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The Career Kaleidoscope & the Art of Portfolio Diversification (a.k.a. Musings on Portfolio Careers)
My upbringing was in a household that lived and breathed the virtues of a stable job, consistency, and diligent work - principles deeply...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Dec 14, 20238 min read


Embracing the Learning Rollercoaster: From Frustration to Mastery
Picture this: You're eager to learn, but feel like you're hitting a wall. Growth? Yes, please—but oh, the dread of starting from scratch....

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Nov 2, 20237 min read


Accelerating your Career: The Dynamic Duo of Mentors and Sponsors
According to Gallup, currently, only 40% of employees report having a mentor in the workplace. Rates are even lower for sponsorship at...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Oct 8, 20236 min read


How to Become a People Manager
Are you a seasoned individual contributor with aspirations to step into a leadership role, but finding the path to climb the corporate...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Sep 16, 20236 min read


The Asshole Genius: Exploring the Myth of the Artistic Temperament
Good (and appropriate) song to listen to while reading this article I recently joined a book club, which was a new experience for me....

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Sep 10, 20235 min read


Thriving in the Age of Transformation: Why Middle Managers Are the Heartbeat of Organizations
I am currently working with a coachee who has been a middle manager in a tech company for 4+ years. The other day, he candidly shared he...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Sep 6, 20235 min read


From Novice to Ninja: 10 Common Mistakes New People Managers Make and How to Avoid them
I was both excited and nervous when I landed my first job as a people manager at Google. I had gotten promoted in my sales job but there...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Jun 20, 202316 min read


Managers’ Dilemma: People Manager or Individual Contributor?
Bob, a talented individual contributor, has recently been promoted to his first people manager role. As he takes the reins of his new...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Jun 13, 20234 min read


The Value of Value: How Charging for My Yoga Classes Transformed the Experience
One of the best things about working at Google is being able to curate and offer your knowledge and skills as part of a program branded...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
May 29, 20236 min read


Getting Your First 100 Customers Part III: Nail your Products
In order to get your first 100 customers, you first need to establish what your business stands for , then do the work to thoroughly...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
May 1, 20235 min read


What to Look for in a Child Care Center
Last week, I wrote about how to receive feedback triggered by a child care center’s refusal to receive and engage with parental feedback...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Apr 11, 202311 min read


Pizza or Pasta? How to Turn Constructive Customer Feedback into an Opportunity to Grow and Thrive
Recently, I noticed some red flags at my daughter’s childcare center - more of some of the worrisome signs that had already presented...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Apr 2, 20239 min read


Elevating Teams: Mutual Trust, Healthy Conflict, SMART Goals, Collective Vision, Results Focus
I have been partnering with a senior executive who just inherited a team in a big tech company --- we will call her Susan. Susan is an...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Mar 20, 202313 min read


How to prepare for a promotion: Understand the Process, Focus on Impact
Being promoted is something almost every employee aspires to. Recognition brings a raise, new responsibilities, heightened confidence,...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Mar 5, 20234 min read


Business Across Cultures: Personal Space, Enchiladas and Golden Silence
I was reminded of an odd and funny experience from my college days, when I was standing in front of a what was meant to be a linear queue...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Feb 26, 202312 min read


Venus versus Mars, YOLO versus FOMO, European Pleasure Focus versus American Work Culture
My daughter had a school holiday last week so we decided to go visit our friends in Belgium and Luxembourg, experience new cities we had...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Feb 20, 202312 min read


Harese and Ambition: How much is too much?
The camel, a strong animal who can walk in the desert for days without food, water or rest has a weak spot for a particular desert...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Feb 11, 20237 min read


Why an MBA?
In my professional network and among my coachees who have around 5 to 10 years of work experience, there seems to be an increased...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Jan 28, 20239 min read


Raising Multilingual Children
I’ve always been fascinated by different languages. Knowing how to express certain things in various languages, understanding strange...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Jan 21, 202314 min read


New Year, Same You: Thoughts on the Growth Mindset
Do you also notice that at the start of every year, there is an abundance of ambition and zeal in people all around the world?

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Jan 3, 20237 min read
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