#248 Melissa Hamilton: Safe Pair of Hands Is Not a Compliment

Melissa and Kelli got fired up this week. Not at anyone. At a pattern they keep seeing in incredibly talented senior leaders: ask them what value they create, and what comes back is projects, process and detail. A shopping list of activity, with the actual value buried somewhere underneath it.

The consequences are real. When a board hears a long list of tasks, they see a busy person. When they see a busy person, they conclude she is capable, reliable, a safe pair of hands, and not needed at the table when the decisions are made. In a restructuring market, that reputation is a risk. In the worst cases, the value of someone's work only becomes visible after they've left.

This is a candid conversation between two former global CEOs about why articulating your value is so hard, why the "don't fix women" critique matters and where it stops, the line Google Australia MD Mel Silva gave Melissa that she has never forgotten, and the difference between mentors who teach you the job and sponsors who carry your value into rooms you're not in. It ends with a practical challenge: work out your headline.

In this episode:

• The shopping list problem: why brilliant strategic leaders default to listing activity
• The system is real, and so is what remains in your control
• "Don't make me look under the rug for your achievements": what sponsors actually need from you
• Why early-career rewards for delivery quietly become mid-career liabilities
• Kelli's starting point: tie what you do to the organisation's strategic ambitions
• This week's challenge: define the value you create, in one headline, and test it

 

Read the blog: Melissa's post "Don't Give Me a Shopping List" is on the website now. https://bravefeminineleadership.com/post/stop-giving-me-the-shopping-list

Join us on 29 July: The Impact Formula is a free 60-minute lunchtime leadership briefing where we go deeper on exactly this. https://bravefeminineleadership.com/impact-formula

Talk to us: We open a handful of spots each month for a conversation. If you're questioning your own value equation, book one. https://bravefeminineleadership.com/book-a-call

 

LISTEN & CONNECT:
Sign up to our Weekly Newsletter for Leadership Inspiration - https://www.bravefeminineleadership.com/leadershipinspiration
Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bravefeminineleadership
Connect with Melissa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brave-feminine-leadership

 

WORK WITH US:
// The Executive Shift: An 8-week intensive for senior women ready to be recognised for judgement, not just delivery. https://bravefeminineleadership.com/the-executive-shift 
// INFLUENCE Mastermind: A 6-month peer advisory room for female CEOs. https://calendly.com/the-brave-group/influence-enquiry-call
// 1:1 Executive Coaching: Work directly with Melissa & Kelli. https://calendly.com/the-brave-group/executive-coaching