I Said NO to my Manager | #CareerConvos™️

You’re tuned in to #CareerConvos™️with Nikki: unfiltered conversations about what it takes to build a career you actually want in corporate America. If you’re an accountant, analyst, finance manager, controller, or just trying to figure out what’s next in your career… you’re in the right place.We talk about navigating layoffs, dealing with microaggressions, managing up, and advocating for yourself in rooms where no one looks like you. Grab your coffee, an old fashioned, or some lemon mint water and let's get into this conversation.If you haven't already, join thousands of corporate employees who seek out my career advice to navigate the things they deal with at work everyday with #CareerConvos™️365 Days of Career Development. Each week I'm giving you a new piece of career advice plus career development resources you can use right now. And of course as a Black CPA, I must address the accounting pipeline issues, the fear future CPAs feel about the CPA exam, and how my proven CPA exam review and coaching programs have helped CPA candidates finally pass those exams they keep failing. CPA candidates tell me my CPA exam coaching program helps them easily understand difficult accounting concepts and they appreciate my way of CPA exam review that's less boring. You'll come across special edition episodes of #CareerConvos™️with Nikki as I'll occassionally pause (like you should at work) and talk about wellness, money, kids, entrepreneurship and more. I'm glad that you found the #CareerConvos™️with Nikki podcast and excited for you to come along for the ride. Make sure we're connected - I hang out on Threads (@nikkwinstoncpa), LinkedIn, and on YouTube. In this episode of #CareerConvos™️, I’m sharing a true story from earlier in my corporate accounting career when I was the youngest and least tenured person in the department, applied for an internal role anyway, and created a one pager to help me stand out in the interview.I didn’t get the job, but I did get powerful feedback from the hiring manager. Then my manager asked me to share the one pager with her, and I said NO.This conversation is about managing your manager, workplace boundaries, internal interviews, corporate politics, protecting your work, and having the audacity to go after opportunities even when the odds look stacked against you. In this episode, I talk about: Why I applied for the role even though my colleagues had more tenure and more experience.  How I used a one pager to walk through my experience, accomplishments, and value proposition.  Why I didn’t let the outcome of the interview define the value of the experience.  What happened after my manager asked me to share the one pager with her.  Why professionals need to stop feeling guilty for protecting the things they created.  Why conversations with your manager matter when it comes to raises, promotions, visibility, and career growth.  How to think about difficult managers, workplace dynamics, and professional boundaries. A few career lessons from this episode: You cannot disqualify yourself before leadership ever gets the chance to evaluate you.  Years and impact are not always the same thing.  Some people are comfortable with your ambition as long as it feels non threatening.  You need to know what your manager is saying about you in rooms you are not in.  Your career belongs to you, even when your manager has influence over the path. Resources mentioned: Read the full conversation on #CareerConvos™️ on Substack Download the Conversation Starter With Your Manager template Book a one on one career coaching sessionThis episode is for corporate employees navigating difficult managers, workplace politics, internal interviews, burnout, microaggressions, promotion conversations, workplace visibility, and the emotional side of advancing in corporate America. Let’s keep the conversation going at nikkwinstoncpa.com/careerIf this episode reflects what you’re living through at work, book time on my calendar for career coaching.  We’ll talk through the realities of your current job, what’s shifting around you, and how to position yourself for the job you love - and loves you back.CPA exam coaching sessions are available on my CPA Exam page. I've also shared CPA exam coaching session replays, exam tutorials, and the exact steps I took to pass the CPA exam over there. Make sure we're connected - I hang out on Threads (@nikkwinstoncpa), LinkedIn, and on YouTube.  ★ Support this podcast ★