434: Why Nobody Actually Wants you To Succeed at Work & How To Use Your Introvert Skills To Do It Anyway

Ever wonder how some leaders always seem to be in the right room at the right time—leading the charge during pivotal moments?                        In this episode, we speak with Michael Cerda—startup veteran, former MySpace and Facebook exec, and author of Build Something—about navigating career pivots, influencing without authority, and building culture from the middle out. If you're a leader or specifically a product manager struggling to find your voice or get buy-in, this is for you.By the end of today’s conversation you’ll know:🎯How to communicate with cross-functional teams when you have no formal authority.✍🏻The true power of writing as a leadership tool for introverts🔑The overlooked signals that reveal whether someone’s a true culture fit—or just saying the right things.To chat with Laura to see if her Executive Presence Mastery System is right for you click here.If you want practical, battle-tested insight into becoming a more confident and strategic leader, hit play now.To lead with more confidence, clarity, and connection—especially when stakes are high and it's a pressure cooker, get your copy of my Executive Presence Self-Assessment here. My compliments. It goes through the 10 qualities that make up executive presence that are essential for success as a senior executive.For more information visit www.speakupwithlaura.com. Our Speak Up podcast episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday early in the morningAbout our guest:Michael Cerdá is a veteran product and technology leader who has served as Chief Product Officer and executive at several of the world’s most influential companies. As VP of Product for Disney Streaming, he helped launch Disney+ to over 100 million subscribers. Previously, he was Chief Project Officer at Goldman Sachs’ Marcus division, Chief Experience Officer at Live Nation/Ticketmaster, and Director of Product at Facebook. He has also founded multiple venture-backed startups and holds two technology patents. His new book, Build Something: Building Products, Business & Culture – A Journey of Hard-Won Lessons and Impactful Outcomes (Feb. 20, 2025), reveals the untold true stories behind some of the most transformative technologies of our time. Learn more at www.build-something.com.In Speak Up communication and executive presence coaching, high performing leaders and executives learn to enhance their influence and confidence, refining their communication style to increase visibility and effectiveness in promotion opportunities. By honing communication skills and fostering a trusted advisor mindset, aspiring executives cultivate...

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Do you often feel sidelined in discussions, wanting to speak up and have more influence? Ever experience that you say something in a meeting and then it seems like people maybe are still not getting what you’re saying? Do you need more executive presence in high stakes meetings? Discover tactics to confidently assert yourself and make your ideas count on Speak Up, the podcast for high-performing introverts and ambiverts. You'll learn: 1. Visibility Strategies from the art of persuasion, ensuring your voice is heard and respected in meetings and sought after for key projects 2. How to expand your influence, to reclaim your recognition, get green lights, and avoid your ideas being taken credit for by others 3. How to develop your confidence, to participate actively in senior leadership and executive meetings and beyond Host Laura Camacho, with 20 years of coaching experience, guides high-performing professionals to express their ideas clearly and build executive presence. Tune in every Monday for a 10-minute executive communication skill, Wednesdays for a half-hour industry leader interview, and Fridays for a 8-minute charisma tip from leading personalities like JK Rowling and Elon Musk. If you're ready to move forward in your career, listen to Speak Up episode 221: 5 Steps to Be More Articulate In Your Leadership Communication: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e-221-5-steps-to-be-more-articulate-in-your-leader/id1368646965?i=1000642628170