Get Ivna's self-advocacy and leadership voice stories
Every major leap in my career stemmed from asserting what I wanted, sharing my ideas, and negotiating.
- I landed my first leadership role by turning down an initial offer during an interview and instead proposing a position that involved leading a team.
- During a significant company reorganization, I secured the job I desired by meeting with my boss’s boss, presenting a compelling vision for the role, and outlining a 100-day plan.
- Just six months into my job, feeling somewhat underperforming, I convinced my manager to finance a full-time MBA, which amounted to tens of thousands of dollars.
- A promotion came my way after I requested a meeting with my skip-level leader to share an innovative idea.
- The chance to lead a weekly meeting with senior colleagues materialized simply because I asked for it, even though I had hesitated to ask months prior.
- My team expanded because I made a strong case for its growth.
I earned respect and forged positive relationships with all 13 of my bosses, clients, and peers by honing a voice for self-advocacy, despite others struggling in their interactions with the same individuals.
- When my CFO suggested hiring his nephew, I declined, yet he still approved my MBA funding.
- I got myself out of routine weekend work by challenging the necessity of the process after my boss proposed it.
- Overwhelmed by daily presentations, I successfully negotiated with my boss’s boss to reduce them to twice a week.
- After initially dismissing my assistance, a business leader eventually sought my advice, following my firm communication of my value.
- Gaining respect and attention from the head of a logistics company who initially wanted to bypass me, I managed to change his perspective through assertive communication.
- When criticized in an email by a senior leader to a wide audience, including my bosses, I addressed the issue directly, preventing any future disrespect.
- A one-time request from my boss to pick up his lunch never happened again.
- Transitioning from ‘meets expectations’ to receiving outstanding performance evaluations, I initiated weekly updates with my boss highlighting our achievements and progress.
- Directly approaching superiors for input, after being stalled by email reminders, earned their respect and expedited my work.
Developing my leadership voice propelled me to new effectiveness and growth.
- I streamlined processes with the SVP of sales to alleviate my team’s stress from sales demands.
- Confronting the head of sales to protect my team from their aggressive behavior which led to tears, I established clear standards and boundaries despite my own apprehensions.
- Coaching from my manager helped me address a team member’s refusal to work, restoring respect and team morale.
- I empowered my team to confidently request information and hold leaders accountable, changing how they interacted with aggressive or dismissive superiors.
- By prioritizing our workload and setting boundaries with senior leaders, I prevented team burnout and turnover.
About The Author: Ivna Curi
- Host of the Speak Your Mind Unapologetically Podcast Show.
- MBA from INSEAD, the leading MBA program outside of the U.S.
- Forbes contributor.
- TEDx speaker “How To Speak Up Safely When It’s Psychologically Unsafe“
- Decade of corporate experience for Fortune 500 Johnson & Johnson, A.T. Kearney, and Etihad Airways leading teams.
- 20 thousand students in personal, group sessions, or trainings.
- Lived and worked around the world in 4 of the 7 continents.
- Speaker at conferences, events, and podcasts.
About The Company: Assertive Way
Assertive Way is the only company exclusively dedicated to providing speaking up and assertive communication skills for the workplace to create a robust speaking up culture that drives engagement, productivity, and innovation. Explore our interactive virtual and in person talks and workshops to inspire and engage your team. They are designed to provide actionable strategies the audience can immediately apply to speak up assertively and deal with workplace challenges. They are reliable and practical.
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Alternatively contact me at info@assertiveway.com or ivnacuri@assertiveway.com.
Photo credits: Raven Hanning and Maddie Schwenneker