The Uncommon Executive

The Uncommon Executive Substack, authored by Yue Zhao, focuses on career growth strategies, sharing insights on transitioning to executive roles, and addressing challenges faced by minorities and women in Silicon Valley's corporate landscape. It covers executive presence, self-publishing, combating biases, and provides advice on personal and professional development.

Career Growth Executive Leadership Product Management Venture Investing Solo-Entrepreneurship Diversity and Inclusion Personal Development Professional Networking

The hottest Substack posts of The Uncommon Executive

And their main takeaways

How I Transitioned from Individual Contributor to Manager -- Twice

59 implied HN points • 17 Mar 24
💼 Business Management Career growth Professional development
  1. Moving from an individual contributor to a manager role can be challenging, especially in product management where prior management experience is often required.
  2. Key factors for transitioning to a management position include being a high-performer, having influence across the organization, and the presence of a business need for a manager.
  3. Securing sponsorship, networking effectively, and identifying the right mentor or manager to learn from are crucial steps in transitioning to a management role.

Welcome to my Substack!

99 implied HN points • 22 Feb 24
💼 Business Diversity Coaching Entrepreneurship Venture Capital
  1. Yue Zhao is passionate about helping minorities succeed in the business world, as she believes the best opportunities are unfairly distributed to white men.
  2. Yue Zhao started her career in engineering, worked at prestigious companies like McKinsey, Thumbtack, and Instagram, and is now a venture partner at LifeX Ventures.
  3. Yue Zhao aims to use her Substack newsletter to share insights and advice to help minorities and women advance in their careers and personal lives.

Executive Presence - How to Level Up and Express the authentic you

39 implied HN points • 21 Mar 24
💼 Business Leadership Communication Professional development
  1. Executive presence involves commanding attention, inspiring trust, and influencing others effectively in leadership roles.
  2. Critical components include how you present yourself, hold yourself, and express yourself through demeanor, appearance, and communication.
  3. To improve executive presence, prioritize areas to work on, practice in specific situations, and understand how cultural stereotypes and gender norms can impact perceptions.

How I Self-Published My Book In 4 Months

19 implied HN points • 24 Mar 24
💼 Business Publishing Self-Publishing Marketing Editing
  1. Decide why you are writing a book - legacy, knowledge sharing, or business marketing are common reasons, not making money.
  2. When considering how to publish, options include traditional publishers, smaller publishing services, or self-publishing on platforms like Amazon Kindle.
  3. From writing to publishing a book, budget for costs like editing, proofreading, design, and consider the timeline - it took the author 4.5 months.

Pros and Cons of a C-level Job in 2024+

19 implied HN points • 14 Mar 24
💼 Business Career Leadership Work-life balance Decision-making Company Culture
  1. C-level executive roles offer significant impact on company trajectory and industries, allowing for big bets and tangible results in a shorter timescale.
  2. Executives have more control over their schedule, better anticipation of risks, and the ability to create work for others at well-run companies.
  3. The executive role comes with overflowing stress from high-level accountability, feelings of loneliness at the top, and a distance from day-to-day operations.
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How Implicit Biases Compound for Aspiring Executives

19 implied HN points • 07 Mar 24
💼 Business Bias Diversity Leadership Inequality
  1. Affinity bias, confirmation bias, and negativity bias combined create a self-fulfilling loop that can hinder career progression for minorities.
  2. Implicit biases often show up in actions not taken or opportunities not given, making them challenging to identify and address.
  3. Small biases, left unchecked, can compound over time and lead to lack of diversity at the executive level, making it crucial for both current and aspiring leaders to actively combat biases.

Advocating for Your Work

19 implied HN points • 05 Mar 24
💼 Business Leadership Recognition Gender Issues Achievements Team Collaboration
  1. Advocating for your work is essential for recognition and advancement in your career, especially for women and minorities who may face additional challenges in being acknowledged for their contributions.
  2. Celebrate delivering projects as expected and on time to increase visibility and recognition within the organization, even if you excel at preventing issues before they arise.
  3. Finding different methods to share your achievements like framing them as best practices or thanking collaborators can help in ensuring your wins are seen and appreciated by others.

Think Like Executives

1 HN point • 28 Mar 24
💼 Business Leadership Decision-making Constraints Innovation
  1. Thinking like executives involves focusing on bigger picture problems and considering people and resources in decision-making.
  2. Prioritizing the company's interests over specific teams or individuals is crucial at an executive level.
  3. At the executive level, there are no fixed constraints to finding optimal solutions, and it's important to challenge assumptions and think outside the established norms.

Why Performance Review Don't Always Go as Expected

0 implied HN points • 12 Mar 24
💼 Business Career development Company Culture
  1. As you advance in your career, it's important for others beyond your direct chain of command to understand and appreciate your performance.
  2. In larger companies, calibration sessions help ensure fair promotion assessments and avoid biases by involving multiple managers' feedback.
  3. Unexpected factors like vocal detractors, underperforming teams, or subjective evaluations can impact promotion outcomes, so it's crucial to find advocates and gather feedback early on.

The Challenge for Minority Aspiring Executives

0 implied HN points • 29 Feb 24
💼 Business Diversity Leadership Progress Challenges Opportunity
  1. Diverse teams bring more innovation and better performance to companies. Having more women executives positively impacts business performance and innovation.
  2. There is still a lack of diversity in top executive positions, with white males dominating Fortune 100 companies. Women and minorities face challenges in advancing to executive roles.
  3. To overcome challenges as a minority aspiring executive, focus on your unique value proposition, break big goals into manageable steps, and find support from like-minded individuals.

Coming soon...

0 implied HN points • 02 Nov 23
💼 Business Career development Entrepreneurship Venture Capital Product Management Family
  1. The newsletter is focused on career acceleration for aspiring executives covering topics like career coaching, product management, venture investing, and personal insights.
  2. The first post will be released on Thursday, February 22, 2024, with subsequent posts every Thursday. Subscribers can expect updates on career coaching, venture capital, solo entrepreneurship, and product work.
  3. Readers can subscribe for free to receive new posts and support the writer's work on 'The Uncommon Executive' newsletter.

Ways to Combat Implicit Bias in the Workplace

0 implied HN points • 10 Mar 24
💼 Business
  1. Recognize implicit biases in the workplace by consciously reflecting on situations and identifying where bias might exist.
  2. Look for patterns in bias by considering if scenarios happen repeatedly with the same individuals or contexts, and discuss with trusted friends or colleagues to find similarities.
  3. Address bias productively by initiating conversations using questions like 'If I were a white male, would you give the same feedback?' and having the courage to call out biases even if the culture is resistant.

First PM at promising startup: Accelerator towards fame, wealth, and glory or not worth it?

0 implied HN points • 31 Mar 24
💼 Business Startups Career growth Product Management
  1. The role of the first Product Manager at a startup may involve various tasks like writing SQL, taking support calls, and ordering lunches, and may not seem glamorous until the company achieves significant success.
  2. The first PM role is often more suitable for early career candidates rather than more experienced professionals, as it typically involves smaller scoped products and lower initial compensation.
  3. Success as a first PM at a startup is closely tied to the growth and success of the company, with opportunities for career advancement depending on your ability to drive impact and growth within the organization.

How to Build Trust Without Playing Golf

0 implied HN points • 27 Feb 24
💼 Business Diversity Trust Building Relationships Leadership Professional development
  1. Minority aspiring executives can face biases that hinder building trust and need to try different approaches to connect with their colleagues.
  2. Building trust at work can be achieved by focusing on common professional goals and interests, rather than solely relying on social interactions.
  3. To strengthen relationships, support colleagues in various ways, such as noting their achievements, offering assistance, and connecting them with others.