All the Things You Are with Katherine Shao

“We have to think deeply about our identity, about who we are, and ask ourselves questions about it before we shut out possibility. Because it’s that possibility that can help us grow and be something we never imagined.” –Katherine Shao

From professional harpsichordist to technology and consulting professional, Katherine Shao’s circuitous and years-in-the-making career reinvention taught her to stay open to possibility – and to embrace all of who she is.

More About Katherine: 

As the leader of Oxygen’s sales enablement practice, Katherine Shao helps companies implement sales enablement strategies that are modern, nimble, and outcome-oriented. An expert facilitator, an essential part of her work involves aligning various stakeholders – whether in HR, Sales, Marketing, or Learning & Development – around a common model of how to achieve specified outcomes.

Katherine also leads Oxygen’s research team focusing on the most effective ways to carry out sales enablement. She is responsible for producing models and tools for effective implementation and has authored a series of white papers including Working in a New Way: Modeling the Human Side of Organizational Success and From Random Acts to Results: Achieving Business Outcomes Through Role Based Enablement.

Before joining Oxygen, Katherine worked for 10 years at Forrester Research where she covered the firm’s CIO Leadership Board, co-founded the Sales Enablement practice, and held positions in business development and consulting. Katherine’s diverse background also includes 15 years in Information Technology, and a lifelong career in music, composition and performance art. A graduate of Bowdoin College, she has a Master’s Degree from Indiana University School of Music.

Highlights

• Katherine’s journey from musician to technology and learning consultant – and why the two professions aren’t as different as you might think
• The “processing habit” that drives Katherine’s family crazy
• How playing and improvising music affects your brain 
• Why Katherine changed her name when she entered the business world
• The skills that Katherine honed as a musician that turned out to be valuable in the business world
• Why nothing in your life or career is ever wasted time or effort
• The question to ask yourself when things aren’t working out as you expected
• The myth of the solo hero (or artist or entrepreneur) and how it might keep you from getting on the next right path for you
• What people often get wrong about Katherine
• The new passion keeping Katherine busy and inspired during the pandemic
• The self-care practices that help Katherine stay focused in our in-front-of-a-screen-all-day work environment
• What Katherine learned about reinvention from her immigrant father

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

Author and neurologist Oliver Sacks

In Our Time, Cosmic Gothic (Katherine’s album)

Connect with Katherine: LinkedIn | Oxygen

Thank You for Listening!

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