Hi Reader, Let’s say something uncomfortable happens at work or you’re seeing repeated incidents by a manager or co-workers that’s leaving you feeling off. You’re noticing off comments, inappropriate behavior, or in some cases, straight-up harassment or discrimination. You realize it might be important to document such cases, perhaps to protect yourself in the event you have a contentious departure from the company. But what are you legally allowed to do? Can you screenshot a Slack thread, or...
3 days ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, This week on the Gentle Power Podcast (gentlepowerpodcast.com), we sat down with Mia Smithson, a renowned tech industry recruiter who has interviewed more than 5,000 people and hired more than 400. Amongst many achievements throughout her career, Mia joined a startup as its founding recruiter when it was around 50 people and helped grow it to a workforce of 700 across seven countries. Today, she is recruiting at a frontier AI company that hires 30 to 50 people every month. In this...
5 days ago • 7 min read
Hi Reader, This week on the Gentle Power Podcast (gentlepowerpodcast.com), we had the pleasure of hosting Justin Clark of JLC Employment Law. Justin has been a lawyer for over 11 years, spending most of his career in employment law. He started on the defense side representing companies, moved in-house to handle employment litigation at two post-IPO tech companies, got laid off himself, and then started his own firm representing employees against their employers. We were really excited to...
16 days ago • 5 min read
Hi Reader, This is Part II of our Gentle Power Podcast episode with the Latvian wunderkind, Annija Eizenarma. (for part I, see our recent newsletter here!) Quick recap: Annija started her first business at 15 at a small school in the Latvian countryside, and from the age of 17 spent the next six years building a smart home company that was eventually acquired by one of Europe’s leading manufacturers in the building automation industry. We were impressed with how Annija proactively negotiated...
29 days ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, This week on the Gentle Power Podcast, we invited Latvian wunderkind, Annija Eizenarma. Annija started her first business when she was 15 years old at a small school in the Latvian countryside, met her business partner at 17, then spent the next six years building a smart home company that she ultimately sold to one of Europe’s leading manufacturers in the building automation system industry. Still hungry after her exit, she moved to San Francisco to find her next career move. As...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, Yassas! 🇬🇷🇬🇷🇬🇷 We’re currently in Greece on the last leg of our annual summer trip to visit Gerta’s family in Europe. We’ve actually been in Europe since early June getting a ton of family time, but have also been super heads down on work throughout. The time difference with most of our clients has been brutal (regular client calls between 12-6am local time), but we’ve had some huge wins that we’re so happy about - one client whose offer we helped negotiate got bumped up two levels...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, This week on the Gentle Power Podcast, we spoke with Soumya Maya, who's building an AI product to help people making career pivots. She started out in architecture, spent a decade moving across different industries, and most recently worked in product management at edtech startups before leaving a few months ago to support career changers. Most people who switch industries assume they’re starting over, that a new field means a weaker hand when it comes to compensation, level, and...
about 2 months ago • 5 min read
Hi Reader, We recently published our podcast interview with Gerta's negotiation professor from MIT, Ofer Sharone (full episode: YouTube | Spotify | Apple). We covered a lot with Professor Sharone, more than fit in one newsletter, so we're picking up where the first newsletter left off. That first newsletter was about negotiation mindset. Today, we're going to get more tactical: why it's important to dig for why a company picked you, whether you should name a number, and the concept of...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, This week on the Gentle Power Podcast, we cover the uncomfortable negotiations that start after you're hired: resetting expectations with a peer, giving a co-worker constructive feedback, telling a direct report they’re underperforming. Our guest is Amanda Gustafson, who coaches leaders through these kinds of conversations. She took a winding path to get here, from a physics degree to running a theater in Troy, Michigan at 23, to a master's in psychology, to a stint as a dean of...
2 months ago • 5 min read