Welcome to ​Arise Leadership​: Where women learn actionable ways to have a voice at the table and get promoted faster.

Hi Reader,

🎉 I'm hosting my dream guest for a fireside chat. Wow!

I've been in awe of her since meeting her 8 years ago.

It's Michelle Zatlyn, Co-founder, President & COO of the revolutionary tech company, Cloudflare.

So honored for this rare opportunity to learn from Michelle.

Join us on February 15, where she'll candidly share:

• How she responded when her idea was shot down
• How she integrates her demanding career with motherhood
• The one skill you must have to move up

​Reserve your free spot here.

It's going to be epic! 🔥

Onto more goods...

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If you want to build influence in your organization, you should lead before you get the title.

I love this perspective from Scott Mautz, Author of 'Leading from the Middle' -

Leading before you have a title is the smartest way to:

• Increase your visibility and authority across all levels
• Be seen as a valued partner by stakeholders
• Create growth opportunities for yourself

Here are 2 ways you can start rallying stakeholders today:

1. Be the expert problem-solver

This includes 4 steps →

• Care: Showcase interest in solving problems without an agenda.
• Listen: Ask A LOT of questions to understand the context more deeply.
• Give: Offer insights, and suggestions, or connect them to a more experienced person.
• Teach: Become the go-to person for certain types of problems and share your knowledge with others.

A good question to ask your team is: "How can I support you better?"

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2. Become a growth catalyst

Influence is all about trust. And trust rests on the shoulders of a team aligned to one goal.

To manage up, down, and across; you need to align expectations — across all stakeholders.
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Here’s how to do it:

• Regular project updates: Keep everyone in the loop to show the impact you’re making.
• 1:1 meetings: Use these to build rapport and understand the intrinsic motivations of your stakeholders.
• Co-create: Leaders rarely work alone. Think about a current project you're working on and who you can bring in to collaborate.
• Value opinions from all levels to create psychological safety. Ask questions like:
  1. “How can we make this stronger?”
  2. “I appreciate your input, could you please walk me through your thought process?”
  3. "Anyone have any spicy ideas we may have missed?"

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Middle leadership shows decision-makers that you take ownership, want the org to succeed, and are hungry to drive impact.

So don’t wait for a title. Start leading. The title will show up.

See you next time! 👋

Cheers,
Shivani

P.S. Don't forget to save your spot for our fireside chat with Michelle Zatlyn. There is so much to learn from her.

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