EP. 78 The importance of being cheeky.

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Michaela Griggs, CEO of Southern California Reproductive Center.  Over Michaela’s career, she found herself on the leadership track in a global company – this meant international work and complex assignments.  But she also found herself slipping into what she calls the “good girl syndrome” – where if you just work hard and do good work, believing that you will be noticed and rewarded.  It took being “cheeky” which meant stepping outside of the norm and directly asking for the assignments that Michaela really loved – big thorny problems that perhaps require a different point of view.  At first, she did not always get that plum assignment – but she did receive direct and actionable feedback.  Such as how to be more specific about what was important to her and how it is relevant and valuable to the corporation.  These cheeky actions led to larger assignments and responsibilities and learnings which remain important to Michaela today.  As Michaela balances the needs of growth of a high growth center with advances in technology and leading in the area of innovation, she also remains committed to her belief that a willingness to learn, continuously learn, is imperative to business growth.  And she also finds that a longer term view on career growth and the journey, to simply be more satisfying.   Michaela Griggs CEO , Southern California Reproductive Center Director, Guardion Health Sciences Michaela has over 20 years of experience at leading Pharmaceutical, Health, Wellness, and Beauty organizations, bringing to Guardion her strong marketing acumen and deep experience in consumer-driven and healthcare professional-driven markets. Most recently, she served as CEO for Southern California Reproductive Center, and prior to that was part of Barco Uniforms, Allergan, Bayer Healthcare, 3M Unitek, and Tria Beauty where she was instrumental in developing and improving brand, retail, and distribution strategies.   You can follow Michaela on LinkedIn.