Karla 0:01

As any CEO or any company have a board of directors, we should take our career so seriously because we are the CEO of our life and career and set up that board of advisors. That one is critical. Because talent will open doors for you, but your board of advisors will keep the doors open for you and will bring opportunities to you.

Debbie 0:31

Welcome to Skin in a Game with Debbie Go, where we dig deeper into the stories that matter, the decisions that define us, and the leaders who dare to be different. Today's guest is someone I've been wanting to talk to for quite some time, Karla Blanco. For over two decades, Karla was the top director at Intel, leading global diversity and transforming Fortune 500 operations. But she left Intel to pursue her calling, helping professionals take radical ownership of their lives. She's a best-selling author, a three-time TEDx speaker, and an Aspen Institute fellow. If you're ever stuck on the treadmill of card work, get ready for a conversation that changes the game. Karla, welcome to Skin in the Game.

Karla 1:21

Thank you so much, Debbie, for this opportunity. I'm so excited to share with you and with your audience.

Debbie 1:29

Karla, that leap from a secure corporate life to the unknown is huge. I'm curious, what was the real catalyst for you? And once you made that decision, what was the driving force to build a platform and help others do the same?

Karla 1:47

Thank you for your question. Actually, the story starts in 2017 when I moved into the US for running a global program. My son and I moved from Costa Rica in May, but by November, that group was eliminated globally. So basically, I lose my job at a time. I do recall getting into a room and my boss reading a letter, and I was like, Are you firing me? And well, and they explained. I went back home and told my son, we may need to go back to Costa Rica with sorrow eyes. He told me, Mom, if you gotta go back, go, but I will stay here. And of course, this Latina mom told him, I will do whatever I need so that we can stay here. And I started looking for jobs, but at the same time, as it was a senior position, it was not that easy. So I decided to find another opportunity and I decided to start writing a book, putting together all the tools that helped me grow my career, because also I had some mentees in Latin America that I couldn't devote at the same time because I was really focused on looking for a job. Meanwhile, I was writing the book, I decided to become a coach. So I enrolled on coaching and I landed a job. I say that the book was my lifeline because I landed a job, but at the same time, I started delivering coaching for professionals and also did book from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. Fridays for companies that wanted me to deliver the program for them. It's a career program. So that's when the story started and it continues. But then last year there were several changes in the corporation and was the opportunity to have an early retirement. So I thought this will be my time. It's been an amazing journey because I think Davy the secret was to start before the time came. So I started earlier, I felt confident, and again, it's been a great journey.

Debbie 4:25

That took huge courage to stay in the foreign country, start writing a book, and then open up the opportunity. I think that is amazing, Karla. And if I look at your best-selling book and leash your career potential, it outlines a seven-step process for career growth, right? So which step do professionals most often overlook or underestimate?

Karla 4:51

I think the challenge we face is the pace we have. I am Gen X, so I'm part of this bridge between the analog world and the digital world. The digital world is so fast-paced that if you don't pay attention, you will get into this trap of moving day the days just past and you don't take ownership. That's the first step to get to know yourself, know your strengths, and create a plan. I think many professionals just go through the career as it comes. But those that really plan what they want and have that clarity will move in that path. Sometimes we think that it will be kind of magic and it is not, is that you are giving directions to your brain when you set up your plan and your goal, your career goals. But I think the critical thing that many professionals miss is creating a board of advisors. That one is critical because talent will open doors for you, but your board of advisors will keep the doors open for you and will bring opportunities to you.

Debbie 6:18

I like your concept about building your board advisor. Walk us through what that actually means for the listeners. What criteria do you use to select authentic advisors? And how do you approach people authentically without it feeling transactional at times?

Karla 6:35

Well, as any CEO or any company has a board of directors, we should take our career so seriously because we are the CEO of our life and career and set up that board of advisors. Many times you have them in your life just that you don't know that they are your sponsors or your mentors. So what I would say is that you map those in the book. I have several roles. I will take you through those roles. So you map the people and also you engage in professional networks to take a look, be an observant who has an interesting career that I would like to pursue, and approach the people being curious, not transactional. Approach people trying to learn about themselves and their journey. Usually people are open to help us to move ahead. So the different roles are, for example, sponsors, and a sponsor will be the person that will talk about your job when you are not in the room. And usually what I find happens is that the mentors that we identified as the expert that are ahead of us and can help us with perspective, usually they will become those sponsors because you will need to, and this is part of the book too, to create your elevator pitch so when you connect with your mentor, you are very succinct and you explain what are your strengths and what are you looking for. But the first step is to learn about them. So it's not about you, it's learning about their careers and then sharing with them what you are doing and where do you want to head down the road because you really need to know where do you want to go first before you connect with them. So you have the sponsor, the mentor, you need a circle of trust. There is a very interesting study from Harvard Business School about women needing two different kinds of networks. We need the structure, the big network, a business network, but we also need what I call the circle of trust, a little group that you can reach out for emotional support, but it is different than your business network, which that network will provide you with visibility, with opportunities, and will connect you with other networking members. Then you also need a cheerleader. We all need that someone that will support our wins. And so we'll talk about sponsors, mentors, cheerleaders, the circle of trust and strategies, that person that you sit down, you exchange ideas and can create a strategy and move forward. It takes a village for us to grow. And over and over again, the different research it shows that we don't grow in isolation. We grow in community. So that's something that we really need to learn.

Debbie 10:07

I agree with you that we need a village, like a circle of trust and influence to lift us up and elevate our career or wherever we want to grow. But most people are conditioned to wait, you know, for permission, for the right opportunity, for someone to notice them. So how do you help someone make that shift from employee mindset to CEO mindset? I love it.

Karla 10:32

Courage. It doesn't come first. Action is what will bring courage to the table. Just taking action and how I work with my clients is that we set up a plan. We set up in calendar meetings with that board of advisors or potential. It's not that you will tell people, you will become my sponsor, you don't need to tell that, but you will approach them, you will connect with them. And once they start connecting with these people, that courage starts building because you get prepared with what are your key wins from last year, for example. And those wins are structured in a way that you are also sharing your story about what are your strengths and what you accomplished. And you always need to close stating where do you want to go. So that way people will connect you with opportunities because they will know if you don't say anything, people don't remind you. So it will be difficult.

Debbie 11:43

That's true. You need to verbalize where you want to go. I'm curious about your new book, Karla, The 233 Unwritten Rules of Success. It delves into the subtle but powerful principles that govern career advancement, things that go beyond performance results. What inspired you to write this book and why 233 rules specifically?

Karla 12:09

Actually, the 233 is nothing magical or so. It is a that I took my notes from my 26th years. I have tons of notebooks because I write and write. And when I was reading all those notes, I just picked those that are many more than 233. And are those things that I will like to know earlier in my career, but I didn't know. But I keep noticing when I work with my clients in coaching about those invisible roles that they don't know, because you don't know what you don't know when you start your career. I am an introvert. So when I started, it was so painful to network. I don't recall anyone providing me with a very clear message of how I could leverage that networking to advance in my career. So that's why I decided to put that together. And like a process. Well, coming from an engineering company, I know about many processes, and that's part of the story with the editor of the first book, but also happening in the second one. That I'm not an engineer, but they told me this looks like a process. And I was like, well, all those engineers show me something. But those step by step really helped you accelerate your career. And I have many stories. Actually, in the second book, in this 233 Unwritten Rules of Success, I have a story of a person that took the seven steps from the first book and just flourished her career. And not only that, but she created networks of people along the way with her. So it's really beautiful to see that people, they just don't flourish themselves, but they learn when they have a board of advisors how important it's to pay it forward.

Debbie 14:16

I do notice that people who are good at networking has a higher chance of advancing their career. What's your advice for people who are introverted? Like you started as an introverted person, and also people who are hesitant about networking. How can they overcome this?

Karla 14:33

This is what I tell people get out of your own way. You came here to chine. And yes, we are introverts. And I something that I regret is that I used to participate in many boards of directors representing the company. And Debbie, I will leave the meeting as soon as I called. So the meeting was done and I will leave. But guess what? There were people that would stay longer, that they would have dinner together, and there were many decisions that were made after the meeting. The meeting after the meeting. I used to go to a conference, I will go to my room as soon as everything finished. And that doesn't help you. Because in those spaces where you connect with each other are those spaces where you are more relaxed, you find opportunities, and you grow. So it's making a commitment with your own career and with yourself to continue growing by connecting with others. What helped me is I learned with the years to talk to myself like if I was my best friend, like a third party. I was like, okay, Carl, if you want to grow, you gotta do this. You got this. So talk to yourself and get out of your way.

Debbie 15:56

That also reminds me of the leadership principle that I've learned in Stanford. Definitely get out of your way and push yourself, be comfortable with being uncomfortable, so to speak. Now let's talk about organizational politics. It happens a lot. That phrase makes a lot of people uncomfortable, but you frame it as something we need to master and not to avoid. So why is that shift so important?

Karla 16:24

Yes, because as you grow in the leadership ladder, things become more political. I do recall being in a conference and a vice president talking to us saying, if you want me to tell you that politics get easier as you grow, that's not true. And it's really interesting because many times, depending on where you are or where did you grow, you have a negative connotation for politics. But at the end of the day, being human is being political because it is about strategy and about influence. And we want to have a positive influence. As you grow in the ladder, there are bigger decisions that then you need to learn how to influence. And when you have a strong network and a strong board of advisors, it will be easier to navigate those political situations.

Debbie 17:24

I think reframing politics into something that makes you more effective is a good way to look at it. You become influential. Exactly. Now you emphasize intentionality, and I think part of it is personal branding and career success. How can professionals authentically build and communicate their personal brand, both in person and digitally?

Karla 17:51

Both are connected. We really need to pay attention to our digital footprint because that connects with our essence. We need to ensure that it's connected with our values. And there are exercises that you can go through answering different questions, defining your purpose. I use five questions to define the purpose. Number one is who am I? Number two, what are my unique talents? Number three, who can I help with my talents? Number four, what is the problem that this person has? And number five, how the life of this person will transform or change after leveraging my talents. If you pay attention, three of those five questions are focused on the others. We are here on the planet to serve each other. But we really need to learn what are our unique talents. So that is the way that we will show up and create your vision and mission like a company. Your life is the most important company to have. So having that clarity really helps you create that brand. For example, when you create your LinkedIn profile, ensure that that is reflective of your values. So people can quickly connect with you and you can co-create value together. But your brand, your values is your responsibility. You really need to take that seriously.

Debbie 19:26

Karla, let's talk about you. You led teams and initiatives across more than 50 countries at Intel. How did you navigate different cultures and how did that reshape your understanding of leadership?

Karla 19:40

I'm really fortunate to have had that opportunity. Because I say that I'm a citizen of the world. I really enjoy and embrace the different cultures and how people show up. And at the end of the day, we are humans. So that really shaped me and understanding that we all have biases and how we show up from a place of curiosity and learning from each other will connect us because we should create bridges instead of separation. So learning from each other, listening, really listening to each other. Oscar Trimboli has a research that tells us that only 2% of the global population are really good listeners. He mentioned some villains of the listening. One is the one that interrupts, another one that is structures, that we are talking and someone is just thinking. So do we really need to pay attention on how we communicate to each other? That is what I learned that there is a richness of cultures around the world that we need to learn to co-create because the world became so small. So we are very close to each other.

Debbie 21:09

You've worked extensively with women leaders throughout your career. What are the unique challenges that women still face in leadership today? And what's that one shift in mindset or behavior that can help them break through the so-called glass ceiling?

Karla 21:25

We need to understand that still in business, majority are male. And we want to influence and connect with them. It's not that we will leave behind our female essence as a woman, but actually to learn how to connect and communicate. Learning about that differences because we are wired differently will help us frame our messaging, connect with each other in a better way. There are many things that we do differently as a woman. One is that we focus on the others. So you put the light on others and you don't share your value because we learn to be humble, to really help others grow, etc. But we are not helping others or our teams if we don't showcase our value and get the visibility that we need, that our accomplishments and our team need. So that is number one. And there is another one, which is about networking. For us as a woman, whenever we connect, we usually connect at a personal level. Meanwhile, men connect on business right away. So remember that there are many studies that tell us that women will apply in the formal tool for a position. Meanwhile, men will connect in the cafeteria or any other, and they talk about what they want and they get those results. So it is learning from each other and becoming effective, I will say. So understanding the differences so that we can play in the game fairly. There are many interesting books. There is one book called How Women Grow. And it has some research from different universities, but it provides you with very specific aspects of how we can connect with each other in a better way if we understand how we women naturally perform.

Debbie 23:43

Well, women is more nurturing and we do struggle with self-advocacy. Men, they're great at advocating for themselves. Women are great at advocating for their teams, for projects, but terrible at advocating for ourselves. So how do you coach women leaders to begin advocating for themselves more confidently in the workplace?

Karla 24:05

Well, it is about a strategy. We should see our career, we should create not only a plan, but a strategy. And when we create that strategy for the board of advisors and how you are connecting, we create the elevator pitch where in and we include the strengths of the woman and the accomplishments as a leader, and also as how to how do you get results through people as a leader? So you will be talking also about your team, which makes you feel so proud, but focusing on your strengths and also where do what you want to head. And it is a practice, not only getting into those meetings, sometimes you just need 15 minutes. Put on your calendar. Let's connect on Fridays or Wednesdays. You pick the day, but 15 minutes, if you do that during the 52 weeks of the year, you will have connected with many people, and it's providing visibility to what you are doing and learning from the other. So those 15 minutes can be split in your one-minute elevator pitch, but also learning from the other, what they are doing, how they are working, areas of interest, how you can collaborate with them. So it requires you to step forward and share your accomplishments. Feel proud of it.

Debbie 25:30

Karla, you're a three-time TEDx speaker. What's one leadership lesson or story from your talks that you believe can inspire anyone in their career journey?

Karla 25:43

My first one in the name of the talk was Women on Top. We need to learn that when we men and women partner, when we co-create, companies become stronger. Because when we bring diverse perspectives to the table, we create better solutions. And that is reflected on the revenues when we really have diverse perspectives on the table. So that's something that I will say for men and women, we need to ensure that we have diverse teams bringing solutions from diverse perspectives. And it is not just male, female, it is context. There are so many diversity of thought that we need to include.

Debbie 26:32

I totally agree. Having different perspectives gives it a richer solution. Now, we're in this evolving time where AI automation are reshaping the entire industries. How do we as professionals stay grounded in our purpose while constantly trying to adapt and reinvent? What's your advice for navigating that tension? We need to welcome technology.

Karla 26:59

We need to welcome AI. And a way to see that is I will collaborate with AI. AI can unleash my potential because I can leverage the tool, but also I need to ensure that I provide guidance to AI. It's like partnering with someone. If I'm not clear with what I'm communicating, probably I won't get a very good result from AI. So assuming that responsibility and co-creating, being curious, lifelong learners, really will empower us. This is the fascinating era that we are living right now.

Debbie 27:44

Karla, before we wrap up, any last-minute advice for our listeners who are looking for clarity in their next step?

Karla 27:54

Yes. What I will tell them is ensure that you have clarity in your purpose, that you have clarity of what you want from life. Reach out and connect with others because this is a journey where we are all together and we have all this amazing technology, but we can't forget that human to human, we are stronger together. That's my closing message.

Debbie 28:24

Karla, thank you so much for being my guest on Skin in a Game. You are the CEO of your life and career, and that's the invitation for our listeners today. Not to wait for permission, not to wait for that perfect moment, but to start acting like the leader of your own story right now. Thank you, Karla, for bringing such depth, authenticity, and wisdom to the show. Your story matters.

Karla 28:51

Thank you, Debbie. Really appreciate it. It's been an honor to be here with you.

Debbie 28:56

I know our listeners are walking away with a huge playbook that they can actually use. If you want to dive deeper into Karla's work, her coaching programs, books, and everything is linked in the show notes. Until next time, stay curious, stay intentional, and remember you are the CEO of your life and career. This is Skin in the Game. Thanks for listening.