February 4, 2025 • 35 mins
How can shifting your mindset transform your mid-career success? In this episode, talent development specialist and entrepreneur Elena Agaragimova shares how embracing a generalist mindset has been her superpower in navigating diverse industries. We explore the impact of imposter syndrome, the value of practical skills over educational prestige, and strategies for positioning yourself effectively in the workplace.
Elena explains the complexities of corporate politics and offers practical advice on fostering collaboration, maintaining resilience, and turning challenges into opportunities. We also discuss managing one's nervous system for better decision-making, the evolving role of AI and no-code platforms, and building meaningful professional relationships.
Key Topics:
- The benefits of being a generalist in today’s job market
- Overcoming imposter syndrome and shifting career perspectives
- Navigating corporate politics and securing leadership roles
- Managing stress and making informed professional decisions
- The Three C’s: Consistency, Courage, and Curiosity
- How AI and no-code technology are reshaping career paths
- The power of networking and controlling internal self-talk
Connect with Elena Agaragimova
LinkedIn | Podcast - Listen to SHIFT with Elena Agar | YouTube
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
John Neral (00:00):
You probably heard that mindset is everything, and
sometimes our mindset'sindestructible and other times
it's not as strong and it maybeg the question how does that
happen?
Today, my guest will help youunlock how you can leverage your
mindset as you build yourmid-career GPS to whatever is
(00:22):
next for you and your career.
In a few moments, you will meetElena Agaragimova, a talent
development specialist,recruiter, entrepreneur,
personal trainer, host of thepodcast Shift.
With Elena Agar, author andcontent creator, all united by a
(00:43):
single mission, and that is tohelp people build fulfilling,
successful careers.
In this episode, elena willhelp you make your mindset shift
the way your career is headedand where you want it to go.
So let's get started.
Hello, my friends, this is theMid-Career GPS Podcast and I'm
(01:16):
your host, John Neral.
I help mid-career professionalslike you find a job they love,
or love the job they have, usingmy proven four-step formula.
Elena Agaragimova's strengthlies in being a generalist, a
quality that has unlocked doorsto remarkable experiences.
From launching startups likeShift and Bloom Youth to
(01:39):
mentoring young professionalsand speaking at conferences
across the globe, from New Yorkto Dubai, Elena's journey has
shaped her perspective andsharpened her ability to adapt,
grow and deliver results.
Currently, Elena is dedicatingher time, knowledge and energy
(01:59):
to helping Gen Z and millennialsbuild thriving careers and even
launch their own ventures.
Gen Z and millennials buildthriving careers and even launch
their own ventures.
Elena firmly believes that withcuriosity, consistency and
courage and she will talk withus more about that anyone can
create a career or business thatbrings purpose, growth and
success.
So it is my pleasure to bringyou my conversation with Elena
(02:24):
Agaragimova.
Elena, welcome to the show.
It's great to have you heretoday.
Elena Agaragimova (02:30):
John, I'm super excited.
John Neral (02:31):
I am too.
We're going to have a greatconversation.
You've got a fascinating storyand I alluded to a little bit of
that in the interview, butwhere I want to begin is for you
to share with everyone what wasyour mid-career moment is for
you to share with everyone whatwas your mid-career moment?
Elena Agaragimova (02:46):
You know, my mid-career moment was probably
realizing that I am anentrepreneur at heart and I'm a
builder and a creator, andusually it's very difficult to
build a big corporate careerwith that in mind.
And what I mean by that is thatit's I joke with my friends I'm
like I'm kind of unemployable,although I am employed at the
(03:09):
moment, but it's usually throughlike luck that I end up getting
positions, because usually whenpeople look at my profile
they're like what did you do?
What are you doing?
Because I've worn so many hats.
So my mid-career moment waslike oh, I'm just not.
Like my career is going to lookvery different from your
traditional career path and it'sultimately me building and
creating that career of my own,versus following some trajectory
(03:33):
that exists supposedly.
John Neral (03:35):
When you realized that you were for the lack of a
better word different, yourcareer path was not going to be
that traditional career path.
What was the mindset or thethought work you had to do to
get you there, to be not justcomfortable but confident with
that?
Elena Agaragimova (03:54):
Well, I grew up with having a lot of
insecurities around the factthat I didn't go to some big
shot school.
I went to great university butit wasn't this big school.
I don't have these big names onmy resume and so on.
So I think the the I had toaccept the fact that my journey
is just going to be different,and I had to.
I used to be ashamed of mystory because I've I've had 17
(04:17):
different jobs before the age of25.
I took me six years to graduatefrom my bachelor's degree.
I was a hot mess in my twenties.
I didn't know what I was doing.
So I think, just like realizingthat, that that the generalist
in me was, is and you know, wasand is my superpower, and that I
had to go through thatgeneralist mindset where I've
just learned a lot of differentskill sets and part of it was
(04:37):
because I've started businesses,I've built things, I've created
things, I'm a, I'm a creator atheart, and I think,
understanding that that's mysuperpower essentially, and
learning how to work with that,versus saying, oh, I don't have
these big names, I don't havethis big experience, you know,
(04:57):
and so on.
The job market, for example,externally, was showing me like,
oh well, you don't have youknow X number of years
experience in this big name ordoing this big things, and it
was almost like discredited allthe other wonderful things that
I've done that actually make megreat in a lot of things that I
do.
John Neral (05:12):
I really appreciate how you bring up that point,
because we know how powerfulimposter syndrome can be and not
every one of us gets to attendthat big name university.
And I'm like you, I'm in thesame boat with that.
I went to a good school.
I didn't go to a quote unquoteIvy Top Eight kind of school
(05:34):
type thing.
And I remember being on a joband I was walking with a
colleague who had gone to one ofthese really big, prestigious
universities and and admittedlythere was that part of thinking,
oh, she's so much smarter thanI am or she's better than I am
in everything, and we werelamenting about something at
(05:55):
work and and she shared with meand she said I feel so
disrespected because I went toinsert name of Big Eight Ivy
League University.
And I looked at her and I said,oh my God, I feel the same way
about getting my master's degreeat Monmouth University.
And she looked at me and I saidwe're not going to play this
(06:15):
game.
We're here because we'retalented, we are skilled and we
are here to do a job.
You went somewhere, I wentsomewhere.
Just because you went somewheredifferent than me doesn't make
you better than me.
And I said if we can find somecommonality in this.
We can get down and do the work, and I remember that part of
(06:36):
the conversation because itactually helped our working
relationship, because I saidlook, I respect where you went,
but we're here in this job rightnow.
We're here with the same title,the same role.
We're doing the same work.
Let's get to work, you know,and when you think about how,
(06:58):
especially for mid-careerprofessionals, who might be
actively job seeking or they'reactively navigating those
internal politics and we'll talkabout how we play the corporate
game momentarily what advice doyou have for them in terms of
positioning themselves morestrategically, despite or in
(07:20):
honor of all of the thoughtsthey have about how they got
there?
Elena Agaragimova (07:27):
I mean, that's a tough one.
Imposter syndrome is so spot on.
I think that when you look atpositioning yourself in a
company, I think just focusingon the value that you bring
right, what's that saying?
It's like numbers scream, wordstalk, numbers scream, or
something like that.
So, focusing on the resultsthat you bring, focusing on like
(07:47):
metrics and for some peoplethey love to see metrics they're
like okay, I need to see ametric of that.
I've done X, y and Z, so maybejust even like looking at what
you've done so far in yourcareer.
And also, I think, an importantone, john, here is to understand
that you would not be in thatposition unless you have earned
it, deserved it.
And somebody thought thatyou're deemed good enough to be
in that position.
Because, especially thatmid-level and senior up, those
(08:09):
are usually sensitive roles,meaning that you have some level
of influence in the company,maybe you're managing people and
so on, and the likelihood ofyou being in that position is
because somebody more senior toyou felt that you could do the
job, so that alone should be a.
You felt that you could do thejob, so that alone should be a,
you know, and what's the word?
Like a mark that you deserve tobe there, right.
(08:29):
So you've gotten there becauseof your skill set, but then as
you're managing thoserelationships, I think, just
being empathetic and kind topeople around you, and what I
mean by that is that we look atother people, that they're just
on their own kind of hero'sjourney.
They're on their own, they havetheir own agenda and if you're
able to align yourself in a waythat's not threatening to them
(08:52):
because that's the reality somepeople will be threatened by you
, regardless of the school thatyou went to and all of that good
jazz.
I think if you bring in value,you have those results and they
show for themselves and you'regrowing in that career.
The more senior you grow in acompany, the more competitive
and political it gets for betteror for worse, it's just the
corporate world and the moreit's about making sure that
other people are not as you know, are not threatened by you.
(09:14):
And so how do you alignyourself with people to make
sure that you show them like,hey, I'm here to play ball, I'm
here to play game, I'm here foryou to win, for us to win, for
everybody to kind of grow.
And I think, if you're able toI don't know, I mean for lack of
a better play that game right.
I think that's how you canposition yourself strategically
to get along with people thatmight be from different
(09:34):
backgrounds and different levelsthan you.
And I think, internally, justreminding yourself again like
just, you know, you're therebecause you've earned to be
there.
And even if you, you know, andif you're, if you're like myself
who was like, well, maybe youknow it's still, you know that
voice is still there.
That's a motivator for me,that's a that's for me, it's a
voice that tells me you know,how do I become better today and
(09:55):
the next week and the next week?
So it's almost like to pushmyself each time.
So I think there's two thingsOne is like talking to yourself
and the other one is likealigning yourself strategically
in a way that helps other peopleachieve their goals in the
company.
John Neral (10:13):
So let's stay with that for a moment, because we're
recording this at the end ofJanuary and I'm here in the US.
We know we've had a change inpolitical administrations.
We have a new president.
A lot of things have happenedthis week, and one of the things
(10:34):
that I had shared with youbefore we started recording this
podcast was that I had heardfrom a lot of people on my email
list and listeners that lastweek was really heavy and it was
making people question whattheir next move was going to be,
whether it be they were goingto stay where they are within
their organization or it wastime for them to pick up and
(10:56):
move and go find a new job.
And this isn't necessarily.
This is mostly corporateprofessionals.
I have worked with peoplewithin public service.
But in terms of how we'replaying this game right now, in
2025, what advice would you givesomeone to help them play this
(11:19):
game very tactically andstrategically if they're looking
to level up their career,especially in this first quarter
or first half of 2025?
Elena Agaragimova (11:36):
I would break this into a couple of areas.
One I think mindset probably isthe biggest thing we can talk
about here, because I thinkthat's a lot.
I mean, you see a lot of peopledefinitely being impacted by
this and it's, you know, youhave to accept the fact that
it's uncertainty, it's change,it's all these scary things to
our brain and our brains aremeant to protect us, and change
to our brain is a threat, soautomatically, like, our nervous
(11:59):
system is just a defense modebecause so much change and
uncertainty is taking place andwe almost feel attacked.
So, I think, understanding thatthat's just a human state that
we're in and it's just what itis and it's okay, and just
accept the fact that that'swhere you are.
So I think step number one iscalm your nervous system down.
I think that's the biggestthing.
I mean, you know, let's work oncalming our nervous system down
(12:19):
.
It works for different people indifferent ways.
For myself, what really worksfor me and again, I don't want
to give advice because I thinkeverybody kind of knows what
works for them so I'll justshare what works for me and
maybe it will inspire people tosay what works for themselves.
So for me, what works isstaying active.
For me, what works is beingaround people that are focused
on solutions versus on theproblems, versus on 2024 versus
(12:41):
on the past, Focus on how are wegoing to manage this change
moving forward.
What are you doing?
What positive things you'retrying to incorporate into your
life to get past this and kindof again keep your nervous
system at bay, right, so thatfor some people, meditation
works, For some people it'sgoing for a walk, you know when
the weather is better in the DMVarea, but at least when it's a
(13:03):
little bit warmer.
It's a little cold right now.
John Neral (13:04):
It's so cold here.
Elena Agaragimova (13:06):
So I think just focusing on you know
nervous system like getting thatsleep, you know maybe
disconnecting from the news Ithink that's another big thing
I've heard people say lastcouple of weeks is like I cannot
watch any media news.
Well, you don't have to Likeit's truly a choice you're
making.
So I think maybe making betterchoices to stay away things that
add to that anxiety, that addto that uncertainty, and focus
(13:27):
your mindset on you know, shiftyour mindset towards what is it
that I can control?
I can't control how I treat mynervous system.
I can't control of beingcurious.
Where could I take this?
I can't see this as anopportunity to say you know what
, honestly, my job could havebeen obsolete anyway in a year
or two.
So this is just a speed upversion of it and, frankly
(13:47):
speaking, as professionals wetend to wait and react to career
happening to us versus beingproactive about our career and
career growth.
So I would look at this as anopportunity.
I always feel like the biggerpart of mindset is seeing
obstacles and challenges asopportunities, versus something
to get stuck in and just kind oflet it bring you down Because
(14:09):
that adds nothing to you oranybody around you.
So I think, focusing onopportunity in this and being
curious of where can you takethis, because it could be
potentially a really interestingcareer change for somebody.
I know it's scary, I get it.
I work with career changeprofessionals as well.
All the time it is scary, it'sscary for me, I go through
anxieties and so on, butultimately I really think that
(14:30):
there's a lot of opportunityhere for many people, if only
we're able to see those andexpand that mindset and expand
our vision.
And this is where working withcoaches like yourself, for
example, john, really helps,because we don't know what we
don't know and we get so stuckin a tunnel vision.
We've been doing this job for10, 15 years, right, and that's
all I can do.
But guess what?
It's not all you can do.
(14:51):
You just need a little bit more, you know, maybe a little
different perspective, a littlebit of coaching, a little bit of
conversation to help you seethat actually you bring a lot
more to the table.
So I would start with those twocalm your nervous system down
and then focus on the mindset ofseeing opportunity in this
versus obstacles.
John Neral (15:09):
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find that job you're going tolove.
Now let's dive back into theepisode.
Elena, one of the things thatyou just shared was especially
(16:15):
for mid-career professionals,that we can get kind of I'm
going to paraphrase here but alittle complacent, or feel like
we're being safe in a role andwhen things change, be it
through, say, a reorganizationor an acquisition, or we hear
that a company we know how muchthe tech industry has been hit
(16:37):
lately that there's going to bea change or a downsizing,
whatever it might be.
How have you yourself, or howhave you helped people in your
career, recognize that the goalor the desire to be more
proactive about your career pathis what ultimately leads to you
(17:00):
staying ahead of things andbeing more successful?
Elena Agaragimova (17:06):
Well, let's just look at the reality of how
fast the world of work andtechnology is moving.
It's almost like I don't mean.
The only thing I can really sayis that you just don't have a
choice.
You either make it, becauseit's almost like you're going to
be left behind if you don't getproactive about your career.
The days where we can just stayin one job, john, for 10, 15
years and be comfortable and becomplacent are just gone, and I
(17:30):
think it's going to speed upeven more.
I work with a lot of softwaredevelopers, as you know, and we
started as coders used to be thehot thing.
Remember coders when you go,you do computer science, you do
software development.
You are going to be it.
I'm in software development now.
Development now, let me tellyou, now there's a lot of local,
no code platforms that peoplecan use.
(17:51):
So now you don't have to havehardcore coding skills to be a
software developer.
You can have.
You can come from anybackground and become a software
developer because thetechnology is speeding up so
fast.
So even those hot and trendyjobs data analysis, same thing.
Data analyst is a hot, trendyjob right now.
I don't know what it's going tolook like, a year from now, are
we going to need as many dataanalysts?
And these are hot and trendyjobs.
(18:12):
So these are the jobs thatactually usually have a growth
projector.
And now, if you look atbusiness or marketing or any of
the kind of administrative jobor support jobs or operations
jobs, those are even more on theway to extinction than some of
the other, some of the moretechnical skills.
That's just the reality,because technology is picking up
so fast.
I mean, just in the world ofpodcasting, as you know, there's
(18:35):
so many tools that is nowreplacing whole teams of people.
It's just what.
So the point is that we don'thave a choice.
I think you have to accept thefact.
I think acceptance is part ofit, because it's like, what's
the definition of unhappiness iswhen your reality doesn't meet
your expectations.
So, I think, change yourexpectations about what the
world of work should be like,what your career should look
(18:56):
like, because it's not going tolook like that any longer.
I mean I think it was the CEOof Google, I believe, or
Microsoft.
I'm so sorry, I think Microsoft, but Satya.
I forgot his last name, nadella.
I don't know how to pronounceit, but I should know this.
I'm sorry.
He came out and he said youknow, saas companies are done,
you know like there's just toomany, there's AI agents coming
(19:16):
in, so we're living in a veryuncertain time.
So I think number one again,just accepting that things are
just different.
You don't have a choice but tobe proactive, and then the
proactiveness looks verydifferent for everybody and it
just looks at again.
I would just look at three CsConsistency, courage, curiosity.
Consistency is looking at whatare you doing consistently, how
(19:38):
are you in your careerdevelopment?
So that could look like, forexample, are you consistently
building relationships?
Or, better yet, are youconsistently growing your skill
set and knowledge and expertiseto become a person that people
want to network with?
So that's consistency, rightand everything.
Consistency is the key.
Are you courageous enough toknow that sometimes you're going
(20:02):
to take a step backwards inorder to jump forward, or are
you courageous enough to make ashift?
Are you courageous enough tolet go of what you thought you
knew?
And then the curiosity is againgoing back to being curious of
what else can I do?
What haven't I tried?
What can I try?
What do people tell me I'm goodat that I haven't explored?
(20:22):
Do I know what people think I'mgood at.
Have I surveyed my network?
Have I surveyed people aroundme?
You know being curious enoughabout your own skill set and
knowledge and expertise that youprobably didn't even tap into
yet.
John Neral (20:38):
With those three C's .
Can you walk us through, orwould you be kind enough to
share with us where those threeC's are applying to your life
and career right now?
Elena Agaragimova (20:50):
Yeah, so we'll start with the consistency
.
So consistency is somethingI've gotten better at over the
years.
So one of the things is, rightnow I'll tell you what I'm
focusing on.
Maybe that will help.
So, of course, I have my careerthat I focus on, which is, you
know, being consistent indelivering and exceeding
(21:10):
expectations, delivering what Isay I'm going to do, delivering
with higher quality and so on,making sure that people who come
and train with me throughHorizon, through the company I'm
working with, like right now Ihave a group of interns.
So my aim is to just and thisis like third cohort that I'm
doing and my aim is to produce,continue to help these young
individuals graduate from theinternship program consistently
(21:34):
at a higher level of performanceand so on.
So I think, just delivering onwhat I do today.
The other part is growing mypodcast.
So I've been consistent with mypodcast over 200 episodes last
four years, every week,consistently done, consistently
growing in quality, my health,consistently showing up with
myself and calming my nervoussystem down on daily basis,
right Starting my day with acalm nervous system.
(21:55):
So that's consistency.
And I'm consistently learningbecause I get to talk to
individuals like yourself andmany others who come as guests
on my podcast or through otherconversations in my world.
So, and then I'm building acouple of things as well.
So consistency is a big part ofwhat I do, because I don't have
the space or the time to makebig jumps or big dents, but what
(22:17):
I can do is do small thingsconsistently every day, in bits
and pieces that add to largerresults.
So that's number one Courage.
I feel like all I do is juststay courageous, you know.
So I have the quote that I goby.
It's on my whiteboard, I'llread it.
It says have fear but don'thave doubt.
And so friends that haveobserved me, what they've said
(22:39):
to me and this is where it camefrom I was like well, I guess I
do move through fears.
They say what they know aboutme is that, no matter what
change and the ups and downsthat entrepreneurship and just
my career path might have had,I've always was able to move
forward.
Even if I'm terrified, I'm doingsomething.
So it is something I practiceand I preach because I live this
on a weekly basis, which Idon't know if it's healthy or
(23:01):
not, but I'm always doingsomething scary.
And then the other part iscuriosity.
I'm continuously curious aroundhow AI is going to evolve.
I'm learning a lot about AI.
I'm using it a lot in my workwith podcasting in particular,
with content creation, withsocial media.
It is something an area that Iwant to grow in a little bit
(23:21):
more and getting myself out ofmy comfort zone and just kind of
being curious, like how I showup in interviews, how I show up
in conversations, online andsocial media presence and stuff
like that, which requires itsown level of courage as well.
So I think these, for me, areprobably solid examples today.
John Neral (23:39):
I really appreciate how you walked us through that
because, for anybody who'slistening, having some kind of
guide, a compass I call it a GPSright, it's that thing that
guides us to help us show upevery single day.
And your three Cs specificallyabout consistency, courage and
(23:59):
curiosity are great models forpeople to think about where
they're currently at in theircareer right now, but also where
is it headed.
And I really appreciate thispoint in this episode about how
we've got to be thinking ahead,especially right now, because if
we're not, we are missing outon a potential opportunity, and
(24:23):
the last thing we want granted,it's a circumstance, but the
last thing I think any of uswant is to be unwillingly
without a job and then trying tofigure out how do I get back
into the workforce in that,regard, yeah, and it's tough and
we can't predict the future andwe don't know I mean this whole
, you know, ai agents and allthose different things that are
(24:46):
probably going to impact allthat.
Elena Agaragimova (24:47):
We don't know when it's going to kick in.
It could be six months, itcould be two years from now, it
could be a month from now, wedon't know.
But I think, just being curiousand start paying attention to
things you normally don't payattention to.
So as simple as like read thenews and technological updates
in your industry.
How's your role being affected?
I'll talk about my role,because this is what I'm
literally going through rightnow.
(25:08):
So, talent development right,you and I are coaches.
Talent development BetterUpjust released AI coaching.
As much as you and I right mightbelieve that coaching will
never go out of style, gen Z iscoming out today.
Like the in-person, thehuman-to-human coaching.
Gen Z is coming out today.
They're so used to technologythat it might be easier for them
(25:29):
to pick up a phone type in aquestion as they're on the way
to the interview.
Ask the question for the AI andit's going to pop out a
question, versus booking you andI for a coaching session.
That's what I worry about, right, talent development, although
it is one of the kind of stillneeded areas, right, like the
coaching piece in organizationsand talent development.
(25:50):
But who is to say that, withall the different learning
platforms, that something's notgoing to come out that's going
to spit out exact career pathfor you?
Actually, there's already toolsthat do that.
So we're not going to need asmany trainers, as many talent
development professionals likemyself, or even recruiters,
right, necessarily, as much as Iknow that recruitment is much
deeper than just looking atsomebody's resume, screening
(26:12):
that and giving them apercentage of how much they
match to the job.
The reality is is that thegenerations coming in now we
have Generation Alpha, who aregoing to be 18 soon, or maybe
are almost 18.
They grow up in a verydifferent world than you and Jai
.
So, john, our generations arevery different from generations
that are following us and theywant something different from
(26:32):
the services that they get.
So what I'm thinking about is,like, how do I ride the train of
AI and how do I use AI andcoaching to help my clients,
right, like how to withoutwithout losing that
interpersonal touch with them?
So these are the questions thatI'm thinking about.
So I think that all, all ofthese are are super valid to, to
(26:53):
, to think about and considerwhatever, whatever job you're in
.
John Neral (26:57):
For the person who is hearing our conversation and
they're perhaps maybe feeling alittle nervous or anxious around
all the things that AI isstarting to penetrate and take
over.
What would you say to them,especially regarding the
(27:18):
importance of buildingrelationships, despite all of
this AI technology that's movingfaster than we ever expected?
Elena Agaragimova (27:27):
Well, I mean a quick note first, I think we
should be excited.
I think it's not to be nervous,I think if you just shift your
mindset to being excited andbeing curious about, I think
that's the key.
I think that shift, thatmindset shift, that small shift,
moves away from fear, reactivemode to actually looking at it
with some excitement.
So I think that's number one.
Number two, relationshipbuilding.
I mean, as you can go as backin I don't know, roman Empire,
(27:49):
right, it's like everything, asus as human beings, and we grew
up in tribes and back in the daywe grew up in villages, it was
all about the community.
That's how we rise, that's howwe move forward is through
community.
So we forgot that along the wayas human beings, especially
with Internet and social media,and we feel like we're connected
to others, but really notNothing.
Nothing substitutes having thatone on one conversation better
(28:11):
in person, even than on avirtual Right.
So I think relationshipbuilding a key.
But something that's even moreimportant is and I've heard this
the other day and I was likethat is so spot on and I
mentioned this early in thisconversation is becoming the
person that people want toactually network with.
Networking has got a bad rapbecause we focus on take, take,
take when it needs to be.
Give, give, give Great book by,I think, adam Grant.
(28:33):
Give and Take.
There's three types of peoplegivers, takers and then the mix
or something like that.
Right so, and they say thatconsistently, over a longer
period of time, people that aremore giving, meaning that
they're the ones adding value topeople's lives, are, on a
longer term, more successfulfinancially, socially,
career-wise than people who aretakers.
(28:55):
Takers are very short-minded,short-sighted, very short-lived
experience.
So focus on how can you be aperson of value versus a person
who looks to take value?
And I think that's the mistakepeople think when they're
building relationships atnetworking.
Their intent is good, it's notill-intended, but they're in a
fear mode of desperation or in afear mode of their job is about
(29:17):
to, they're about to lose theirjob or et cetera, or there's
insecurities or impostersyndrome, whatever other
underlying feelings that theperson's going through, but
ultimately it comes off as thembeing a taker versus, if you
operate out of curiosity, givingand value adding.
That's probably a much betterstrategy when it comes to
networking.
John Neral (29:37):
Couldn't agree more.
Well, well said, absolutely so.
Elena, as we start wrapping uphere, we've talked a lot in this
episode, so many differentthings to help mid-career
professionals, but what advicewould you give them today to
help them build their mid-careerGPS?
Elena Agaragimova (30:02):
things I try to do less of is give advice,
although I know I've given somestrategies and tips here and
there, but I try to move awayfrom giving advice because I'm
still learning myself and Istill I realize how much I don't
.
I don't know, and I'm mindfulof giving general advice, but I
think, if I were to you know,recommend something to focus on
is that inner chatter that'sthat get you know under quiet,
down, down, quiet down your mind, quiet down all this different
(30:25):
information that's coming at you.
We are continuously influencedby social media, by the news, by
people around us, by all thisinformation, all these bits that
are coming into our mind,subconsciously or consciously.
Most of it subconsciously, wedon't realize, right, even
hopping on on LinkedIn andseeing people being laid off or
or open to work green circles,it might, you might just be
(30:46):
scrolling through, but I read, Iwas like, oh, my god.
I was like one day I woke upand I was like, oh, there's so
many people open for it and I'mstarting to get nervous.
I was like, oh, is the jobmarket bad?
And so on.
So subconsciously, it'simpacting us more than you
realize.
So, stepping away from all ofthat, taking a walk in nature,
as simple as it may sound.
You know, getting some sun onyour face, moving your body,
being quiet.
(31:06):
Don't listen to a podcast,don't listen to music.
Just take a walk and tune inwith what's going on in your
mind and start to uncover.
What is it that you actuallywant?
What do you feel is the rightthing to you?
What do you feel is stoppingyou?
What fears that you need toface?
And ask yourself the questionwhen you're facing those fears,
what's the worst that willhappen?
And the worst case scenario,once you say it out loud, once
(31:26):
you write it out loud, is not asbad as you imagine.
And I think that a lot of ourobstacles is because we're
afraid of something and thatfeeling that the reaction or the
symptom of it could be usgetting defensive, or the
symptom of it could be usblaming the outside world of
well, it's this or it's the newgovernment, or it's the job
(31:47):
market and so on, but reallyit's just us being afraid of
losing our jobs or beingirrelevant.
And instead of looking at allthese external factors, look at
how you can utilize that to youradvantage and what you can do
on a day-to-day basis about yourmindset to help you move
forward versus looking backwards.
John Neral (32:02):
Do on a day-to-day basis about your mindset to help
you move forward versus lookingbackwards.
Yes, I mean the whole bit aboutquieting the mind and taking
that walk and everything.
We're both in the DMV areaoutside of Washington DC and
everything.
It's been so cold here, but Iwill tell you that one of the
things on my list this week, asthe weather is warming up, is to
(32:23):
get out for just even if it'sjust a 10, 15 minute walk, just
to your point about getting somesun on my face, because I feel
like I've been inside way toomuch.
So I appreciate that Absolutely.
Elena, thank you so much forthis conversation.
If people want to find you,connect with you, learn from you
, I'm going to turn the mic overto you.
Please share with us all thegreat places where people can
connect.
Elena Agaragimova (32:44):
LinkedIn is probably the best place.
Elena Agaragimova the beautifulpart about my difficult last
name is that I'm the only onethat you'll probably find on
there, so Elena Agaragimova isprobably on.
Linkedin is the best place andyou can, you know, take what you
want from that.
John Neral (32:59):
I will make sure that's in the show notes and
link up to that.
But Elena Agarigamova, and Ithink I mispronounced that as
well, so I apologize.
Okay, all right.
Good Names are important.
We got to get them right, myfriend.
Thank you so much for being awonderful guest on the
Mid-Career GPS podcast.
Elena Agaragimova (33:14):
Thank you, John.
John Neral (33:15):
All right, my friends, if there's one big
takeaway for today, I want tohighlight Elena's three C's.
Those three C's that she talkedabout were consistency, courage
and curiosity.
I want to offer you this weekto think about Elena's three C's
.
Where are you being consistent,where are you being courageous
(33:38):
and where are you being curiousabout where your mid-career GPS
is taking you and therelationships that you're
building to help you get there?
So until next time, my friends,remember this you will build
your mid-career GPS one mile orone step at a time, and how you
show up matters.
(33:58):
Make it a great rest of yourday.
Thank you for listening to theMid-Career GPS Podcast.
Make sure to follow on yourfavorite listening platform and,
if you have a moment, I'd loveto hear your comments on Apple
Podcasts.
Visit johnnarrellcom for moreinformation about how I can help
(34:19):
you build your mid-career GPS,or how I can help you and your
organization-career GPS, or howI can help you and your
organization with your nextworkshop or public speaking
event.
Don't forget to connect with meon LinkedIn and follow me on
social at John Darrell Coaching.
I look forward to being backwith you next week.
Until then, take care andremember how we show up matters.
(34:40):
Thank you.
You probably heard that mindset is everything, and
sometimes our mindset'sindestructible and other times
it's not as strong and it maybeg the question how does that
happen?
Today, my guest will help youunlock how you can leverage your
mindset as you build yourmid-career GPS to whatever is
(00:22):
next for you and your career.
In a few moments, you will meetElena Agaragimova, a talent
development specialist,recruiter, entrepreneur,
personal trainer, host of thepodcast Shift.
With Elena Agar, author andcontent creator, all united by a
(00:43):
single mission, and that is tohelp people build fulfilling,
successful careers.
In this episode, elena willhelp you make your mindset shift
the way your career is headedand where you want it to go.
So let's get started.
Hello, my friends, this is theMid-Career GPS Podcast and I'm
(01:16):
your host, John Neral.
I help mid-career professionalslike you find a job they love,
or love the job they have, usingmy proven four-step formula.
Elena Agaragimova's strengthlies in being a generalist, a
quality that has unlocked doorsto remarkable experiences.
From launching startups likeShift and Bloom Youth to
(01:39):
mentoring young professionalsand speaking at conferences
across the globe, from New Yorkto Dubai, Elena's journey has
shaped her perspective andsharpened her ability to adapt,
grow and deliver results.
Currently, Elena is dedicatingher time, knowledge and energy
(01:59):
to helping Gen Z and millennialsbuild thriving careers and even
launch their own ventures.
Gen Z and millennials buildthriving careers and even launch
their own ventures.
Elena firmly believes that withcuriosity, consistency and
courage and she will talk withus more about that anyone can
create a career or business thatbrings purpose, growth and
success.
So it is my pleasure to bringyou my conversation with Elena
(02:24):
Agaragimova.
Elena, welcome to the show.
It's great to have you heretoday.
Elena Agaragimova (02:30):
John, I'm super excited.
John Neral (02:31):
I am too.
We're going to have a greatconversation.
You've got a fascinating storyand I alluded to a little bit of
that in the interview, butwhere I want to begin is for you
to share with everyone what wasyour mid-career moment is for
you to share with everyone whatwas your mid-career moment?
Elena Agaragimova (02:46):
You know, my mid-career moment was probably
realizing that I am anentrepreneur at heart and I'm a
builder and a creator, andusually it's very difficult to
build a big corporate careerwith that in mind.
And what I mean by that is thatit's I joke with my friends I'm
like I'm kind of unemployable,although I am employed at the
(03:09):
moment, but it's usually throughlike luck that I end up getting
positions, because usually whenpeople look at my profile
they're like what did you do?
What are you doing?
Because I've worn so many hats.
So my mid-career moment waslike oh, I'm just not.
Like my career is going to lookvery different from your
traditional career path and it'sultimately me building and
creating that career of my own,versus following some trajectory
(03:33):
that exists supposedly.
John Neral (03:35):
When you realized that you were for the lack of a
better word different, yourcareer path was not going to be
that traditional career path.
What was the mindset or thethought work you had to do to
get you there, to be not justcomfortable but confident with
that?
Elena Agaragimova (03:54):
Well, I grew up with having a lot of
insecurities around the factthat I didn't go to some big
shot school.
I went to great university butit wasn't this big school.
I don't have these big names onmy resume and so on.
So I think the the I had toaccept the fact that my journey
is just going to be different,and I had to.
I used to be ashamed of mystory because I've I've had 17
(04:17):
different jobs before the age of25.
I took me six years to graduatefrom my bachelor's degree.
I was a hot mess in my twenties.
I didn't know what I was doing.
So I think, just like realizingthat, that that the generalist
in me was, is and you know, wasand is my superpower, and that I
had to go through thatgeneralist mindset where I've
just learned a lot of differentskill sets and part of it was
(04:37):
because I've started businesses,I've built things, I've created
things, I'm a, I'm a creator atheart, and I think,
understanding that that's mysuperpower essentially, and
learning how to work with that,versus saying, oh, I don't have
these big names, I don't havethis big experience, you know,
(04:57):
and so on.
The job market, for example,externally, was showing me like,
oh well, you don't have youknow X number of years
experience in this big name ordoing this big things, and it
was almost like discredited allthe other wonderful things that
I've done that actually make megreat in a lot of things that I
do.
John Neral (05:12):
I really appreciate how you bring up that point,
because we know how powerfulimposter syndrome can be and not
every one of us gets to attendthat big name university.
And I'm like you, I'm in thesame boat with that.
I went to a good school.
I didn't go to a quote unquoteIvy Top Eight kind of school
(05:34):
type thing.
And I remember being on a joband I was walking with a
colleague who had gone to one ofthese really big, prestigious
universities and and admittedlythere was that part of thinking,
oh, she's so much smarter thanI am or she's better than I am
in everything, and we werelamenting about something at
(05:55):
work and and she shared with meand she said I feel so
disrespected because I went toinsert name of Big Eight Ivy
League University.
And I looked at her and I said,oh my God, I feel the same way
about getting my master's degreeat Monmouth University.
And she looked at me and I saidwe're not going to play this
(06:15):
game.
We're here because we'retalented, we are skilled and we
are here to do a job.
You went somewhere, I wentsomewhere.
Just because you went somewheredifferent than me doesn't make
you better than me.
And I said if we can find somecommonality in this.
We can get down and do the work, and I remember that part of
(06:36):
the conversation because itactually helped our working
relationship, because I saidlook, I respect where you went,
but we're here in this job rightnow.
We're here with the same title,the same role.
We're doing the same work.
Let's get to work, you know,and when you think about how,
(06:58):
especially for mid-careerprofessionals, who might be
actively job seeking or they'reactively navigating those
internal politics and we'll talkabout how we play the corporate
game momentarily what advice doyou have for them in terms of
positioning themselves morestrategically, despite or in
(07:20):
honor of all of the thoughtsthey have about how they got
there?
Elena Agaragimova (07:27):
I mean, that's a tough one.
Imposter syndrome is so spot on.
I think that when you look atpositioning yourself in a
company, I think just focusingon the value that you bring
right, what's that saying?
It's like numbers scream, wordstalk, numbers scream, or
something like that.
So, focusing on the resultsthat you bring, focusing on like
(07:47):
metrics and for some peoplethey love to see metrics they're
like okay, I need to see ametric of that.
I've done X, y and Z, so maybejust even like looking at what
you've done so far in yourcareer.
And also, I think, an importantone, john, here is to understand
that you would not be in thatposition unless you have earned
it, deserved it.
And somebody thought thatyou're deemed good enough to be
in that position.
Because, especially thatmid-level and senior up, those
(08:09):
are usually sensitive roles,meaning that you have some level
of influence in the company,maybe you're managing people and
so on, and the likelihood ofyou being in that position is
because somebody more senior toyou felt that you could do the
job, so that alone should be a.
You felt that you could do thejob, so that alone should be a,
you know, and what's the word?
Like a mark that you deserve tobe there, right.
(08:29):
So you've gotten there becauseof your skill set, but then as
you're managing thoserelationships, I think, just
being empathetic and kind topeople around you, and what I
mean by that is that we look atother people, that they're just
on their own kind of hero'sjourney.
They're on their own, they havetheir own agenda and if you're
able to align yourself in a waythat's not threatening to them
(08:52):
because that's the reality somepeople will be threatened by you
, regardless of the school thatyou went to and all of that good
jazz.
I think if you bring in value,you have those results and they
show for themselves and you'regrowing in that career.
The more senior you grow in acompany, the more competitive
and political it gets for betteror for worse, it's just the
corporate world and the moreit's about making sure that
other people are not as you know, are not threatened by you.
(09:14):
And so how do you alignyourself with people to make
sure that you show them like,hey, I'm here to play ball, I'm
here to play game, I'm here foryou to win, for us to win, for
everybody to kind of grow.
And I think, if you're able toI don't know, I mean for lack of
a better play that game right.
I think that's how you canposition yourself strategically
to get along with people thatmight be from different
(09:34):
backgrounds and different levelsthan you.
And I think, internally, justreminding yourself again like
just, you know, you're therebecause you've earned to be
there.
And even if you, you know, andif you're, if you're like myself
who was like, well, maybe youknow it's still, you know that
voice is still there.
That's a motivator for me,that's a that's for me, it's a
voice that tells me you know,how do I become better today and
(09:55):
the next week and the next week?
So it's almost like to pushmyself each time.
So I think there's two thingsOne is like talking to yourself
and the other one is likealigning yourself strategically
in a way that helps other peopleachieve their goals in the
company.
John Neral (10:13):
So let's stay with that for a moment, because we're
recording this at the end ofJanuary and I'm here in the US.
We know we've had a change inpolitical administrations.
We have a new president.
A lot of things have happenedthis week, and one of the things
(10:34):
that I had shared with youbefore we started recording this
podcast was that I had heardfrom a lot of people on my email
list and listeners that lastweek was really heavy and it was
making people question whattheir next move was going to be,
whether it be they were goingto stay where they are within
their organization or it wastime for them to pick up and
(10:56):
move and go find a new job.
And this isn't necessarily.
This is mostly corporateprofessionals.
I have worked with peoplewithin public service.
But in terms of how we'replaying this game right now, in
2025, what advice would you givesomeone to help them play this
(11:19):
game very tactically andstrategically if they're looking
to level up their career,especially in this first quarter
or first half of 2025?
Elena Agaragimova (11:36):
I would break this into a couple of areas.
One I think mindset probably isthe biggest thing we can talk
about here, because I thinkthat's a lot.
I mean, you see a lot of peopledefinitely being impacted by
this and it's, you know, youhave to accept the fact that
it's uncertainty, it's change,it's all these scary things to
our brain and our brains aremeant to protect us, and change
to our brain is a threat, soautomatically, like, our nervous
(11:59):
system is just a defense modebecause so much change and
uncertainty is taking place andwe almost feel attacked.
So, I think, understanding thatthat's just a human state that
we're in and it's just what itis and it's okay, and just
accept the fact that that'swhere you are.
So I think step number one iscalm your nervous system down.
I think that's the biggestthing.
I mean, you know, let's work oncalming our nervous system down
(12:19):
.
It works for different people indifferent ways.
For myself, what really worksfor me and again, I don't want
to give advice because I thinkeverybody kind of knows what
works for them so I'll justshare what works for me and
maybe it will inspire people tosay what works for themselves.
So for me, what works isstaying active.
For me, what works is beingaround people that are focused
on solutions versus on theproblems, versus on 2024 versus
(12:41):
on the past, Focus on how are wegoing to manage this change
moving forward.
What are you doing?
What positive things you'retrying to incorporate into your
life to get past this and kindof again keep your nervous
system at bay, right, so thatfor some people, meditation
works, For some people it'sgoing for a walk, you know when
the weather is better in the DMVarea, but at least when it's a
(13:03):
little bit warmer.
It's a little cold right now.
John Neral (13:04):
It's so cold here.
Elena Agaragimova (13:06):
So I think just focusing on you know
nervous system like getting thatsleep, you know maybe
disconnecting from the news Ithink that's another big thing
I've heard people say lastcouple of weeks is like I cannot
watch any media news.
Well, you don't have to Likeit's truly a choice you're
making.
So I think maybe making betterchoices to stay away things that
add to that anxiety, that addto that uncertainty, and focus
(13:27):
your mindset on you know, shiftyour mindset towards what is it
that I can control?
I can't control how I treat mynervous system.
I can't control of beingcurious.
Where could I take this?
I can't see this as anopportunity to say you know what
, honestly, my job could havebeen obsolete anyway in a year
or two.
So this is just a speed upversion of it and, frankly
(13:47):
speaking, as professionals wetend to wait and react to career
happening to us versus beingproactive about our career and
career growth.
So I would look at this as anopportunity.
I always feel like the biggerpart of mindset is seeing
obstacles and challenges asopportunities, versus something
to get stuck in and just kind oflet it bring you down Because
(14:09):
that adds nothing to you oranybody around you.
So I think, focusing onopportunity in this and being
curious of where can you takethis, because it could be
potentially a really interestingcareer change for somebody.
I know it's scary, I get it.
I work with career changeprofessionals as well.
All the time it is scary, it'sscary for me, I go through
anxieties and so on, butultimately I really think that
(14:30):
there's a lot of opportunityhere for many people, if only
we're able to see those andexpand that mindset and expand
our vision.
And this is where working withcoaches like yourself, for
example, john, really helps,because we don't know what we
don't know and we get so stuckin a tunnel vision.
We've been doing this job for10, 15 years, right, and that's
all I can do.
But guess what?
It's not all you can do.
(14:51):
You just need a little bit more, you know, maybe a little
different perspective, a littlebit of coaching, a little bit of
conversation to help you seethat actually you bring a lot
more to the table.
So I would start with those twocalm your nervous system down
and then focus on the mindset ofseeing opportunity in this
versus obstacles.
John Neral (15:09):
Hey there, we'll get back to the episode in a moment
, but I want to give yousomething game-changing, a
golden ticket.
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(15:31):
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(15:55):
com to snag your free copy ofthe Mid-Career Job Seekers
Checklist.
It's not just a checklist, itis a career compass to help you
find that job you're going tolove.
Now let's dive back into theepisode.
Elena, one of the things thatyou just shared was especially
(16:15):
for mid-career professionals,that we can get kind of I'm
going to paraphrase here but alittle complacent, or feel like
we're being safe in a role andwhen things change, be it
through, say, a reorganizationor an acquisition, or we hear
that a company we know how muchthe tech industry has been hit
(16:37):
lately that there's going to bea change or a downsizing,
whatever it might be.
How have you yourself, or howhave you helped people in your
career, recognize that the goalor the desire to be more
proactive about your career pathis what ultimately leads to you
(17:00):
staying ahead of things andbeing more successful?
Elena Agaragimova (17:06):
Well, let's just look at the reality of how
fast the world of work andtechnology is moving.
It's almost like I don't mean.
The only thing I can really sayis that you just don't have a
choice.
You either make it, becauseit's almost like you're going to
be left behind if you don't getproactive about your career.
The days where we can just stayin one job, john, for 10, 15
years and be comfortable and becomplacent are just gone, and I
(17:30):
think it's going to speed upeven more.
I work with a lot of softwaredevelopers, as you know, and we
started as coders used to be thehot thing.
Remember coders when you go,you do computer science, you do
software development.
You are going to be it.
I'm in software development now.
Development now, let me tellyou, now there's a lot of local,
no code platforms that peoplecan use.
(17:51):
So now you don't have to havehardcore coding skills to be a
software developer.
You can have.
You can come from anybackground and become a software
developer because thetechnology is speeding up so
fast.
So even those hot and trendyjobs data analysis, same thing.
Data analyst is a hot, trendyjob right now.
I don't know what it's going tolook like, a year from now, are
we going to need as many dataanalysts?
And these are hot and trendyjobs.
(18:12):
So these are the jobs thatactually usually have a growth
projector.
And now, if you look atbusiness or marketing or any of
the kind of administrative jobor support jobs or operations
jobs, those are even more on theway to extinction than some of
the other, some of the moretechnical skills.
That's just the reality,because technology is picking up
so fast.
I mean, just in the world ofpodcasting, as you know, there's
(18:35):
so many tools that is nowreplacing whole teams of people.
It's just what.
So the point is that we don'thave a choice.
I think you have to accept thefact.
I think acceptance is part ofit, because it's like, what's
the definition of unhappiness iswhen your reality doesn't meet
your expectations.
So, I think, change yourexpectations about what the
world of work should be like,what your career should look
(18:56):
like, because it's not going tolook like that any longer.
I mean I think it was the CEOof Google, I believe, or
Microsoft.
I'm so sorry, I think Microsoft, but Satya.
I forgot his last name, nadella.
I don't know how to pronounceit, but I should know this.
I'm sorry.
He came out and he said youknow, saas companies are done,
you know like there's just toomany, there's AI agents coming
(19:16):
in, so we're living in a veryuncertain time.
So I think number one again,just accepting that things are
just different.
You don't have a choice but tobe proactive, and then the
proactiveness looks verydifferent for everybody and it
just looks at again.
I would just look at three CsConsistency, courage, curiosity.
Consistency is looking at whatare you doing consistently, how
(19:38):
are you in your careerdevelopment?
So that could look like, forexample, are you consistently
building relationships?
Or, better yet, are youconsistently growing your skill
set and knowledge and expertiseto become a person that people
want to network with?
So that's consistency, rightand everything.
Consistency is the key.
Are you courageous enough toknow that sometimes you're going
(20:02):
to take a step backwards inorder to jump forward, or are
you courageous enough to make ashift?
Are you courageous enough tolet go of what you thought you
knew?
And then the curiosity is againgoing back to being curious of
what else can I do?
What haven't I tried?
What can I try?
What do people tell me I'm goodat that I haven't explored?
(20:22):
Do I know what people think I'mgood at.
Have I surveyed my network?
Have I surveyed people aroundme?
You know being curious enoughabout your own skill set and
knowledge and expertise that youprobably didn't even tap into
yet.
John Neral (20:38):
With those three C's .
Can you walk us through, orwould you be kind enough to
share with us where those threeC's are applying to your life
and career right now?
Elena Agaragimova (20:50):
Yeah, so we'll start with the consistency
.
So consistency is somethingI've gotten better at over the
years.
So one of the things is, rightnow I'll tell you what I'm
focusing on.
Maybe that will help.
So, of course, I have my careerthat I focus on, which is, you
know, being consistent indelivering and exceeding
(21:10):
expectations, delivering what Isay I'm going to do, delivering
with higher quality and so on,making sure that people who come
and train with me throughHorizon, through the company I'm
working with, like right now Ihave a group of interns.
So my aim is to just and thisis like third cohort that I'm
doing and my aim is to produce,continue to help these young
individuals graduate from theinternship program consistently
(21:34):
at a higher level of performanceand so on.
So I think, just delivering onwhat I do today.
The other part is growing mypodcast.
So I've been consistent with mypodcast over 200 episodes last
four years, every week,consistently done, consistently
growing in quality, my health,consistently showing up with
myself and calming my nervoussystem down on daily basis,
right Starting my day with acalm nervous system.
(21:55):
So that's consistency.
And I'm consistently learningbecause I get to talk to
individuals like yourself andmany others who come as guests
on my podcast or through otherconversations in my world.
So, and then I'm building acouple of things as well.
So consistency is a big part ofwhat I do, because I don't have
the space or the time to makebig jumps or big dents, but what
(22:17):
I can do is do small thingsconsistently every day, in bits
and pieces that add to largerresults.
So that's number one Courage.
I feel like all I do is juststay courageous, you know.
So I have the quote that I goby.
It's on my whiteboard, I'llread it.
It says have fear but don'thave doubt.
And so friends that haveobserved me, what they've said
(22:39):
to me and this is where it camefrom I was like well, I guess I
do move through fears.
They say what they know aboutme is that, no matter what
change and the ups and downsthat entrepreneurship and just
my career path might have had,I've always was able to move
forward.
Even if I'm terrified, I'm doingsomething.
So it is something I practiceand I preach because I live this
on a weekly basis, which Idon't know if it's healthy or
(23:01):
not, but I'm always doingsomething scary.
And then the other part iscuriosity.
I'm continuously curious aroundhow AI is going to evolve.
I'm learning a lot about AI.
I'm using it a lot in my workwith podcasting in particular,
with content creation, withsocial media.
It is something an area that Iwant to grow in a little bit
(23:21):
more and getting myself out ofmy comfort zone and just kind of
being curious, like how I showup in interviews, how I show up
in conversations, online andsocial media presence and stuff
like that, which requires itsown level of courage as well.
So I think these, for me, areprobably solid examples today.
John Neral (23:39):
I really appreciate how you walked us through that
because, for anybody who'slistening, having some kind of
guide, a compass I call it a GPSright, it's that thing that
guides us to help us show upevery single day.
And your three Cs specificallyabout consistency, courage and
(23:59):
curiosity are great models forpeople to think about where
they're currently at in theircareer right now, but also where
is it headed.
And I really appreciate thispoint in this episode about how
we've got to be thinking ahead,especially right now, because if
we're not, we are missing outon a potential opportunity, and
(24:23):
the last thing we want granted,it's a circumstance, but the
last thing I think any of uswant is to be unwillingly
without a job and then trying tofigure out how do I get back
into the workforce in that,regard, yeah, and it's tough and
we can't predict the future andwe don't know I mean this whole
, you know, ai agents and allthose different things that are
(24:46):
probably going to impact allthat.
Elena Agaragimova (24:47):
We don't know when it's going to kick in.
It could be six months, itcould be two years from now, it
could be a month from now, wedon't know.
But I think, just being curiousand start paying attention to
things you normally don't payattention to.
So as simple as like read thenews and technological updates
in your industry.
How's your role being affected?
I'll talk about my role,because this is what I'm
literally going through rightnow.
(25:08):
So, talent development right,you and I are coaches.
Talent development BetterUpjust released AI coaching.
As much as you and I right mightbelieve that coaching will
never go out of style, gen Z iscoming out today.
Like the in-person, thehuman-to-human coaching.
Gen Z is coming out today.
They're so used to technologythat it might be easier for them
(25:29):
to pick up a phone type in aquestion as they're on the way
to the interview.
Ask the question for the AI andit's going to pop out a
question, versus booking you andI for a coaching session.
That's what I worry about, right, talent development, although
it is one of the kind of stillneeded areas, right, like the
coaching piece in organizationsand talent development.
(25:50):
But who is to say that, withall the different learning
platforms, that something's notgoing to come out that's going
to spit out exact career pathfor you?
Actually, there's already toolsthat do that.
So we're not going to need asmany trainers, as many talent
development professionals likemyself, or even recruiters,
right, necessarily, as much as Iknow that recruitment is much
deeper than just looking atsomebody's resume, screening
(26:12):
that and giving them apercentage of how much they
match to the job.
The reality is is that thegenerations coming in now we
have Generation Alpha, who aregoing to be 18 soon, or maybe
are almost 18.
They grow up in a verydifferent world than you and Jai
.
So, john, our generations arevery different from generations
that are following us and theywant something different from
(26:32):
the services that they get.
So what I'm thinking about is,like, how do I ride the train of
AI and how do I use AI andcoaching to help my clients,
right, like how to withoutwithout losing that
interpersonal touch with them?
So these are the questions thatI'm thinking about.
So I think that all, all ofthese are are super valid to, to
(26:53):
, to think about and considerwhatever, whatever job you're in
.
John Neral (26:57):
For the person who is hearing our conversation and
they're perhaps maybe feeling alittle nervous or anxious around
all the things that AI isstarting to penetrate and take
over.
What would you say to them,especially regarding the
(27:18):
importance of buildingrelationships, despite all of
this AI technology that's movingfaster than we ever expected?
Elena Agaragimova (27:27):
Well, I mean a quick note first, I think we
should be excited.
I think it's not to be nervous,I think if you just shift your
mindset to being excited andbeing curious about, I think
that's the key.
I think that shift, thatmindset shift, that small shift,
moves away from fear, reactivemode to actually looking at it
with some excitement.
So I think that's number one.
Number two, relationshipbuilding.
I mean, as you can go as backin I don't know, roman Empire,
(27:49):
right, it's like everything, asus as human beings, and we grew
up in tribes and back in the daywe grew up in villages, it was
all about the community.
That's how we rise, that's howwe move forward is through
community.
So we forgot that along the wayas human beings, especially
with Internet and social media,and we feel like we're connected
to others, but really notNothing.
Nothing substitutes having thatone on one conversation better
(28:11):
in person, even than on avirtual Right.
So I think relationshipbuilding a key.
But something that's even moreimportant is and I've heard this
the other day and I was likethat is so spot on and I
mentioned this early in thisconversation is becoming the
person that people want toactually network with.
Networking has got a bad rapbecause we focus on take, take,
take when it needs to be.
Give, give, give Great book by,I think, adam Grant.
(28:33):
Give and Take.
There's three types of peoplegivers, takers and then the mix
or something like that.
Right so, and they say thatconsistently, over a longer
period of time, people that aremore giving, meaning that
they're the ones adding value topeople's lives, are, on a
longer term, more successfulfinancially, socially,
career-wise than people who aretakers.
(28:55):
Takers are very short-minded,short-sighted, very short-lived
experience.
So focus on how can you be aperson of value versus a person
who looks to take value?
And I think that's the mistakepeople think when they're
building relationships atnetworking.
Their intent is good, it's notill-intended, but they're in a
fear mode of desperation or in afear mode of their job is about
(29:17):
to, they're about to lose theirjob or et cetera, or there's
insecurities or impostersyndrome, whatever other
underlying feelings that theperson's going through, but
ultimately it comes off as thembeing a taker versus, if you
operate out of curiosity, givingand value adding.
That's probably a much betterstrategy when it comes to
networking.
John Neral (29:37):
Couldn't agree more.
Well, well said, absolutely so.
Elena, as we start wrapping uphere, we've talked a lot in this
episode, so many differentthings to help mid-career
professionals, but what advicewould you give them today to
help them build their mid-careerGPS?
Elena Agaragimova (30:02):
things I try to do less of is give advice,
although I know I've given somestrategies and tips here and
there, but I try to move awayfrom giving advice because I'm
still learning myself and Istill I realize how much I don't
.
I don't know, and I'm mindfulof giving general advice, but I
think, if I were to you know,recommend something to focus on
is that inner chatter that'sthat get you know under quiet,
down, down, quiet down your mind, quiet down all this different
(30:25):
information that's coming at you.
We are continuously influencedby social media, by the news, by
people around us, by all thisinformation, all these bits that
are coming into our mind,subconsciously or consciously.
Most of it subconsciously, wedon't realize, right, even
hopping on on LinkedIn andseeing people being laid off or
or open to work green circles,it might, you might just be
(30:46):
scrolling through, but I read, Iwas like, oh, my god.
I was like one day I woke upand I was like, oh, there's so
many people open for it and I'mstarting to get nervous.
I was like, oh, is the jobmarket bad?
And so on.
So subconsciously, it'simpacting us more than you
realize.
So, stepping away from all ofthat, taking a walk in nature,
as simple as it may sound.
You know, getting some sun onyour face, moving your body,
being quiet.
(31:06):
Don't listen to a podcast,don't listen to music.
Just take a walk and tune inwith what's going on in your
mind and start to uncover.
What is it that you actuallywant?
What do you feel is the rightthing to you?
What do you feel is stoppingyou?
What fears that you need toface?
And ask yourself the questionwhen you're facing those fears,
what's the worst that willhappen?
And the worst case scenario,once you say it out loud, once
(31:26):
you write it out loud, is not asbad as you imagine.
And I think that a lot of ourobstacles is because we're
afraid of something and thatfeeling that the reaction or the
symptom of it could be usgetting defensive, or the
symptom of it could be usblaming the outside world of
well, it's this or it's the newgovernment, or it's the job
(31:47):
market and so on, but reallyit's just us being afraid of
losing our jobs or beingirrelevant.
And instead of looking at allthese external factors, look at
how you can utilize that to youradvantage and what you can do
on a day-to-day basis about yourmindset to help you move
forward versus looking backwards.
John Neral (32:02):
Do on a day-to-day basis about your mindset to help
you move forward versus lookingbackwards.
Yes, I mean the whole bit aboutquieting the mind and taking
that walk and everything.
We're both in the DMV areaoutside of Washington DC and
everything.
It's been so cold here, but Iwill tell you that one of the
things on my list this week, asthe weather is warming up, is to
(32:23):
get out for just even if it'sjust a 10, 15 minute walk, just
to your point about getting somesun on my face, because I feel
like I've been inside way toomuch.
So I appreciate that Absolutely.
Elena, thank you so much forthis conversation.
If people want to find you,connect with you, learn from you
, I'm going to turn the mic overto you.
Please share with us all thegreat places where people can
connect.
Elena Agaragimova (32:44):
LinkedIn is probably the best place.
Elena Agaragimova the beautifulpart about my difficult last
name is that I'm the only onethat you'll probably find on
there, so Elena Agaragimova isprobably on.
Linkedin is the best place andyou can, you know, take what you
want from that.
John Neral (32:59):
I will make sure that's in the show notes and
link up to that.
But Elena Agarigamova, and Ithink I mispronounced that as
well, so I apologize.
Okay, all right.
Good Names are important.
We got to get them right, myfriend.
Thank you so much for being awonderful guest on the
Mid-Career GPS podcast.
Elena Agaragimova (33:14):
Thank you, John.
John Neral (33:15):
All right, my friends, if there's one big
takeaway for today, I want tohighlight Elena's three C's.
Those three C's that she talkedabout were consistency, courage
and curiosity.
I want to offer you this weekto think about Elena's three C's
.
Where are you being consistent,where are you being courageous
(33:38):
and where are you being curiousabout where your mid-career GPS
is taking you and therelationships that you're
building to help you get there?
So until next time, my friends,remember this you will build
your mid-career GPS one mile orone step at a time, and how you
show up matters.
(33:58):
Make it a great rest of yourday.
Thank you for listening to theMid-Career GPS Podcast.
Make sure to follow on yourfavorite listening platform and,
if you have a moment, I'd loveto hear your comments on Apple
Podcasts.
Visit johnnarrellcom for moreinformation about how I can help
(34:19):
you build your mid-career GPS,or how I can help you and your
organization-career GPS, or howI can help you and your
organization with your nextworkshop or public speaking
event.
Don't forget to connect with meon LinkedIn and follow me on
social at John Darrell Coaching.
I look forward to being backwith you next week.
Until then, take care andremember how we show up matters.
(34:40):
Thank you.
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