On today’s Career Over Coffee, we sit down with the Founder and Chief Strategist of boxtheoutside, Melissa Anderson. Boxtheoutside is a creative coaching and consulting brand, helping brands, leaders, and individuals define, build, scale, and explore sustainable long-term goals and opportunities.
Briefly describe your background and what you do.
I spent 18-years working in the fashion industry, specializing in sales strategy, business development, and executive leadership. I led global teams for organizations like TOMS, True Religion, Onzie and WGSN. I now utilize that experience to help brands define, build, scale, and create sustainable long-term opportunities, as well as help leaders define their goals and create action plans to achieve their dreams.
What has been the most influential part of your career journey that brought you to where you are today with boxtheoutside?
My career journey wasn’t linear, it ebbed and flowed. Over the years, my career took me from New York to Los Angeles working for major fashion companies in various areas of specialty. Through all of my experience, the biggest learning opportunity was that each obstacle is an opportunity for growth, which inspired me to start boxtheoutside: a consulting and coaching business focused on coaching leaders and talent in their own professional growth and developmental journey.
What is leadership empowerment coaching?
Leadership empowerment coaching offers people the opportunity to idealize their professional prosperity and create action plans to get there. As a powerful part of organizational development, job satisfaction and talent retention, I focus on empowering and supporting individuals, teams and organizations to accomplish their goals, and reach their full potential with the necessary confidence, skills, perspective and tools necessary to achieve sustainable success.
How do you define empowerment and how do you represent that when working with your clients?
I define empowerment as having a positive energetic approach to all that you do. Feeling and being “empowered” means having the support and confidence you need to envision (and believe in) your ability to accomplish your short and long-term goals more consciously. Leadership coaching helps individuals create transformational perspective that applies to all aspects of their lives. What I love the most about coaching, is that every day I get the opportunity to work with women, helping them define their power, find their voice and apply positive energy approaches in all that they do, allowing them to circumnavigate anything that gets into their way.
What advice would you give young professionals searching for job satisfaction in today’s market?
As a coach and consultant, I often meet clients and candidates that say that they are seeking more “growth.” Growth is about finding resources, experiences and people who are able to bring their expertise and knowledge to you through skill’s training, value engagement, personal mission motivators and skills advancement. Find a mentor, hire a professional career and business coach, get out and attend talks and workshops with skilled professionals to gain additional training and exposure to information that is happening in the marketplace. Being an industry leader means you have diverse resources, networks and knowledge that empower personal brand. Define and create your own career satisfaction!