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Building a Portfolio Career: Design a Work Life on Your Terms
Recently, I’ve noticed a significant increase in people reaching out to work with me, eager to make a major shift in how they structure...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Nov 12, 20245 min read


Why the “Perfect Day” Routine is Overrated (and What Actually Works)
You’ve heard the hype. Wake up at 4 a.m., and you’ll float out of bed feeling like a feather, totally ready to conquer the world....

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Nov 4, 20244 min read


What Managers Need to Go From Firefighting to Multiplying
A few weeks ago, I came across an article in The Economist titled "What Makes a Good Manager?" It sparked something in me, so I brought...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Oct 21, 20247 min read


Bouncing Back from Layoffs: A Guide to Resetting Your Career in 2024
Silicon Valley continues to experience significant upheaval, as the tech industry's push for efficiency shows no signs of slowing down....

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Aug 26, 20244 min read


The Law of Crappy People, Management Debt, and the Peter Principle: Insights from "The Hard Thing About Hard Things"
As leaders, we strive to build high-performing teams and create environments where excellence thrives. However, this journey is filled...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Jun 2, 20244 min read


The End of the 9-5: Embracing a Flexible Work Future
The traditional 9-5, five-days-a-week corporate office environment is a relic of the past, and I, for one, am never going back. This...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
May 28, 20246 min read


Thoughts on Effective Communication: The Balance Between Confrontation and Avoidance, Radical Candor, and Non-Violent Communication
Effective communication is the cornerstone of successful relationships, both personal and professional. However, finding the right...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
May 20, 20246 min read


Conquering Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs): Strategies for a Positive Mindset
In the landscape of our minds, there's a constant battle between positive affirmations and negative intrusions, the latter often referred...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
May 13, 20243 min read


From Dread to Delight: Reframing Negotiations for Today's Leaders
One of my clients scheduled an additional coaching session last week because she was struggling to wrap her head around an upcoming...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Apr 30, 20245 min read


On Grit: How Leaders can Cultivate High-Performing Teams
One of my coachees, who comes from a stringent corporate environment and is now leading their own startup, recently reflected during our...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Apr 8, 20245 min read


Choosing Excellence over Mediocrity
Recently, I had the honor of speaking to over 50+ bright students at a prestigious university in Turkey. Amidst their insightful queries...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Mar 25, 20244 min read


Embracing Our Natural Talents: The Shift to Strengths-Based Leadership
Back in the day, we all pretty much followed the same playbook when our kids hit a snag in school: hire a tutor for whatever subject was...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Mar 3, 20245 min read


How to Master Authentic Networking for Leaders
Networking stands as a critical component in a leader's toolkit, playing a key role in the advancement of careers and the success of...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Feb 17, 20247 min read


How the SCARF Model Drives High-Performing Teams
Leadership is a journey that begins the moment you step into the professional world, whether you're at the starting line or eyeing the next peak in the corporate hierarchy. The essence of a thriving organization lies in its leadership—robust, strategic, and adept at steering diverse teams towards collective success. Mastering the art of engaging team members, fostering unity, and nurturing collaboration isn't just the ethical route—it's a strategic imperative that drives busi

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Feb 11, 20248 min read


Management Decision-Making: Mastering the Art and Science
The role of a manager fundamentally revolves around a continuous cycle of decision-making. Whether it’s exchanging information, analyzing...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Jan 28, 20249 min read


Leadership Mastery: The Power of Feedback and Feedforward
Effective feedback, along with feedforward, forms the bedrock of successful management. Despite its crucial role, mastering this skill is a challenge for many leaders however. I worked under 14 different managers during my 11 years at Google and experienced a wide spectrum of feedback styles - some managers excelled at it, while others fell short. Here is what good feedback looked like: (and there was a lot of it!) ✅ It was timely e.g. feedback about a presentation right aft

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Jan 21, 20246 min read


Maximizing Productivity for Leaders: Top Tips for Effective Time Management
Leaders face unique challenges in managing their time due to their dual role of personal productivity and team oversight. Here's how to...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Jan 15, 20242 min read


A Year in Review: Leaving my Corporate Job to Build a Career in Coaching
As we approach the end of another year, it feels like an opportune moment to pause and reflect on my transformative journey of...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Dec 24, 202310 min read


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


End of Year Strategic Planning and OKRs
As the year winds down, I've noticed that many of my coachees, each a highly successful, accomplished, and driven leader, are feeling the...

Merve Kagitci Hokamp
Dec 6, 20236 min read
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