She’s Her Own CEO® Interview with Executive Talent Coach, Molly Tschang

She’s Her Own CEO® Interview with Executive Talent Coach, Molly Tschang

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SHOCEO® Reading for Success: Ten (10) Minutes.

 

For this edition of the She’s Her Own CEO® Interview Series, we are excited to introduce you to Molly Tschang!

Molly is Founder and CEO of Abella Consulting, a New York-based leadership development and business advisory consultancy. Abella helps senior management build powerful chemistry to lead together and be committed to each other’s success. This elevates individual, team, and organizational performance and accelerates sustained, profitable growth. Through her “Say it Skillfullyvideo and radio series, Molly makes it easier for all members of an organization (or community) to say what needs to be said in a constructive and productive manner.

Prior to launching Abella, Molly held executive leadership positions at Cisco Systems and U.S. Filter, where she led the integration of over 80 acquisitions.         

Molly holds an MBA from The Anderson School at UCLA with a focus on entrepreneurship and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University.

In 2017, Molly was selected from among 12,000 applicants to be a protégé of Marshall Goldsmith through his 100 Coaches initiative. She is certified in Organization & Relationship Systems Coaching (ORSC™), Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coaching, CEO.works Value Coaching and Predictive Index.

 

 

Kathryn Brooks, She’s Her Own CEO®: Hi Molly, it is an honor to interview you today! I’ve followed your work on LinkedIn, and especially your “Say It Skillfully video series. Your professional résumé is so impressive. Can you take me deeper into your early experiences that have made you who you are today?

Molly Tschang, CEO, Abella Consulting: Thanks, Kathryn. I appreciate this question. My story starts with my family and my upbringing with two rockstar, pioneering parents. My mom is from Hong Kong and had a long career in nursing. My dad is from the Henan Province of China and is a bona fide rocket scientist. My sisters and I were first generation born in the States, and I didn’t speak English until I was 5.

Starting in school was quite a struggle. I think we felt a lot of pressure to fit in, and being school-oriented, athletic, and musical helped us feel accepted. Overall, it was an idyllic upbringing in suburban Rochester, NY with awesome support from my parents that instilled a sense of anything was possible if you put your mind to it and worked for it.

It’s funny in life how things come full circle – looking back that intense need to fit in helped me hone my ability to effectively connect with people from any background, which has served me well.

“Knowledge is power” was my Mother’s mantra (going to college was a huge deal to her as she didn’t have a degree – after we were out of the house she went on to get her B.S.), and I could never have imagined the impact of my undergrad experience. First, after the Chemical Engineering program at Cornell, honestly nothing has been hard. I feel lucky to have been well equipped in learning to learn, self-assurance, and to not be afraid of hard work. Second, I’d never have expected my sorority sisters, over 20 of us, would be life-long friends, support and inspiration – down-to-earth women doing amazing work. Those years in Ithaca were and are still a great gift to me.

I accepted a role at IBM with essentially no idea what I was getting into. In my mind the math I ran was, “Hmmm, after 2 years at IBM I’ll likely be more marketable.” While I was successful in that role, sales wasn’t something long-term for me. I do counsel early-in-career folks that sales experience is absolutely invaluable, as nothing starts in any company until someone sells something.

From there, I went to grad school. I earned an MBA at UCLA with a focus on Entrepreneurship and spent time in management consulting, with the big benefit of being regularly “air dropped” into different environments and needing to assess who’s who and execute on the engagement. That set me up to join the early days of U.S. Filter, which consolidated the water treatment industry, and I learned to integrate companies. Super exciting and rewarding and a dream job to be part of the Filter team. It was an all-consuming time with tons of learning, but with the cost of burnout, so after traveling the world for four years, I took some time off. I’d call this more a necessity than luxury as it was clear I needed to ground myself!

I seized the opportunity to re-invent and in 1998 landed in one of the most sought-after parts of Cisco Systems in the heyday of Silicon Valley. Acquisition integration was to be a core competency and it was another dream job to be part of building this capability. You could say the rest is history…after integrating over 80 companies, I moved out of M&A and had other tremendous roles at the company, including running a nonprofit (NetHope), which really changed my perspective on life and on what any one of us can do to help the world.

I have many varied aptitudes and am both left- and right-brained. I could certainly solve the problems that others had. As I grew, I realized the responsibility was solely on me to make decisions about where to focus my energy…and to decide what are the problems I’d like to solve and how to use my talents for maximum impact.

Some advice: You CAN have it all…you just can’t have it all at the same time.

Lean into what you want to do at that point in time. Don’t let society put pressure on you.

 

Think of your life as being a journey of accumulating skills,

where each one enriches your life and the lives of the people closest to you.

Currently, I consider my work as a portfolio. I’m the CEO of Abella Consulting, coaching senior management teams to win as one. “Say It SkillfullyTM” is my pay-it-forward initiative that applies universally to all levels in an organization, helping you find the words to create shared reality in a way that’s true to yourself. I teach leadership/teamwork and also serve on several boards, both for- and non-profit.

 

Kathryn Brooks, She’s Her Own CEO®: Molly, you have such a calm, focused energy. Tell me more about how you maintain it on a daily basis.

Molly Tschang, CEO, Abella Consulting: Well, I have a lot of energy and I have to manage it. I’m active, working out 4-5 times a week. Despite my high energy, I do need 7-to-8 hours of sleep each night, and I prioritize that. For many years I didn’t sleep well, largely due to unconscious stresses. At some point I think I gave myself permission to ‘let it go’ and seriously that’s what’s made the difference.

 

Kathryn Brooks, She’s Her Own CEO®: On ShesHerOwnCEO.com, we often talk about how one can best Lead, Provide, and Create™.  Each of us, in our respective world, has opportunities to Lead Ourselves, to Provide for Others, and Create for the Larger World. Molly, please share with me your favorite example of how you Lead, Provide, and Create™ in your professional and/or personal world!

Molly Tschang, CEO, Abella Consulting: Leading Yourself is primary. Deep down, each of our perceived issues with others starts with ourselves and looking inward. Most people have more agency, but they’re not leading in it.

I Provide for Others through my “Say it Skillfully” series. It’s my contribution to the universe, and I put it out there. I’m happy to do it. The world needs it.

I’m also a certified yoga teacher. Through deepening my own practice, I’m better able to help people on their journey with yoga…which at its core is helping you get to know yourself for who you are.

Creating for the Larger World happens when you play for each other, and this is what I help senior management do. Those are the championship teams. A focus on the Team versus “Me” starts at the top.

The opportunity, and responsibility, to serve the larger world hit me in my first ‘adventure’ philanthropy experience. I went to Africa with Save the Children and through the amazing generosity of colleagues, friends and family, raised $70K – my donor base alone funded two rural schools and clean water wells, empowering women and girls. Being on the ground firsthand opened my eyes to how vital it is that we care about those in need around the world.

 

Kathryn Brooks, She’s Her Own CEO®: Speaking of sharing our work environment with others, please tell me more about your “Say It Skillfully video series and how you developed it.

Molly Tschang, CEO, Abella Consulting: Thank you for asking! “Say It Skillfully has over 900K views on my websites and social media channels. The series breaks down the concept of building an accurate shared reality with your leaders, your colleagues, and those in your world. Without that shared reality, you cannot be on the same page with them. A friend once told me that I’m very skilled at helping people to say what’s difficult for them to express and building shared realities…and the video series developed from there. I now also host a weekly “Say It Skillfully” call-in radio program on the VoiceAmerica Business Channel.

 

Kathryn Brooks, She’s Her Own CEO®Being the CEO of your world can take many forms (for example, volunteering in your community, holding a formal corporate position, engaging in creative pursuits, or being a reliable mom/sister/daughter). In your opinion, what is the best way to achieve success and to become the boss of your world?

Molly Tschang, CEO, Abella Consulting: First, know who you are. Get to know your strengths and weaknesses and use that exploration as an opportunity to grow personally. Don’t be hard on yourself. Know what matters to you and why.

It’s taken a while and for sure it’ll evolve some, but I know why I’m on the planet. I know what I’m good at and how I’d like to put my talents to use…and where I want to grow.

Second, act with intentionality and with clarity. Put your talents and strengths into practice in service to others. Find ways to make improvements in your community, no matter what your community includes and means to you. If you’re a parent, give yourself permission to focus on your children – equipping them to navigate a complex world will add more value than the incremental “work” you’d otherwise be doing.

 

Kathryn Brooks, She’s Her Own CEO®Any additional advice you can share with motivated, aspirational professionals?

Molly Tschang, CEO, Abella Consulting: Focus on wellness. Take care of your mind, body and  soul. Be your own best friend. Ask for what you need. And when you’re pondering your career and wondering, “How can I possibly switch jobs?” instead, think “How can I NOT switch jobs?”

 

Kathryn Brooks, She’s Her Own CEO®: Molly, thank you for so candidly sharing your experiences, your perspectives, and your positive energy! Learn more about Molly’s work below:

https://sayitskillfully.com

https://www.abella.consulting

Catch Molly on VoiceAmerica Business Channel every Tuesday @ 8:00AM Pacific Time / 11:00AMj Eastern Time:

https://www.voiceamerica.com/show/3923/say-it-skillfully

Molly’s Social Media:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mollytschang/

https://twitter.com/mollytschang

https://instagram.com/mollytschang

Looking for even more #CEO Insights? Check out my other interviews and be sure you’re subscribed below!

xx Kathryn

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