Influence at Work: Unlocking the Secrets to Career Growth | Career | Presented by MasterClass

Now on Spotify Video! Are you struggling to move up in your career, get noticed in the workplace, or find the right opportunities for success? Without influence, professionals risk being overlooked and stuck in their careers, no matter how hard they work. In this episode, presented by MasterClass, Hala Taha reveals how to build influence at work and accelerate career development. You’ll hear insights from experts like Chris Voss, Tori Dunlap, and Ken Coleman on becoming memorable and indispensable in the workplace. In this episode, Hala will discuss: (00:00) Introduction (01:38) How to Stand Out from Day One in the Workplace (06:03) Building Confidence and Likeability at Work (15:43) Communicating Like a Leader for Success (24:32) Embracing Feedback for Career Development (27:14) Knowing When and Where to Move in Your Career MasterClass offers a world-class online learning experience with unlimited access to thousands of bite-sized lessons designed to sharpen your career, leadership skills, and more. Discover how corporate America’s most powerful executives really rise to the top in a new series on MasterClass: The Power Playbook: How to Win at Work by Stanford Professor, Jeffrey Pfeffer. Sign up today and get an additional 15% off any annual membership at MasterClass.com/PROFITING. Sponsored By: MasterClass: Get an additional 15% off any annual membership at MasterClass.com/PROFITING⁠ Resources Mentioned: YAP E305 with Patrick Lencioni: youngandprofiting.co/WorkingGeniuses YAP E245 with Tori Dunlap: youngandprofiting.co/FinancialFreedom YAP E164 with Stacey Vanek Smith: youngandprofiting.co/MachiavelliWorkplace YAP E194 with Michelle Lederman: youngandprofiting.co/GrowUrInfluence YAP E321 with Yasir Khan: youngandprofiting.co/SpeakLikeCEO YAP E330 with Matt Abrahams: youngandprofiting.co/SpontaneousSpeaking YAP Live with Derrick Kinney: youngandprofiting.co/GoodMoneyRevolution YAP E144 with Chris Voss: youngandprofiting.co/AdvancedNegotiation YAP E227 with Kim Scott: youngandprofiting.co/RadicalCandor YAP E90 with Tim Salau: youngandprofiting.co/AmericanDream YAP E296 with Ken Coleman: youngandprofiting.co/ClearYourPurpose YAP E174 with Julie Solomon: youngandprofiting.co/GrowYourBrand Active Deals - youngandprofiting.com/deals Key YAP Links Reviews - ratethispodcast.com/yap YouTube - youtube.com/c/YoungandProfiting LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/htaha/ Instagram - instagram.com/yapwithhala/ Social + Podcast Services: yapmedia.com Transcripts - youngandprofiting.com/episodes-new Disclaimer: This episode is a paid partnership with MasterClass. Sponsored content helps support our podcast and continue bringing valuable insights to our audience. Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship Podcast, Business, Business Podcast, Self Improvement, Self-Improvement, Personal Development, Starting a Business, Strategy, Investing, Sales, Selling, Psychology, Productivity, Entrepreneurs, AI, Artificial Intelligence, Technology, Marketing, Negotiation, Money, Finance, Side Hustle, Startup, Mental Health, Career, Leadership, Mindset, Health, Growth Mindset, Business Ideas, Growth Hacks, Money Management, Career Podcast

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Hala Taha?

  Hey, young improffiders. Do you want to get promoted, close more deals, or be the one that others actually listen to in meetings? Welcome to a special episode of Young Improvoting, sponsored by MasterClass. You'll hear powerful insights from top experts like Chris Voss, Kim Scott, Patrick Lencioni, Tori Dunlap, and Ken Coleman.

• 0:17Speaker 01

  What do you do if you disagree with your boss's feedback?

• 0:20Speaker 02

  There are certain things in life every CEO, every leader has to do all of them a little bit.

• 0:25Speaker 03

  What you say is what is reflected about your business. It's not just what you say, but how you say it.

• 0:33Hala Taha?

  We'll talk about how to find your role, communicate with confidence, increase your likability, ask for meaningful feedback, strengthen your relationships, promote yourself, and so much more. All right, the climb starts now, so let's get going.

• 0:48Hala Taha?

  Hey, young improffiders. Do you want to get promoted, close more deals, or be the one that others actually listen to in meetings? Because let's be honest, influence isn't about being the loudest voice in the room. It's about being strategic, memorable, and indispensable. Welcome to a special episode of Young Improvoting, sponsored by MasterClass. Today, we're breaking down how to build influence at work from every angle. We'll talk about how to find your role, communicate with confidence, increase your likability, ask for meaningful feedback, strengthen your relationships, promote yourself, and so much more. You'll hear powerful insights from top experts like Chris Voss, Kim Scott, Patrick Lencioni, Tori Dunlap, and Ken Coleman. By the way, Chris Voss and Kim Scott also have classes on MasterClass that you can check out.

• 1:32Hala Taha?

  All right, yap, bam, the climb starts now, so let's get it.

• 1:39Hala Taha?

  If you want to grow fast, get noticed, and become indispensable at work, it starts on day one. And it's not just about what you believe, it's about what you do. Whether you're in sales, operations, or middle management, the most influential employees treat their jobs like a business. The ones who act like business owners, who find ways to grow revenue, reduce friction, and solve problems, stand out fast. Derek Kinney, a financial educator and the host of the Good Money Podcast, gave me some great pointers on how you can become the go-to person that your company can't live without.

• 2:10Speaker 04

  I want to make sure that you are the person to stand out where there's opportunities. When there's a challenge that comes up, they call on you as the go-to person. And it's all about a mentality that I think you want to lay the moment you get to the office and say, "Look, I want to be here long-term. I want to think like an entrepreneur. How can I help you grow this business?" And I will tell you, if an employee says that to me, that's gold. That is absolute gold because you stand out and we know that that person wants to add more value and they're likely going to be making more money as well.

• 2:45Hala Taha?

  And not to mention, if you work for a small startup, you're setting up yourself to eventually get equity in that company. I mean, I can, like, I'm looking at my two top employees and they're getting equity in my company because they helped me grow the business. And when you act like an entrepreneur, even when you're employee, especially in a startup environment, you open yourself up to those types of opportunities.

• 3:06Speaker 04

  That's exactly right. And I think right now, employees have a very unique opportunity. So they can choose to stay mentally on this path of, "Look, I'm just an employee. I show up at the office, I do my work and I leave, and you're probably going to get paid exactly what you're getting paid right now, maybe 3% more this year." Or you can say, "You know what? I'm going to go out on faith. I'm going to say, take what Hall and Derek talked about, and I'm going to apply these principles and let's just test it." There's literally no risk to you to put a list together of, "Here's ways I have found to help grow this business or this part of the company." Your odds are going to walk out of that meeting with either an idea

• 3:49Speaker 04

  for three months from now, if you do these things, you'll get a raise. You might get a raise on the spot, but you'll be valued as someone who's a team player and someone who wants to help grow this business. And that's what people want as a big decommoditizer for employees right now.

• 4:05Hala Taha?

  Once you start thinking like an entrepreneur and a true team player, the next step is knowing exactly how you add value. The most successful people don't just take the initiative. They align it with their strengths. They know what fuels them and what drains them. And here's a trap that most high achievers fall into. They think that they have to be great at everything, but you don't. Patrick Lencioni, leadership expert and the founder of The Table Group, says one of the most powerful mindset shifts is letting go of the need to master it all and instead lean into the work that truly energizes you.

• 4:36Speaker 02

  Sometimes because of the way we're raised. Um, we have this desire to achieve. I had this growing up and, and I was, I was actually really good at the things I was, I hated.

• 4:49Hala Taha?

  Hmm.

• 4:50Speaker 02

  Um, the, the first job I got out of college was a job organized around the very things I liked least. But because I had this achievement mentality, it was like, then I am going to do it. And I've come to realize now that I have wounds that I didn't even know were wounds. I thought they were my superpowers. And you know, and you're young and you're like, I can power through anything. And that doesn't mean we're meant to. And so as you, as you understand your genius is more, it'll be nice for you to be able to go, I don't have to be good at that.

• 5:23Hala Taha?

  Yeah.

• 5:23Speaker 02

  You know, but for the longest time, when I was young, I was doing all the things I didn't necessarily like. And I said, see, I'm pretty good at this.

• 5:29Hala Taha?

  Yeah. And sometimes we have to to get the experiences.

• 5:34Speaker 02

  Absolutely. There are certain things in life where we, and in fact, even in any job, every CEO, every leader has to do all of them a little bit. But if they over index on the ones that drain them of energy and they don't give themselves the, the experience of spending a lot of time in their genius, um, it's really bad.

• 5:53Hala Taha?

  Yeah.

• 5:53Speaker 02

  It's really bad. And burnout and, and really, I think a lot of addiction comes from that. A lot of really difficult things because we are meant to exercise the gifts we've been given.

• 6:04Hala Taha?

  When you know your role, when you're operating in your zone of genius, it gives you a huge boost in confidence. You stop second guessing yourself. You speak up more. You feel in control. But real confidence, it goes deeper than just knowing where you shine. It's about self-worth. It's about walking into the room and knowing that you belong there, even if nobody's told you that yet. Tori Dunlap is the founder of her first 100K and she's built a global movement around financial power and personal confidence. Tori shared with me where she thinks true confidence really comes from.

• 6:36Speaker 05

  The biggest question, which is very flattering that I get asked other than a financial question is like, how are you so confident? Or like, how do you build your own confidence? I believe myself worthy of every opportunity, of every, every piece of love and belonging. When I walk into a date, it is not, oh, my God, is this person going to like me? It is, how does this person fit in with my life? Like, I'm not worried about how I'm presenting myself. I'm just trying to figure out, like, does this person, is this person worthy of me? Is this relationship worthy of my time? When I walk into a meeting with a client, I am wondering, how is this person going to see the value and the worth that I offer? And if they're not, it's not, it's not of interest to me.

• 7:19Speaker 05

  So in terms of building confidence, financial confidence, career confidence, relationship confidence, it is a self-worthiness issue. If you believe yourself worthy of love and opportunity and belonging and of every good thing, you will not be shocked when all of that starts happening in your life. I have never once questioned if I'm worthy of those things. I joke when I walk into a new therapist's office, there are many other things we're going to have to talk about, but worthiness is not one of them. So when you believe yourself worthy of those opportunities, you will show up differently in every aspect of your life.

• 7:52Hala Taha?

  Confidence doesn't just change how you feel, it changes how others see you. Because when you carry yourself like you're valuable, others start to believe it too. Stacy Vanek Smith, a journalist and host of the podcast, Everybody's Business, says that our entire economy runs on stories, especially when it comes to value. And if you want to shift how others value you, it starts with the story you tell about yourself.

• 8:15Speaker 06

  All the studies show confident is probably one of the most powerful things in the workplace, correlated to how happy you are, how much you get paid, how fast you get promoted, how much people like you. People like leaders that are more confident, all of these things. I think the reason it's so powerful is that value, the value of a person or a worker or the work itself is a story. Like, it's just a story. And confidence is a story. I mean, the reason women get paid less, the reason that black women get paid less and black men get paid less, it's just a story of how much their work is worth, which is also part of why it's so painful when you realize you're getting paid less. And confidence is also a story. And if your story is like, I am amazing,

• 8:58Speaker 06

  and everyone's like, wow, he's amazing. I mean, there's also like arrogance, which is a little different. But true confidence is just a deep knowing of self-worth. And that is infectious. People believe you. One big thing you can do is to take action. Confident people act. People who aren't confident waffle. So speak up in the meeting, ask for a raise, take action. That is something that is very confident. Another thing you can do is aim a little higher than what your goal is. So confident people expect a lot for themselves. So you can pretend that you're confident by asking for more than you think you can get as far as resources, money, time off, deadlines, space, like, ask for

• 9:41Speaker 06

  something that feels nuts to you. That's a way to fake it till you make it.

• 9:46Hala Taha?

  And how about birds of a confident feather?

• 9:49Speaker 06

  The people we hang around influence us a lot. So if you are around someone who's always like, oh, I'm never gonna get this. I would ask for a raise, but I feel like I'm gonna get fired. That's not great to be around if you're trying to like, change your confidence level. You want to be around people who are confident, people who boost your confidence. And that can be very helpful, too, because you can just sort of, you know, get little tips and also just kind of be in that energy, that confident energy. It's it's helpful.

• 10:18Hala Taha?

  Of course, confidence doesn't mean going it alone. Influence grows faster when people actually enjoy working with you. And that's where likability comes in. When you're likable, people see you as more competent, more approachable, and more valuable. Your ideas get heard, your emails get answered, and your name gets brought up in rooms you're not even in. Michelle Tillis Letterman is a top networking expert and the CEO of Executive Essentials. I asked Michelle why likability is one of the most underrated but most powerful tools for influence.

• 10:48Speaker 07

  When you are likable, you are seen as more credit worthy, more trustworthy. Your ideas are received and acted upon. So you are listened to, you are more influential. You are seen as more innovative because you get credit for the ideas that other people then expand on because of the connection you have with them. They receive them, they morph them, they play with them. And then it's like, oh, well, that was Michelle's idea. So all of those things about influence, impact, innovation, being listened to. Likability also affects things like promotions and getting the job and getting the sale and getting the referral. Because all business is relationship business. And we often don't work for a company. We work for a person.

• 11:32Speaker 07

  We don't quit a company, we quit a person. When we are hiring somebody, when we are thinking about who we want to work with, it is who. Because a lot of people can do the same thing. And the differentiator is who that person is. And do I trust that they'll have my back? Do I trust that they'll step up when I ask for something?

• 11:51Hala Taha?

  Another thing that's sort of often confused when it comes to networking and things like that is that like networking is this thing that you do for some ultimate outcome. I'm networking because I want to get a job. I'm networking because I want to find a husband, you know, whatever it is. Why do you think that we need to not have this kind of approach to networking?

• 12:14Speaker 07

  Okay, so you saw me like kind of cringe when you said that. I hate the whole networking for need. And that's why I hate the word, because I just want you to connect. I just want you to build relationships, the ones that you want to. Because those are the ones that are going to get you where you want to go. And the idea is that it's not strategic. And I know we have to be more intentional, but there's a difference between strategic and intentional. I can intentionally put myself in situations to be curious about somebody else, right? Law of curiosity is one of the laws of likability, to be interested in somebody else. But I don't have to be thinking, well, you can't do anything for me, so next.

• 12:53Hala Taha?

  Yeah.

• 12:53Speaker 07

  If I'm enjoying my conversation with you, that's all that matters. Because I don't know who you are connected to. I don't know who you went to college with, who your neighbor is. Because when real connection happens, those other connections extend more easily. So when it comes to relationship networking, there's three shifts I want people to make. The first shift is from talking about business. I always say, please don't get right down to business. Right? Everyone hears that phrase, "Let's get right down to business." No, please don't. Right? Get right down to personal. Get right down to the things that you really enjoy talking about because when we connect on what we like to do rather than what we do, that's where connection forms because connections are about, you know,

• 13:37Speaker 07

  common people, places, causes, values, experiences, interests, and not jobs. So get away from just talking business. Talk about anything. Shift number two is from short term to long term, which is what you were saying. Right? It is not about now or need. It is about relationship building and having that mindset. And the third is from, "It's not about me." A lot of times when we're out there, it's what do I need and who do I want to connect with? But it's not about them either because that's just, it's about me in reverse. It's about the relationship. I call it the dance, right? The exchange and how do you add value for both sides?

• 14:19Hala Taha?

  So yes, being likable builds trust, but influence doesn't stop there. Once people like you, you need to back it up with how you speak, how you carry yourself and how you handle high stakes conversations. Coming up, we shift from inner belief to outer impact. How to speak, move and negotiate like somebody who's worth listening to. Yap gang, if you truly want help gaining power at work, getting that promotion, that raise, that big project, you first need to understand the rules of power. And if you don't, you'll watch less talented colleagues get what you want and be left behind. Discover how corporate America's most powerful executives really rise to the top in a new series on MasterClass, "The Power Playbook: How to Win at Work." Use Stanford professor Jeffrey Pfeiffer's strategic power moves

• 15:03Hala Taha?

  to accelerate your career and gain the influence you need to succeed. In bite sized sessions, you'll learn how power really works, not how you wish it worked. You'll discover how to align with key decision makers, command respect through confident body language and communicate with authority. Plus, you'll uncover proven strategies to land promotions and raises that you deserve and so much more. The Power Playbook: How to Win at Work will be available exclusively On MasterClass starting August 21st. And right now, our listeners get an additional 15% off any annual membership at masterclass.com/profiting. That's 15% off at masterclass.com/profiting. Masterclass.com/profiting. Welcome back, Yap gang. So far, we've built up your confidence and likability.

• 15:48Hala Taha?

  But now it's time to talk about your delivery. Because here's the deal. You can't influence anyone if they don't understand you, or worse, they don't remember you. In the business world, verbal communication is everything. And according to Yasser Khan, the founder of Speak Like a CEO, every interaction you have, whether it's a Zoom call, a pitch, or just a hallway conversation, is a stage. And how you show up on that stage determines how people perceive your value.

• 16:13Speaker 08

  When you open your mouth, that is your brand. And you'll be shocked, Hala, in fact, you probably won't be shocked with the amount of people you talk to. How many people are not careful of the words that come out of their mouth? Because what you say is what is reflected about your business. So if you knew that, wouldn't you be a lot more careful of what came out of your mouth? What you said, what you wrote? That's why just having that finesse on your words, making sure when you're on stage, people remember you, is more important than it's ever been.

• 16:41Hala Taha?

  Oh, my gosh, I think that's so true. And aside from speaking on stage, because entrepreneurs, not all of us are really going to be on stage. But there's transferable skills when it comes to public speaking. Can you talk to us about that?

• 16:55Speaker 08

  Yeah, the definition of public speaking isn't just being on stage. It's talking to someone at some time. If you are talking to someone, which I imagine if your listeners are listening, they're talking to people, right? Unless they're locked in a basement somewhere. You are going to do public speaking. And every single time you do that, you're representing yourself and your brand. What do you want people to interpret about you? How do you want them to perceive you? How do you want them to perceive your company? All of that is public speaking. So you want to treat this stage as your entire life. Every single place you go, you're performing. So wouldn't you want to put up the best performance wherever you go? I think the answer is.

• 17:29Hala Taha?

  Now, showing up with presence is step one. But speaking with impact, that doesn't mean winging it. It means prepping like a pro. There's a real science behind things like small talk and networking. Matt Abrahams teaches strategic communication at Stanford's Graduate School of Business. And he shared how even the most spontaneous sounding conversations are built on preparation, and how you can actually train for these high-impact moments.

• 17:54Speaker 03

  When you're networking, just like when you're interviewing, first and foremost, you should be thinking about who are the people that are in the space or in the room or on the Zoom that you're connecting with. So do some research, reconnaissance and reflection about who the people are that you might be speaking to, because that will help you focus your content. Second, come up with themes that you want to get across. So in a networking environment, what are some key ideas I want to get across and share? And you can plan those in advance, whatever those are. You might wanna, you might wanna share your opinions or you have strong opinions on AI or something going on in the news. That's your theme. And then stockpile some specific support for those themes. Maybe it's a story you have, maybe it's some data you heard about.

• 18:39Speaker 03

  Think of it this way, you know, if you ever see a restaurant's kitchen and everybody's cooking fast and furious during a high peak time at the restaurant, they have everything prepared in advance. Everything's pre-chopped, pre-sautéed, so they're just assembling. You can do the same thing. Think about these themes and then think about these different types of support for those themes. So when I'm in the networking situation and somebody brings up a point, I could say, I can connect that point to this theme I wanted to get across and I can pull in this example. So you've taken the pressure off of yourself to be, to originate in the moment and instead you're just connecting and building and that can actually help you feel better. And it allows you to be more agile and spontaneous.

• 19:22Speaker 03

  And then when it comes to small talk directly, start with questions or observations. Ask somebody a question or observe something that's happening in the environment, just comment on it. I made a great, good friend simply by standing in line at a conference. I didn't know anybody. I looked around and I noticed lots of people were dressed in blue. It wasn't a uniform, it just happened to be coincidence. I turned to the guy, I said, I didn't get the memo on wearing blue. He looked around and said, you're right, everybody's wearing blue. Started a great conversation. We've now become friends. When I travel to where he lives, I visit him all the time. It started simply with an observation.

• 19:59Hala Taha?

  Of course, it's not just about what you say in these types of conversations. It's how you show up while saying it. Your body language, your vocal tone, your presence. Those little intangibles can make a big difference in how your message lands. Here's Matt Abrahams again, breaking down the subtle signals that can make you look more confident, sound more credible, and leave a stronger impression.

• 20:19Speaker 03

  I think one of the things we did not talk about that is important for us to think about is not just what you say, but how you say it. We need to be thinking about our body and our voices when we communicate. So it's not just feeling comfortable and confident speaking in the moment. It is appearing comfortable and confident. So let me share just a couple bits of advice about what we can do with our body and our voices. First and foremost, you want to be big. Many of us, when we get nervous or are feeling threatened, we make ourselves small. So the best thing you can do is take your shoulder blades and just pull them down. Make yourself broad. I'm not pushing my elbows back. I'm not puffing my chest out. I just pull my shoulder blades down and I make myself look bigger.

• 21:04Speaker 03

  You look more confident. You want to hold your head straight and not tilted. So we don't want to be, I'm not saying be stiff and rigid. Just make yourself big. When you speak, vary your voice. If I were to have spoken like this for this entire interview, people would have left a long time ago. Our brains are wild for novelty, things that change. So add emotive words. If you are somebody who doesn't have a lot of variation, add adjectives and adverbs. So I would never say, "I'm really excited to be here." No, I'd say, "I'm really excited." So emphasize those words. So the one thing we didn't talk about is how you say what you say. And we need to remember that. And the single easiest way to work on this is to record yourself,

• 21:48Speaker 03

  either through voice memo or through video. Really easy to do that these days. And watch, it's painful to watch yourself. But when you do, you'll see these things that work for you and things that you might want to change. All of my MBA students I teach, whenever they do a presentation, I make them watch themselves without listening to it. And then I make them listen to themselves without watching it and then do both together. And while they hate it, they love it because they learned so much and they actually are able to change.

• 22:17Hala Taha?

  So you've got the presence, you've got the body language. But when the stakes are high, sometimes the most powerful way to influence isn't by saying more, it's by flipping the script. Great communicators know how to shift the dynamic. And what's one of the most effective ways to do that? It's by asking the right questions, specifically what and how questions. They get people to think, reflect, and even persuade themselves while giving them the illusion of control. I learned this from Chris Voss, the CEO of the Black Swan Group and a former FBI hostage negotiator. He knows how to guide high-pressure conversations, and he shared this powerful framework for leading without forcing.

• 22:56Speaker 09

  People love to be asked what to do. People love to be asked how to do something. You know, you give them the illusion of control when you ask those questions. And, you know, negotiation's not about control. To guide someone, what in crisis intervention they call guided discovery. It's not control, it's giving the other side a lot of latitude. But you kind of frame things with a what or a how question. And the other side doesn't feel framed. They feel they were just asked what to do or how to do it. I mean, they feel in control. So it's giving the other side the illusion of control. It's usually through a what or a how question.

• 23:41Hala Taha?

  Could you give us an example?

• 23:44Speaker 09

  Well, you know, the famous, "How am I supposed to do that?" is a way to say no.

• 23:51Speaker 09

  The other side doesn't feel attacked.

• 23:55Speaker 09

  What it really is, is if you can't do something because the implementation is really difficult, you say, "How am I supposed to do that?" Or you might say it three times, "How am I supposed to do that?" Or you might say it a third time, "How am I supposed to do that?"

• 24:13Speaker 09

  Each one of those questions makes the other side think about the complexity of the problems, but they don't know that you made them think about it. They feel in control. They feel like you're asking for help. And you know, that's kind of the, that's the way you get it started.

• 24:33Hala Taha?

  Chris Voss just showed us how powerful it is to guide a conversation with the right question. But sometimes the hardest questions are the ones you ask about yourself. The most respected professionals aren't afraid of feedback. They go after it, not because it's comfortable, but because they know it's the fastest way they can grow. If you want more influence, you need to get really good at hearing the hard stuff and doing something with it. Kim Scott is the bestselling author of Radical Candor and the co-founder of the company by the same name. She shared her playbook for how to solicit honest feedback, handle it like a pro, and build a stronger relationship with your boss in the process.

• 25:09Speaker 01

  So how can you make sure that you can receive, that you can get feedback that is actionable from your boss? Again, there's an order of operations. You want to start by soliciting it and really drawing it out of your boss. Sort of think about your go-to question. Think about how you're going to embrace the discomfort, like sit with the silence. Think about how you're going to prepare yourself to listen with the intent to understand, not to respond. And then you got to reward the candor by either fixing the problem or explaining why you disagree. That last thing is pretty tough, but this is about radical candor. Don't pretend to agree when you disagree because that-

• 25:53Hala Taha?

  Oh, that's, that's so interesting. So you're saying there's, there's a point in this conversation where you can kind of be like, well, I appreciate your feedback, even though I requested it, but I don't necessarily agree.

• 26:05Speaker 01

  Yes, because if you can't do that, then you get wedged, right? You ask for the feedback, you disagree with it, and you're like, ah. You know, and that's often why people fail to solicit feedback because to avoid that awkward situation. So what, what do you do if you disagree with your boss's feedback? Look for that five or 10% of what your boss said that you can agree with and give voice to that. And then say, as for the rest of that, but let me, can I think about it and process it? And then can we have another conversation? And then you've got to get back to them. Some of my best professional relationships started with a good respectful disagreement. And you can't argue endlessly. You can say, look, I, you

• 26:49Speaker 01

  know, before you disagree, say, look, I will do it your way. But I, but I want to explain to you why I have some questions about this way. So, so you want to make sure that you're communicating your willingness to listen, challenge, commit. But don't skip that challenge part because it's when you challenge that you give your boss the opportunity to explain to you why you may be wrong.

• 27:15Hala Taha?

  Welcoming feedback doesn't mean you're weak. It makes you trustworthy and trust is a currency of influence. But here's the thing, sometimes no amount of self-improvement can fix a broken environment. The real power move is knowing when it's time to walk away. If the culture is toxic, if you're not being developed, or if you're constantly overlooked, it might not be you. You could be doing all the right things, but just in the wrong place. Tim Salo, also known as Mr. Future of Work, faced that exact situation during his time at Microsoft. And instead of staying silent, he chose to speak up.

• 27:47Speaker 10

  So for, for me, you know, while I was working with Microsoft and I was working in a culture like that where, you know, I saw upfront the fact that someone toxic was hurting the culture. I remember that I went to my boss's, literally his office one day. He had white walls. He was sitting in front of his desk on a Windows computer. And literally he turns to me as I walk in, I sit on a brown chair and he's looking at me with a brown shirt and black glasses. And I look at him straight in his face and I tell him, look. I'm not happy here. Um, I don't feel like you're doing enough to grow me, you know? And although I was killing it, all right, my teammates loved me. I was good for the culture. I just didn't feel as if I was being developed.

• 28:31Speaker 10

  And he looks me dead in my eyes and he says, it's not my job to, to grow you. It's not my job to coach you and all of that. And then that's when I realized, you know, great manager, but awful leader, right? He's great at delegating work, getting work done, making sure milestones are met, but he's not a leader. And for me, I felt as if I deserved better because I was a leader, right? And I, and I, and I carried myself in high stature. And I think that a, a lot of people need to run away from these environments that, that, that are toxic like that, right? Like a lot of people often they stay in environments where they're not wanted and they don't feel wanted and it's killing them. I have friends in my life in environments like that. They're like, I'm tired of my corporate job.

• 29:15Speaker 10

  And it's like, I encourage them, well, do something about it, right? If you have enough saved, if you feel as if you have an opportunity, you can create another opportunity, you're talented. Why not seek something else? Why do you feel as if you have to relegate yourself to only working with this one employer? And as we mentioned earlier, you know, that's really risky nowadays, right? Because we're relying on just one, um, revenue stream.

• 29:39Hala Taha?

  Knowing when to leave a toxic environment is powerful, but knowing where to go next, that's even more valuable. It reminds me of another great insight from Jeffrey Pfeffer in the Power Playbook. He says, if you want power, you need to stay close to it. If senior leadership is in the office, be in that office. In short, if you want bigger opportunity, proximity matters. You need to be around people doing what you want to do and in the places where they're doing it. Ken Coleman is a career expert and the host of the Ken Coleman Show, and he calls this very idea the proximity principle.

• 30:11Speaker 11

  We'll start with what the principle is and then what it does. The principle says this, "In order to do what I want to do," you can fill in the blank there, "I've got to be around people that are doing it and in places where it is happening." Young Hala did this. She thought she wanted to be a singer. So what did she do? She went to the place where they were playing all the songs. And it was a brilliant move, right? Now, your idea changed, but again, what's interesting is, is that you've also could have used the radio as that idea of this is the right place. So, the proximity principle is about people and places. The right people plus the right places equals opportunity. In other words, if you're constantly getting around the right people, people that are in the space that you want to be in,

• 30:54Speaker 11

  or similar to the space that you think you want to be in, that proximity is just there. And I think your life is actually a wonderful example of this. And you talked about it earlier. Because you were in proximity, you pointed it out, it wasn't that big of a departure. You are in fact a performer. You're a top-notch performer. You may only sing for friends and family now. By the way, I'd love to hear you sing. I think your audience would too. There might need to be a single coming out later. But anyway, that's my ADHD flaring up. But I think that the issue here is, if I understand that being around the right people is going to allow me to meet more of the right people, being around the right people, they're going to point me to the right places.

• 31:39Speaker 11

  I go to the right places. I see, I learn, I observe. Oh, by the way, I connect with more of the right people over here. And so what you've got is, if I were going to draw it up, it would be an arrow here, an arrow here, and we'd have the right people in the right places. And it becomes this cyclical process of learning, doing, and connecting. That's what it spits out, and that formula equals opportunity. To where, if you do it right, Hala, people will knock on your door. In fact, some of the coolest experiences I got in my career, where I got huge opportunities, were because of proximity. I was the second option, but they needed another option. But the only reason they thought of me is because I was in the orbit, if you will. So, in order to do what I want to do, I got to be around people that are doing it in places where it is happening.

• 32:23Speaker 11

  In other words, if I'm around the right people and in the right places, the right time will happen on its own.

• 32:31Hala Taha?

  All right, yap fam. You've made the move. You're in the right room, surrounded by the right people. But here's the final piece of the puzzle. Once you're there, make sure they know what you're all about. Because if you don't speak up for your value, who will? Julie Solomon is a business coach and the host of the Influencer Podcast. She calls this idea BYOP, Be Your Own Publicist, and talks about the importance of promoting your worth with authority.

• 32:55Speaker 12

  If you're not going to toot your own horn, who is? You know, it really does have to begin with you. It has to begin with you advocating for yourself, saying what you want, saying what you want, saying what you need, meaning what you say with clarity, with confidence, with security, getting really clear about what is it that I want and being able to to advocate for that. And I think that from my experience, not only just being a publicist, but just through my own journey, it has to begin with you. You know, most of, most publicists that I know, it's like they can't even really do much for somebody if someone hasn't laid that foundation first for themselves and have really learned, especially

• 33:38Speaker 12

  in this day and age, Hala, like how to brand themselves, how to speak for themselves, how to be clear about their messaging, how to be clear about their marketing, and how to promote themselves. And so that's really, I think, the important piece. And if anyone's having like any trouble with that, I would just encourage you to ask yourself, you know, why are you so afraid to be seen? You can't hide yourself and expect to be seen. So, you know, why are you so afraid to to give yourself that gift of shining and see where that leads you?

• 34:11Hala Taha?

  I love that. Julie's right. If you want to shine, you have to stop hiding. The power to be seen starts when you decide you're worth looking at. You don't need to wait for permission to be influential. Start acting like a leader. Speak like one. Connect like one. Influence is built in the small daily moments. When you listen well, show up fully, and own your value. So go claim your seat at the table. And don't forget to sit tall and speak up, because the room listens to those who believe they deserve to be heard. Big thanks to MasterClass for sponsoring today's episode. If you're ready to stop waiting for recognition and start making bold career moves, don't miss the Power Playbook: How to Win at Work with Jeffrey Pfeffer, starting August 21 exclusively on MasterClass.

• 34:54Hala Taha?

  Yap listeners can get an additional 15% off any annual membership at masterclass.com/profitting. But act now before this offer expires. That's 15% off at masterclass.com/profitting.