Karen Mangia is an internationally recognized thought leader whose TEDx appearance, keynotes, blogs and books reach hundreds of thousands of business leaders each year. She is the author of Working From Home: Making the New Normal Work for You (Wiley), Listen Up! How to Tune in to Customers and Turn Down the Noise (Wiley) and also Success With Less (Marie Street Press). A prolific blogger and sought-after media interview, she has been featured in Forbes and regularly contributes to Thrive Global and ZDNet.
As Vice President of Customer and Market Insights at Salesforce, she engages current and future customers around the world to discover new ways of creating success and growth together. She serves on the company’s Work From Home Taskforce, where she is helping the company’s 50,000+ worldwide employees to better adapt to a work-from-home environment.
Passionate about diversity and inclusion, she also serves on the company’s Racial Equality and Justice Taskforce. Prior to Salesforce, she spearheaded Customer Satisfaction and experience at Cisco Systems.
Karen began her Fortune 100 career at AT&T. She holds a BS degree in international business and a Masters in Information and Communication Sciences, both from Ball State University, as well as an Associates Degree in Hospitality Administration from Ivy Tech.
Recognized with the Centurion Award, Hall of Fame Honoree, and a Graduate of Distinction from Ball State University; part of the 40 under 40 in the Indianapolis Business Journal; and Ivy Tech Distinguished Alumni Award. She currently serves on three not-for-profit boards.
Tell us about your background and how you ended up writing a book?
I gave my first interview about working from home in 2002 when I was in sales. At that time, working from home was a novelty. What I now realize is that the lessons I learned about how to succeed from anywhere between that interview and now are timely and relevant. Everyone is working from home – and everyone is looking for answers on how to do it better. That’s why I said “yes,” to writing this book when my publisher (Wiley) asked.
What do you hope your readers take away from this book?
Working From Home: Making the New Normal Work For You acknowledges the challenges we all face – from burnout to barking dogs to breaking through the fourth wall on yet another video call. Ultimately, this book is about success. And hope. And resilience in the face of the greatest global crisis in modern times.
I wrote this book to invite readers to step out of their sweatpants and into success. And to illuminate a path from their home to the corner office without ever changing their commute. My hope is that readers will discover that success is not a location. Success is available to anyone, anywhere.
What are the top three tools you are currently using to write, publish, and promote your books?
- Appearances: Podcasts, Panels & Keynotes
- Media: Print and live, including the Wall Street Journal, the NY Post, and more
- Social Media: Quotes and related content on LinkedIn and Twitter
When will you to consider your book a success?
I considered the book a success before it was even published. Accepting the challenge to write a book in 30 days and then bringing that manuscript to print in less than 90 days amidst a global pandemic is success. Saying yes to opportunity is success.
The honeymoon is over. At first, everyone thought working from home was fabulous. No commute! I’m home with the kids! My sweatpants are so comfy! I can send emails at 4pm or 4am – this is great! Then reality set in. Working from home isn’t a trend, it’s here to stay. How we manage the new ownership – of our spaces, our lives and our careers – is job #1 for thousands of companies and billions of employees globally.
Why are you writing a book? How much time and money are you willing to invest in your book? How would measure the success of your book? Ask yourself those questions and be honest with yourself about your answers. If your goal is to become a thought leader, consider whether a blog or a video blog or a podcast might serve you better. If you are willing to invest minimal finances, consider self-publishing rather than a traditional publishing house. If your only measure of success is book sales, how will you feel if you fall short? Get clear about your intentions and the outcomes you wish to achieve before you put proverbial pen to paper.
What is the one thing you wish you knew before publishing your first book?
What sells your book is you. Your connections. Your speaking engagements. You making the ask. No matter how great your story, no matter how passionate or knowledgeable you are, your book will not sell itself. Invest more time in building a plan to market and promote your book than you do in writing your book. That came as a surprise to me when I first published. I thought my book would resonate and be an “overnight success.”
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The most successful marketing is relationships. Build, extend and refresh your network before you start writing your book. Then bring that network along on the journey of bringing your book to market. Share your wins, losses, and lessons with your network to get them invested in your success. Ask your network for feedback. Ultimately, you are creating shared success. And a group of invested ambassadors to help amplify you and your book.
If you had the chance to start your career over again what would you do differently?
Define what success means to me. In the pursuit of success, I’ve often pursued other people’s definitions of success. Success is not a title. Success is not a bank account balance. Success is not someone else’s approval. Success is an outcome you choose, and you have permission to change that definition over time. When we define what success means to us, we have clarity about where to spend our limited resources of time and energy for the most fulfilling return.
Lifescale: How to Live a More Creative, Productive and Happy Life (Wiley) by Brian Solis is my go-to-guide. Solis offers practical advice for how to deal with distraction and overcome short attention spans to unlock greater creativity. I implemented his prescribed distraction-free, 90-minute creativity sprints in 2020, which made it possible for me to publish two books during the pandemic as well as a myriad of blogs.
If you only had $1000 dollars to promote a new book, knowing everything you know now, how would you spend it?
Courtesy copies. Offer a courtesy copy to an influencer in exchange for a podcast appearance, a speaking opportunity, an interview, or a book review. This is an affordable way to amplify your message at scale. Courtesy copies are also useful as giveaways for contests and campaigns whether through social media or through independently owned bookstores.
What is your favorite quote?
“Excellence is not an ‘aspiration.’ Excellence is the next five minutes.”
-Tom Peters
Who should we interview next and why?
I recommend either Brian Solis, Digital Anthropologist, and 8x Best Selling Author, or Mathew Sweezey, Marketing Future and author of The Context Marketing Revolution (Harvard Business Press). Both topics – dealing with distraction and deepening customer/brand loyalty – are timely and relevant. Both are brilliant and articulate
How can we get in touch with you?
You can find me on my website karenmangia.com You can also get in touch with me on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. and email kmangia@salesforce.com
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