Feb 18, 2020
I’m super excited for today’s episode because Marissa Orr is going to join us as she shares her experiences working for some of the most innovative companies in the country and how she learned to lean out in order to own her career. For those of you who don't know Marissa Orr; Marissa is a former Google & Facebook executive, bestselling author, and leadership speaker. Spending 15 years working at today’s top tech giants, she has conducted talks for thousands of people in the US, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Originally from Miami, Orr received her Master’s degree in Decision and Information Sciences from the University of Florida. Her best-selling book, Lean Out, The Truth About Women, Power, & the Workplace, was released by HarperCollins Leadership in June of 2019.
“I really had to rewire my personality, though, because I've never been known for my planning and discipline and I’m somewhat of an impulsive and instant gratification kind of person. So we spent a lot of time reading and figuring out how to instill habits and routine and discipline.” At minute 13:05, Marissa talks about how she had to adapt after getting a new job and had to create habits of productivity in order to uplevel her performance.
“I want to make sure we take a minute to define what “lean out” means, because a lot of people don’t know. It doesn't mean that you quit your job, it doesn't mean you reduce your ambition, and it doesn't mean you can take your foot off the pedal of your career. The essence of the title is really about leaning out of anyone else's story for what your career should look like or what success looks like.” At 23:38, Marissa talks about the meaning of “lean out,” the title of her book and the importance of both defining your career and making it your own, not letting other people define your career for you.
“...one of the solutions I talk about to things like that is around holding people accountable for objective measures of success. It's not easy. But the point that I make is, had the leader of that organization been graded on the outcome of the project after the fact, instead of, you know, how she looked in the process of the project, the outcome might have been different.” At minute 42:59, Marissa talks about making sure your team has objective measures of success when working on projects. Not only will this push your team to perform better, but will also give them motivation and something to strive for.
Marissa shared a lot of valuable information about owning both your career and your life. She also gave a lot of helpful tips to fellow entrepreneurs, so make sure to stay tuned!
If you want to know more about Marissa and learn all about her at https://www.marissaorr.com, and don’t forget to follow her on Instagram @marissabethorr. Go follow her now! And don’t forget to purchase her book titled, “Lean Out,” available on her website and on Amazon.
I hope you liked today’s episode. Please don’t forget to subscribe on all podcast platforms and while you’re there, please don’t forget to rate and review! I truly appreciate and love you, and can’t wait to see you in the next episode!
P.S. Please don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @theannaoakes to share your big takeaways and for more Build High Performing Teams updates. I’ll see you there!
Peace & Progress,
Anna