Wes Kao

How to get noticed as a high-performing IC

Co-founder at Maven, co-founder of Seth Godin's altMBA

Be prepared to move fast, encourage them to interrupt you, and more.

How to present to your CEO

Most people suck at managing up. We'll cover principles that will serve you now and throughout your career.

Manage up to your manager

How to frame problems, recommendations, and proposals to drive buy-in and action.

The #1 question every business case should address

Update: The December cohort is sold out. The new February 2025 cohort is now open for enrollment. The February cohort will be the last cohort priced at $700. Prices will go up after this cohort. If you've been thinking about joining, I'd love to see you in class.___ If you're a high performer, you likely got to where you are because of your raw talent and ability to execute. Now that your scope has grown, though, your ability to increase impact depends on how well you influence other people--often without formal authority. In other words, you need people to do what you want them to do--enthusiastically and collaboratively. Unfortunately, no one teaches us how to do this beyond a basic level. So your day-to-day involves avoidable back-and-forth, friction, pushback, apathy, random questions, skepticism, or confusion about areas you believe are important. But it doesn't have to be this way. You and your team can move faster. You can quickly understand each other. You can worry less about cajoling skeptics. You can spend less time figuring out how to say what you want to say. You can accomplish more of what you want--and have more fun in the process. To get to the next level, you can't simply "do" more yourself. You must extend your impact beyond your own work. You must get genuine cooperation and true buy-in from those around you. This is what you will learn to do in this course. WHAT TO EXPECT: This is a highly-interactive course with in-depth discussion, Q&amp;A, examples, exercises, and tactics you can apply immediately. There are 9 hours of live instruction, all live on Zoom taught personally by Wes. We will focus on both the "why" and tactical pieces around the "how." The skills you need to become more effective CANNOT be solved through brute force. In these 2 days, you will come away with new tools. Course content• How to be direct (without seeming like a jerk)• How to perform well in high-stakes real-time conversations• How to sharpen your ability to prevent/overcome skepticism• How to frame 90% around your recipient and maximize buy-in• How to work with (not against) human nature• How to get headcount, cross-functional support, and budget by pitching the right way• How to articulate your POV when clarity can make or break the outcome• How to instill a sense of urgency so your ideas are heard and acted on quickly• How to communicate your plans and priorities so you build alignment• How to diagnose the question-behind-the-question so folks are satisfied by your responses The course also includes:• Review and reflection• Verbatim scripts for tricky work scenarios• Real-life examples• Hands-on exercises• Frameworks to help you structure your written and verbal communication• Bonus: 2 Q&amp;A sessions• Plus: Homework to put concepts into practice• All Zoom workshops are live, taught by Wes The goal isn't simply to learn the concepts--it's to internalize them. If you put effort into the course, you will make a major leap ahead. If you follow my writing, the course builds on concepts I’ve written about--we will discuss important nuances, edge cases, and examples, with the opportunity to put these lessons into practice. I've designed this course specifically so you begin to build your intuition and muscle memory. All the sessions will be recorded so you can refer back to the material. WHO WILL BENEFIT MOST FROM THIS COURSE: Folks who will get the most from this course tend to be the following:- You care about quality, rigor, and setting a high bar for yourself and others- You are ambitious and you want to sharpen your ability to execute- You are on a lean team punching above your weight class- You are self-aware, open-minded, and intellectually honest I'm looking forward to bringing together a thoughtful group of operators and leaders. Students are from Uber, TikTok, Grammarly, Workday, CVS, Google, Wealthsimple, Pinterest, Expedia, Sephora, Twilio, Spotify, GitHub, Zillow, PayPal, Netflix, Square, etc. WHO THIS IS NOT FOR: - This is not for you if you are looking for 1:1 coaching for yourself or your team. By nature, a course is 1:many. If you're looking for private coaching, please email me to learn more about rates and availability.- This is not for you if you believe there's nothing more for you to learn about sharpening your communication.- This is not for you if you expect to become excellent in communication overnight. You will likely change your behavior for the better within 2 days, which is huge achievement. But becoming excellent at anything requires ongoing practice.- This is not for you if you want a slower-paced course over several weeks. This is a 2-day intensive designed for busy operators who want to avoid task-switching and who want an immersive experience. Therefore, you will be drinking from the firehose. My goal is to help you drastically improve your competence and confidence in a condensed period of time. Then, you will go back to work and build on this foundation with continued practice.

Strong communication is a force multiplier

Provide a brief description for each module as a way to sell the value of what students will be learning throughout the course.

First Module

Second Module

Third Module

Course syllabus

9:00 - 12:30pm Pacific Time12:00 - 3:30pm Eastern Time5:00 - 8:30pm British Standard Time The workshop includes hands-on exercises and opportunities to put lessons into practice throughout. Afterward, there will be an optional 1 hour Q&amp;A. Recording will be available.

Thursday, December 5

9:00 - 12:30pm Pacific Time12:00 - 3:30pm Eastern Time5:00 - 8:30pm British Standard Time Get ready for an action-packed second day. Afterward, there will be an optional 1 hour Q&amp;A. Recording will be available.

Friday, December 6

This course will be interactive, so get ready to chime into Zoom chat, unmute to share, etc. Live workshop sessions will be video recorded and made available to watch/rewatch at your own pace. If you can't attend the full time or need to hop off, you can catch up later.

Live workshops, Q&A, group discussion, exercises, real-life examples

Do you want feedback on a piece of communication? You'll have the opportunity to submit your homework for a live teardown. (You can redact before submitting.) I'll pick to share the most useful ones with the class.

Submit your homework for live review in class

Course schedule

Senior individual contributors (ICs). Marketing leads, PMs, engineers, program managers, UX designers, etc. Minimum 3+ years of experience.

People managers (team leads, directors, VPs) and leaders. You run a team and have to balance managing up, down, sideways to drive outcomes.

Teams who want shared language so you can move faster, give feedback faster, have shared expectations, and persuade folks outside your team.

Who is this course for

What you’ll get out of this course

You might only have a few minutes of your leadership team's attention. We will review tactics for how to move fast, frame the conversation upfront, handle unexpected questions, prevent "insecure vibes," etc. Get senior leaders to seek (and truly listen to) your input.

Present to your CEO to maximize highly-visible moments

The more senior you become, the more you'll need to manage up. Hint: It's not about sending a weekly recap of your contributions. We will review real examples and practice how to reduce cognitive load for your manager, share your rationale, focus on the punchline, and more.

Managing up in day-to-day interactions

How do you get buy-in with less back and forth? How do you know the right level of detail (and which details) to share? How can you be more concise w/o sacrificing context? We will dissect these nuances and you will have a chance to rewrite examples to put lessons into practice.

Frame your ideas and give the right amount of context in any situation

Real-world scenarios are often messy, with conflicting data points. Some principles are even at odds. How do you decide what to do? I will share a set of foundational principles, show how to apply them, and you will practice balancing trade-offs in mock simulations.

Combine and "stack" techniques to get people to care about what you care about

Writing a useful, compelling strategy doc/Slack message/email/DM always takes longer than you expect. After the course, you will be able to write faster and more easily. You will practice rewriting a before-and-after example, and have the opportunity to edit your own work.

Write more efficiently to achieve your goals 

Some principles (like reducing cognitive load) apply regardless of your audience--while other situations require you to understand power dynamics, leverage, etc. We will practice "reading" situations and subtext with more accuracy so you can make better decisions.

Influence up, down, and sideways to get things done

You may have trust with your team, but how do you advocate for ideas with other teams? We will discuss frameworks to tackle this, so you can get inside the heads of individuals/teams you want to appeal to more quickly.

Get enthusiastic buy-in and collaboration from colleagues outside your team

Sell your ideas, manage up, gain buy-in, and increase your impact. Sharpen your skills via hands-on exercises, deep dives, scripts, and more

Cohort 2 (October)

Cohort 4 (February)

If you have &lt;3 years work experience, unlocking how to create value for your Manager/Team is a force multiplier. If you are able to take what you learn from this course and get a promotion (let's say, a $7,500 raise), then the cost of the course ($750) then that's a 10X ROI. My goal is to help you reach your career goals, faster. - Sometimes, that's in finding you a new project.- Sometimes, that's in how you position your asks. - Sometimes, that's in how you find ways to provide value to your team that is unique to you. Doing all of this will result in you being better at your job. And when you get better at your job, you get harder problems to solve. And those harder problems tend to get you promoted. ___ You're a high achiever who's used to success and you landed your dream job, right out of college. But since starting your corporate job, things have been off. Your hard work isn't paying off, and you're not getting the opportunities you deserve. It's frustrating and you're starting to doubt yourself, wondering "where did I go wrong, where did I go off track?" Boy, have I heard that before. You don't know what you don't know, and if this is your first job or you have &lt;3 years of work experience, you're facing topics that school never prepared you for. Such as: → Being "manageable"→ Staying top of mind for your busy Manager→ How to take negative feedback (constantly)→ Picking the right projects with outsized impact→ How to ask for a promotion→ Not knowing where to start HAVE YOU EVER... → Been a top performer in school, only to struggle when you entered the corporate world? → Felt stuck because you're working hard but you're not getting the accolades you deserve? → Seen co-workers (less talented than you) get selected for projects that match your skill set? → Prepared hours for a presentation to senior leadership, only for them to zone out? → Struggled with talking about your work in a way that minimizes the ick? → Thought you were aligned with your Manager, only turns out you were both on different pages? → Thought something was wrong with you and wondered if you're cut out for the corporate world? NEWSFLASH: THE CORPORATE JOB IS A GAME. And this course will help you learn the rules so you can play the game to win the game. Look, I've been there and done that. I graduated from an Ivy League school, got an internship and a full-time job at one of the best companies to work for... and thought I was going to be on the CEO path by the age of 25. Boy, was I wrong. When I entered the corporate world, I stumbled. I couldn't figure out why people who were putting in half the amount of effort I was were getting more visibility, better projects, and faster promotions. And then I started studying the people who were successful and jotting down what they did. And once I started executing that plan, I started to be successful. AND I'LL SHOW YOU HOW TO DO THE SAME. In this course, I will share everything that I have learned (as well as from others) during my 12+ years in Big Tech, including my approach for handling ambiguity at work, making the work shine, and becoming a go-to expert for your team.

More recognition, more impact, learning the new path to corporate success

If your events are recurring and at the same time, it might be easiest to use a single line item to communicate your course schedule to students

Tuesdays & Thursdays

Feel free to type out dates as your title as a way to communicate information about specific live sessions or other events.

May 7, 2022

Schedule items can also be used to convey commitments outside of specific time slots (like weekly projects or daily office hours).

Weekly projects

You're working hard but being passed for opportunities Your work doesn't feel valued or recognized. You feel stalled and need a boost

You're new to working and want to start your career with confidence You know your first job sets the stage for future career success

You're a top performer (and want to stay one) You want the tribal knowledge to accelerate faster in your career

This course is for you if:

Differentiate yourself from your peers by learning the corporate game playbook that you didn't learn in school. This gives you the edge from day 1.

Get the edge in the corporate job so you can succeed and accelerate faster

You'll learn how to speak to your Manager, build trust, and how to handle feedback so you can make them your #1 advocate who supports your career goals.

Make your Manager your #1 advocate by helping them reach their goals (so you can reach your goals)

Discover what it takes to be a good teammate, the types of co-workers you want on your side, and how to leverage them to help you excel in your role.

Turn your co-workers into your work allies who can provide valuable support and advocacy for you

Adopt the behaviors of busy Execs so you can elevate your brand and go from "beginner" to "high performer"

Learn to write emails, lead meetings, prioritize your time, and be more effective on the job

Learn how the most important word in the corporate job is "Impact" and how to showcase the value you're bringing (without feeling like you're the teacher's pet)

Increase your impact, visibility, and overall value you provide to the team

Adapt to the NEW corporate landscape. Elevate your career. Be the person people seek out. Become Top Talent. And future-proof your role. 

Sally Ivester

Cohort 1 - Frustrated Employee's Playbook to Corporate Success   

Dec 2024 Cohort 

Early in your career:-- You are rewarded for working harder and independently solving problems.-- You earn more credibility by knowing more and demonstrating domain expertise.-- You get more scope (and promoted!) by taking on more with a “can-do” attitude. But that all changes as an executive:-- You build and lead teams and systems to solve problems rather than do the work yourself.-- You ask questions of the experts to manage trade offs across different domains.-- You decide on the top strategic priorities to address, and deliver results through others by mobilizing and coordinating people across different functions and perspectives. What’s particularly difficult about this transition is that nobody prepares you for it; you are expected to just figure it out. I’ve had many clients come to me in frustration that they are no longer exceeding expectations as they once were, and I’m the first person to tell them that their job has changed. I’ve also had clients who feel stuck and can’t figure out what is keeping them from reaching their next level of leadership. This class is designed to share the secrets of this transition with a wider audience. In this course, you will learn how to:-- Develop the presence to walk into board meetings and command respect.-- Effectively influence a broader range of stakeholders by speaking to their interests.&nbsp;-- Create a roadmap towards your ideal job rather than just climbing a ladder that others define.-- Design an inspirational vision so you can ask for the help you need to create it.-- Increase your trust in your resilient capacity to handle difficult situations and conversations.-- Articulate the values and principles that guide your decision making.-- Design structures and processes to scale your leadership in alignment with your values.-- Focus on what really matters and say no to everything else. The material in this class is based on my personal experience working with the top leaders of Google as the Search Ads Chief of Staff, as well as coaching over a hundred clients to greater scope and promotions. Scroll down for testimonials. How you will get the most value:This is not a sit back and listen course. We will have active discussions in class, and I will expect you to experiment with putting what we discuss into practice between sessions. The more you engage, the more benefit you will get. This course is not for you if you expect me to hand you the answers. The real value of the course will be in your reflection and engagement between our live sessions. As I say to all of my coaching clients, "Nothing changes because we talk. Your life will change when _you_ change your life." Bonus material:-- A free copy of my book, You Have A Choice: Beyond Hard Work to Meaningful Impact-- Video recording of all live sessions via the Maven platform-- A private Slack group to connect with your cohort and share insights between sessions and after the workshop completes.&nbsp;-- Discounted 1:1 coaching sessions with Eric

Being effective as an executive requires embracing new mindsets and skills

The classes will be structured as 1 hour of content and live coaching from Eric and Q&amp;A, and an optional 30 minutes of breakout groups where you can discuss the ideas with your peers and practice coaching each other. Jan. 16, 23, 30Feb. 6, 13

Live class sessions on Thursdays

Between sessions, I expect students to practice the skills we discuss, applying them in their day-to-day professional interactions. I will also challenge them to experiment with changing their default behaviors and responses to certain situations, to help them develop new skills.

Weekly practices and experiments

You're a C-level leader at an early-stage startup, a VP at a later-stage startup, or a director or senior IC at a bigger company.

Your performance feedback no longer celebrates your expertise and effort, and instead focuses more on strategy, influence, and presence.

You are working harder and longer but falling further behind. Doing more isn't sustainable so you need to find a new way to get things done.

This course is for you if: 

Changing your mindset will allow you to generate results from your organization without you being directly involved. By learning how to align your team behind your vision and values, you will understand how to lead hundreds of people with a unified purpose.

How to scale your leadership to create greater team and company impact

Develop the presence to walk into board meetings and command respect.

Increased confidence and executive presence.

Success as an executive depends on working cross-functionally with other leaders to deliver company results. I will help you build the skills to effectively influence a broader range of stakeholders by speaking to their interests.&nbsp;

Greater influence across the leadership team. 

Learn to co-create a collaborative vision of what needs to happen, secure commitments to that vision from relevant stakeholders, then hold them accountable to help you create it.

How to deliver on complex projects through influence and persuasion rather than control.

By understanding your own triggers and limiting beliefs, you will increase your resilient capacity to handle difficult situations. I will help you develop the key skill of accepting people and circumstances as they are, rather than as you wish they were.

How to better handle difficult conversations, including political conflict, while remaining calm. 

Instead of climbing a career ladder defined by others and anchoring on external metrics like title and compensation, you will look inward to understand what motivates and energizes you. Then, you will create a <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/creating-work-you-want-eric-nehrlich-hv2ue/?trackingId=8FGSN37KQ6uJu4EG5HEB7A%3D%3D" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">roadmap towards a more meaningful and satisfying job</a>.

A path for continued career growth without working unsustainable hours.

​Succeeding as an executive requires a completely different mindset than what brought you success early in your career. 

Eric Nehrlich 

September 2024 Cohort

January 2025 Cohort

People often mistake being good at execution for just doing what they're told. But as you rise through the ranks, you’ll realize that true success comes from identifying and driving high-impact projects to completion. Unfortunately, no one teaches you how to do this effectively in a corporate setting. Mastering execution means choosing the right projects, delivering them on time and within budget, ensuring exceptional quality, and securing the necessary support and resources. When you consistently achieve these outcomes, you build a reputation as a reliable and invaluable collaborator. If you're an individual contributor, colleagues will seek you out, eager to work with you. If you're a Team Lead, you’ll attract top talent who wants to work for you. Your ability to execute will expand your network and opportunities, opening the door to larger, more impactful projects. And that’s the power of effective execution—and exactly what we’ll teach you in this course. WHAT TO EXPECT This is a highly interactive course filled with discussions, Q&amp;A, real-world examples, hands-on exercises, and actionable tactics you can start using immediately. Over 4 hours of live instruction on Zoom, Sally and Ha will guide you through the “how” to bring these skills to life. All sessions will be recorded for future reference. You'll learn how to: - Identify high-impact opportunities- Prioritize tasks effectively- Distinguish between impactful and non-impactful work- Break projects into actionable steps- Communicate progress and challenges effectively- Build strong relationships- Navigate conflicts and manage expectations In just a few hours, you’ll gain the tools to elevate your execution skills at work. Return to the office equipped and ready to build on what you’ve learned. Join us and take your execution skills—and your career—to the next level.

Strong operations is a force multiplier 

4-hour course (with breaks) to maximize your time.

Friday

Aspiring Chiefs of Staff Learn the art of strategic execution, effective delegation, and high-impact problem-solving.

Operational Leaders who are good at executing, but want to master prioritization, streamline workflows, and deliver exceptional results.

Mid to senior level employees who lead teams or are individual contributors, feeling buried under a mountain of work.

Ambitious professionals seeking to enhance their operational skills, boost productivity, and achieve career success.

Who is this course for 

Not all work is created the same. To be successful in your job, you need to identify high-leverage activities that give you high return. And in turn, be mindful of the low-value tasks that drain your energy and time.

How to make bets 

Ideas are worthless. You need to execute against the idea to deliver value and transform it into a high-ROI project that drives results.

How to organize your work 

Successful project execution requires effective communication, negotiation, and adaptability to overcome challenges and secure buy-in.

How to get buy-in

Learn to balance the big picture with the daily grind, ensuring that your actions align with long-term goals.

How to prioritize at the 30K and 5K levels

Uncertainty is rampant in a corporate environment, and rarely will things be super clear. Learn how to manage expectations while fostering a culture of flexibility.

How to manage expctations 

Master the art of strategic operations to fuel execution. Learn to prioritize, do the work, and get buy-in like a top-tier Chief of Staff.

Ha Tran

Join the inaugural cohort to become top operator 

Lightning Lessons

How to get noticed as a high-performing IC