Mita Mallick

I am a passionate storyteller.  As a kid, I loved watching commercials instead of actual tv shows (still do!) I loved going to the store with my mom, studying all the new packaging and products on shelf, testing and trying new things.

But as a kid, I didn’t see many stories being told that included people who looked like me. I was the funny looking dark skinned girl, with a long funny looking braid, whose parents spoke funny English. Until it wasn't funny anymore. I was bullied by my peers for years. And I just desperately wanted to fit in. I wanted to belong.
 
Throughout my career, I have fought hard to ensure people like me are included.  Ensuring Black and Brown people were represented in campaigns.  Ensuring products we created were for all skin tones. Ensuring we were not reinforcing stereotypes. 
 
I believe diversity of thought doesn’t happen without diversity of representation.  When you have all those points of views, life experiences, and cultural backgrounds coming together around a table. Colliding, clashing, and collaborating- that’s when magic happens.  That’s when we come up with that one break through innovative idea, campaign, innovation- to authentically and purposefully serve customers and communities.

Because inclusion is a driver of the business.

Head of Inclusion, Equity and Impact

My intense need to be liked clouded my judgement. I made decisions based on what I thought would make others happy. I put others’ comfort ahead of my own. 

I apologized when it wasn’t my fault.

I sat in the back and took up less space.

I let them take my ideas and keep them.

I made sure not to shine too brightly, just a sparkle here or there.

I stayed quiet, helping keep the status quo.

I didn’t talk about my goals and I didn’t ask for help.

I wanted to be liked.

I thought that was more important than what I wanted in my career.

And then I started to realize that I had to embrace the dislike. 

It was a skill I had to develop if I really wanted to chase my dreams.

Developing the ability to be disliked helped free me from the prison of other people's opinions.

Sometimes being liked is overrated
If you are chipping away at your dreams 
in order to stay likable.

Are you focused on being likable or are you going after your career dreams?

Image credit: @thealphawomenclub

#leadership #culture #MitaMallick

Order The Devil Emails at Midnight 😈💻🕛 On a mission to fix what’s broken at work | Wall Street Journal & USA TODAY & LA Times Best Selling Author | Thinkers 50 Radar List | Workplace Strategist | LinkedIn Top Voice

We are not intimidating. We are confident. We aren’t mean. We are direct, we get to the point quickly. We don’t have time to waste.

We speak the truth without shrinking. 

Because we aren’t afraid of the truth.

We have nothing to hide.

We voice our concerns for ourselves and for others.

We offer differing points of view to try and make the outcome stronger.

Others can mistake our clarity for attitude when they aren't used to this level of authenticity.

They call us entitled, arrogant, overconfident, too much, and a whole host of other labels which are absolutely laughable.

Our presence isn't the problem; their comfort is the problem.

When we move with confidence in our workplaces, 

Their insecurities quickly become exposed.

And we don’t apologize for our expertise and our experience and our genius.

We keep moving forward.

They can sit in their discomfort.

Because it’s not our job to make them comfortable.

#leadership #culture #MitaMallick 

Image credit: found on Instagram

Here’s what I have discovered the real test of character to be: How you treat people after they can no longer help you. 

Because they can no longer write you a check.

Because they had to move on to their next opportunity.

Because they lost their job and had no choice but to move on.

And more.

Most people's kindness has an expiration date tied to usefulness.

Character is being good to people who can't be good back. 

That's integrity without incentive.

So today sprinkle that kindness everywhere.

Shower that kindess far and wide.

With no expectation of anything in return back. No strings attached.

Because there should be no expiration date on kindness.

Image credit: @scottdclary on Instagram 

#leadership #culture #MitaMallick

Our social media feeds will be filled today with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. quotes. Some of these quotes will be watered down, to make us feel warm & fuzzy.

Some of these quotes will be posted by toxic bosses causing hurt and harm in their workplaces.

Some of these quotes will be posted by individuals who don’t understand the context of his words.

Some of these quotes will be posted by individuals who don’t actually believe his words and are looking for some likes.

Some of these quotes will be posted by individuals who don’t live by his words.

So this is the reminder to myself today & every day. 

And to anyone else who needs to hear this:

Don’t just share his quotes.

Be on the journey to live by his words.

#culture #leadership #MitaMallick

Image credit:
Follow @dreasdoodles on Instagram

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Your circle decides your ceiling. Because you can't fly if everyone around you is scared of heights.

Or if they want to stay on the ground 

Or just not move at all.

The people you talk to every day are shaping what you believe is possible.

Okay, maybe they're good people, but good isn't always growth.

When you're surrounded by comfort, you stop chasing challenge. 

That comfort can keep you trapped to stay exactly where you are.

When you hang out with dreamers, you start dreaming bigger without even realizing it. 

Energy transfers, mindsets rub off. 

So pay attention to who you call when things get hard, who you celebrate with, who claps when you win. 

If they drain you, question you, or keep you small, it's time to distance yourself. 

If they only show up when they need something.

If they only show up when you can write a check.

If they get upset or angry because you say no.

If they only show up when it’s time to give unsolicited feedback or criticize.

If they only show up to control who else is in your circle.

It’s time to distance yourself.

Because sometimes the only reason you haven't leveled up yet... 

is because your circle already decided how high you'll go.

And it’s time to go higher.

#leadership #culture #MitaMallick 

Image credit: KEYFORSUCCESSMIND

When I suspected a former coworker was sabotaging me at work, here’s the biggest mistake I made:

I did nothing.

I took the high road.

I was convinced my hard work, my relationships, and my reputation would 
overshadow her efforts to sabotage me. 

What I didn’t realize is that 
her efforts slowly chipped away 
at my leadership brand.

Here’s advice I would give myself now:

👉🏿 Be careful what information you share 

Watch out for repeated requests for information that doesn’t involve them or they really don’t need to know about. 

Be careful about sharing personal information; they may later use this to spread gossip about you.

👉🏿 Be direct and defend yourself 

You want to ensure the coworker sabotaging you knows that you know exactly what they are doing. 

if you aren’t direct and don’t defend yourself, you are allowing this individual to negatively impact your reputation.

👉🏿 Document what’s happening and alert your boss 

I didn’t go to my boss to share what was happening for a long time. 

When I finally did go to my boss, it was too late, the damage had been done. 

I later discovered my boss had become personal friends with my former coworker.

👉🏿 Know who will protect your name in your absence 

Don’t wait to share with your other coworkers what has been happening and how you are being targeted. 

It’s likely they have noticed this individual’s behaviors towards you in public forums. 

They may have heard lies or rumors about you, so they also can serve as a witness.

The lesson for me has been this:

We have to actively defend 
our reputation 
and all of our hard work 
and contributions in our workplaces.

What would you add?

#leadership #culture #MitaMallick

Even after I left that toxic boss behind, I kept dimming my light. I was in a new workplace where they were eager to have me contribute. 

They hired me for my talent and expertise. They wanted me to shine bright.

And I was operating as if I was still working for that toxic boss:

I didn’t speak up or offer too many ideas because I was afraid of being labeled as a know-it-all.

I minimized and dismissed my achievements because I didn’t want my new boss to be threatened by me.

I over-explained things fearing I would be misunderstood or undermined.

I wasn’t open about mistakes or things I didn’t understand worried it would later be held against me.

And more.

I didn’t realize I was still collecting pieces of myself. 

My confidence was still shaken.

I was still hiding. I was still trying to stay invisible.

I still needed to heal.

When I left that toxic boss, it was a big step and the first step.

I had to work on releasing some of that work trauma.

I had to learn to trust others again.

I had to learn to find myself again and to also trust myself again.

What lessons did you learn after you left a  toxic boss? What was the healing process like for you?

#culture #leadership #MitaMallick

“Why are you in a rush to get promoted? You have two babies at home. It’s time to stop being so ambitious,” he laughed. 

That was a former manager’s response.

When I shared my ambition to become a Vice President a few months after coming back from my second parental leave. This was during a planned “career conversation.”

And that wasn’t the first time that happened in my career.

“The promotion will happen when it’s meant to happen.”

“Be patient and wait, your turn will come.”

“If you take this big job, who’s going to take care of your kids?”

“You don’t need to be so loud about your career goals.”

“Take it slow. No need to rush up that career ladder.”

And more.

So over time, I hid my ambition in fear of the responses I would get. I became quietly ambitious.

And being quietly ambitious became exhausting. Constantly hiding the vision you have for yourself. 

And what I realized is when you don’t share your goals and dreams with others, you won’t attract the support and help you need.

So I am done with it.

Now I state my intentions loudly & boldly. It’s time to get loud about our ambitions. 
📣📣📣

It’s not okay
for them to tell you
to stop being “so ambitious.”

Don’t let them convince you otherwise.

#culture #leadership #MitaMallick

During the course of my career, I have worked for a wide range of bad bosses. The bad boss who fell asleep in meetings. 

The bad boss who took credit for all my work, and I mean all of it. The bad boss who once threw her designer shoe at my colleague. 

The bad boss who told me I was a rat and demanded loyalty. 

The bad boss who told me I was overconfident and needed to stay in my lane. 

The bad boss who gossiped about me to others and told my peers I didn’t really know what I was doing. 

The bad boss who was so nice and so profoundly incompetent and as much as I wanted to, it was really hard to hate him.

And more.

It’s easy for us to call out the bad bosses. It’s harder to look in the mirror and confront the bad boss staring back at you.

Because I have been a bad boss. And chances are so have you.

Bad bosses aren’t born bad. 
Bad bosses are made. 

They are a product of their circumstances. 

We all have the capability, the potential, the possibility of becoming a bad boss.

And this is what I share in the intro to my latest book: 

The Devil Emails at Midnight: 
What Good Leaders Can Learn from Bad Bosses

I’m curious: what leadership lessons did your bad bosses teach you?

#leadership #MitaMallick #TheDevilEmailsatMidnight

Why can’t we do reference checks on companies? If they are still asking us for references, time to flip the script. 

Are you doing your due diligence on companies you are interviewing with?

What are your tips to do reference checks?

#leadership #culture #MitaMallick

I’m napping more in 2026. And I won’t be made to feel ashamed about napping.

Here’s the truth: anyone chasing their dreams, their goals, building their careers? 

They are taking care of themselves. 

They are making sure they are focused on taking care of themselves, mentally, physically and spiritually.

What’s the number one thing you are doing to take better care of yourself this year?

Ps- are you a napper or not?

#leadership #culture #MitaMallick

Why are leaders forcing people back into the office? One word: control

So many leaders are feeling a loss of control right now. What’s happening with taxes, tariffs, and more policies in the US? We have no control over that.

And we do have control over our teams. Use that power wisely, my friends.

Would love to hear your thoughts in comments!

#leadership #culture #MitaMallick

You’re at an inflection point: “Should I stay or should I go?” 
You’re highly valuable leader and recognized problem-solver but now one person above you has too much effect over your impact, your energy, and your future…

You’re mentally hijacked.  
Not present for those who matter most.    
You start questioning yourself.

I’m a Harvard Medical School–trained Business Psychologist and Executive Coach. I’ve been twice named one of the Top 50 Executive Coaches worldwide and have coached and trained more than 40,000 professionals across 70 Fortune 500 companies and PE-backed firms.

And I’m a power strategist. 
You don’t have a skills gap.  You’ve just become consumed by having to manage an unmanageable power dynamic, pulling your attention and authority into a reactive small game. 

Beyond the two bad choices of ‘stay or go’, there’s a third option: get ‘back in your power’ and use your power to elevate your leadership and the future of the organization.  This is the work I do. 

My work goes beyond advice to ‘not react!’  It frees you from ruminations.   You ‘get that person out of your head’ and return to inner calm.  

Beyond a temporary band-aid of ‘a brag file’, my work reprograms your self-doubt and perfectionism at root cause (Clients say “I just don’t go there anymore")

When your good ideas aren’t followed, you want advice beyond ‘speak up’ or ‘take a sabbatical’.  My work guides you to play your Bigger Game: the leadership move that aligns stakeholders, unlocks momentum, and moves the most meaningful mission forward.  

Within 90 days, clients have: 
-Led previously stagnant culture initiatives to be embraced
-Won industry awards that make them the sought-after voice in their organization 
-Won the biggest deal of their career and raised the whole team
-Been chosen by the CEO to lead transformation for the whole company  

Blocker(s) become irrelevant because you create value they can’t ignore. What follows is new opportunities, recognition, and a long runway of a highly compensated career.  

I’m also a Keynote Speaker about burnout, power, and high performance. I've spoken at hundreds of companies and leadership forums including the White House, the World Business Forum, and West Point. I’m also the bestselling author of In Your Power: React Less, Regain Control, Raise Others; and Success Under Stress.

Are you a senior leader ready to redirect your energy to the leadership impact you’re here for?  Are you a People leader or Conference organizer who seeks more effective solutions for burnout? Send me a message and let's talk!

Sharon Melnick

You used to be unshakeable.

Throughout your career, you could handle anything. Difficult clients, impossible deadlines, office politics - it all rolled off your back.

But in these times? One passive-aggressive email can ruin your entire day.

You might notice:
-Snapping at people who don't deserve it
-Undermining comments sitting in your chest for hours
-Lying awake replaying the conversation that went sideways
-Your patience running thinner with each day

You question if you're getting weaker. Getting older. Burning out.

But what's really happening is ACCUMULATION.

Every time you absorbed someone else's stress without processing it.
Every time you said "yes" when your body said "no."
Every time you smoothed over conflict instead of addressing it.
Every time you carried emotional labor that wasn't yours to carry.

Your nervous system kept score.
And now it's full.

Your truth now? You don't want to carry it anymore.

You're done being the only adult in the room. Done managing everyone's emotions. Done absorbing the stress so the team can function.

But you feel like you have to - for the good of the work, for the team, because if you don't, who will?

So you keep doing it. And every time you do, the resentment builds. The tolerance shrinks. The weight gets heavier.

What changes everything? Discernment. Recognizing the pattern.

When you can tell the difference between what's legitimately your issue and what's someone else's stress on your back, you can take your power back.

-You can move the emotion through instead of letting it sit in your chest for days.
-You can get that person out of your head by updating what you've made it mean about you.
- You can identify where over-responsibility gives away your power 

That's when you stop reacting to everyone else's weather - and start creating your own.

Time to reclaim the clarity and inner calm that made you effective in the first place.

Drop 🎯  in the chat if you're ready to remind yourself to stop accumulating and start discerning.  
♻️ Repost to colleagues who need a reminder to stop giving their power away

Sharon Melnick, Ph.D.

Business Psychologist | Top 50 Executive Coach (Thinkers50) | I Help Senior Leaders Navigate Interpersonal and Organization Dynamics to Resolve “Should I Stay or Leave?” | Keynote Speaker: Burnout, Change, and Power

When one person above you has too much control over your work, your energy, and your future…

You try everything.

Better communication.
More data.
Managing up.
Waiting for them to change.

But if nothing works,  you’re exhausted.

You start questioning yourself.
Replaying conversations at night.
Feeling hijacked in moments where you used to be steady and confident.     

Burnout. 

It begins to feel like you only have two options:

Leave a role you earned.
Or stay - showing up as a smaller version of yourseld. 

Neither option reflects your capacity as a leader.

There is a third option.

What’s actually happening isn’t a skills issue or a confidence gap. 
You’ve become consumed by one power dynamic. 

Your attention and authority are being pulled into a small, reactive game—one that keeps you managing friction instead of leading outcomes.

Your Bigger Game is the leadership move that shifts the entire equation. It’s where you stop being defined by a difficult dynamic and start bringing forward the solution that aligns people, unlocks momentum, and moves the work forward. This is the level where the big project succeeds, the complex initiative lands, the biggest deal closes.

When you play your Bigger Game, the blockers lose their leverage because you’re creating value they can’t ignore. 

You become essential to the success of the work. Your seat at the table is no longer optional - it’s required. 

Recognition follows not because you’re pushing for it, but because your leadership raises the performance of everyone involved. 

And with that comes a longer, stronger, and better-compensated runway—one that reflects the scale of your contribution and opens doors to even larger opportunities ahead.  

Everything changes when you get back 'in your power'.   

👉 Follow Sharon Melnick, Ph.D. for more strategies on how to Play your Bigger Game and stay out of burnout. 
♻️ Repost this for someone who needs to stop playing their small game and instead play their Big Game

"Should I stay or should I go?" 

What if the hardest part of deciding to stay or leave your executive role isn’t the decision itself - it’s the invisible mental weight that drags you down for months?

5 reasons this mental whiplash wears you down:

The Inner Scorecard - You evaluate every event as evidence for staying or leaving. Good quarterly results meeting? Relief. Frustrating interaction with your Executive Leader? Another reason to go. Your mental energy goes to making daily events "mean something" instead of just doing the work.

The Open Loop - Unanswered questions create "open loops". Your brain never stops processing the question, it keeps spinning like a browser tab you can’t close.  It's an unresolved cliffhanger constantly running in the background, gnawing at your focus while you're trying to lead.

Identity Fraying - You’re still the 'all in', high-performing leader, but doubts and questions fray that strong sense of self. Your attention gets dispersed when it should be laser-focused. 

Layers of Indecision - This core uncertainty spawns endless smaller questions: Who can I trust to discuss this with? What do I say when meeting colleagues at the industry conference? Each decision piles on and feels heavier than it should.

The Invisible To-Do List - You know you "should" be reaching out to your network, exploring options, updating your resume. But this never gets put on your 'to do' list, it's just constant background pressure while you're already overwhelmed.

The solution isn't to keep spinning.

When facing "should I stay or should I go," here's my foundational guideline:

Be impeccable for YOUR 50% - what you can actually control - and give it a deadline.

Proactively focus your energy on the changes you can make in your role, your team, your influence. 

Set the timeframe that fits your career arc.  

At that point, you'll have clear idea on what can actually change and what’s outside your influence.

What most executives do while leading a big mandate and overwhelmed leading through rapid change: Let things unfold while hoping it gets better. Carrying all this mental weight.

Take back your mental energy. Stop the spin!

If you recognize this invisible cognitive load, what’s helped you lighten it even a little?

👉 Follow Sharon Melnick, Ph.D. for more advice on navigating challenges in their executive role
Repost ♻️ for those in your network who need to be reminded of this cognitive overload

Yesterday I was texting with a close friend. She's one of the most emotionally intelligent, high-performing, giving people I know.

She lives a few blocks from where the violence has been happening in Minnesota. She told me it's hitting her hard, and she's not okay.

I sent her a long voice text - walking her through what's happening in her body, why her brain won't stop spinning, practical things she can do right now. 

Because this is a normal response to an abnormal situation.

And last week, a corporate colleague reached out: "My team can't concentrate. They're paralyzed by fear."

Minnesota. Geopolitical chaos. Relentless work pressure. AI threats. Family stress.

This is bigger than one friend or one company.

I've been training corporate teams on these exact strategies for years - but right now, everyone needs these tools. Not just executive teams. Everyone.

So I'm doing something TOMORROW. A complimentary 60-minute live training to help you reclaim your power when everything feels out of control.

I've been a business psychologist for 25 years. Here's what I know: You can't fully control what's happening around you. But you absolutely can reclaim your power within it.

Anne Davis Gotte, Danielle Matts and 10 other attendees

View event: Staying In Your Power When the World Feels Out of Control

Staying In Your Power When the World Feels Out of Control

Yesterday I was texting with a close friend. She's one of the most emotionally intelligent, high-performing, giving people I know.

She lives a few blocks from where the violence has been happening in Minnesota. She told me it's hitting her hard, and she's not okay.

I sent her a long voice text - walking her through what's happening in her body, why her brain won't stop spinning, practical things she can do right now. 

Because this is a normal response to an abnormal situation.

And last week, a corporate colleague reached out: "My team can't concentrate. They're paralyzed by fear."

Minnesota. Geopolitical chaos. Relentless work pressure. AI threats. Family stress.

This is bigger than one friend or one company.

I've been training corporate teams on these exact strategies for years - but right now, everyone needs these tools. Not only executive teams. Everyone.

So I'm doing something TOMORROW. A complimentary 60-minute live training to help you reclaim your power when everything feels out of control.

I've been a business psychologist for 25 years. Here's what I know: You can't fully control what's happening around you. But you absolutely can reclaim your power within it.

In this training, you will:
-Return to Inner Calm: Practical strategies to turn off fearful thoughts and regain inner peace

-Reduce Emotional Tension: Specific, research-backed techniques to immediately reduce the "buildup" of fear and tension in your body

-Command Your Mind: Regain concentration when your mind is elsewhere, and stay productive when the news cycle is designed to distract you.

-Expand "Your 50%" - identify practical actions you can take to influence outcomes for your life, to protect yourself, and live your values

-Be a Steady Force for Others: Real-world advice on how to show up with a steady, grounded presence for those who rely on you.

Overall you be able to again feel inner peace and pleasure, and a sense that you are powerful and protected in times of unrest and uncertainty. 

This isn't about pretending everything's fine. It's about finding your steady ground when nothing else feels steady.

You're not navigating this crisis alone. and Staying in your power is the best thing you can do for yourself and those who matter most. 

Register here: https://lnkd.in/emDgJEEw

♻️ Please Repost and share widely with those in your network who are noticing they are impacted by the state of the world now


#MG100
Caroline Ceniza-Levine
Janet Wigfield 
Anne Davis Gotte 
Fiona Macaulay 
Dr. Sheila Robinson

How are you doing??

I mean it.  I want to know. 

Generally, the answers are getting heavier to hear.

From friends in Minnesota. Colleagues with family in violence-ridden countries. People pushed out by politics - internal and external.

They're not okay. And maybe you're not either.

Your mind won't stop racing. Your chest feels tight. You refresh the news and feel worse, but you can't stop.

This is a normal response to an abnormal situation.

I've been training Fortune 500 leaders for years on strategies to stay calm, clear thinking, and confident during change and uncertainty. But right now? Everyone needs these tools.

So I'm doing a training TONIGHT, January 29th at 7pm EST

Staying in Your Power When the World Feels Out of Control

You'll learn how to:

-Return to inner calm: Practical strategies to turn off fearful thoughts and regain inner peace

-Reduce emotional tension: Specific, research-backed techniques to immediately reduce the buildup of fear and tension in your body

-Command your mind: Regain concentration when your mind is elsewhere, and stay productive when the news cycle is designed to distract you

-Expand "Your 50%: Identify practical actions you can take to influence outcomes in your life, protect yourself, and live your values

-Be a steady force for others: Real world advice on how to show up with a steady, grounded presence for those who rely on you

You can register here  https://lnkd.in/emDgJEEw

♻️ Thank you for Reposting for those in your community who need to hear this

Open article: Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Staying In Your Power When the World Feels Out of Control. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting. by us02web.zoom.us

Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Staying In Your Power When the World Feels Out of Control. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.

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The Battle

Mita Mallick

Sharon Melnick

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taplio

The Battle

Mita Mallick

Sharon Melnick

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Mita Mallick's LinkedIn Performance

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