daycare just like a lot of other parents trying to figure out how we're going to watch kids. And I can't be a point where I was like: 'I need a break.'.

I just told my boss on a Wednesday, I think I said: 'I need next week off. Can you guys make it happen?' And it was so hard. I live with guilt of like: 'I'm going to put this work on my team, I don't want to do that.' But they gave me the time. They were super supportive. I spent time with my kids. I went on hikes. I had time to get a little bit of space. I talked to Stacy. And I was able to come back and say like: 'Here's what I've been thinking about, OK? These are the things that matter.'

These are the things I should be leaning into and focusing on. And there were a lot of things I didn't think about on vacation. And it was like so much of what I was worried about, staying up late, working were the things that didn't matter. And it just required a shift. It was just a quick like: 'I'm OK, not doing those things anymore. If they need to get done, we'll figure it out another way. But I need to be focused on this bigger, more important area.'

Stacy Mayer: OK, so then what happened? So you were able to get perspective, figure out what to focus on and what really mattered. You come back to work. What was the feedback that you received?

Sara Day: They were proud of me for taking time off. I literally got a kudo's and an all hands meeting for being the person who was like... I was kind of taken aback because that was not what I was feeling. I was mentioning emotional intelligence of like: What I'm feeling is what everyone else is feeling. And in this instance, the company was really worried about everyone feeling the way I was feeling. And they wanted to recognize the fact that I recognized what I needed. I raised my hand. I was aware enough to say I need a break. I took it. And so it ended up being self-fulfilling, I think. Because I was motivated to figure out what else do I need? How else do I raise my hand for what I need and want to be successful?

Stacy Mayer: Yeah, exactly. And it's so incredible to really see that play out because we go from receiving the feedback that we need to learn how to prioritize. You'll receive feedback from your boss that you need to learn how to delegate. Or if you expect to move up into executive leadership positions, these are skills that you'll have to do. But yet, we feel like if we actually start to do that, that we're going to be dinged for it. And instead, you showed them that I know how to prioritize. And you still got all your work done, right? That's the beauty of it. You're a hard worker.

Sara Day: Yeah. And I think about a few things when I came back that shifted were, I got comfortable delegating really quick. I realized I was not going to be able to burn the candle like my kids and my husband needed me to be better at delegating. And that was all the motivation I needed. And so that shift kind of helped me let go and be OK not doing it myself. And then I started to have fun engaging in higher level conversations when I wasn't mired in the detail as much. And when I got into those higher level conversations, I'm building on here, I really focused on listening. So that was another area of the awareness and the emotional intelligence that I was building on is a great way to start building awareness is just to listen. Close your mouth. And as I got into some of these more strategic conversations it was about: let me just pause and absorb. I'm used to having the answers and knowing what to do. And in this situation, I'm going to listen and see where the conversation goes. And, of course, give my perspective. But it's been fun. It's been kind of a breath of fresh air in my career where I went from feeling overwhelmed and tired and underappreciated to even though it's just as busy, if not busier, I'm feeling energized. I'm feeling creative. I'm happy. I have a better relationship with my boss. And I'm even closer, I think, to bumping up to that next level, which is really exciting.

Stacy Mayer: Exactly. Let's talk about that for a second. So, closer to bumping up to that next level and title. That's one thing. But you're also, already, bumping up to that next level in being called into bigger meetings, right? Like being called in and being the point person for certain projects already.

Sara Day: Yeah, absolutely. And whether it's planning for next year and talking about how many people we need to hire and what's the resource allocation going to look like. Getting invited to that meeting as the most junior person in the room was really just so interesting and so eye opening. There's a new level of trust from my boss. Where she used to kind of hover, she now trusts that, #1: I'm not overwhelmed anymore. And so she doesn't have to worry about managing my time. She knows that I'm on it.

Stacy Mayer: Yeah, for sure. I can imagine as a leader, that's not the most fun to thing to do is to have to manage your employees times. That's fantastic.

Sara Day: I want to do well and I work hard and that manifests itself as overwhelm which needs to be managed. Whereas if I can self-regulate and raise my hand for what I need, I have that awareness. There's more trust there.

Stacy Mayer: Yeah. One of the things that I noticed about you, is that when I first met you, you were very much having fun too. You used the word fun. You love working hard. You actually love digging in, doing the press releases. You don't mind doing the work. And you call that fun. And it was fun for you. But I think what you realized is that it doesn't scale. And as you continue to move up and you take on more and more fun, at some point you can't keep doing it. And so it's a combination of being able to regulate yourself, but to also show the executives and your boss and her boss that you're able to scale. That you're able to lead at that higher level. And I think that's really what you've been able to accomplish over the last year.

Sara Day: Totally, totally, and for me, I tend to get energized by taking on new things, learning new things. The worst nightmare for me is the same day every day. And so, as you just said, as I get to kind of open up new conversations and get invited to new meetings and take on new stretch roles, it's way more fun, it's way more exciting, and it makes it easier to let go, to delegate, to give someone else a chance to master a skill that I've already mastered.

Stacy Mayer: Yeah. So speaking of delegate, you actually don't have a gigantic team of direct reports. So I want to make sure that everybody knows this. When she's learning how to delegate. I think she has... Do you have one direct report?

Sara Day: Yeah, I have one direction report and I work with a couple of PR agencies. And then we have an extended comms team. So my peers, sometimes it's managing up. Sometimes I have to say: 'Hey, boss, can you jump in on a conversation for me?' But yeah, the majority of the delegation I've been talking about is to my one direct rapport as well as my outside support.

Stacy Mayer: Yeah, absolutely. So you're not being limited by the structure and the limitations of your of your current role. So many people, they wait until they get that big team to learn the skills like this. And it's like, we can't do that. We just have to find a way to get resourceful now.

So what's next for you? Sara, do you feel like any big growth opportunities? What are you excited about learning over the next year? Where do you see yourself going?

Sara Day: So we're talking about next year and we're making an ask for me to hire four more people. We may not get them all, but the thought of that is crazy. But super exciting. And just the ability to do more as a public relations team.  I feel like we're leaving so many opportunities on the table today that we're going to get to go bigger and better next year. Just the thought that there's energy around adding resources is really powerful. And I know that that will enable me to continue adding more value at a at a higher level for my company.

Stacy Mayer: I want to point this out. So I would like the listeners to think about this for a second. So you are a person... I'm not necessarily talking about Sara. I'm talking about in general. If you're a person that your boss sees you as somebody that doesn't know how to prioritize, that doesn't know how to delegate properly, that feels a little bit overwhelmed, and you have one direct report. You might think that your boss is looking at you and saying, let's see if we can get Sara or whoever you are, more direct reports. That's actually not the case. The reason that you're even being considered for four direct reports right now, is because you have pulled yourself out of it. So they trust that you can manage a team at a higher level. And so I want everybody to really understand that difference. Does that make sense. Sara's nodding her head.

Sara Day: Yeah, totally makes sense. A year ago, they would have said, Sara, we have a big thing coming down the pike, we need to lead it. And I would have been like: 'I'm hyperventilating. OK, I can do this. I'm so stressed. I have to get this plan and this document written.' And now it's like: 'Yeah, that's going to be so powerful for our company. I can't wait to take that on. Maybe the 1:1 I'm like: 'I'm thinking this person should help out. Do you agree?' But it allows you to just go in with more of an open mind can-do mindset knowing that you'll figure out the details together.

Stacy Mayer: Awesome. I applaud you, Sara. Thank you so much for being on today. We'll come back to you in a little bit, but thank you for sharing all of your wisdom. I really appreciate it.

Stacy Mayer: All right, next up, we have Eric Eric, why don't you introduce yourself.

Eric Miranda: Hi, I'm Eric, I work for a technology services company in the Bay Area and I'm the lead executive IT support.

Stacy Mayer: Excellent. Well, thank you so much, Eric. Eric has actually had a really interesting shift happen in his particular role where he had to take on, sort of an informal interim role as his boss went out on maternity leave. So when he started coaching with me, he actually was literally stepping into a larger leadership role. But it's that funny thing called interim, which means that you have to basically do two roles at the same time. So he's not able to really let go of anything. But then he has to lead at this higher level. And Eric has just been such a master over the last few months of figuring out and really leaning in to something that he had just never done before on this higher leadership level. So can you tell us, Eric, how you're defining success for yourself today and what that looks like? And and then we'll keep going from there?

Eric Miranda: Yeah. So I think for me, it was essentially, success would have been really not failing at filling in the role while my manager was out on maternity leave. And I think some of the things that are really needed to focus on were developing my communication skills and and understanding how to be a better and more efficient communicator. Because when I had to lead the daily team meetings or communicate with our executive customers or report with our senior executives on updates, it really meant how to efficiently communicate and get the message across and also be seen as a as a leader.

Stacy Mayer: So in terms of communication, what was something that you changed in terms of leading these meetings? Well, first of all, you changed because you were actually leading the meetings instead of your boss. So that's a big shift. Now you have to lead the meetings. But you knew that you couldn't just lead them as if she was out one day. You had to do something different. So what did you actually do?

Eric Miranda: So I had to put myself in her shoes and really prepare for every meeting, conversation, any communication that I had to give a message. And that meant working, understanding how to work with my teammates better and how to communicate with them on a more personal level. Like before the meetings, I would I would reach out to them beforehand and ask for their feedback or their opinions on on a particular issue or problem we were having. And they were more than willing to to offer their suggestions. And then when we came back to the meeting, it became more of a collaborative effort to problem solve. And that engaged the rest of the teammates to sort of pitch in. And so it wasn't me actually leading the discussions as much, but it was more facilitating that the conversations.

Stacy Mayer: Did you realize that some of those skills, and of course even when your boss starts to come back, are skills that you can keep? It's not just because you were leading the meeting. It sounds like these are just leadership traits that you can continue to do.

Eric Miranda: Yeah, absolutely. I think we were doing a brainstorm and figure out what my values were. The things that came up were collaborative and and compassionate and really wanting to include the opinions of my teammates. And I think I really needed to do that. Because when I wasn't an actual manager of the team, I still had to lead, but still work with my teammates who also wanted to help and and contribute to the team. So it really had to be a collaborative effort. And I think I can definitely take that to the next level of leadership and management.

Stacy Mayer: So you mentioned this idea of value. So Eric was actually referring to an exercise that we did in coaching where we talked about his core values and really what it meant to him and his leadership. And I think that as we're we're pushed into something that we've never done before and we're really, there's a lot of things to be afraid of. There's a lot of skills that we've never used, that we've never had to do. And when you can look at those two core values of collaboration and compassion, that's been with you your whole life. That has been with you your entire career. You know how to be collaborative and you know how to be compassionate. And so, yes, you stepped into your boss's shoes and you said, what would she do? But really, I think you stepped in to what would Eric do? Would you agree?

Eric Miranda: Yeah. I had to find my own unique leadership style and and figure out what was the best way for me to do it. My manager may have had a different approach, but I had to do what would work for me and felt natural. And also just in general, the communication wasn't my strength. I think by nature of being in tech and sort of an engineering side, I'm more introverted. So I had to sort of get past that and and find out what were some of the skills that I naturally had that could make me help me become successful.

Stacy Mayer: Oh, nice. I love it. We definitely need more introverted leaders at the top for sure. This is not a time to stay back.

So any reactions from leadership? Anything that surprised you, like feedback from your boss along the way or feedback from others as you continued to step into this higher level leadership role?

Eric Miranda: Yeah. Occasionally I would still communicate with my manager and just to keep her in the loop on certain things, and she definitely gave me some feedback.

One of the things I think that was probably the most positive experience was actually recently. I had received an email from one of the senior leaders in the organization. And I haven't really talked to them or interfaced with them much, but he was responding to some of the work I did and a solution I came up with. And he basically said that I was a rock star. And it was the best thing that ever received from a senior manager in it. It drove me to continue to work hard. And even though, like I said, I was working two roles, my regular job as a tech and also taking over as lead, it encouraged me to to continue and help me understand that I'm on the right path.

Stacy Mayer: Yeah. So speaking of on the right path, what do you feel like is the next level of growth for you? What are you working on now?

Eric Miranda: I would love to continue to keep being in this sort of interim leadership role. My manager actually has come back and I think I think she's seeing some change, hopefully some significant change in how I've sort of shown up to work and taking over as lead of the team. And I do it with excitement and encouragement. And I'd love to continue doing that and stay in this role and hopefully they'll  opportunities for me to to to grow.

Stacy Mayer: So I just want to recap here a little bit. When you started out taking on this level of responsibility, your goal was not to fail. Right? Like answer the emails and in a timely manner. Make sure that nothing kind of falls through the cracks. Like things like that. What do you feel like your goal morphed into, especially I think through coaching and what you realized about yourself, what you were actually trying to accomplish over this time?

Eric Miranda: I think it became more of problem solving. Where I started in just making sure the day to day operations didn't fall apart to more like, really paying attention to the messages and communications that the senior manager or senior managers were sharing with us and understanding how I can possibly contribute and help with with some of those problems or issues that were coming up. So it became more broad in scope to to not just really focus on what I was doing with with the team, but also paying attention to, you know, what was happening outside of outside of the team and how we can grow as a as a team.

Stacy Mayer: So what I'm hearing is with the way you describe problem solving is that it was very reactive. It's like sort of like putting out solving some problems. People ask you to do something, you react to it, and then you transformed that into being proactive. Looking for solutions. Thinking outside of the box, having a broader perspective. Is that true?

Eric Miranda: Yeah, absolutely. There was a couple of changes in the technology that we were supporting that we had to we had to support with our customers. Let me think about my response. Can you clarify the question a little bit more.

Stacy Mayer: Yeah, I was just thinking about, like, moving from being reactive. Like, I just want to do a good job and not fail, versus like being proactive because you sound like you got really solution-oriented and really anticipating problems versus just waiting for the problem to happen.

Eric Miranda: Right. Yeah, I think as I worked more with my team and and we came up with solutions to the day to day problems, I felt that I needed to engage the team and engage management more to sort of address the bigger issues that we were seeing.

Stacy Mayer: I see. So it's not all about you. You became that collaborative leader, right? It's like, let's bring everybody in here. I don't have to have all the answers.

Eric Miranda: Absolutely.

Stacy Mayer: Oh, that's awesome.

Eric Miranda: And taking feedback from our customers, too, and sharing their concerns as well with management and making sure that everyone from the senior management role and also our customers were engaged and on the same page with what needs to be done.

Stacy Mayer: Awesome. Well, one of the biggest things that I try and tell people is that it doesn't matter how well you lead when you're in this interim role. What matters is what happens when the interim role is over. And so I've been telling Eric this. I can't wait for your boss to get back. Because that's when you're really going to see how this leadership has changed. That's when you're going to see how you've stepped up this game. And I know she's been coming back the last couple of weeks. And I think this next this next level is really going to show you how you've really transformed as a leader. Because I can see it. And now we just need to get other people to see that as well. So congratulations.

Eric Miranda: Thank you.

Stacy Mayer: And Meli. Hi! Welcome. So glad to have you here.

Meli Gallup: Hi Stacey, hi all.

Stacy Mayer: So go ahead and introduce yourself.

Meli Gallup: I'm Meli. I'm currently leading a science and technology group in one of the biopharmaceutical company in the Bay Area.

Stacy Mayer: Excellent. Well, I'm super excited to have you with us today. So why don't you tell us how you're defining success in leadership now?

Meli Gallup: Yes. As I'm thinking about success and leadership nowadays, I think about it as how I positively influence those around me. So that could mean that whether it's my team or my peers or my boss or even just a broader things, and it's actually a shift from how I would have thought about what leadership has been about a couple of years ago. And I think as I'm growing into it, I realized that the leadership is really about how I can make a positive impact.

Stacy Mayer: This is huge. So I feel like when I first met you, you would define your success as a leader of your team, as: 'did I do a good job. Like did we actually hit our marks. It's like, basically, did I do my job?' And now you're talking more about: 'Did I have a positive influence on those around me?'.

That is a shift, right? That is a big difference in perspective. Can you tell us how you actually know and what you gauge in terms of having a positive influence on your team, on the organization, like whatever that looks like for you?

Meli Gallup: Yeah. And that that certainly, as you mentioned, Stacy, is a big shift on me. Because I come from a technical engineering background and typically it has a start and an end. And I'm also, as an individual, very goal oriented. So it's always very satisfying to just check the box. That I'm there. I complete my task. And then task completion or project completion equals success. And that's probably how I would have thought about it about a year or two ago. And then as we're starting this journey with the leadership, I started to realize that often it really doesn't matter about what tasks you complete, but how you do it is actually what matters more. Because you could have this most amazing projects that you complete on time, on budget, on schedule or even early, but if you're leaving all of the dead bodies along the way, that's also not good. I think that's probably when I started to realize that and started making the shift that it's not just about whether myself leading complete an objective, but also how can I help the team and motivate the team and then all around me so that we could have the journey together and then go to the destination together, and that's start evolving from there to where I think about the leadership success nowadays.

Stacy Mayer: Oh, that's awesome. I love it. I could totally see that transformation happen within you. It's really, really exciting. And like I was talking about at the beginning of this episode and just watching each one of you and the questions that you ask me now in coaching, the the way that you show up, the problems you're trying to solve, is just way at a higher level than it was before. So anything that surprised you along the way, either about your own leadership or reactions from others in the executive team or anything like that along the way?

Meli Gallup: Yeah. I think what surprised me more is as I was going through the transformation, I also have the desire to stop the boundary and then help the team. And often I feel that I'm overthinking that because I want everybody else around me to be successful, too. And I remember that there has been many discussions because I wanted to go on a vacations or take some time off, or maybe want to do something else where I had some discussion with you Stacy, and then you were like, what's wrong with just go? And I think similar to what Sara had previously mentioned and I have been pleasantly surprised with some of those when I come back and my team sort of like: 'I think we're fine because you have set us up.'.

I'll tell you two examples that happened within the past year. The first one was when I went on vacation. It was a three weeks vacation. I came back and I was totally expecting that maybe I have to work more hours or things like that. But it turns out that the other leaders were actually came and say: 'Hey, when you were away, I heard a lot about positive thing that your team did. Can you actually come to my staff meeting and share what your learnings and your experience is?' I was pleasantly surprised about that.

And I think another example was more recently, I have been helping to sponsor an initiative within my team in where we are trying to experiment with what we call a self-directed team. And this was a transformative initiative that I thought would be good for the team to help with the engagement. And after six months of this journey at the close out of it, the team is very excited about what they've done and they actually requested an opportunity to share with a broader leadership and executive team on their journey and then to share that. So I was pretty proud of them and and excited about that at the same time.

Stacy Mayer: Oh, that's huge. That's really exciting. And I remember, too, we actually set the goal and before that first vacation that you were talking about, and it was like: 'What do you what would you love to have happen while you're out?'.

And you were like, well: 'I would love to have my team step up, but, I mean, who knows? I'm probably just going to put in the extra hours when we got back.'

But we actually created a plan and you actively created that for yourself. So you gave them permission to step up while you were out. You showed them the way. And that's what you're doing with your team now, is really showing them that this what we're working on in our group is unique and the entire organization could learn from the way that we're solving this problem.

I mean, that's leadership. That's excellent.

Meli Gallup: Yeah. And I think one of the things that I notice, too, is that the more I'm doing that the more I'm enjoying that. And that's going back to what I said at the beginning. That I started noticing this positive impacts for people and the team members around me. And it becomes very addicting to myself. That is like: 'Oh, I want to do more of those. How can I make a bigger impact on contribution for some of those?'

Stacy Mayer: Oh, that's huge. Yeah, we get to enjoy our work more and we get to really just feel inspired by it. And all of that great time. We're going to put in these hours and work so hard. It's great to have. So what's next for you? What do you feel like is your next level of growth and learning?

Meli Gallup: Yes, the biopharmaceutical company that I work with is an international company, so I work in their local site. So I think what I'm hoping is I can take this on to the next step by influencing a broader unit. So instead of just a local sites, I'm hoping to make an impact at the global level.

Stacy Mayer: Yeah, let's bring it on. Oh, that's awesome. Anything else you want to add, Meli?

Meli Gallup: I just want to say that I think a lot of our discussions really open up a different perspective and angle, and I think I did not realize how stubborn I am until we go through the journey that sometimes you can have your mind set about: This is what it means. And then I think a lot of our discussions really helped open up that there are different views, there are different lense, there are different ways of thinking it. And then it opens up the possibility.

Stacy Mayer: Yeah. And I want to commend you for that. You used the word stubborn and this is really funny. So this is a little bit of an insight into coaching. But I think it's so valuable to have other people call you on certain things. And so I've definitely probably used that word with you in coaching. And it really opens up possibility. It's like: Oh, because we get so tunnel vision and so fixed in our own world and how to solve these problems that when we can just have that outside perspective in that person to just say, hey, let's look at it this way, can you take this perspective? It just makes such a huge difference. So thank you for your willingness.

That's awesome. I'm so excited. Well, let's let's finish up here. I want to go back to each of my clients who came on today and again, check in with them and see if they have any words of wisdom for you, the listener. Anybody who's listening and feels stuck in their career, wants to make it to that next level, really isn't quite sure what to do next. So, let's let's go back to Sara here and see if you have anything that you want to share with our audience as a final words of wisdom.

Sara Day: Yeah, I think there's two things. Listening is super powerful. I'm a talker. And so just the ability to stay quiet and try and listen, to understand what the other person is going through, getting at. I think the other thing, which is really more situational right now, is the practical health care stuff. Make your bed, take a shower, create that routine or that space for yourself that are going to make you feel good and put you in a leadership mindset. No one's going to carve out that time for you. And right now, especially those of us with kids, we're sheltering in place, it's especially crazy. And it's especially important that we take care of ourselves, fill up our cup, so we can take care of our team.

Stacy Mayer: Oh, I love it. Sara, I'm sorry. I'm just going to add one more thing. Got a call from Sara last week. She's like: 'Oh, I actually have space in my calendar for the first time.' It's like: 'What do I do?' And so when we start to carve this space out for ourselves, we can think at that higher level. So love you. Sara, thank you for all your hard work and thank you for sharing your wisdom with us today.

Sara Day: Thank you and you're very welcome.

Stacy Mayer: All right, Eric, any words of wisdom to somebody trying to get ahead in their career and what they need to do next?

Eric Miranda: Absolutely. I think for me, I found the importance of observing and valuing and evaluating how others and handle situations and working through problem solving. So whether it's my teammates or peers, whether it's management or executives in our company, I feel like I've learned and really paid attention to how they make decisions and problem solve. And I think that has helped me become a better leader and make better decisions.

Yeah, but you've been meeting them where they're at, right? Like meeting those executives instead of, like, trying to push your agenda. It's like: 'OK, what is it that they need and how do they need to hear it?'

Stacy Mayer: Absolutely. That's huge. Yes. Thank you so much, Eric, for being on here and I can't wait to see what happens next for you. I'm super excited. It's like a cliffhanger for all of these. Awesome. Thank you.

Stacy Mayer: And Meli, any final words of wisdom that you'd like to share with our audience today?

Meli Gallup: Let me think. I think similar to what I said about not being stubborn is really around being open on what the possibility is. And being a good listener, because sometimes whether you realize it or not, you are your own limitation and the possibility is always out there. It's just a matter of whether we're ready or not to open up to that.

Stacy Mayer: Listening, listening and listening. That seems to be our theme for today. Thank you. Thank you so much. That's fantastic.

Well, again, I applaud all of you and just really taking an initiative, taking not only your career, but the ability to lead at that higher level in your own hands. This doesn't go lightly. Not everybody is able to do this. And so I am a better coach because of each and every one of you. So thank you for being here today.

Meli Gallup: Ok, thanks, Stacey.

Eric Miranda: Thank you.