The Road to Champagne: 13 Principles to Drive Career Success

It does not matter what stage of you career you are in, one thing is clear: you must be in control of it. Yes, we need the guidance and support of others, but we can't let others drive. It is our road to success; not theirs. Although it is tempting to wait and see what external forces might bring to our career, trying your luck is not a strategy or a good approach.  There is no Uber picking you up...you have to drive. Today we are joined by Megan Prichard, Global Head of Autonomous Ridesharing at Ford Motor Company.

Although I’ve had many guests who migrated to another country to maximize success, it is until now that we openly discuss the additional career challenges faced by minorities and/or immigrants. The 13 Principles apply to us all, but if you are not part of the majority group, you must become more effective at applying them to maximize your career growth rate. Especially three principles, as discussed in this episode. Today we are joined by Carla Murillo-Gonzalez, Vice President at HKS, an architectural design firm.

The application of 13 Principles determines how smooth a ride we will have in our journey to success. It is fascinating to hear how each has played a role in the success of our guests, who happen to be my friends or ex-colleagues from different stages in my career. My path intersected with someone who also came from Latin America to the U.S. pursuing more attractive opportunities within the food industry. Today we are joined by Jose Amarista, President at Inverlabs.

What is in the mind of someone just getting started in his or her career these days? Are you in that situation? I wonder if they had the same questions I had. Let’s talk to someone just starting their journey. Such professionals can maximize the benefit of the 13 Principles, because the sooner one learns and applies them, the sooner one removes or avoids the root causes behind slow career growth. Today we are joined by Sasha Matera-Vatnick, Food Safety, Quality, and Regulatory Associate at Cargill.

So, have you wondered who do these 13 principles apply to? Do they apply to you? I want to tell you they apply to all professionals trying to grow in their career and trying to find new successful stages in their career journey. It does not matter if you are an employee or a business owner, if you work in an office or a manufacturing site, in a service industry, or high tech, or banking...whatever. The principles help you eliminate the most common and critical root causes for slow career growth. Today we are joined by Shadi Yazdan, co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer at PredictivEye.

Our journeys are all different, but the success principles are not. It is the effective application of each principle that helps us maximize the probability of success in our journey. Cliff was not predestined to be a Senior Vice President and COO, my next guest was not predestined to be a Chief Supply Chain Officer...they just made the right choices, the right sacrifices, took advantage of the right opportunities, and put the right amount of effort to apply the 13 principles proficiently in their career. That's the key lesson for us. Today we are joined by Chris Callieri, Chief Supply Chain Officer at Tory Burch.

In this series, we will explore the application of The Road to Champagne’s 13 principles to the careers of various professionals. They will share insights and lessons from their journey so we can learn from real-life examples of the principles at play—what worked well, what could work better. Today we are joined by Cliff Goins IV, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Emotomy, a Northern Trust Company.

This episode is a recap of the 13 principles, worth listening even if you already heard all 13 episodes.  In series 1, we explored one principle at a time, but this episode ties it all together. Additional insights about the framework and what to do now you are informed about these powerful actionable principles are shared, as well as key quotes from each of the fifteen series 1 guests.  This episode concludes series 1...but don't despair, series 2 is coming soon. Cheers to your success!

You must refine your leadership style as you grow in your career, so when you get to a position of visible leadership you can be effective. You must deepen your emotional intelligence as well—it is no longer just about results and performance as when you were an individual contributor. Learn from those leaders around you, what to imitate because it is admirable and what not to imitate because it doesn’t feel good on the receiving end. Today we are joined by Maria Pinelli, former Global Vice Chair at EY, and Hinesh Shah, Vice President of Sales for Strategic Accounts at Diageo North America.

If you are on your journey to success, you must be steering your own wheel. Don’t wait for others to manage it for you—it’s totally on you. Grabbing the wheel is about driving your car on the road to Champagne and deciding the speed, when to change lanes, when to change road, etc. A passive career approach will not lead to the growth you expect. Today we are joined by Lili Ferrarase, a real estate and hospitality executive turned successful entrepreneur, and Dr. Juan Salinas, a leading company product developer turned entrepreneur and Shark Tank winner.

Building relationships and constructing a well-designed network is critical to advance in your career. But many take networking lightly—and their career growth rate suffers. Depending on your personality and context this might be easy and enjoyable or uncomfortable and painful. You must do it regardless of how you feel about it or the level of effort required. Proper networking opens doors for you. Isn’t that what you seek to grow?  Joining us is Neeraj Khanna, Senior Vice President of Strategic Programs at Wells Fargo.

Bad news: good performance is not enough. You need to convince others your proposal is highly attractive for it to get implemented. Without a certain level of power and influence, you will fail at it—especially true the higher up in the organization you get to. That is why you must be proficient at navigating your organization’s power dynamic and have sharp influencing skills.  Joining us is Prof. Alison Fragale, Organizational Psychologist & Professor at University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Defining your professional brand helps you convey to others what value to bring to the table and helps differentiates you from your crowded field. It should reflect today’s reality, not an aspiration, and is composed of three elements: strengths, values, and expertise (episodes 6 to 8). Your brand should evolve over time—be in control of its direction. You have to protect it—wrong moves or failure to deliver can damage your brand image. Today we are joined by Phil Buckley, change management expert and consultant, executive coach, and published author.

Besides strengths and values, a key component of your professional brand is expertise. To differentiate from the pack, you need to excel at a few topics and be proficient in other topics of relevance within your field. We explore the concept of main and secondary spikes, and how to choose, build, and maintain them. Without such expertise, you are easily replaceable and will have a harder time generating demand for your services. Joining us is Eric Hemer, SVP of Wine Education at Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits (Master of Wine and Master Sommelier).

Values seem to be undervalued (pun intended) but their importance is tremendous. They help us understand if we are acting according to the beliefs we hold dearly and play a key role in our career and life; they help us understand if we are about to make the right decision—but only if you are attuned to them. Joining us is Rissa Lawrence, VP of Strategy and Business Development at Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits.

Having strong self-awareness is key to having high emotional intelligence, being an admired leader, and making effective decisions impacting your career. Many professionals don’t grow because they ignore their existing blind spots—and therefore can’t address them. The sooner you know yourself, and how others perceive you, the faster you can upshift on your drive to success. Today we are joined by Dr. Jasmin Franz, a certified business coach and e-trainer, an expert in talent and leadership development, and lecturer at the International University of Applied Sciences in Munich, Germany.

Being adaptable is the 5th step in shaping your mindset, and it is very important for one simple reason: your road will not be a straight line. You will have unexpected twists, turns, forks, and potholes. How you react to such events on your road can help you quickly recalculate your route—or derail you. Being adaptable is a must—now more than ever. Practice embracing change, because it’s coming…if you want career growth. Joining us is Guillermo Rebolledo, Global Strategy and Transformation Leader for Strategic Sourcing and Procurement at Cargill.

Saying “yes” is about how you react when opportunities come your way (related to your job, career, or personal interests), that you didn't expect. Because many times, opportunities come our way when we aren’t expecting or pursuing them. Saying “yes” is a powerful welcome to new experiences that can lead to personal growth, career growth, more learning, and even dramatic positive changes or progress in our career. Joining us is Hector Astorga (hectorastorga.com), an entrepreneur turned award-winning wildlife photographer.

WIP means work-in-progress, a product that is not yet finished. You need to constantly learn and stretch your knowledge boundaries to unlock professional growth. This thirst for being a non-stop learner will act as fuel for the drive to success. Joining us is Lindsey White, Consultant at Bain & Co.

So how much more should I want? How high should I aim? If you want life-changing career moves you have to aim higher than what’s “normal.” Let Plan A be a way into a new league that accelerates growth and let Plan B be “normal.” Joining us is Dr. Alex Frano, Assistant Professor of Physics at University of California San Diego.