Career Growth Advice from Karla Blanco, business Leader | Career Tips for Women in business

2B Bolder Podcast – Episode 117
Featuring Karla Blanco

Episode Title: #117 Karla Blanco, A Global Leader of Transformation Dedicated to DEI, a TEDx Speaker & Bestselling Author

Host: Mary Killelea
Guest: Karla Blanco



Mary Killelea (Host): Hi there. My name is Mary Killelea. Welcome to the To Be Bolder podcast, providing career insights for the next generation of women in business and tech. To Be Bolder was created out of my love for technology and marketing, my desire to bring together like-minded women, and my hope to be a great role model and source of inspiration for my two girls and other young women like you. Encouraging you guys to show up and to be bolder and to know that anything you guys dream of, it's totally possible. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the conversation.

Welcome to another episode of the To Be Bolder podcast, where we dive into the journeys of bold and inspiring women who are redefining success on their own terms. Today, I'm so excited to have Karla Blanco with us.

Karla is a powerhouse in leadership and personal development. She's known globally as a best-selling author, a coach, a three-time TEDx speaker, and leadership instructor with the John Maxwell team. With over 25 years at a Fortune 100 company, Karla has become a transformational leader who not only leads by example but also shares her wealth of knowledge across borders and industries. She's a Harvard Business Review Advisory Council member, an Aspen Institute Fellow, and a true advocate for diversity and inclusion. Karla, welcome to the show. I have been a huge fan, as I said. It's such a pleasure to meet you.

Karla Blanco (Guest): It's a pleasure to meet you, Mary. I've been your fan, too, for many years already.

Mary Killelea: Thank you. I remember being on a trip and I had gotten your book and I was reading it. I'm like, someday I'm going to interview her. Okay, so thanks for making that come true. Tell us about your career journey, you know, probably at the 500-foot view, but how your career evolved and how it's led you to where you are today.

KB Karla Blanco I reinvented myself many times. And let me start from the beginning. When I was in college, I wanted to be an attorney and appreciated having a guide when picking a career because she told me to engage with people at an emotional level, that if you become an attorney, you will be probably leaving their challenges. So she told me, because of your strengths, you may be good also at economics.

So, at the time I thought about business, but then what interested me was customs administration, which required also some legal subjects and also chemistry. Because when you import goods and you need to classify to pay the tariffs, the import rates, you really need to know about chemistry.

Then I got an MBA and after that, my grandpa passed when I was 13 years old and I loved him so much. But when I picked the career and I didn't make that connection. Later, I realized that my grandfather was a customs administrator. So, I started in government, then I moved to Intel. And at Intel, my first seven years were on customs. I was free trade zone specialist, but then it became the opportunity to become government affairs manager. And I joined the corporate or public affairs group. And then later I connected adults, my father was on public affairs. It's really interesting how our loved ones really influence us.

When I was in college, my plan was to finish college and backpack in Costa Rica beaches for three months, creating my own sabbatical at a time. But unexpectedly, I got a call from a professor who also used to work in the minister of foreign trade. And he called me for an interview. I went home and I told my mom laughing about that call. And she was so serious looking at me. She gave me some, some advice and her word resonated with me, you have to go to that interview. You never know if another opportunity like this will come your way. And I needed her advice and went for the interview. Little did I know that this decision will lead to over 28 years of professional experience. And it was a year and a half in government and then over 26 years at Intel and at Intel, many different careers.

So from finance, to corporate affairs, to then diversity and inclusion, and many different positions in between those three tracks.

Mary Killelea: That's such a beautiful journey. And I love that in the back of your mind, you were influenced by loved ones. And sometimes I think we all should stop and kind of take a look at what influences us because I think we would find similarities as well. Okay, so obviously you achieved great success. What has been some of the biggest challenges that you faced and how, I guess, have you navigated them?

Karla Blanco: There have been many challenges, but there is one specific that really touched me at a very personal level, which was the year before facing out factory operations in Costa Rica in 2014. I was corporate affairs manager, which means relations with the government, with the media, with the community, all the external relations> I was the representative of the company. So, at the beginning, I partnered with the general manager and the corporation preparing. So, the preparation for news like that was huge because of the impact of the company in my country.

There is a tale about the history of the country before and after Intel. So, the different scenarios, et cetera, those were tiring months, especially because leadership is lonely on top. And there are many confidential matters that you can't share. At that point, learning about my colleagues, that they were getting married, that they were buying cars, houses, et cetera. And of course, I couldn't share anything with them. That was, I will say, the biggest challenge. But then it became a huge learning. I recall after everything happened and giving the news to the country, that was really hard, first to the government, then to the country. I recall a friend telling me, I told him, there won't be anything worse than this. And he told me, Carla, wait and see, because usually life prepares you for what's next.

And yes, the following year, I was required to close my group for Latin America. Later, I moved to U.S. And when I moved to U.S., I was impacted myself during the same year. But what I learned from the previous experiences was that those professionals that take action fast, instead of staying there in shock or just complaining of what if the company did this and that…that is over, that is done. So, if they move fast, they got jobs faster. And then I decided when I was impacted in 2017, I decided to move fast and find a job as soon as possible. And fortunately, that happened at that time. So that was my biggest challenge.

Mary Killelea: That's such good advice. And really, I think resonates today with so many companies doing layoffs. And I do think that happens. And you'll even see it when people get new jobs. I've seen women write, I wish I wouldn't have been in like a shell shock state.

Karla Blanco: Exactly.

Mary Killelea: So if you could go back and give your younger self advice just starting out on your journey, what would you say to her?

Karla Blanco: I will tell Carla, chill out, relax, and enjoy every experience. When I think back about some amazing experiences that were unique at that moment, I would enjoy them more rather than being worried about the small things. I will give you an example.

Greg Barrett, former CEO visiting Costa Rica, and I joined him. I was in charge of his visit for the country. So, we met the president, we met industry. And of course, I was so stressed out about having everything perfect for him and everything that nowadays I think, well, I would enjoy more some specific moments. And actually, I do recall I was very into the role that being in charge that at the end of the visit, he called me, Hey, mama. I was like, well, yes, I like providing direction.

So, I will say that I will say strengthen your network, because I am an introvert. So when people used to tell me strengthen your network, I wouldn't. But then that was 2017, when I moved to US and I was impacted, I came here to focus on my job and my project. And when I got the news, I was like, Oh, and now what? Who can help me? So really ensure to build your board of advisors or board of directors so that you keep growing together. You don't, um, the biggest things in life, you don't accomplish by yourself, you accomplish in team with others. So really embracing others and set boundaries will be the last one thing that I will tell starting with yourself. For example, regarding building my board of advisor, the boundaries that I will put to Carla will be yes, you are an introvert, but you need to get out of your way and build your network. So go and do it.

Mary Killelea: It's remarkable that you say you're an introvert when you've done three TED talks, you are on camera on LinkedIn, you've written a book and you're in the role that you had was a very public facing role. So, was that like, always a state of being uncomfortable? And you liked that feeling? Or did you do it and then like go home and just like be alone and recharge?

Karla Blanco: Exactly. That's the point. Look for those spaces that I can be alone and recharge. I really enjoy being by myself. But also, I early learned that you can have a big impact by being uncomfortable, just showing up. And that is how I push myself and I try to be very aware. When I wrote my book, I do recall my coach telling us, remember always, it's not about you. It's about who are you going to help. So just by thinking of the people that I can help, really give me the strength to go out to cameras and think this is for them.

Mary Killelea: That's amazing. Okay, so let's talk about your book, Unleash Your Career Potential. What is the big takeaway that you hope readers do?

Karla Blanco: You are the CEO of your life and career.

Mary Killelea: Amen!

Karla Blanco: Yes, so that's the key takeaway, take ownership of that.

Mary Killelea MK: So talk about your book. Just kind of give an overview of some of the things a reader could get from it. Because I found it great, but I don't want to go down a laundry list. I want to hear it from you, the author.

Karla Blanco: Oh, thank you. So my inspiration were my mentees from Latin America. Before coming to US, I was Director of Corporate Affairs for the region. So I had many mentees from different countries, from Brazil to Mexico. And I was thinking of putting together a toolkit for them and for other mentees that wanted to advance in their careers. And it was really nice surprise that my book became a best seller. And also, I learned about people in Australia, London, Malaysia, India, and all Latin America, of course, including Costa Rica, and then US, reading about my book, and then I created a workshop because the book has seven steps.

So, the first step is creating that self-awareness of where you are today. So that then you design where you want to be. And you create a plan that I call 1-5-10, which is a plan for the next decade. Then you decide, okay, where if I want to be in 10 years here, where do I need to be in five years? And what are the three steps that I will take these coming years to get in the right direction?

I also talk about the Board of Advisors and how they can help you accelerate your results. And Board of Advisors include mentors, coaches, the sponsors, that would talk about your results or your impact when you are not in those meeting rooms, but also who are the cheerleaders, or a scholar. And I have a great story about a scholar. When I became manager by first time, I was so excited to get the results of the manager survey because it the results were amazing, outstanding. But then I got the feedback from my manager telling me that the problem he had was that I was behaving as a mom. And I felt really offended. And Mary, I told him, well, if a male colleague will behave that way, will you tell him that he's behaving as a dad? I don't think so. So I think you are a chauvinist. Of course, I don't feel proud of that. And but my scholar, because then I went to talk to my mentor, and I told her and he told me X, Y, and Z. And she told me Carla, don't get distracted by a word that he probably used by mistake, because he's human too. But focus on his intention, which is good. He wants you to grow. That was a great message. And I learned a lesson. From that point, I think I embraced feedback in a different way, taking that as a gift for my own growth. So that that is the power that having a board of advisors has.

Also, we run a personal brand assessment. And once you have everything together, you do like an ACID test of your values, your strengths, what are your passions, and even your emotions, so that you can use then your emotions as a motor to advance instead of becoming your roadblocks for your career. And we close the book with resilience, is getting a toolkit, creating your own toolkit of resilience, because life is full of ups and downs. And we need to be ready for when those challenges come.


Mary Killelea: You said that so beautifully. And I hope people listening pick up your book, because it really is a great I say playbook, because I think it's foundational to being successful in how you manage your career.

Karla Blanco: Thank you. Thank you so much, Mary. I'm so proud of it.

Mary Killelea: You should be. Your career spans multiple countries and cultures. What are unique challenges or lessons do you encounter while working beyond the US, or just globally? And then how do you think that being bilingual and being from understanding a diverse group of women and relating in so many ways, how has that helped you? How has that become one of your strengths?

Karla Blanco: Yes, I guess in terms of challenges is, first of all, if you are not open to other cultures, you are missing a lot of growing and greatness from others, from other perspectives. So, it's critical to be curious, to be open. And when you are interacting with other cultures, really do a deep dive so that you really understand from where people are coming, because we all are different.

I work with the US for over 15 years from Costa Rica. So, I thought that I perfectly understood the culture and that when I came here, everything will be easy. And it was not. And I received a really good advice from a friend that she came to US first from Costa Rica. She told me, Carla, remember that we provide so much context that we can get people lost. So be very specific, shorten your messages, and ask what you want directly, because otherwise people will get confused. And I find that not only from Latin American cultures, but also from some Asian countries like Malaysia. They provide a lot of context as we do in Latin America, and we can get lost in translation. So really, I think at the end of the day, as humans learning from each other, sharing that curiosity of learning from each other will strengthen us.

Mary Killelea: Yeah. So well said. So, let's move on to your TED Talks. You're a three time TED Talk speaker, which I find so impressive. How did you come up with your topic? And what would you say was your biggest lesson that you learned about yourself through the process of doing a TED Talk?

Karla Blanco: Well, as you mentioned, being an introvert, and probably I hope I get some other TED Talks, because when I see my videos, it's like I improve from the other. And you can see that I'm uncomfortable. Actually, my son tells me, oh, mom, that voice, and I'm just, I know.

But the topics come from my passions. So the first topic was women on top. And it has to be with women in leadership positions. The second one was on skills of the future. The name was, because the people from TEDx, they put very nice names, superhuman, which was related to how technology expand our potential. And so, I was working on a project of Intel Future Skills at a time. And the third one was about resilience. And I shared there, and the name was Dancing Under the Rain. And I shared there a story about an accident that my son got when he was four years old, and also a story of a cousin that owns two restaurants in Florida. And during pandemic, it was really hard for her. So that is, what I will say is that when you connect with your passion, that you can create a story. And you are a marketing expert and an amazing storyteller. So I think you can share more about how to craft a story. But when you connect that with your passion, that can be something that can empower you. So what I learned is put yourself out and just go for it and thrive.

Mary Killelea: I bet your children, do you have more than one son? I have just one son. Okay, I bet your son is very proud of you.

Karla Blanco: Ah, he is. And he's nowadays helping me with my business and AI because he's a digital boy. And actually, he says that he should put on his resume that he worked with Intel all his life. He gets ARs and et cetera.

Mary Killelea: I love that. And you just mentioned the important, or you mentioned that your third TED Talk was on resilience. And I want to talk about the importance of resilience, because I know you cover it in your book. What tips do you have for women on resilience?

Karla Blanco: Yes, I think that is like a muscle that we need to build on a daily basis. So, learning about what really strengthen our resilience and what activity help us to get back to our center, is really important to have that clarity. So for example, in my case, I do meditation morning and night. I love the ocean, so I know whenever I go to Costa Rica, I go to the ocean. Here in Arizona, I go to the lakes. So, the water really brings me peace. And that is important.

But something University of Chicago has a study of what the people that is more resilient do versus the others. And one thing that comes across is that connecting with others. People that is more resilient, they don't isolate. They reach out. And another thing is to create a positive outlook of the future so that you keep that in mind. And then as we grow, you learn that things, that life is that. Life will bring many challenges. So today is a challenge, but tomorrow will be a good moment. So, keep that positive thinking is very important.

Mary Killelea: You're a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion. And I think before the pandemic, I guess I've seen the trend where there was no DEI in a corporation, and then there was all this investment. And it feels like with the down in the economy, a lot of the DEI programs have been cut. So, if you're a young woman listening or even someone who's a little mid-career, and they're thinking about wanting to go to a company that offers DEI, but they're worried that that might be something that's cut, what do you tell people? Or where should they be looking from wanting to get involved in that type of a career?

Karla Blanco: I really appreciate that question, Mary, because well, before leaving Intel, I used to lead an alliance for global inclusion. And in that alliance, what we learned is that, yes, there are due to current global economic challenges and different situations, it seems that DEI is being cut. But what happens is that the news focus on that. So, it depends on how you see it, because all those companies were really committed on the DEI. And companies know that if they are not prioritizing the DEI, they may be missing innovation or even higher revenues. Because according to McKinsey research, there is a strong relationship between diversity on leadership teams and the likelihood of financial outperformance for companies.

So, the most gender diverse companies are 48% more likely to outperform the least gender diverse companies. So those that really want to engage, at the end of the day, when we think about what diversity and inclusion is, it has to do with engagement. And we want companies, want employees to be engaged. Because when you create a culture that is inclusive, where all employees feel that they belong, they will be more engaged, and then you will get more revenues. So, and I think you can, if you have a passion for diversity and inclusion, there are many ways that you can pursue that passion, even if it's not just as our specific role on the AI. Wherever you are, you can lead with an inclusion, where you can be an inclusive leader. That's what I will say.

Mary Killelea: And that's great. And that kind of leads me to my next question, which is talking about personal branding. And what I love about personal branding and being proactive in developing your own personal brand is you get to write your own narrative. And so, this is where I think a lot of women have that opportunity to emphasize their values and statements around DEI. Talk about personal branding and your advice.

Karla Blanco: In personal branding, what I will say is, you got to be aware of what is your purpose, what is your vision in life, your mission and your values. And you can run a little test that I do. When I run cohorts of people with the program of my book, and when we get to the personal brand, what we do is write this question. I am running an assessment of my personal brand. Can you please describe me in one word? And you send that statement to five to ten people, and hopefully people from different areas of your life, colleagues, customers, even family members, friends, and you will get a lot of input because it's very difficult for people to describe you in just one word. And you can check if you are aligned and how you are showing up to the world is also aligned with your values and with your purpose in life. And if not, you can adjust and rethink on what is my real purpose and assess.

We really need to be cautious that everything we share on social media, how we show up in meetings, how we show up in events, or even in family gatherings, is always sharing information. We are a brand, a walking brand.

Mary Killelea: So, in your experience, have you found that women who own their own personal brand and put time, energy into it are more successful?

Karla Blanco: Absolutely. Being intentional really pays. So, it is really knowing what you want in life, how you are showing up, and being intentional on that will accelerate results.

Mary Killelea: Yeah, completely agree. Let's talk about your coaching practice. What are some of the common challenges that you help people with? And do you work with individuals and corporations? Tell everyone listening how you got into it and what you offer today and how that makes you feel fulfilled.

Karla Blanco: Thank you so much. I started my coaching practice with individuals, but then I learned quickly that when you are in cohorts, you learn from each other and you grow faster. So I created masterminds. I have a master class that is free and I run that on a monthly basis so people can come and learn about the program. And then I run the masterminds where you get professionals from different industries. And what is beautiful is that each cohort has its own personality, and you will learn from the experiences of others. So, everyone will go and do their own exercise and then we come and share and we learn from each other.

Those cohorts are also, I also partnered with companies because as I was telling you, there is a big challenge in the world regarding engagement. A Gallup survey about the state of workforce, the one from 2024, just 23% of global workforce are engaged, which has a huge cost for the planet of $8.9 trillion or 9% of our global GDP. So, I partnered with companies creating these cohorts and the cohort that I, for example, that I run the mastermind with them in the company, each member will have a cohort themselves. So, it's kind of a cascade and that really strengthened that culture and the engagement across the company. I partnered with both, with professionals and with companies.

And what I find are the biggest challenges that they face is when they let themselves get on their own way, the professionals, because I think early on in our careers, we think that we know better than anyone is sometimes. And it just, and what else I told you when I told my manager at that time, well, you tell my colleague that he's behaving as a dad, you wouldn't tell that. So, I was getting on my own way. And that happened with many professionals that are growing. And I really enjoy when they come and they say, I am open, I want to grow so that they receive that feedback, and they grow. But I think the biggest challenge is when you get in your own way and you think that your way is the only way.

Mary Killelea: I have a lot of listeners who are mid-career, late-career, and either they're burnt out with work because they've just been on the rat race doing the mom thing, doing the work thing, and it's been a grind, or they work for a corporation that's just a go, go, go. And it's caught up. And so now they're thinking about, I want to pivot because they've got probably 10 plus years before retiring. So, I think every woman, or at least the women that I run into, seem to feel optimistic about, hey, I could transition, but they don't know where to begin. And they kind of feel so overwhelmed. And you talk a lot about having a growth mindset. What advice do you have for women who do want to pivot, aren't sure about that next move and how their skills might be transferable? And then just having that growth mindset because opportunities are abound with technology right now. So I'd love to hear your input on that.

Karla Blanco: Thank you. Well, definitely something that we need to have cleared is that a company or a career doesn't define us. And we are, again, the CEO of our lives and careers. The first step, it will be to assess and define what is my purpose in life. And one of the exercises that I love from the book is writing a toast for when you reach 100 years old. That is an exercise that is before you write your vision. Because when you write that toast and you think, who will be reading that? In my case, it will be my son. You will get some insights on your vision for life. Then you write your vision and how would you like to be remembered? And then you define your mission, which is the how you will get there and define the objectives you plan for the next decade. Something that is critical is to be flexible because you don't know if life will bring you something that is better for you.

So, for example, when I wrote my first version of that decade plan, it was in 2012 when I started realizing that changes and reorders were happening. I was like, oh, I better define my plan. Otherwise, I will fall in someone else's plan, and I may not like that. So, another time, something that is important is to talk with the ones that will be impacted by that plan. At that time, I talked to my son, and I told him I would like to have in 10 years a global position, but probably we will need to leave Costa Rica because there are no global positions at least at that time there. He was like, mom, I'm all in. That's why when the opportunity came, I said yes right away. But also it's important to share with others what are our aspirations because otherwise people won't be able to help us. My manager was surprised when I told her that I was willing to leave Costa Rica and to have these global opportunities.

So I will say, clarify who you are, what are your values, what you want, set up a plan that is flexible, reach out to your network and build your board of advisors because that way you will accelerate the connections and the opportunities will come to your door or you will create those opportunities too.

Mary Killelea: Such a great answer. What does the phrase to be bolder mean to you?

Karla Blanco: Courageous, definitely. When I was invited by you, I took a look to my book because it was written in 2017-2018 and I was thinking on my values and I have that actually. On page 94, my values are commitment, collaboration, courage, boldness, transparency and respect. I really appreciate when people are bold and when people are authentic. So that is being bolder, being authentic.

Mary Killelea: That's fantastic. We were destined to meet. I knew it. Yes. What's next for you?

Karla Blanco: Well, I am partnering with companies and with professionals having fun and writing my next book is about to be launched soon about leadership, very focused on leadership and identifying those tools that will continue to help people on their leadership journey.

Mary Killelea: That's fantastic. It has been a pleasure to have you on the show. I appreciate your time. I greatly appreciate you sharing your journey and inspiration to everyone listening. So thank you for being here.

Karla Blanco: Thank you so much, Mary. It's been a pleasure and cheers to your success. Thank you.