Career Empowerment Playbook

GLOBAL FINANCE
Career Empowerment Playbook
TM

CAREER EMPOWERMENT
You are smart, talented, and driven — a vital part of
a high-performing team that makes Expedia Group
a powerhouse. We are only as strong as the sum of
our parts, and we want you to feel empowered to
continue your career journey with Expedia Group.
“The best way
to predict the
future is to
create it.”
— Abraham Lincoln
This Career Empowerment Playbook was designed
for you. Think of it as a tool on your self-guided career
adventure at Expedia Group — a way to focus your
energy and help you identify your own path. We hope
it will inspire you to challenge yourself in new ways; and
no matter what you’re working on, help you feel a little
more part of a larger community that is Global Finance.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1: Building Your Empowerment Plan 1
It Starts with Mindset......................................................3
Using the Career Empowerment Tools........................4
Elements of Finance Leadership..................................5
Shades of Development...............................................6
Financial and Operation Steward............................7
Excellent Communicator..........................................9
Innovative Thinker....................................................11
High Impact and Influence.....................................13
Courageously Curious.............................................15
Identifying Opportunities.............................................17
Track, Reflect and Reassess........................................19
CHAPTER 4: Resources 39
Guiding Principles.........................................................40
Who is Global Finance?..............................................41
Where is Global Finance?...........................................43
Career Resources and Inspirations............................45
CHAPTER 2: Making a People Plan 21
Everyone Can Have a Dream Team.........................23
Are You Ready for a Mentor.......................................24
Asking Someone to be your Mentor..........................25
Give Yourself a Coffee Quota....................................26
How Does a Coffee Quota Work...............................27
CHAPTER 3: Maximizing Current Opportunities 28
Maximize Your Role......................................................29
Become a Person Who Craves Feedback...............31
Start Giving Thoughtful Feedback.............................32
Conversations with you Manager..............................33
Maximize Time with your Manager............................34
On the Job Learning....................................................35
Expedia Group Promotions.........................................37

CHAPTER 1:
Building Your
Empowerment Plan
“Dreams are
extremely
important.
You can’t do
it unless you
imagine it.”
— George Lucas
1 2

IT STARTS WITH MINDSET
This is your career, your journey and your life. Don’t
shortchange yourself by taking the path of least
resistance or the next logical step. Make your career an
adventure by taking these first initial steps:
• Be curious. Global Finance is a vast arm of the business.
It is very likely there is still a lot for you to learn
and plenty of opportunities to consider.
• Be prepared to invest time. An inspired career
requires a lot of work and intention. A good manager
will show you support, but you will be doing
the heavy lifting with self-development, networkbuilding,
and creative thinking.
• Be courageous. This model may help you identify
the walls of your comfort zone, but ultimately you
will have to find the courage to push them.
• Be open. There are no silver bullets. Some of this
content might resonate with you and some might
not. Like you, this material is a work in progress, so
please share your feedback and ideas.
• Enjoy the process!
USING THE CAREER EMPOWERMENT TOOLS
1. Design your vision for the future in a Career
Empowerment Workshop using the Career
Empowerment Workbook (separate packet).
2. Use the Career Empowerment tools to identify your
focal points for the next 6-12 months.
a. The Elements of Finance Leadership (Page 6)
help you to understand which Finance-specific
traits to develop.
b. The Shades of Development (Pages 7 – 17)
elaborate on what each of these look like at
various phases of development.
c. The Self-Assessment Tool (separate handout)
helps you track where you are on the spectrum
of development. There is also space for you to
collect an external opinion from a manager,
mentor, or trusted colleague. Have this available
as you read through the Playbook.
d. Use this Playbook for inspiration, suggestions,
and supplemental information to help with your
career adventure.
3. Pull it all together in an Action Plan in the Career
Empowerment Workshop using the Career
Empowerment Workbook.
4. Track, reflect, and reassess (Page 20).
3 4

ELEMENTS OF FINANCE LEADERSHIP
The Elements of Finance Leadership wheel represents
the key traits and attributes that, in conjunction with
Expedia Group Guiding Principles (Page 41), make a
great Finance leader.
Courageously
Curious
High Impact
& Influence
Innovative
Thinker
Financial &
Operational
Steward
Excellent
Communicator
SHADES OF DEVELOPMENT
The following pages break down the Elements of
Finance Leadership. Each element is aligned to a
development spectrum – learning, applying, teaching,
and mastering. These spectrums are represented by
different shades of color.
Along with the Self-Assessment Tool, the Shades of
Development are intended to help you identify areas
of strength and opportunity. Do not expect to be fully
developed in every competency. We all have areas of
focus or potential continued development. That is part
of what makes lives and careers unique.
Place the letter “X” on each element in the Self-
Assessment Tool to track where you are today in each
element. There is a dotted-line through the center of
each so that you can ask your manager, mentor, or
trusted colleague to help assess where you might be.
Differences of opinion may be revealing and help
identify areas where you may want to focus, especially
if you are able to seek a variety of perspectives. At the
very least, these deltas inspire fruitful discussion, so have
your notebooks ready.
5 6

SHADES OF DEVELOPMENT
FINANCIAL AND OPERATION STEWARD
You seek to discover what already works well at
Expedia Group and what best practices look like. Meet
deadlines and strive to produce high quality work.
Make connections between your work and the bigger
picture so you can thoroughly understand your piece in
the equation.
You maintain effectiveness while adding efficiencies.
Always look for opportunities to streamline and improve
systems. Collaborate within your team, but also bring
together less obvious connections. You demonstrate
high quality work and think holistically about business
decisions.
You hire and lead teams that are highly capable and
results-driven. You share your learnings with the team,
but also other teams cross-functionally. You can evaluate
and make decisions that translate to balanced
risks. Foresee challenges and build mitigation plans. You
are an expert in your field.
You are a constant force forward and a trusted business
guide. Your financial analysis mastery is unparalleled.
You have a complete end-to-end vantage of
value drivers and know how to allocate resources to
increase value. You are a champion for developing
and maintaining systems and processes that are efficient
and effective.
Learn
Apply
Teach
Master
7 8

SHADES OF DEVELOPMENT
EXCELLENT COMMUNICATOR
Dare to ask the stupid question. Actively seek feedback.
Take ownership of your mistakes. Communicate
well across any medium. Seek opportunities to become
a better communicator. You are an active participant
in everything you do. Your listening skills are a strength,
as you champion “One Team, Group First.”
Share complex ideas and concepts in a consumable
way. Present and influence. Dare to edit your boss’
work. Share your mistakes and learnings so that other
people don’t make the same mistakes. Collaborate
with a variety of people.
Learn
Apply
There is no “this is beyond my pay grade” mentality. Set
clear and high-quality standards and take responsibility
for your team. Work well with anyone and resolve
conflicts with minimal noise. Adapt messages and
complexity to the appropriate audience. Have executive
presence and persuade key stakeholders.
You can influence, tell stories and communicate the
complex in simple terms. Demonstrate a unique blend
of humility and will. Communicate an inspired vision
that captures attention. Cultivate a culture that encourages
direct conversation and admitting mistakes.
Teach
Master
9 10

SHADES OF DEVELOPMENT
INNOVATIVE THINKER
Seek inspiration and role models. Be flexible and learn
to welcome change. Build a diverse and eclectic
network.
Learn
Propose creative ideas and take safe risks. Challenge
your comfort zone. Ask yourself: what’s another way
to think about this challenge? Be comfortable with the
uncomfortable. Constantly be learning new things.
Apply
Encourage blue-sky thinking and out-of-the-box ideas.
Provide inspirations for your team that may not be
obvious. Allow for, and even encourage, wild ideas, but
balance that by teaching to vet an idea quickly.
Teach
You always challenge the status quo. Test new ideas
in high velocity methods. Target areas with platform
impacts and strive to make positive change. Cultivate
a culture that rewards safe risks and creative problem
solving.
Master
11 12

SHADES OF DEVELOPMENT
HIGH IMPACT AND INFLUENCE
Soak up as much as you can. Attend every Expedia
Group and Global Finance Town Hall. Listen to Earnings
Reports. Read about the company in media. Meet
people from other brands and departments.
Learn
Have a firm grasp on what you do, what your brand
does, and what Expedia Group offers in relation to
competitors. Whenever you meet someone new, ask
questions until you understand their piece in the larger
puzzle.
Apply
Allow others to have enough ownership to stretch their
abilities. Make sure that anyone on your team could
speak confidently to the vision and plan. Help others
make connections outside of silos.
Teach
You are a holistic business stakeholder with influence
across Expedia Group.
Master
13 14

SHADES OF DEVELOPMENT
COURAGEOUSLY CURIOUS
Try new things. Ask thoughtful questions. Try to
understand where others are coming from and seek
to understand ‘the why.’ Request feedback.
Learn
Seek less obvious connections. Exercise vulnerability and
empathy. Know and acknowledge your weaknesses.
Celebrate the process as much as the outcome.
Acknowledge the thoughts and feelings of others.
Give thoughtful and constructive feedback.
Apply
Demonstrate humility and humanity. Seek to fully
understand the people you interact with at work and
how to inspire them to do their best. Find ways to
expose yourself and others to new concepts.
Teach
Your strong bias to action drives high velocity learnings
and continuous improvement. Build a culture of diversity,
risk-taking, vulnerability, trust, humility, and honesty.
Lead by example. Empower others to be honest in
mistakes and shortcomings by creating a safe, growthoriented
space.
Master
15 16

IDENTIFYING OPPORTUNITIES
The overlap between your career vision and Expedia
Group opportunities is a sweet spot. Focusing here will
act as a force multiplier for making your vision a reality.
Your Vision
Opportunities
Expedia Group
Business Needs
“If your dreams
don't scare you,
they aren't big
enough”
— Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
Stuck?
• Look to OKRs to learn what other teams are doing.
• Invite someone to coffee. Tell them what skills you
are trying to develop and ask them to help brainstorm
ideas that would also benefit the business.
• This is an excellent topic for a 1:1 with your manager.
17
18

TRACK, REFLECT AND REASSESS
Block a few hours each quarter to reflect and reassess.
Review your vision, track objectives, evaluate progress,
and plan your next quarter. Once you have a good
sense of this, discuss it with your manager and anyone
else who may want to partner on or support your
ambitions.
Find a peaceful place, grab a notebook, and ask
yourself:
• Where am I compared to the plan?
• What have I learned?
• Does this still feel like the right vision?
19
20

“You are the average
of the five people
you spend the most
time with.”
— Jim Rohn
CHAPTER 2:
MAKING A
PEOPLE PLAN
21 22

EVERYONE CAN HAVE A DREAM TEAM
Do not underestimate the influence of the people
around you. Their habits, ambitions, energy, and
outlook will directly impact yours. Surround yourself with
people who you want to be like and you can learn
from.
Ask yourself:
• Who will hold me accountable?
• Who can I partner with?
• Who will I call when I want to give up?
• Who can I learn from?
• Who do I not know yet, but need to know?
Now, contact them.
ARE YOU READY FOR A MENTOR
People often ask how to find a mentor. Initial effort
to build intention around what you want in a mentor
relationship can make a significant difference in the
likelihood of attracting the right mentor and the experience
for both of you.
• What do you want to gain from having a mentor? It
can be overwhelming to mentor someone without a
clear objective. Give real thought to why you need
a mentor. Common mentorship benefits include:
• Fresh or unique perspectives
• Support on a specific goal
• Feedback on ideas
• Who do you admire and why? Don’t look for one
perfect person; think of traits or attributes that you
admire.
• Have you done the ground work? Don’t get a mentor
to teach you something new. Learn as much as
you can by volunteering, reading, discussing with
peers, listening to podcasts, informational interviews,
etc. Then, once you have specific areas you’re
working on, you’re ready for a mentor.
23 24

ASKING SOMEONE TO BE YOUR MENTOR
• Lead with flattery. “I have always admired your
approach to . I leave our meetings
inspired.”
• Be specific about what you are working on. “I’m
working on trying
to gain as much experience as possible
and I’m reading as much as I can get my hands
on, but I’m hoping you will be able to provide me
with periodic guidance and suggestions when I get
stuck.”
• Suggest a cadence and make it convenient for
them. “I’d like to meet with you for an hour each
month for the next six months. Is there a location
and time that work best? I want to make it as easy
as possible for you and the coffee is my treat.”
MAKE IT A GREAT EXPERIENCE
GIVE YOURSELF A COFFEE QUOTA
Being curious about new people can change your
life. Intimidating as it may seem, the easiest and most
universal way to do this is to invite someone new to
. Why?
• You will gain better understanding of the business.
• You can more quickly make connections that can
save you days, weeks, months or even years of
effort.
• You will become more valuable to your team and in
your current role.
• You might gain perspective on what roles, traits, or
skills you want to build.
• You will probably even have fun.
• Always send a brief agenda before your meetings
with topics you’d like to cover.
• Always send a thank you note. Let them know
they’re making positive impact.
• Always show up early and be respectful of their time
by adhering to the end time you suggested.
25 26

HOW DOES A COFFEE QUOTA WORK
1. Determine a reasonable amount of coffees to have
based on your bandwidth. Sometimes that’s one per
month, and sometimes it’s one per week. You will
know best. Make it a number and write it down like
any other goal.
2. Brainstorm! What kind of people do you want to
meet and what would you like to learn?
3. Ask. For some this might be an intimidating step;
consider it your act of bravery for the day. It will get
easier.
4. Come prepared with questions. Some universal
questions that tend to lead to good conversation:
• What are you working on?
CHAPTER 3:
MAXIMIZING CURRENT
OPPORTUNITIES
• What are you passionate about?
• What are your biggest challenges?
• What are you trying to learn more about?
5. If they mention something you’re curious about —
follow that. Ask their favorite books/podcasts/
articles on the subject. Ask who else you should
talk to.
6. Send a quick thank you email. Share an insight you
gained from them and thank them for their time.
27
28

MAXIMIZE YOUR ROLE
No matter who you are, no matter what you do, there
is always something more to learn. It is important to look
ahead, but do not forget to look around you. Have
you really made the most of the opportunities in your
current role?
• Ask yourself: If I was really committed to making
the most of this role, this stage of my life, and this
company, what would I do or how would I act
differently?
• Keep an ongoing list of potential projects, improvements,
or curiosities. Even if you do not have the
bandwidth now, you will have a good list to choose
from for the slower cycles.
• Meeting new people is one of the best ways to stay
engaged, learn something new, and feel connected.
Challenge yourself to ask someone new to
coffee every week.
“We all need
people who
will give us
feedback.
That is how
we improve.”
— Bill Gates
29
30

BECOME A PERSON WHO CRAVES FEEDBACK
One of the most powerful ways to improve is to get
feedback. Think of anything that you do well now. If
you are like most people, you were not born with that
skill, but you got better by making mistakes, getting
ideas/advice/coaching when you were stuck, and
continuing to practice. Make it clear to the people
around you that you want to keep learning, growing,
and improving. Let them know that they can support
you by helping you to see opportunities to improve.
HOW TO ASK FOR FEEDBACK:
• Solution generating: “I’m trying to improve my
abilities. Do you have ideas for how I might
go about that?/Where I might practice that?/Who I
might look to as a role model for that?”
• Broad: “From what you’ve seen working closely with
me, what skill or trait could I improve that would
have the most significant impacts on the quality of
my work?”
• Specific: “I’m working on my abilities. Could
you do me a favor and watch for things I could do
better in our meeting next week?”
START GIVING THOUGHTFUL FEEDBACK
The best style for giving feedback is the style that resonates
for the recipient. Are they direct? Do they need a
little padding? Do they want feedback at certain times,
but not at others? The best way to find out is to ask.
Remember, not all feedback is constructive. A healthy
feedback relationship acknowledges what they are
doing well as well as what they can do better.
TYPES OF FEEDBACK:
• Broad: “I’ve been thinking a lot about the importance
of feedback and it occurred to me that I
don’t know your style very well. How/when do you
like to receive feedback?”
• Specific: “Is there anything that you are particularly
trying to improve that I should focus my feedback
on?”
• Realtime: “Are you open to feedback right now?”
Timing matters and sometimes people aren’t in the
right headspace for feedback. If someone isn’t
open to feedback in the moment, they will almost
always circle back and ask for the feedback later.
31 32

CONVERSATIONS WITH YOU MANAGER
Checking in with your manager on a regular basis is an
important step on the path to career empowerment.
Remember your unique career path is yours to drive,
but help your manager know how to support your
ambitions and develop skills.
Make sure you:
1. Plan ahead. Spend time thinking about what your
vision is for your career before your manager asks
you. It is much easier to answer “What do you want
to do next?” if you’ve given it some thought. A wish
list or a personal professional development plan
gives you something to work towards.
2. Schedule time. Don’t try to cram a career or development
discussion into your regular 1:1 meetings.
Set aside additional time at the end of a meeting,
or set up a separate time for this discussion. Make
sure they know that it is on the agenda.
3. Share your thoughts. It’s important to be transparent
with your manager about what you want. If you
have particular areas of interest or passions you’d
like to investigate, let them know and work out ways
to help develop your skills in these areas.
4. Be accountable. Make sure you and your manager
have a plan or timeline for regular check ins.
MAXIMIZE TIME WITH YOUR MANAGER
Being a people manager is challenging, but almost
everyone genuinely wants to be good at it – give your
manager the benefit of the doubt and recognize that
they are not mind readers. Even if time with your manager
is limited, there are ways to maximize that time,
maintain a healthy relationship, and give each other
support.
1. Prepare
Ask yourself: What outcomes do I need/want from
this meeting? Ex: Inform, get feedback, ask for
support, etc.
2. Send an agenda
Prioritizing the most important materials at the top
and least at the bottom. This helps your manager
know exactly what you plan to cover, helps you
stay on track, and is a great foundation for a recap
follow-up email. Let your manager add to the list if
they have anything.
3. Send a recap
The recap should be succinct but cover what was
discussed, decisions made (if any), and next steps.
4. Check in
Is this format/cadence/approach working for you?
Be honest about what works or does not work for
you. Relationships, organizations, and lives are
constantly in flux; communication makes it easier
to adapt.
33 34

ON THE JOB LEARNING
Making a lateral move to expand upon skills or knowledge
considerably improves your marketability, and
can expose you to new and exciting areas of opportunity.
We believe our people can bring wisdom from
other departments that will make a business stronger.
Have you considered taking roles outside of the obvious
career path? 70% of learning happens by doing. Be
open to new skills and new roles that will expand your
area of expertise. Here are some ideas:
1. Short-term development assignments, such as:
a. Covering a leave of absence
b. Guest Auditor Program
c. Earnings Tiger Team
2. Contributing to an Expedia Group project that’s different
to your day job. Examples in Global Finance
include:
a. Career Empowerment Tiger Team
b. Communications and Collaborations Committee
c. Awards Nominations Committee
d. Wildcard: Make your own opportunity!
“Life begins at
the end of your
comfort zone”
— Neale Donald Walsch
3. Volunteering in the Community:
a. Get involved and make a positive contribution
to one of the many different programs Expedia
Group supports, or find your own.
4. Relocate:
a. One of the coolest perks of working for a global
company is travel!
35 36

EXPEDIA GROUP PROMOTIONS
When it comes to promotions, three key areas need to
be in alignment: readiness, business need, and budget.
Readiness: The skillset, capabilities, and leadership
skills exemplified by an employee matching needs of
the role.
• How to find it: Learn what is needed for the desired
roles and which areas you should be focusing on
developing.
Business need: A scope of work that warrants a
higher level.
Promotion
Business
Need
• How to find it: Often the best way to find business
need is to explore posted job openings. New
positions are not created unless scope has been
significantly expanded.
Budget: Resources available
• As members of the Global Finance team, we know
how budget influences plenty of business decisions,
and it is no different here.
Readiness
Budget
37
38

GUIDING PRINCIPLES
1. Put Yourself in the Shoes of our
Customers and Partners.
2. One Team, Group First.
3. Have a Bias to Action.
4. Relentlessly Strive for Better.
5. Think Big and Small.
CHAPTER 4:
RESOURCES
6. Be Data Driven and Business
Judgment Led.
7. Simplify.
8. Be Open and Honest.
9. Be Humble.
10. Be Positive. Assume Positive Intent.
39
40

TM
WHO IS GLOBAL FINANCE?
Brands:
Visit BaseCamp to find Global Finance
Resources:
• The Exchange Blog
• Global Finance Homepage
Teams:
basecamp
Tax
Accounting
Corporate
Finance
Investor
Relations
Audit
lodging partner services
Real estate
eCP
41 42

WHERE IS GLOBAL FINANCE?
Distribution of Finance Employees*
1 – 9 Employees
10 – 39 Employees
40 – 99 Employees
100 + Employees
*Represented regionally, circle placement does not represent physical office
locations.
43 44

CAREER RESOURCES AND INSPIRATIONS
BOOKS:
Career/Life Planning:
• Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful
Life — Bill Burnett and Dave Evans
• What Color is Your Parachute — Richard Nelson
Bolles
• Great at Work: How Top Performers Do Less, Work
Better, and Achieve More — Morten T. Hansen
• The Art of Happiness At Work — His Holiness the
Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler, M.D.
• How Full is Your Bucket: Positive Strategies for Work
and Life — Tom Rath and Donald O. Clifton, Ph.D.
Happiness:
• Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience —
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
• The How of Happiness, A New Approach to Getting
the Life You Want — Sonja Lyubomirsky
• The Book of JOY — Lasting Happiness in a Changing
World – His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop
Desmond Tutu
Powerful Habits:
• The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People —
Stephen Covey
• The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life
and Business — Charles Duhigg
• Tools of Titans — Tim Ferris
Mindset:
• Mindset: The Psychology of Success — Carol S.
Dweck
• Grit: The Power and Passion of Perseverance —
Angela Duckworth
People:
• Never Eat Alone — Keith Ferrazzi
• Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of
Receiving Feedback Well — Douglas Stone and
Sheila Heen
• 5 Dysfunctions of a Team (A Leadership Fable) —
Patrick Lencioni
INSPIRING TED TALKS:
• Your Body May Shape Who You Are — Amy Cuddy
• The Power of Passion and Perseverance —
Angela Lee Duckworth
• What I Learned from 100 Days of Rejection — Jia
Jiang
• Why We Do What We Do — Tony Robbins
• Start With Why — Simon Sineck
• Everyday Leadership — Drew Dudley
• The Puzzle of Motivation — Daniel Pink
• The Power of Vulnerability — Brene Brown
• What Makes a Good Life? Lessons From the Longest
Study on Happiness — Robert Waldinger
• The Surprising Habits of Original Thinkers — Adam
Grant
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