Influential Woman · Productivity 101
Monisha Longacre
Founder/CEO | Fractional COO | Author | Speaker, Productivity 101
Atlanta, GA 30327
Her Story
About Monisha
I've been in the digital media industry for about 25 years and have been in a COO role for the last 10 years. I started my own business, Productivity 101, in 2016, so I wear multiple hats in various roles. I spent 13 years at the Weather Channel where I managed weather.com when it was a top 15 website, and then worked at several HR and ed tech startups. I've worked at enterprises and small startups, and then started my own business. One of the reasons I wanted to start my own business was to prove I could do it, because I didn't know how. I like to challenge myself with new things - Why don't I write a book? Why don't I create an app? But more importantly, being in all of those roles, I was personally struggling, and I saw so many colleagues struggling with trying to check all the boxes and do all the things while being burnt out and unfulfilled. I really saw an opportunity to help people reset their mindset. With technology, social media, and now AI, it's gotten even worse - more, more, more, faster, faster, faster - and it's just draining us mentally, physically, and emotionally.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Monisha
01What do you attribute your success to?
I'm really proud of my reset - realizing that what I thought was where my value was coming from wasn't actually what was important to me, but rather what other people thought was important. I had to clarify what's really important to me. I'm also proud of the fact that I never get comfortable. I see a new challenge, and I go try to figure out if I can do it to stretch my skills. I encourage others to do that too, because I think people have so many talents but they're just afraid of failure or afraid of the work it's going to take. I really try to break it down and encourage them to try to do things, even if it's a little scary. So I'm proud of doing that myself.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Early in my career, a colleague shared and reminded me that any employee working at a company is like a hand in water. Once it's removed, it was like it was never there before. At the time, this was an extremely humbling realization. But has been a valuable reminder to focus on priorities and prioritize balance.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
It really comes down to three things. One, really clarify what your priorities are - if everything's a priority, nothing's a priority. Number two is once you identify those things, then hold fast to focusing on them. Protect your priorities. It doesn't mean that they can't change, but don't let other people dictate, or other technologies, or everything else dictate how you're spending your time, which is hard. And then do it unapologetically. I think a lot of us are such people pleasers, and we want everybody - we're worried about what everybody else is thinking. And 9 times out of 10, they're not worried about you, they're worried about themselves.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Growing my business and marketing my services has been challenging. Fortunately, over my career I've built a network and now I am learning how to build upon these relationships.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Authenticity -- especially with the proliferation of AI everywhere.
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