Michelle Crossan-Matos on How Your Intuition Helps You Win at Work

Michelle Crossan-Matos, the CMO of Ulta Beauty, is one of the most prominent marketing executives in the country. And she told us she didn’t just get to her position by crunching the numbers and digging into data. She used her intuition and gut instinct to launch new campaigns, solve problems, and grow brands. Today, we spoke to Michelle about how your intuition can be your professional superpower … if you know how to listen. 

In this episode, Michelle shares: 

• Why she wakes up at 4:30am every day 

• Why everyone needs to develop a sense of personal leadership, even if you’re not in the c-suite

• The interview question she always asks candidates 

• The professional mistake she learned the most from

• How she combats decision fatigue at work

On Personal Leadership

Michelle: I was teaching my kids this just recently. You try and teach leadership to a 10 and 12 year old, they just think it's someone that barks orders. And I'm like, “No, no, no.” It's someone that can create a picture of a world that is better than it is today … and so, for me, it's all about that vision piece. It's about getting people excited about that vision in a way that they feel like it's a vision that they co-created. That's very cool. That's not an easy task to do. And I think the last piece is rolling up your sleeves and getting the job done. Because there's big dreamers out there, there are great energizers out there, but are they people that can either enable others to get the job done or can you get the job done? 

On the One Question She Always Asks in Interviews

Michelle: I always ask them, “What was the one failure that they're the most proud of and what did they learn from it?” Because people that are afraid of making mistakes or people who don't recognize the silver lining in a mistake, their path to greatness will be limited. If you're willing just to try and fail but grow from it, you will always tackle the bigger problems. And so that's something that I really look for, that hunger for learning.

Listen and subscribe to our podcast from your mobile device: Apple podcasts | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher