On the twenty-first installment of Tristan's Tips, our special guest Tristan Layfield (@LayfieldResume) shares the method he and his employees use to make review time a breeze. Remember, your annual review is the time for you to be your own best advocate!Connect with Tristan on LinkedIn, IG, FB, and Twitter!https://www.linkedin.com/in/tristanlayfield/https://www.instagram.com/layfieldresume/https://www.facebook.com/LayfieldResume/https://twitter.com/layfieldresumeTRANSCRIPTTristan: What's going on, Living Corporate fam? It's Tristan of Layfield Resume Consulting, and I've teamed up with Living Corporate to bring you all a weekly career tip. This week, we're going to talk about something that is important for every employee - preparing for our annual reviews. As a hiring manager, one of the most common things I saw when review time rolled around is everyone scrambling to get them filled out because they didn't remember what they had done all year, or better yet, turning in self-reviews with little to no accomplishments listed, expecting their manager to remember what they've done. If this is you, you're doing it all wrong, but I'm here to help. Your review is the time for you to be your own best advocate. Otherwise, everything you've accomplished will more than likely be overlooked. So here's what I used to do and what I taught my employees so review time becomes a breeze. Most reviews require you to set three to five goals that you'll work on achieving throughout the year, so I create an annual review folder and three to five subfolders for each goal, both in my email and on my work computer. Each time I complete a step towards the goal, whether that be completing a project, developing a file, receiving recognition or getting certified in something, I file it in the appropriate folder, either on my computer or in my email. Then, when time comes to write my review, I open up each folder and easily convey my accomplishments. Remember, when you're writing your review, you want to provide your manager with things such as dates, dollars, or whatever details or measurements are needed to let them know not only that you achieved the goal, but you surpassed it. This will help them make the case for giving you that raise or recognition that you deserve. This tip was brought to you by Tristan of Layfield Resume Consulting. Check us out on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @LayfieldResume, or connect with me, Tristan Layfield, on LinkedIn.

Ade and Zach reply to more listener letters! Remember, if you have a question you'd like for us to answer and read on the show, feel free to email us at livingcorporatepodcast@gmail.com! You can also DM us on all platforms - they're open! Check them out: Twitter, Facebook, InstagramConnect with us! http://bit.ly/livingcorporateTRANSCRIPTAde: Hey, y'all. It's Ade.Zach: And it's Zach. Hey, look, we did it the other way. How does that feel?Ade: Yuck. I can't stand it.Zach: [laughs] It's also alphabetical, and we're going from A to Z with these listener letters. Yo. Bars. [laughs]Ade: All right. [?]. I'm just gonna let you have it.Zach: Man. Y'all, I might be--yo, I might--I need to take these talents, like, to NBC, man. Like, I need to write for somebody. Like, these are good jokes.Ade: Hm.Zach: Or maybe I'd be, like, a ghostwriter, 'cause, like, this is crazy. I have bars. Like, this is great. Did you hear that? I said alphabetical 'cause you--Ade: No, I got the point.Zach: You know what I'm saying? Come on, man. Don't hate. Okay, so look, we're doing these listener letters today. Now, look, we kind of said it last week. The names y'all put in these letters, we're going to say those names unless it seems a little too specific, then we might, like, just call it something else, right? But, like, just know we're gonna read these letters as you send 'em, right? So, you know, sign your name with what you want to be addressed as, and we'll make sure that we respect that, but, you know, we don't want to, like, go into our fake bag name and then, like, give you a fake name, but that might mess around and be your real name, you know what I mean? So just help us out. Help us help y'all. Yeah? Okay. So look, we got these listener letters. We're gonna go ahead and get going. I'ma read this first one. The subject line is "Too Friendly." Uh-oh. What's that mean?Ade: It sounds like a call to HR.Zach: I'm saying. Like, what you mean too friendly? Relax. Okay. "What's up, Ade and Zach?" Look, they kept it alphabetical. What'd I tell you?Ade: [scoffs]Zach: "I feel--" [laughs] "I feel like everyone else is super close at my job and I'm always on the outside of whatever inside jokes they're telling. It makes me question who I can trust, since everyone is friends with everyone but me. They're always going out after work and will come back from the weekend with their stories of what they did. I just want to come to work, do my thing, and go home. I don't want to give up that much time, but I'm also feeling like the odd woman out. What should I do to feel more comfortable at my job? Thanks." She wrote her name as Tracy. Okay, so what should Tracy do?Ade: Well, Tracy, you can't have your cake and eat it too, friend. I don't know what to tell you. It sounds like you're saying that you don't want to do the things that make--that have made everyone else become closer and, you know, more vulnerable with each other, right? So I understand wanting to come to work and go home and have that be the extent of your responsibilities at work. That being said, it means that you're not going to have a relationship with the depth that you are admiring and coveting. I mean, you can certainly do the things that we encourage. You can ask your coworkers to go get coffee with you, maybe bring donuts, but you can't have the conversations with people, you can't--honestly, if they're having, like, inside jokes because they went to Happy Hour three times and you went zero times, you're not gonna get any of those contexts. Am I missing something?Zach: No, you're not, and I think ultimately to make friends you have to be friendly. That's what my mom always tells me. Right? Like, you have to actually put yourself out there. So looking at your letter, I'm not really sure--I'm imagining, because of our platform, that you're a person of--a woman of color, and if you are--and even if you aren't, like, it can be hard to put yourself out there and--'cause to show vulnerability with, like, a group of people that you don't really--you don't know, to, like, really try to make friends, and it's tough because, you know, like, the cliqueiness and stuff, like, those things don't just stop after high school. Like, there are definitely, like, work cliques.Ade: Correct.Zach: And so I can understand and empathize with you, you know, feeling a certain kind of way, but, like, if you [?] these insecurities, one way to combat those insecurities is to one, just, like, maybe go out every now and then. It doesn't have to be all the time, but just take the time. Like, if you know they go out somewhere every weekend, maybe you go one time with them on a weekend, or just start maybe with baby steps of if you know they're going out to Happy Hour every single week, you know, maybe choose one or two times a month that you're gonna go with them, right? Like, and then that way you can start kind of easing into it, and that way you will feel more comfortable, and then they'll feel more comfortable, and then, like, it'll--barriers will just kind of come down, I think. But I'm not a woman though, and, like, my wife always tells me that, like, women are different. Like, I'll be kind of talking to her about something and she'll be like, "Look, Zach, women are just different." So help me understand, Ade, what I might be missing in this.Ade: I do not want to project things that aren't there. I don't want to project off of my own personal experiences, simply because I don't think that it does Tracy any good to hypothesize about what could be happening. I mean, her letter doesn't say that she's ever been invited. So that to me might be the issue in that it's one thing that they're having all of these, like, Happy Hours or they're going or whatever it is that they're doing outside of work. It also doesn't say how long that Tracy has been there. It doesn't say that she's ever been extended a formal invitation. It doesn't say that they're including her in other ways that don't include these extracurricular activities, so I--there are many, many different things that could be going on, but what I do know to be true is that Tracy herself says that she only wants to come to work, do her thing, and go home. There are ways to develop friendly relationships that don't also require you to be more vulnerable than you want to be at work. So I would say to Tracy kind of what we said last week with I think it was Jamal. Grab a drink with them. Not, like, alcohol, but grab some coffee or grab some tea, or come in in the morning and ask them about the weekend and share a little bit of what you did on your weekend, or "Oh, hey. Did you guys catch Homecoming on Netflix? Really great. You guys should see it." There's so many--yeah, there's so many different ways that you can share cultural contexts that don't require you to be more revealing than necessary. Also, once you start relying on greater cultural contexts, I mean, you don't have to get their inside jokes, because Beyonce, like, crosses all cultural barriers, right? Like, come on. Come on.Zach: "Come on. Come on." [laughs] No, I super agree, and that's a really good point, like, that culture is a big deal. People talk about culture in, like, these really, like, high-brow, generic, 30,000-foot ways, but I think, like, just really practically speaking, like, for people of color, at least I'll speak for black folks, like, if I'm going out for drinks with you after work, like, that means that I'm really cool with you. So, like, it's hard for us--I'll speak for me anyway. It was hard for me to, like, really be like, "Yeah, I'ma go out to drinks with you," after I've already worked 8 hours or 9 or 10 hours with you and I've seen you, you know what I'm saying, all day, and I don't even know if I really like or trust you. So, like, you haven't really shown me, like, any type of trust-worthy characteristics while we work together, but now I'm about to spend extra time and my money with you? Right? Like, those are the things that have gone through my mind. Like, "Okay, I'ma go break these barriers down," but, like--and we talked about this with Deborah Owens, who's CEO of the Corporate Alley Cat. We spoke with her--we spoke with her about this, I believe that was in season 1, but we were just talking about that's part of the job. Like, doing that, extending yourself is part of your job, and getting to know those people is part of--is part of your whole work life. Like, those are working hours for you. Like, that's how you should think about it. If you genuinely just don't do want to do it, it's important for you to make some of that time. Again, it doesn't have to be all the time, but you should not be like, "No, I don't go to anything." Like, you should go to something from time to time, but I also think it's a really good point that, like, you shouldn't have to extend yourself super far. There are small things you can do at work, you know what I'm saying? There are things you can do at work to make sure that people at least know a little bit about you. Maybe there's some more humor you can insert at work. Again, I'm not asking you to be, like, a comedian. I'm just saying, like, there's things that you can do. So I think that's really good feedback.Ade: I think the final comment that I would want to make is that--have you ever seen that graphic of the cultural context? Like, the cultural iceberg?Zach: Nah, what is that?Ade: Okay, so it's this image that shows--like, you know how an iceberg, you really can only ever see the tip of it, and there's so much more depth or so much more that's underneath the waters? At the top, it shows things like food and holidays and language as the things that are easy to see, but underneath the surface there are things like rules of conduct, child-rearing practices, family values, body language, expectations, aesthetics, personal space. There are all of these different things that are a part of your culture that are so much more difficult to articulate. I think there is such a thing as work culture, a similar iceberg in that it's easy to see, like, your dress code, turn-around time for client deliverables, or just all of these different things that are easy to see once you enter the work space, but they're things that are--that are underneath the surface, right? How often you should be going to Happy Hour being one of them, which could be really alienating for people who don't drink for whatever reason, right, or that you have to make your rounds every day to have conversations with people, which is something that I didn't know when I first started working in a lot of corporate spaces. Like, you have to make rounds. You have to go around to people and make conversations in certain--in certain work environments because you're so scattered, and so in order to maintain your working relationships, it's this unspoken rule that you get up at 10:00 a.m. or at 2:00 p.m. and you kind of go talk to other coworkers. These are all things that are a part of that work culture iceberg that might be difficult to see, and once you have fallen on the wrong side of that iceberg, it's very difficult to repair those relationships. Because they're unspoken, people assume that you know that this is the appropriate thing to do, and so they feel as though you've slapped their hand one too many times when they extended it out and tried to be friendly by inviting you out or by asking you to do whatever, whereas your understanding is "I'm just here to work and go home," and so in order to bridge the gap of those two work cultures, I would say that there is no better time than now to start reaching out. And people love talking about themselves. It's not, like, a moral failing. It's simply just human nature. Like, when people start taking interest in the things that you enjoy and the things that you feel proud of, it makes you feel closer to the person asking. So Tracy, I would advise you to--not us asking you to, like, do any social engineering, but getting to know people by asking them about the things that they love and the things that they enjoy, and also with the understanding that we are not saying that that means that you need to go attending Happy Hours or that you need to extend yourself any further than necessary, simply that it is a mark of a good professional to be able to maintain good working relationships, regardless of the depth of those relationships. Does that make sense?Zach: It does make sense, and that's just a really good reminder, even for me. Not even for me, like I'm somebody. For me, because--Ade: [laughs] You are somebody, Zachary.Zach: [laughs] Aw, thank you, Ade. But no, it's important, like, to make time and to, like, do the rounds. 99% of the time--99% of the businesses that we work in are people businesses. There's some type of people element to it, and even if they're not, like, external clients, if they're just, like, your own colleagues, there's relationships that you need to be continually thinking about in how you manage them. So that makes sense to me. I think it's super spot on.Ade: Cool. Cool, cool. Thank you for writing in, Tracy. We hope that you get a resolution to this soon, and we'd love to hear from you, see how you dealt with this, how you handled--how you handled this conversation.Zach: For sure, for sure. Okay, I see this next one. This one is called--the subject line is "Micromanager." Here we go. I'ma go ahead and read it. Actually, no, do you want to read this one? 'Cause I read the first one. Why don't you read this one?Ade: Sure, okay. All right. "Hey, Living Corporate. So I've been at my job for about two years now and recently got a new manager. They're nice enough, but are nonstop with the feedback," ooh, "as if they have something to say about every little thing to do, from checking my work, how I present and lead meetings and my body language. They're also asking me for their feedback, like, every other week to the point where I don't know what to say. I just am feeling overwhelmed. A part of me wants to tell them to back off, but I'm not trying to cause any trouble. What do you think I should do? Thanks. Courtney."Zach: Hm.Ade: Go ahead, Zach.Zach: So they're nonstop with the feedback. "I feel like they have something to say about every little thing I do, from checking my work, how I present, lead meetings, to my body language." So when I read this, and maybe I'm reading this from, like, a manager lens, right, so I could be wrong, it sounds to me like you have someone who's really engaged and they're trying to help you, right? And then when you say "They're also always asking me [?], like, every other week." So every two weeks they're asking you to give them feedback, so they're looking for you to help them, just like they're trying to help you. Are you just not--maybe you're just not used to being managed. Like, this is kind of weird. This is kind of weird to me. How do you feel? You're making all of these noises, and you were making noise when you read the letter, so, like, what am I missing here?Ade: Okay. I wouldn't necessarily say that Courtney is not used to being managed. I think that there are two conflicting styles here of working relationships. I think that Courtney's new manager is used to, to borrow PwC's phrase, "real-time feedback," and Courtney might be a little bit more used to a more hands-off style type of management, and that will--that will create conflict, but I don't know that it's necessarily a bad thing. I don't know that anybody is wrong here so much as miscommunicating, because it can be overwhelming to go from a very, very hands-off managerial style to someone who is seemingly in your face all of the time. That can be a very difficult experience. I know that I would be frazzled. I was frazzled when it happened to me, and I certainly think that--and I'm not saying that the manager is wrong either in saying that, "Oh, hey. I noticed that you do things this way. Maybe you should try this way instead," because ultimately most managers who are worth their salt are trying to help you develop your career and help you grow as an individual. They are not being malicious in their feedback, but nobody likes to be micromanaged, and that's likely what that feels like to Courtney. All that to say that I think that there are ways in which you can communicate that you feel overwhelmed with the deluge of information. Maybe you could schedule checkpoints every two weeks with your manager. Like, "Hey, let's go grab some coffee every two weeks for 30 minutes. We can have a conversation about my progress so far. We can talk about what you think I should be doing differently, but the constant check-ins are distracting, they're demoralizing, and I don't feel that they are actually helpful to me."Zach: That's real. You know, so, I'm looking at this email. Like, every other week the manager's asking them for feedback. 'Cause I don't know Courtney. I don't know if Courtney--Courtney might be a man or a woman, I'm not sure--asking them for feedback, right? So, like, asking them for feedback. Like, maybe that's where they can propose this. Like, that's where they can propose like, "Hey, look." Like, being really transparent, right? Like, "Hey, this is how this is making me feel. We have this time already." Unless it's something that's, like, a serious problem, like, "Unless it's something that's, like, gonna break--make something break, like, could we wait to kind of give me feedback during these points?" Typically, I'll say for me anyway, sometimes when I know that I'm micromanaging somebody, I realize that, like, I'm giving them feedback every little step of the way as opposed to, like, backing up and letting them, like, drive something, and then I can be like, "Oh, wait. I was gonna say this, but you ended up doing this anyway." "I was gonna say this, but you ended up--okay, so I don't even have to say anything about this," right? Like, I think that that makes sense. I think there is definitely opportunity, and if they really are being serious about this 360 feedback, I think that's the perfect place to give it to them then, but that's gonna take some vulnerability and, like, courage on your part, right? And you say in here, "Part of me wants me to tell them to back off, but I'm not really trying to cause any trouble." I don't feel like you're causing any trouble, right? I think it's about just being respectful, and nothing in here, what you've said, is that they've been disrespectful to you, so I'm gonna assume that everything has been above the board so far, that it's been, like, work. But that's what I would suggest, and yeah, I'm not trying to be unfair and say that you're not used to being managed. I guess what I'm saying is because of my work history, I've been in so many situations where, like, my lead does not care. They won't communicate with me. And I'm on a project now where I have a very engaged manager, and they really, really are plugged in, and they care about, like, my growth and my progress, and they give me, like, really poignant feedback, and it has felt at certain times overwhelming, but I had to ask myself, like, "Okay, how much of this is overwhelming because of I'm just getting too much feedback? How much is overwhelming because it's like, 'Wow, maybe I haven't really ever gotten, like, on-the-spot coaching about my performance before and, like, I'm just not used to how this feels.'" Like, maybe it's just a new feeling as opposed to me putting it on somebody else, you know what I'm saying? So that's what I mean when Courtney's like, "Okay, well, is this like--" How much is this just a new feeling for you that you need to navigate and, like, work through? That might take you time, and how much of this are you really feeling like they're micromanaging you? That's my take, but I feel like--I feel like we're still saying something--are we saying something different? Like, what do you think about what I'm saying?Ade: I think that it's entirely possible that it's both in that--I think we're actually saying the same thing actually, that the truth is somewhere in the middle, that Courtney might not be used to this person's managerial style, they might not be used to this instantaneous feedback, and that this manager's feedback might be--managerial style might be a little overwhelming, particularly for someone who has been in their position for two years and is switching contexts between two managers, and so I think that as a manager you do have to be mindful of the context and the role in which you step--like, the people who you're managing have had different contexts over time, and I think that it's only fair that you ramp up not coming with guns blazing. And it might not feel that way to you because you're simply doing what you've always done, which is "Oh, hey, I saw this. We should work on that," or "Oh, hey, I think you'd be a much more effective presenter if you did things this way." Which, fair, that's absolutely what you're supposed to be doing, but to manage up, Courtney, I would say that you should definitely take some time to sit down and figure out truly what are the things that make you the most uncomfortable, and then figure out how to make those things work for you, because if the feedback is meant for you to grow as a professional, there's no way that it can be a terrible thing to hear it. However, it's entirely true that it might be overwhelming for you when you're in the middle of deliverables and also trying to incorporate the last six things that were said to you in the last two days. So I would say that for me it would be much more effective to manage up in putting time on your manager's calendar, like, "Hey, every two weeks, let's go out, get some coffee or grab some lunch, and we can talk through my progress over the last two weeks and some areas you would like to see me improve, and we can iterate over my behavior in that way or my progress in that way as opposed to you sending me a note every, you know, three hours, because that's jarring."Zach: [laughs] Every three hours? No way. No way.Ade: Right, it's a little bit much, and not that I don't appreciate you paying close attention to me and my activities, but it does make me feel a little bit monitored and micromanaged, and I can't succeed in that way.Zach: No, that's real, and I mean, like--I'm agreeing with you, right? I agree with that. I think--and I think what's really cool is that two--every two weeks, that can just be the two weeks I already have set up, and yeah, so that's great. I think that's really good feedback. So Courtney, hope that helps. Let us know how it goes. Keep us updated on the progress. I definitely think the term "managing up" is important, 'cause this is part of it, this is a huge part of it, is you having this discussion with your boss, and it seems as--your lead, your manager, and it seems as if--I don't know. Maybe I'm looking at it through--I'm being biased 'cause I'm looking at it through, like, a manager lens, but it seems as if this person at least--I mean, the communication is there, right? It's not like you're having to create a lane of communication, so hopefully it should work out. We'll see though. Hm. Okay. All right. All right, y'all. Well, that does it for us on the listener letters. Let's see here. So I have one Favorite Thing, and I recognize that we did not talk about this in pre-production, so if you don't have one it's no big deal. But it's been a couple of weeks, right? So I just want to, like, really quickly--so, like, I feel like I can now talk about Avengers: Endgame. Very good, right?Ade: No spoilers.Zach: No, no. Definitely spoilers. It's been two weeks. It's been, like, two or three weeks.Ade: No spoilers. What? No. Don't be a terrible person.Zach: How am I being a terrible person? It's been mad weeks!Ade: No spoilers! None.Zach: Oh, my goodness. Man, I was about to say--I was about to be like, "And when So-and-so did the such-and-such!" I was just--Ade: I require more of you than you are giving me right now, Zachary.Zach: Man, that's real, that's real. Okay, so I'm not gonna get into spoilers. However, great, great movie. In fact, let me tell y'all what happened. So opening weekend, right?Ade: Oh. I was about to be like, "Didn't I just say?"Zach: Nah, nah, nah. So opening weekend, right? I planned on going Thursday night, but then I had a really busy day on Friday, and I was like, "You know what? Let me be wise and just, like, let me be mature, and I will wait," so I waited. I did not go Thursday night. I ended up going Friday night instead, and man, when I tell you that I was so emotionally overwhelmed. Like, I cried. I cheered. I cried again. I cheered again. I gasped, like, multiple times. I was like, "Man." And so I had already, like, proactively got tickets for Saturday AND Sunday, and I was like--'cause I just know I'm gonna want to see it again, and the theaters are sold out, but I was so tired--like, I was so drained by that movie and the multiple conversations I had--again, I'm not gonna get into spoilers. I was so drained. I was just like, "You know what? Let me just not." I've only gone to see it once. Like, that's how drained I was, 'cause I was just--I cried. Like, it was just so good. I've never seen a movie--like, it's just the culmination of more than 20 films, man. Like, come on, dogg. Like, that's a lot of work. It was so good. Like, you saw it, Ade. Am I tripping? Was it not great?Ade: It was amazing. Amazing.Zach: It was so--like, my gosh. It was so good.Ade: Amazing.Zach: Ugh, so good. So anyway, that's my favorite thing. I hope that y'all go see it if you haven't already, and then also, you need to go ahead and just cut the cable and go ahead and get that Disney+, 'cause y'all know all these shows about to come up. And again, I can't get into the spoilers 'cause Ade told me not to, but there's gonna be a bunch of other stuff coming, and--Ade: I'm just gonna--I need your login information, Zach. Thanks in advance.Zach: You are wrong. [both laugh] You know, it's so funny. Like, everybody has Candice and I's login. Like, I go on my little Netflix and my Hulu, I see, like, 17 accounts. I'm like, "Who are these little profiles?" Like, what is this? Come on.Ade: You're the grown up. I don't know what to tell you.Zach: Clearly. My goodness though, and some of them--some of them created profiles when they were, like, you know, in college, but, like, come on, man. Like, we all got money now. Y'all need to go ahead and help. Get your own, you know what I mean? Anyways.Ade: Chip in.Zach: Chip in, exactly. Put in on this, you know what I'm saying? You know, put 5 on it. That's all I'm trying to say. So okay, with that being said, I feel like we're at the end. So Ade, is there anything else?Ade: Nope, that's it. I actually was gonna use Endgame as my favorite thing as well. I've seen that movie several times at this point, and yeah, y'all watch it so we can talk about it in two months.Zach: Straight up. Okay, well, I guess that's that. Thank you for listening to us and joining us on the Living Corporate podcast. We are on all of Al Gore's internet.Ade: Everywhere.Zach: Everywhere. Just type in Living Corporate. Check us out. You type in Living Corporate on Google, we will pop up on every major player. You can check us out on Twitter @LivingCorp_Pod, on Instagram @LivingCorporatePodcast. You can email us at livingcorporatepodcast@gmail.com. And actually, on Instagram it's not @LivingCorporatePodcast, it's @LivingCorporate. Boom. Thank you. If you have any questions, any letters you'd like to send in on the show for us to read them like we did on this episode today, again, just email us, or you can DM us on Twitter and Instagram, 'cause our DMs are wide open. That's right. You don't even have to follow us. You can just DM us, but come on, be polite, 'cause some of y'all be out here wildin', okay? You know who y'all are. I'm not even gonna give you the air time, but you know. Let's see here. What else? What else? What else? Nah, I feel like that's it, you know what I'm saying? Grace and peace, afro grease or whatever else you use to keep your skin and hair lathered. You know, do what you do.Ade: [sighs] So much is happening. Um...Zach: This has been Zach.Ade: ...Yeah. This has been Ade. Y'all pray for Zach. He's going through some things.Zach: [laughs] Not at all, not at all! Listen, okay? Moisturization is important, and we're talking to people of color here. Come on. Like, you gotta--come on, let's go. Carol's Daughter or something. You gotta use something.Ade: [sighs] Goodbye, y'all.Both: Peace.

On the twentieth entry of Tristan's Tips, our special guest Tristan Layfield discusses something he thinks we've all been guilty of at one point - resume spamming. He shares a couple steps to help increase your chances of having your resume seen.Connect with Tristan on LinkedIn, IG, FB, and Twitter!https://www.linkedin.com/in/tristanlayfield/https://www.instagram.com/layfieldresume/https://www.facebook.com/LayfieldResume/https://twitter.com/layfieldresumeTRANSCRIPTTristan: What's going on, y'all? It's Tristan of Layfield Resume Consulting, and I've teamed up with Living Corporate to bring you all a weekly career tip. This week, let's discuss something I think we've all been guilty of at one point - resume spamming. Have you ever been searching for jobs and come across, like, eight positions open at a company you know you want to work for, so you apply to them all? I get the logic. The more you apply to a company, the better chance you have of landing a role with them. Unfortunately, that's what recruiters and hiring managers call resume spamming, and it could result in you not being considered for an interview. Recruiters are usually able to see all of the jobs you've applied to in their system. When you apply to a ton of jobs that aren't even remotely related to each other, you can come off as desperate and like you don't know what you want to do. If you're dying to work at a particular company, there are a couple steps you can take to increase your chances. Start by limiting the number of applications you submit to somewhere around two or three. You want to ensure that the jobs have a common thread so the recruiter or hiring manager isn't thrown off by wildly different job choices. Tailor your resume to each of those roles. While the roles you identified are similar, they still have differences, so make sure the resume you submit for each of them reflects that. We live in a day and age where tailoring is the name of the game. Whether it be your job search or your resume, be intentional so you're not setting yourself up for failure. This tip was brought to you by Tristan of Layfield Resume Consulting. Check us out on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @LayfieldResume, or connect with me, Tristan Layfield, on LinkedIn.

In this special episode, educator, mentor, and business leader Elizabeth “Liz” Sweigart interviews Brendon to explore the intersect of sexual orientation, gender and race. They also discuss the difference between the feeling of fitting in and the feeling of belonging and so much more.Connect with Liz on Twitter, IG, and LinkedIn!https://twitter.com/amotherofajob?lang=enhttps://www.instagram.com/thegreatmissliz/?hl=enhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/lizsweigartTRANSCRIPTZach: What's up, y'all? It's Zach with Living Corporate, and wow, we have a really special episode for y'all today. So typically you hear myself or Ade interview a guest, and we ask them a series of questions, and, you know, then we do, like, a wrap-up thing, or it'll be, like, a 1-on-1 and then we wrap up right after the interview. This episode's a little bit different. I have a mentor, a friend, and a colleague named Liz Sweigart, and she is a member of the LGBT community, and she's agreed to have her own guest come on and really talk about queer identity. And so it's really exciting that I'm able to introduce you all to her in this short series that we have in June, and I'm just excited for y'all to hear her. So we're gonna go into break. The next thing you're gonna hear is the interview with Liz Sweigart, and then we're gonna wrap from there, okay? All right. See y'all next time.Liz: Hi, Brendon. Thank you so much for taking the time to visit with me today. How are you doing?Brendon: [?]. Good, how are you?Liz: Very well. Happy Pride.Brendon: Yeah, same to you.Liz: Thanks so much. Well, one of the great things that we've talked about and we have the chance now to talk about a little bit together is identity and experience and how that's translated, particularly for you and your career in Corporate America. Brendon: Sure.Liz: And, you know, as you and I talked in our general conversation about maturity and growth and development, it was so--it was so wonderful for me to hear from you, and it resonated with me so much how, in your experience, you have--you've seen yourself grow over time and seen how not only you identify but also how you present that identity, and then how you respond to the way that others view your identity, and as a--as a queer woman myself, who is in a heterosexual marriage and has negotiated, you know, the spectrum of identity and how that's received, it is--it's so refreshing to be able to feel at home and feel belonging with someone who also recognizes their experience as growth over time. Brendon: Sure.Liz: So I was wondering if maybe, for our listeners, you could recap a bit about, you know, how you've come to identify and know yourself and express that.Brendon: Sure, thank you. So just for the listeners' sake, I'm 40 years old. I am a bisexual African-American male. I am currently unmarried, single, and I'm not currently in a relationship. I guess definitely male. My gender has kind of always been known to me, but from a very young age, I would even say probably around the age of 5 or 6, I always knew that I liked boys as well as girls, but I grew up in an environment--come from a Jamaican family living in the Houston, Texas, area. Extremely conservative, Christian upbringing. I found myself in a lot of spaces where just, you know, expressing a sexual identity that was anything other than straight and hetero-normative was, you know, just unheard of. There were really no examples--in my personal life, no examples of "Hey, here is someone that I personally know, someone [?] who identifies as homosexual and expresses themselves in that way." For me growing up, anything other than that was something you saw on TV. Being gay in particular was something largely associated with white people. I didn't--I didn't know anybody in my personal life or--even in the media there wasn't anybody who you could look at and say, "This is an example of a black gay person," and outside of maybe certain entertainers--who I won't really go on to name because I don't think that's necessary--that may have expressed, presented themselves in a way that people may have, you know, tacitly or openly acknowledged was not the typical, you know, straight, red-blooded, you know, heterosexual male. That just wasn't something that, you know, was a part of my everyday experience.Liz: Yeah, and the way you described that, it's--it really resonates with me, looking--growing up and seeing so few representations of any people of color in the queer sphere, and having grown up in New York City and being raised during the height of the AIDS crisis, and seeing just the depths of inhumanity that people are capable of, it was particularly powerful for me to see how few females were being represented, and there were--there were almost no fem-queers, and so for me, in a way--you know, you were describing your experience as a young child. I remember--I remember similarly being young and realizing that I too liked boys and girls and thinking at a certain point that I only had a choice between the binary, that it was a light switch. It was one or the other. It was on or off. And that--having that kind of awakening that I could define my identity and that I could start to seek out and find role models, that was something that was really powerful for me. So how in your life did that happen for you? Who were--you know, were the people who were early role models for you or early supporters? How did you kind of bridge that point from your adolescence into your adulthood?Brendon: So, you know, I would actually say, you know, from being--some of those internal conversations about, you know, coming to grips with my identity, probably didn't happen for me 'til I would say my 20s. Certainly when I was looking to go to college, I had always told myself I wanted to go somewhere where I was, you know, surrounded by people who didn't look like me, didn't think like me. You know, I wanted to be an engineer. I wanted to work in a space where--well, I knew that I wanted to work in a space where I was likely going to be surrounded by people who didn't think like me, didn't have the same upbringing as me, and I didn't want to--I didn't want to, you know, experience some type of culture shock when I joined the workplace, so I wanted my college experience to kind of prepare me for that. But interestingly enough, in college, while I may have definitely, you know, internally kind of accepted kind of who I was, I certainly wasn't, you know, "open" and "out," as people describe. So in my 20s, you know, I moved--I grew up in the Houston area. In my 20s I moved to Dallas after college. That's where I got my best job offer with a company that I had interned with before graduation, and so I moved up there, and that was kind of probably where I slowly started to accept who I was. I work in the [?] construction industry, on the infrastructure side of the business, and it's very much a conservative [?]--a conservative industry, despite, you know, some of the usual--I guess I would say some of the usual ideals or cultures or values, I should say, that tend to be associated with, you know, conservative people or conservative ideologies. I worked in a larger conservative industry, but the guy who hired me I came to discover was actually a gay man, and he was a vice president in our company, and he was definitely out because everybody at the company knew, and he had actually, you know, hosted, you know, events at his house where people, you know, met his partner, and despite--you know, he was a--he was a Caucasian man, but despite all of that, I still never necessarily felt comfortable to kind of share that with people because, you know, being a black man I think you kind of learn--you know, there's certain sensibilities that you'll develop, especially when you find yourself surrounded by people who don't look like you and think like you in particular, in navigating the Corporate America space. As a large, you know, black man, you kind of learn--you know, you kind of might err on the side of "Hey, I won't reveal too much about my personal life because, you know, you never know what might be used against you," especially if you work in an environment that's cutthroat or, you know, one where you've constantly got people jockeying for position or currying favor, and that was definitely the environment that I worked in, and so I would say in Dallas, while I was also kind of, you know, starting off my career and kind of, you know, being an adult if you will, I also wasn't going to church regularly, and so during that time I really kind of wrestled with some of the things I was brought up to believe as a Christian versus, you know, this identity of mine, this fact that, "Hey, I like men, and that's not going away," and I even went to the trouble of just, you know, not really being unlike myself, but just really not even entertaining conversations about who I'm dating and who I'm interested in or, you know, what the dating scene was like, in an effort to kind of just, you know, keep that under wraps, and despite all that, you know, a rumor developed in the office that I was gay because I didn't openly talk about who I was dating. You know, you wouldn't go to my office or my cubicle and see pictures of, you know, a family or anything like that, and, you know, despite not really--you know, despite not really opening myself up to those conversations, people assumed that I was anyway, and so I think just over time I really just kind of came to realize that "Hey, regardless of what you do, you're kind of damned if you do, damned if you don't, so you might as well just kind of accept who you are." And so recently--you know, I just turned 40 at the top of the year. I guess last year I kind of felt like "Hey, you know, there are people, close friends and family, who probably suspect, just because, you know, [?] it is, still single, no children. Really haven't--you know, haven't really been dating any woman. Certainly never brought any woman around as a girlfriend or, you know, possible marriage material, and it just really didn't feel like--I didn't want to go into my 40s with this being unclear, especially, you know, you have people who are--who are trying to set me up with someone, and, you know, it was just kind of like, "Well, I think I need to let people know, because I need you guys to stop setting me up with, you know, people that I'm not interested in," and so I just said "Hey," you know, "I've gone through this, I've wrestled with this on a personal level, wrestled with this on a spiritual level," because I did find myself back to the church, but I found myself back in communities where it was just kind of like, "Hey, your sexuality is something that you're created with and not something that needs to be repressed, hidden, or kept under wraps for the sake of other people's comfort, and certainly not for the sake of--for being accepted by the Creator." And so I just said, "You know what? I live--the people that know me, anyone who's friends with me knows that, you know, I don't live--I do tend to live out loud. I'm very, you know, forefront with my opinions. I'm not a shrinking daisy when it comes to politics or culture or that type of thing, and I just said, "Hey, you know, it's out there. Just so you know, just so we're clear," and so that's kind of been what the past I guess year and a half has been for me, just kind of saying "Hey, this is who I am," and most people that I talk to are kind of like, "Yeah, we kind of suspected," you know, stereotypes kind of being what they are. You know, I've always been someone who's been creative, someone that's been artistic, someone who's very passionate about certain things and passionate to people of the LGBT community, whereas I guess people thought that I was maybe sympathetic or empathetic with the community, not realizing that I'm actually a part of that community, and when I speak in defense of those people, I'm speaking in defense of myself.Liz: And thank you--you know, thank you for the way, especially, that you put that, especially around how you talk about coming to a feeling of belonging. Something that has always sapped so much of my energy has been trying to fit in and the sense of fitting in versus belonging, and essentially what I heard in your description is many years of fitting in and squeezing yourself into the form and the shape and the space that others wanted to give you, and perhaps as your Happy Birthday 40th present to yourself, it's now belonging and creating that space for yourself.Brendon: Absolutely, absolutely.Liz: So when I think about--you know, you touched on several--first... there's so much there. You touched on the topic early of black masculinity, and again, I clearly--as a cisgender queer white woman, I do not have lived experience. I have--you know, from my observation and what has been shared with me, you know, I recognize that there are--there are stereotypes within the black community, as well as the stereotypes and biases that are forced upon black men from the majority, from white culture, and I'm curious, how have you, as you've come into this identity--in one sense, you and I have both in a way benefited from being able to pass in certain social situations and not be immediately identifiable as queer. I am able to pass in all social situations as white because I clearly am. How have you experienced that difference between--in all spaces clearly being identified, identifying, as black, and then in other spaces not having your identity seen? And how has that dichotomy, how has that tension been for you? How have you experienced that?Brendon: That's a really good question. You know, it kind of hits me in a bunch of different ways. I think, you know, you certainly talked about, you know, black masculinity, and certainly my experience has not only been--you know, not only been informed by the fact that, you know, obviously anybody looking at me is not gonna think that I'm anything other than black, but also there's the additional rub of being an immigrant. My parents, you know, were both born in Jamaica. I was born in Jamaica, and I came over as a baby, and so kind of getting back to what I said, you know, you've got a couple of things working with you. As an immigrant, you know, there's this--there's this desire or this goal or this drive to make it, if you will, to be an American success story, so you come over here and you're presented with images from the culture, white, you know, American culture and say, "Hey, this is what successful people do. This is what immigrants should aspire to." So you've got that playing into, you know, my development, and then you've also got, you know, the unique challenges of being black in the United States. I mean, you know, we can talk all day about, you know, the lived experiences of African-Americans in this country. You know, there's external pressure for, you know, you to not--you know, to live above or to prove the stereotypes that prevail and exist about black people wrong by, you know, being someone who, you know, stays in school and makes good grades and goes to a good school and gets good money and, you know, be this citizen and prove to people that, "Hey, you know, the negative stereotypes of black men on TV are not real," or they don't apply to everyone, and, you know, this idea that "Oh, I'm one of the good ones." You know, "I'm one of the ones who did things the right way and, you know, you can feel safe around me. You can feel comfortable around me, and that's okay," and then of course there's also the Christian, the religious factor. I mean, you've got, you know, pretty much--American Christianity in particular, it's definitely informed by whiteness and white supremacy, and even in religious communities that are mostly black, that's such--white supremacy is so pervasive that even in those spaces presenting as anything other than, you know, a straight, you know, masculine black male, you know, you've got pressure to live up to those stereotypes. And I think, you know, coming up, you know, people would make jokes about "Oh, well, you know, these things men don't do, and, you know, that's a man law violation," and it could be something as innocent as, you know, being the only male clarinet player in a 300-piece band, and just kind of this idea that "Oh, you know, there's a masculine way to do things" that really should not necessarily be masculine or feminine. They're just things that people do, but in this society, you know, any way that we can categorize people and put 'em in boxes and exclude them and feel superior to them, those are the things that, you know, will--whether it's a small group or a large group, we just as, you know, human beings seem to just really have a gift for doing, and so I think one of the--one of the things I kind of realized, especially as I began to find my internal voice and my external voice is that, you know, you really have to live this life on your own terms. You have to be okay with yourself. You have to accept yourself, and you have to be--you know, you have to be comfortable with, you know, the way that you're oriented, and I think, you know, as I've gotten older it's just kind of like, you know, "Hey, I don't--this is my personality. I'm not going to try to appear more butch or try to appear, you know, more or less butch or whatever it is to fit in what people's expectations of me are." I mean, "This is the man that I was created to be." I feel like, the way that I was created, there's a purpose in that. There's significance to that, and in order to realize whatever that significance is, I've got to be my authentic self. And so, you know, whatever that looks like, whatever that presents like, as long as this is 100% authentic me. This is what it is, and you can--you know, you can take it or leave it.Liz: And I love the--I love the authenticity focus of that and how you also expressed, you know, the sentiment I know that you and I have shared in prior conversation, that, you know, we are purposefully and intentionally made, and we are--we're certainly--we're good enough for our Creator and our mom, and everybody else can--everybody else can get in line.Brendon: Sure, sure.Liz: So when you think about how far--you know, in a sense, how far you've come, and listening to--listening to your story--and again, I can't thank you enough for sharing it, trusting me to share it with me and then trusting our, you know, platform and our listeners to share it. I hear--I hear this incredible growth and maturity, and in a sense I also hear a weight being lifted. I hear a liberation coming from--Brendon: Oh, absolutely.Liz: Letting go, in a sense, of the expectations that you can't control, and letting of the stereotypes and the boxes and the labels that others are trying to force on you.Brendon: Right.Liz: And so I wonder, what--you know, as you look to--as you look to your future, as you look now, you know, to--I mean, a strong, you know, nearly 20-year corporate career, and you look toward your legacy and making your mark, what do you--what is your hope for the future, and what--you know, what--in terms of your own personal growth, where do you want to see yourself get to? And what is the--what is the legacy? What is it that you want to create in the space that you're in?Brendon: That's a good question. I just--you know, I think kind of just keeping--you know, this probably sounds cliche, but I--you know, Corporate America has these--you know, these unwritten rules, these unwritten expectations of people, and I've seen so many people kind of not--kind of come into this area not realizing, you know, the inherent politics, the positioning, the jockeying for position and all those things that people do, that some people, certainly people who are privileged to kind of grow--I guess grow up under people who are familiar with the Corporate America space. You know, I'm talking about people who aren't necessarily immigrants. You know, their families have been here for years, and, you know, they've experienced success, and they kind of understand, you know, kind of how the game goes and are able to create more access for their own through, you know, their privilege and then whatever else they're able to accomplish themselves and the opportunities that they're able to create for the people--their loved ones and the people that are coming up behind them. I just--I just want to keep it real, you know? You know, I still work in--I mean, I work in an environment where, you know, I'm kind of--I'm kind of a guarded person just because, you know, I know--I've seen what happens when people kind of get I guess a little too familiar, a little too comfortable, and kind of assume that everyone working with them has their best interest, and, you know, I know that that's really not the case. But, you know, if it were to come up in my, you know, conversations, you know, about who I am and even what I believe and what are these things, you know, I'm at a point to where I don't feel like I need to--I don't need to mince words. I don't need to repress something. I don't need to bite my tongue. Now, do I wear my sexual orientation or my politics or my beliefs on my sleeve? No, I don't, but, you know, I think there's still a tendency to believe that "Hey, in this business everybody thinks the same," and even if, you know, we don't all look the same, this is the general culture," and I think what I'd like my legacy to be is just "Hey, you know, the person that you're created to be shouldn't have to--you shouldn't have to diminish any part of yourself for, you know, professional accomplishment." I think some people might hear that and think, "Oh, well, you know, that means you can come to work and dress any type of way, and you can, you know, say anything you want and do anything you want." That's not what I'm saying, but I still think that even kind of respecting, you know, the rules of Corporate America for your sake and maybe for the sake of the people whose lives you're there to impact, you can still show them that "Hey, you can still be your authentic self and still live in your truth. You can still be excellent," at your craft or whatever gifts you have or whatever your particular calling is. You know, you can still be 100% yourself and still, you know, be a success. You know, you don't have to compromise--you shouldn't have to diminish yourself in any respect just to--just to get ahead. So I hope that, you know, whatever the next 20 years brings for my professional life, whether I, you know, stay in this business or get out of it all together or keep one foot in and one foot out, I would hope that, you know, anybody who's anybody that I mentor, anybody who, you know, in our professional paths I've, you know, been in--we've crossed paths and I've had an effect on them, I hope they think "You know what? Rain or shine, whether things are great or things are bad, you know, you got 100% Brendon. He had his convictions. He had, you know, the things that he believed. He wasn't--he was a rock, but he wasn't also just, you know, stubborn and couldn't, you know, be presented with new information and have his views evolved based on, you know, those things." I just--you know, I think--I think I bring a--professionally I think I bring kind of, like, a quiet strength and, "Hey, you know, Brendon's always kind of there just doing his thing and getting it done and, you know, finding new ways to persevere, but I never thought that he was, you know, fake," or "I never thought that he, you know, pretended that he wasn't who he was or found that he had to act differently around certain people to get where he needed to be." I'm a complex, multi-faceted person, and, you know, while I don't necessarily show all my cards all the time, you know, I want you to feel like, "Hey," you know, "I knew who Brendon was, and what I got was real Brendon, and whether I liked it or not, this is who he was. This is what I got, and, you know, he was always real with it," and I think those that just be yourself, you know, whether it's, you know, loudly or quietly, I think people connect to that, you know? I think we're a bunch of souls, and, you know, whatever light is in each of us knows the light that's in other people--we'll connect to that if you're being--if you're being your authentic self, and so I think that--I hope that's what my legacy is.Liz: I can't think of a better legacy, and frankly, I can't think of more inspiring or encouraging words, not just for underrepresented queers, but for all of those who are feeling marginalized or that they cannot bring their full, true, genuine, and authentic selves to the spaces that they inhabit. So Brendon, I can't--again, I can't thank you enough for sharing your story and for blessing me, certainly, and blessing this audience, just with the accumulated wisdom and also hope, because that's something that we are in short supply of. And, you know, this is Pride Month, and when I think about, you know, what does it mean to be--what does it mean to be proud? What does it mean to be out? You know, something that you said really struck me, and that's that it means to be authentic in all spaces, and so thank you for being that here, and, well, being that every day.Brendon: Oh, no, thank you for the opportunity just to kind of share. I mean, you know, I don't--you know, you never know what a person might hear or might resonate--what might resonate with a person that's listening to your story, so thanks to you for the opportunity to kind of share, and also to--I guess this would probably would be my first Pride Month where, you know, I'm acknowledging it as a part of the community. I can't think of--other than, you know, the typical pride activities that, you know, a lot of people engage in. This is definitely something special, and I'm glad for the opportunity.Liz: Awesome. Thank you again so much, Brendon.Brendon: Thank you, Lizzy.

On the nineteenth installment of Tristan's Tips, our special guest Tristan Layfield (@LayfieldResume) shares a few good questions to ask and others to avoid when the floor is yours. Remember, impressions are everything throughout the hiring process, and your interview is your first impression. The questions you ask can either help solidify you as a top pick or hurt your chances of getting a call back.Connect with Tristan on LinkedIn, IG, FB, and Twitter!https://www.linkedin.com/in/tristanlayfield/https://www.instagram.com/layfieldresume/https://twitter.com/layfieldresumehttps://www.facebook.com/LayfieldResume/Connect with us!https://linktr.ee/livingcorporateTRANSCRIPTTristan: What's going on, Living Corporate fam? It's Tristan of Layfield Resume Consulting, and I've teamed up with Living Corporate to bring you all a weekly career tip. This week, let's discuss questions to ask during interviews and a few to avoid. I think sometimes as job seekers we tend to forget that interviews are just as much for us as they are for the company we're interviewing with. Interviews also allow the companies an opportunity to show that they are worthy of having your talents on their team, not to mention one of the best ways of making a lasting impression in an interview is to ask really good questions and avoid a few others until the time is right. So let's discuss a few good questions to ask and others to avoid when the floor is yours. Some great go-to questions can come out of a few different areas. The first would be to gain clarity. Sometimes these questions take the form of "What does a typical day for someone in this role look like?" or "What would define success for someone in this role?" These questions allow you to get a better understanding of what you could be doing and how you would be measured on it. The next area is to offer assurance. Some of these questions include "Do you have any reservations about my background being a fit for this role?" or "What skills and experience would make an ideal candidate?" Now, be careful with that first question. If you aren't able to take criticism and spin it, then I would avoid it, but the second question is a great way to see if what they're saying in the job description and other places is aligning with what you all discuss. The final area I'm gonna cover is asking questions to identify red flags, and they'll sound like "Can you tell me a bit about the corporate culture?" or "What roles have successful candidates previously in this role advanced to?" These types of questions help you feel out more about the company, the advancement opportunities they provide, and overall if the situation would be a good fit for you. Now, just like there are areas you want to make sure you hit on in your line of questioning, there are definitely some areas you want to avoid. Number one, stay away from questions you can find the answer to on the Internet. It's a big sign that you haven't done your research beforehand. Number two, do not ask any questions about salary or benefits in your initial interview unless you are led to that conversation by the employer. By no means am I telling you not to ask, but there's an appropriate time. While I know the money is the motive, it makes you look like you're strictly in it for the money, and that's a turn-off for most companies. Remember, impressions are everything throughout the hiring process, and your interview is your first impression. The questions you ask can either help solidify you as a top pick or hurt your chances of getting a call back. This tip was brought to you by Tristan of Layfield Resume Consulting. Check us out on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @LayfieldResume, or connect with me, Tristan Layfield, at LinkedIn.

Zach sits down with Side Hustle Pro's Nicaila Matthews Okome to talk about all things hustle. She shares her career journey, promotes SHP's Podcast Moguls program, and breaks down the genesis of her Color Noir app. She also illustrates what it looks like to really build authentic relationships in today's space.Check out Side Hustle Pro!http://bit.ly/2Zl5c4rFind out more about SHP's Podcast Moguls program!http://bit.ly/2WtgG48Download Color Noir on the App Store!https://apple.co/2WGZSMgTRANSCRIPTZach: What's up, y'all? It's Zach, and you're listening to Living Corporate. Now, look, y'all. Y'all know we have some dope guests on the show. Executives, musicians, entrepreneurs, activists. You know, real movers and shakers. I'm not trying to, like, not drop too many names, but I'm saying, like, you know, DeRay Mckesson, J. Prince, Preston Mitchum. I mean, come on. Like, we've got some peop--we've had some people on the show, and look, who would we be if we didn't bring y'all another dope guest, okay, to parlay with us, to kick back, to chit-chat, to lay back, to--you know, to kick it one time for the one time... Nicaila Matthews Okome!Nicaila: Woohoo![both laugh]Nicaila: What a warm welcome.Zach: Oh, no. Oh, I'm just getting started, Nicaila. Nicaila is a Jamaican-born Bronx-bred marketer and side hustler turned full-time podcaster and entrepreneur. Now, listen, y'all. She's Jamaican and she's from the BX, so she be workin' workin', okay?[both laugh]Zach: In 2016, Nicaila created the Side Hustle Pro podcast. Side Hustle Pro is the first and only podcast to spotlight bold black women entrepreneurs who have scaled from the side hustle to profitable businesses. Since the launch, it has been named the quote "perfect entrepreneurship podcast" by Mashable and earned over two million--hold on. [record scratch] Sound Man, give me some reverb when I say millions. So it's like, "Million-million-million-million." Million downloads and amassed a loyal social media following of aspiring entrepreneurs. Oh, yeah. I'm excited just reading the intro. So with all that being said, first of all, 'cause she's from the BX, I'm gonna add a hearty YEARP and--[both laugh]Zach: And I hope it's not culturally insensitive 'cause I recognize that you're Jamaican, but we're gonna add some air horns right HERE [they are dropped] and let these jaunts fly! Let's go! Nicaila, welcome to the show. How are you doing?Nicaila: I am doing amazing. Listen, after that intro, I am on a high, all right? That is, like, the best, most warm intro I've ever received. Thank you, Zach. Thank you for having me in the guest chair.Zach: Ooh. I'm honored, and I'm turning purple--'cause I'm blushing, you know what I'm saying? So for those of us who don't know you, and I know I gave a little bit in the intro, would you mind telling us a little bit about yourself?Nicaila: Sure, sure. So yeah, you covered a lot, but I guess from what you didn't cover--so, you know, at the core, I am a dreamer, I am a storyteller, and when I was young, that looked like me being the little girl who loved, you know, making up stories, just being by herself in her own world, and later in life [it] would manifest in this career in marketing, specifically social media marketing. So I have over 10 years of experience in that lane, and while I was figuring out my life's journey, what ended up happening is--throughout my life I've side hustled and come up with different things a few times, but coming out of grad school I had a hard time finding a full-time role, and that led me back to the side hustle path, but this time I was determined to actually grow it to the point where I could do my own thing. So the side hustle was the podcast, Side Hustle Pro podcast like you said, and I was able to market and monetize it to the level where I was able to quit my full-time job and turn my side hustle into my full hustle, and now I coach emerging podcasters in my Podcast Moguls program because I want other people to be able to have that experience. And since I have a lot of jobs and, you know, that's just in my blood like you said, I'm also an app creator. So my husband and I recently launched the Color Noir app, which is an app devoted to all things melanin and Black Girl Magic. So really excited about that.Zach: Man. So first of all, you've got--you got a lot of dip on the chip, 'cause we was gonna get there, but it's okay. We're still gonna get there a little bit later in the interview. First of all, I love this. Yes, I love the Color Noir app. Definitely in Podcast Moguls. We're gonna talk about that as well. You know, it's interesting, 'cause my--I know that you talked about, like, you know, how you made the side hustle your full hustle. I feel like the scariest part of anything is getting started, right? So you talk about--you talk about kind of not really knowing what you wanted to do after grad school, but, like, plenty of people finish grad school and don't know what to do, and then they figure--you know, they do something. They end up going back to industry, or maybe they teach or something like that. What was the igniter for you to actually launch Side Hustle Pro specifically?Nicaila: So the igniter for me was really rejection. I got rejected so many times in that period between when I graduated from Michigan--I went to the University of Michigan for my MBA.Zach: Shout-out [?].Nicaila: Shout-out. Go Blue. Graduated in May 2015, and [I] didn't end up landing a full-time role until December of 2015. So between that time I had a whole bunch of rejections. I'm talking about--there was one company, I went on an interview--I had six interviews with, and I just knew I was gonna get that role... did not get the role.Zach: Mm-mm! [read: No!]Nicaila: Yeah! So what happened is I started blogging again and interviewing people, 1. because I was trying to figure out, "Okay, what can I do? I know I love writing. I know I love social media. Let me just explore and continue to work on things that bring me joy. I don't know what it means. God, I don't know how to make a career out of this," but I figured that while I don't have a job I should at least nurture those skills. So that was the initial impetus to just start the blog, and I was particularly interested in black women who were side hustling but were able to build out their business on the side, because 1. I was so tired of being rejected I was like, "Oh, I'm done with corporate. Even when I got a job, I gotta do my own thing. I gotta do my own thing shortly after, like, the last job I'm gonna get. No one's ever gonna be able to reject me again." And then 2. I also knew that, again, I was gonna go back to corporate and that anything that I was gonna start would have to start as me building it on the side.Zach: One thing you said that I love is that--what I've observed, especially for, like, younger folks, millennials--millennials ain't really younger no more. We're, like, not the youngest people [?] anymore. What we'll do is, like, you know, we don't know what we're doing, where to start, so we just kind of sit on our hands, and part of your story was you were like, "Look, I'm not getting a job. I'm gonna do something." Like, you took that and you used that energy and put it towards something that eventually manifested into something viable, and that's just--that's so inspiring to me, like, no boost, because I think a lot of times what I've noticed is, like I said, we'll just kind of, like, sit on our hands and be like, "Well, I don't really know what to do, so I'm not gonna do anything." It's like, "Well, no. You could do something," you know what I'm saying? Like, you could do--like, figure out--figure out something. Like, take that energy and put it towards something. Make it--Nicaila: Absolutely, yep.Zach: Yeah, make something--like, do something productive. Man, so that's just super dope. So, you know, we talked about the first scariest thing. I think the second scariest part of doing something entrepreneurial is realizing like, "Oh, snap. This is something I can actually do full-time." So, like, as you were building out Side Hustle Pro and as it was growing, at what moment did you go, "Ayo, this is gonna be me for real"? Like, "I got this"?Nicaila: So, you know, I kind of had two of those moments in my journey. So the first one happened when I was freelancing. So because I didn't have a job I was able to land, like, a freelancing gig with this organization, Management Leadership for Tomorrow, MLT, which prepares, you know, under-represented professionals for the career field and also has a super dope MBA prep program, which I went through, and I also went through it in undergrad.Zach: Yeah.Nicaila: Folks at MLT Family, much love to them, because they gave me a freelance role as a social media marketer during that summer while I was finding my way. That was one of the first moments where I was like, "Yo, I could--you know, worst comes to worst I could maybe start my own social media consulting agency. That's one thing I could do." But I kind of pushed that to the side because I was like--I just didn't know how I would start that, how I would get any clients and what that would look like, and I wasn't sure if that's what I wanted to do. So continued to do that, continued to interview, got my full-time role--which ended up being at NPR, National Public Radio, in Washington, D.C., doing social media for their programming and their podcasts, ironically. So as I was doing that I ended up turning the blog into a podcast at that point, and the moment when I thought "I think I could do this full-time" is when I decided to start going after sponsorships. So within six months of the podcast launching, I pitched my first sponsor, and it just so happened that cold pitching--I landed that first sponsorship contract, and it was $4,000, and it's like, you know, $4,000 living below your means? Like, that could cover me. Like, I could live off that.Zach: Ayo, straight up.Nicaila: So I was like, "Wait a minute." I really went hard. "I could do this full-time." So that was that first light-bulb moment.Zach: Man, that's really cool. The other thing--and your story is, like, just putting yourself out there, right? You took a shot. Like, you had some evidence under your belt that, like, this was something viable with the podcast, and you said "Okay, I'm gonna put something together," and you--and you made it. That's really cool because, you know, people out here trying to pitch and stuff all the time, and I know we're gonna talk about Podcast Moguls in a little bit, but everybody doesn't make it on their first attempt, you know what I'm saying? Like, you hit a full-court--you pulled up from, like, 40, like Steph Curry [?]. And wet. My gosh.Nicaila: It was such a--it was such a good fit, and that's what I try to tell people about sponsorships and pitching anything. Like, you really have to know who you're pitching and what is in it for them. Like, what are you providing? Is your audience a good fit? You have to know your audience too.Zach: You know what? And it's interesting--and I think your marketing background plays a part in this, right? Like, understanding--understanding, like, the mind of your audience and understanding, like, the psychology behind even putting together an effective pitch. And, you know, I've been in Corporate America since 2011, and one thing I've seen is that first-gen corporate professionals, especially black and brown folks, are not the best at really marketing themselves, whether that be, like, to get a promotion or find another job or even to, like, get a side hustle going or get sponsorship and get support for a side hustle. I met folk with genuine passions, and I know, like, part of the TED talk is--[we?] didn't talk about this and all the stuff--in your quick intro, you know what I'm saying, you're still really humble, Nicaila. Like, you didn't talk about the fact that you was on--that you had a TED talk and you [were] talking about multi-passionate professionals and the future of work. But it's okay, I'ma let you make it. But I've met some folks with multiple passions or ideas and aspirations that they've been sitting on for years. Like, they have--like, they have ideas for years. Like, what would advice would you give to folks who don't really know where to start when it comes to amplifying your voice in the working context?Nicaila: First thing I always tell people is you've got to get out your own way, so the first obstacle is your mind and all of the stories we tell ourselves about, "Oh--" And a big thing that holds us back is what we tell ourselves people are going to think, when in actuality none of that matters. Those people--these, like, mystical people that you're making up that are gonna say this or that or these obstacles that are allegedly going to get in your way, let that happen and then deal with it rather than assume it's gonna happen and stop yourself before you even try. So that's #1, get out your way, and #2. Start so ridiculously small. Just by--you can write down everything you think you need to do and then start chipping away at that. So for example with a podcast, I thought about it in 2015. I didn't end up launching until 2016, but that's because I needed to tell myself, "Oh, I'm gonna learn how to do it first." So I spent some time just YouTubing, I spent some time listening to other podcasts to get a feel and doing all that stuff. Like, that was part of my process, but I knew I had an end date in mind, I had a launch date in mind. So start going through the process of launching what it is you want to launch. Invest in experts so that you can learn from the best. I'm not talking about taking endless courses. I'm talking about looking at the top person who you want to replicate and investing--if they have something--investing in learning more from them, whether that be going to a conference that they have, investing in a course that they have, because there's no sense in you, like, sitting around, trying to figure everything out on your own and getting in your own way. So those are my two biggest tips.Zach: That's--man, that's really dope. You know, and it's interesting because I feel like a lot of what you're talking about also comes down to really, like, understanding who you're trying to connect with and building authentic relationships. It's tough though because, like, it feels as if everyone, especially in 2019, is in sales mode on every social media platform, right? I mean, like, no joke. I was on LinkedIn today, and look--you know, Nicaila, I'm a fairly handsome man, okay? My teeth are--my teeth are fine, and yet, like, this dentist hit--a dentist hit me up on LinkedIn talking about "If you need anything, you know, with your dentist needs and you have, you know... use this promo code." I was like, "What?" Why is a dentist pitching me on LinkedIn?Nicaila: I bet you what though. Guess what? Because it's worked for him. I bet you that's why.Zach: I bet, I bet. And I can't knock the hustle. We live in a capitalist society, you know what I'm saying? It's built on the dollar. I get it, you know? Whatever. Different topic for a different day, but with that being said, what does relationship building look like in 2019 when these platforms that were initially built or pitched to us as really, like, relationship building and community building are really being used to kind of always, you know, sell something. And people are fatigued from that, they're wary of that. What does it look like to really build authentic relationships in today's space?Nicaila: Well, you know, I--before I answer that, I do want to say that I don't necessarily think sales is a bad thing. So that's where we can have a dialogue, because I think that's part of the reason why--that stops a lot of us from taking our business from where it needs to go, because we've been taught that sales is a bad word--and don't get me wrong, there are a lot of bad salespeople. There's a lot of practices out there that I'm like, "Come on." For example, when I get a DM that's just, like, selling me. Like, and I don't even know the person. I'm like, "This ain't it. This ain't it."Zach: Yeah.Nicaila: It's like, "This works for you? No, this is not happening." So I know I said the dentist, that might work for him, but honestly most DM pitches are 100% terrible. But at the same time, if you're using your platform to tell people more about your services, like, that's how people are gonna know about it, otherwise no one will discover it. And I've even experienced that with Podcast Moguls, right? You know, because I did a soft launch I wasn't talking about it as much, but when I finally really started to ramp up sharing, sharing, sharing, that's now when I'm beginning to build the level of awareness that I want to get to, because not everyone sees every post. Actually, no one sees every post, so in order to make sure that everyone knows about it you have to continue to talk about what you're doing, and that's what I think of it as - talking. So some people think of sales as pushing and being really aggressive to try to force someone to do something. That's not what I think of it as. I think of explaining to people what you know and leaving--and allowing them to make an informed decision. So that's #1, and #2. I absolutely still think of social media as relationship building. I mean, look at us. I think that--you know, we met via email, right, when you reached out for this podcast, and we continued--even though I couldn't do it at the first moment that you reached out, we continued--you know, [?], might touch base via DM or what have you, and a lot of the people who end up enrolled in any of my programs, whether it's Podcast Moguls or my Master the Gram program, a lot of them follow me on social media, and we have talked multiple times--we've had multiple touch points, and when they're looking and they're ready for an expert to help them with Instagram marketing or launching their podcast, they immediately turn to me and trust me because they know that we have a relationship. It's not just that they saw my ad. Some people it is, but for most people they had some kind of connection with me before they enrolled in my program.Zach: That's real talk, and you know what? Again, I'ma brag for you, 'cause it's--it's funny, because the reason I even connected with you--so I would have likely found you anyway, right, but what accelerated me to connect with you is because there are people in my network, when they knew that I was starting a podcast they were like, "Oh, you need to talk to Nicaila," and so your brand had already established itself enough that I had heard about you in other ways and then kind of--I connected to you through an informal referral.Nicaila: Yeah. [What I'd add?] too about relationship building--so I'm that weird person who, like, I look at Instagram as the same way I would a networking event, and because I'm actually an introvert, because I prefer--I'm a homebody--I prefer social media networking over going to--walking into random rooms where I don't know people. That's just always been my preference, but I'm not a weirdo. Like, I actually--[both laugh] I engage with people's comments. I mean, I will leave a meaningful comment once I start following you. I will--we will have actual, like, meaningful dialogue [?], and so that's how I view relationship building on social media, and then when I have the chance, I do try to connect with people, and I'm doing more of that, especially this year. So there are people who I've talked to on social and Instagram specifically, and I feel like I know them, but I haven't, but then when I go to conferences where I know that, you know, a good amount of these people are gonna be there, that's an awesome moment to kind of cement that relationship. So it started online, and then we make the offline connection, which just helps it to flourish even more.Zach: I love that, and I do appreciate you pushing back and challenging. I do think that it's definitely a space where you can make those connections, and I love the fact that you reinforced that. I think because on my side--and it might be just--you know, that's why I'm in your Podcast Moguls class, and we're about to talk about that in a second, but it might just be because of, like, the level of interaction I get where it's, like, a lot of, just, DM requests about, like, sales-y things, and not necessarily, like, just relational things. So with that being said, let's talk about a little bit more about what you have going on and where people can learn more. I'd like to start with Podcast Moguls because I'm currently in it, and I'm loving it. And then I'd love to talk about the Color Noir app, but I'ma let you wax poetic. You take it where you want to go.Nicaila: Sure. So Podcast Moguls is, you know, one of the major, major things that I have going on, because in 2018 I realized after--speaking of DMs--after years of just, you know--ever since I launched my podcast, after years of just, like, getting DMs, consistent emails, questions, questions, questions about how to do this whole podcast thing and how to grow it to the scale that Side Hustle Pro has grown to, I decided to package my knowledge and actually launch an accelerator program. One was to finally answer everyone's questions in one place, and the second was because when you look at the podcast charts, it is just really lacking in diversity, okay?Zach: It is, it is.Nicaila: And I'm like--I know we have a lot of great things to say and a lot of information, so there's no reason why we shouldn't be up there, but it's not enough to have great content. It's not enough to have valuable content. You have to know the marketing piece, and that's what I realized was my differentiator, my background in marketing. So I started my Podcast Moguls, which is an 8-week accelerator. Essentially I take people through the process of--you can start if you've already launched. So if you've already launched you can go right into working through the [?] steps to scale your podcast, but I also take people through the steps of launching, coming out the gate strong, growing that audience, and then continuing to grow from there. We have weekly coaching calls, so it's really cool because--it's not just a course, it is an opportunity for me to also really learn what people are struggling with so that I can continue to stay on my toes and just refine and refine content and give people information. So it's been a really rewarding experience for me. I think sometimes when we are on this path of entrepreneurship doing very untraditional things--like I said, when I was really exploring blogging I was like, "I don't know where this is gonna lead. This makes no sense. This can't possibly be a job." And I still have those moments where I'm like, "This can't possibly be a job," but I've learned through Podcast Moguls is when I see the results that people are getting, their reactions when they break in the Top 200 charts in their category and break through 10,000, 20,000 and more downloads and land their first sponsor, that has been a light-bulb moment for me to realize, like, "Listen, bloom where you are planted." You never understand exactly why you are doing this thing right now, but keep doing it. One day it will all make sense, because this is benefiting someone. This is providing value. And this is gonna change your lives--just like launching a podcast has changed my life, this is going to change your life. So I really am just so happy that I launched Podcast Moguls, and for anyone out there who's listening and, you know, has an idea for a podcast or started their podcasts and want to take it seriously and not just treat it as a hobby, I definitely recommend you come over to the program. Just go to PodcastMoguls.com. So you said to also talk about Color Noir, right?Zach: I did, but can we just pause for a second?Nicaila: Sure, yes. Yeah, I think we do need to pause, because you're in the program and, you know, you can definitely speak to being a podcaster who has a podcast, was doing your own thing, growing on your own and deciding to join.Zach: Yeah. So first of all I love the passion, right? And so, like, I got this app--see, I ain't trying to be just too--just too ridiculous, 'cause I was gonna play, like, these little "ow"--'cause I felt like you was preaching. Like, "Mmm." Like, "[imitating]," you know? I was like, "Golly, she is going off." But yeah, no, no doubt. You're absolutely right. Living Corporate has been around for about a little over a year, and so we're at a point now where I feel like we are--we're definitely continuing to grow, but I want us to get to that next level, and I'm a little impatient, and I also just--there's a lot of things that I know I don't know, and so what I've loved about Podcast Moguls so far is how open it is and how it really does reinforce community through the social media aspect. I love the content. It's just really--it's just really, like, smartly put together. Like, it's very interactive. It's self-paced, which is really important because I'm a manager at a big four consulting firm, so, like, I don't have time in the regular part of my day. I have to kind of, like, carve out time in my weekend to get in--I just love it. I love it. I'm just now really getting into the marketing aspect of it, but what I've already gone through just to, like, the basics and, like, the background, and, like--I'm loving it. I think it's absolutely great, and I definitely--this is not even an ad.Nicaila: That makes me so happy. Right? That's not even an ad.Zach: This is not an ad, y'all. I am not a corporate shill, okay? I am for the people. Yo, I'm still with y'all. I'm still with y'all. Don't play.Nicaila: No, but that makes me so happy, and also I'm really excited for you because I'm a listener of Living Corporate, and like I said, it's all about--Zach: Stop. Stop.Nicaila: No. It's all about this valuable content [needing to get?] in the right areas. Like, you know how many of us struggle with this? I mean, all of my business school classmates, like, this is our dilemma right now. This is--this is what I see people talking about in GroupMe and these conversations that you're having on the show. So it's all about getting it in front of more people.Zach: Man, I'm so honored that you listen to the show. Dang. I'm, like, really dang cheesin'. Uh, cool. Cool, cool, cool. Let me--[composes himself] All right, cool, so let's talk about this Color Noir app. So before you get going, I love the pictures, right? Like, it's super fire, and, like, Candice, my wife, she's a big--she's a big colorer, so, like, when she--she's in it as well. Like, we're fans. We are fans.Nicaila: Yay! I love to hear that too. So Color Noir, I mean, yeah, I didn't realize how big coloring books was until my husband Muoyo--like, he is--you know, he's the app guy of us, so he has been in the app business for almost ten years, and he kept coming across all of these coloring books. "Coloring books?" And he's like, you know, "I think we should create a coloring book app, but for black people," because as usual, everything that's created is not created with black people in mind. The images, you know? Look at Disney, Disney movies. You talked about Band-Aids in one episode. It's crazy that literally--Zach: We did talk about Band-Aids.Nicaila: Literally everything that's created on Earth was not created for us. So that's a big opportunity, y'all, for those of you out there figuring out what to create, literally look at anything--Zach: [laughs] And make it black.Nicaila: [?] selling it, okay? So, you know, he brought the idea to me. Of course I loved it because I just love seeing myself represented, you know? That's why, as soon as Rihanna launched Fenty, like, I--that's my exclusive makeup line now simply because I love what it represents. So we developed this together, so he worked with the actual developers and, you know, handled the technical side whereas I was all about the look and feel, because I am a user. I am the target customer, so I needed it to be reflective of me. And then one of the smart things that we did, we also created a Facebook group so that as people are using it--when we launched it it was beta, so everyone could use it, give us feedback before we really started marketing it, and so that group gave us really great feedback about skin tones, us needing to add more skin tones, the images, and of course Android, which is coming very soon, so--Zach: Look at y'all. First of all, it's so fire. It's so fire. Like, the designs are so intricate too. These are beautiful stencils.Nicaila: Yeah. So, like, we discuss every image, 'cause it's like, "What is this--" You know, it can't be too complicated that you can't color it, but at the same time we wanted images--eye-catching images that you don't see every day. You don't see a black mom breastfeeding her child in any old app, okay? So that's what we got going on. So check out Color Noir, y'all. N-O-I-R.Zach: Come on, now. And look, Nicaila, you know we got you. We're gonna have all the information in the show notes, so y'all make sure you check [them] out. Now, look, you know that we could keep on going, but let me just go ahead and stop, because we got other things going on. I want to respect your time. Any parting words or shout-outs?Nicaila: Yes. So parting words. First and foremost, I want everybody out there, if you have a passion that you are not exploring right now, start making some time every week just to see--just to see--what it would be like if you actually pursued it, and also if you want that kind of encouragement, definitely come over to the Side Hustle Pro community. We are Side Hustle Pro on every social media platform, so on Instagram, Facebook, just search Side Hustle Pro, and of course I really hope you listen to the podcast if you haven't already to get inspiration from dope black women entrepreneurs who started as side hustlers.Zach: Come on, now. Look, that--this is awesome. First of all, Nicaila, for real, thank you for being on the show. This has been wonderful, and--Nicaila: Thank you so much for having me.Zach: That does it for us, y'all. Thank you for joining us on the Living Corporate podcast. Make sure you follow us on Instagram @LivingCorporate, Twitter @LivingCorp_Pod, and subscribe to our newsletter through living-corporate--please say the dash--dot com. If you have a question you'd like for us to answer and read on the show, make sure you email us at livingcorporatepodcast@gmail.com, but look, don't play. Our DMs are wide open, so you can go ahead and DM us. We'll make sure that we shout y'all out. Get your letter in that way. This has been Zach, and you've been listening to Nicaila Matthews Okome, founder of Side Hustle Pro, multi-passionate entrepreneur and general snatcher of your edges and mine. Peace.  

Ade hosts another special episode, this time centered around pride and the origins of Pride Month! She also talks about the infamous Stonewall riots and the series of events they kicked off that have brought us to this point in time.Find out more about Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera!https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsha_P._Johnsonhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvia_RiveraConnect with us!https://linktr.ee/livingcorporateTRANSCRIPTAde: What's up, y'all? It's Ade, and you're listening to Living Corporate. So today is gonna be another solo run with just me, so welcome. Strap in. Let's have a quick conversation about Pride Month. So as many of you may know, I identify as a member of the LGBTQI community. I've always used the label queer and only recently started to embrace the label of lesbian, which that's gonna be another talking point a little bit later on, the reclamation of the term queer, but for those of you who celebrate, Happy Pride Month. For those of you who do not celebrate, Happy Pride Month. I'ma go and be prideful anyway. So for those of you who don't know, June is Pride Month. It is the month during which members of the LGBTQIA community celebrate history, culture, openness, freedom. There's so much more to it, but this year is actually the fifth year--the fiftieth year anniversary of the Stonewall Riot, which, like, kicked off a series of events that have brought us to this point in time. I'm not gonna do a full historical rundown. I do think that it's important that you know what the Stonewall Riot was, who certain figures were, so I'm going to do a quick exposition of that history, and I'll mention some names, and I strongly encourage you to go look into their stories and the impact that they had. So the Stonewall Riot was essentially this mini-revolution back in the '60s--and well before then, but we're speaking at this point about 1969. At this point, police officers used to go into bars where people who were suspected of being in the community were, and they would go in and essentially conduct raids. They would assault people, round them up, take 'em to jail, physically assault and molest them. If they saw people who were dressed in ways that they felt were not appropriate for their gender they would actually physically strip search them in ways that were humiliating and dehumanizing, and intentionally so. So in 1969, the club at the time, it was called the Stonewall Inn, and it was owned by a mafia family. So in general they would get tips before people--before the police would come, and so they'd be able to, like, disperse the crowd in order to minimize fallout and damage to people inside, but on this particular day they did not get--they did not get that heads-up, and so, you know, police officers came and did their fascist thing, and they ran in and were rounding people up, and at some point--historians differ on what precisely happened, but someone threw a brick. So some people say that that was Marsha P. Johnson, and some people say that it was Sylvia Rivera. Others, you know, aren't--don't necessarily claim to know who the first person was, but somebody threw a brick, and it started this chain reaction of people fighting back. And so that's the first point that I want you to take away, that, you know, in 2019 or in 2018 or whatever pride parade you may be exposed to, you may understand pride as sort of this, like, party and this sort of hedonistic celebration of life, which it is sometimes, but I also never want it to be lost that resistance is at the core of Pride Month, that pride was born from a place of resistance and subversion. I mean, think about it. These are people who were forced out of public spaces, who legislation essentially rid them of all of their human rights. They could be picked up and humiliated and debased for no reason other than they were different than others and they stood up and said, "You know what? Enough is enough. You will respect my humanity. Period. I'm not having it." And I want to make the point that regardless of what you think or what you feel, what your own personal perception of what the LGBTQIA community or is not, people being different from you is not a sufficient condition for you to rid them of their human rights. Period. There is not--there has never been an argument that held water for me, even before I came out, that made sense as to why it is permissible, it is legally permissible, to legally discriminate against any group of people. So let that be that. So since then, after, you know, this very revolutionary period, the community went through periods of growth, of advocacy, of community building, particularly during the AIDS crisis of the '80s and '90s in which pride, again, became a celebration of life. It became resistance, and the entire community just refused to be, you know, subjected to cruelty. Like, "No. We are human beings, and we will have our human rights." Like, having an entire community just refusing to be bound in situations in which people are literally being, like, put in jail for just being in love with someone, or Matthew Shepard--people just being murdered for the way that they exist in and of itself. To me, there is no--there is no better way to explain what pride means to me and why pride matters than to remember that there were people then who looked the entire world in the eye and refused to be ashamed, and there's no reason--no better reason now for why pride matters than the fact that trans women as a whole have an average lifespan of 35 years. In 2019 alone, I believe the count so far is seven trans women have been murdered. That may not sound like a lot to you, especially if you're in a high crime rate city, but imagine that you are such a small percentage of the population and people constantly murder you. And that's not even the daily assault and harassment and the fact that there's no legal protection for your rights, whether it is in the workplace or for your housing security. That leads to an incredible amount of vulnerability and housing insecurity, and choosing to wake up every day and be nothing less than your authentic self requires a level of bravery. That's why pride matters to me. So the other thing that I want to talk about--I was saying earlier about reclaiming the term queer. So in the past, queer had very much been used--and it's still used to this day--as a slur against people in the LGBTQIA community. It's used particularly against masculine-presenting people as a slur, it's a derogatory term, but more recently--and I think spoke about this last year if y'all remember that episode. More recently it has been reclaimed by members of the community who are essentially saying, like, "Hey, in the same way that other communities have reclaimed words that have been used to harm and abuse--" Like, okay, queer means weird. That's fine. Like, I'm perfectly fine with existing outside of hetero-normative norms. I'm perfectly okay with not obeying the terms of the binary. All of that aside, that does not make me any less human or any less worthy of love and respect and a fulfilling life, and that's my understanding of it. If anybody else has a different interpretation of that that does not align or anything like that, we'd love to hear from you about how you feel about that. I noticed recently that there's been more and more of a pushback against that term in particular, and my company was hosting a Lunch and Learn about pride in particular, and an older woman was very, very--like, she had a visceral reaction to it, and it might be, like, a generational divide thing, because I recognize that millennials and younger have a different relationship with queerness, due largely to the work of those who have gone before us, but millennials and younger just have lived--have not lived in a world that is that viscerally hateful, right? Yes, there is a lot of visceral hatred, right? Like, I'm not minimizing or even justifying the vitriol. I am saying though that 2019 is not 1969, and so it's understandable that we have different contexts, the same way that many older black people do not understand and fervently disagree with the reclamation of the N word. I can understand why folks do not understand the reclamation of the term queer. Yeah, I just want to talk through and maybe explore a little bit further what that looks like and what consensus might be around that in the community. And it might just be that there's no consensus, but I am interested in what that conversation looks like. Okay, so I know I've mentioned Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, but it really would behoove you just to be a well-educated person, have a well-rounded understanding of American history. Please look into those two women, Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. They, I think, define for me what it means to be an elder in your community, and just kind of extrapolating into corporate spaces--Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera [?], who had very little in the way of resources, and they still found ways to advocate for and support and protect their community. They created housing for young trans youth. LGBTQ youth have extremely higher rates of homelessness, of depression, of suicide, of drug addiction, largely due to the fact that often times coming out means that you are put out of your home, you are ostracized, you are--sometimes it's not even coming out. Sometimes it's just your mere existence in spaces that were not meant for you, meaning that you automatically have these poor markers for your general--your general life expectancy and all of these other things. Like, young LGBTQ youth, after being put out, often have less access to shelters. If they're trans, they turn in high rates to sex work as a means to support themselves, all of which is not beneficial for young minds trying to just find their way. I mean, imagine hitting puberty and also trying to navigate where to sleep and what you're gonna eat in the next day or two. It's difficult. That's why pride matters. Pride to me is about community. There is no better story of fictive kinship and what it means to truly draw your community around you and meet people out of a place of love and compassion than the LGBTQ community. I think that if you explore stories of lesbian den mothers who would, you know, take over the task of caring for sick and dying gay men in the '80s and '90s when their own families abandoned them and when care was spotty at best in these hospitals. For me, it truly redefines what love is. Community and family [during?] pride is an incredibly special feeling. I think that--and this may be speaking for myself, although I do suspect that this is a shared sentiment across the community. I think that finding yourself in spaces where you're not defined by being in this community, it's just "I exist and I'm valid, and look at all the ways in which I can have fun--" It's a powerful feeling, because human beings were not meant to live in isolation, and it can be incredibly isolating when you're the only person in the office using the term "partner" instead of husband or wife or you're the only person in the office whose pronouns are not respected, or you transition in the office and people refuse to use--or they continue to use your dead name. All of those things can feel incredibly isolating and dehumanizing. Pride matters because it is a space in which you can be validated without even thinking about it. Again, incredibly special feeling. So I told you all of the reasons that pride matters, particularly to me. What are the ways in which you can celebrate pride, even if you are not in the LGBTQIA community? I realize now I've been using LGBTQIA and not said anything about what that means. For those who don't know, LGBTQIA stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual. It is an umbrella term that tries to encapsulate the entire spectrum of folks who are gender-nonconforming, people with diverse sexual orientations, but it is of course not all-encompassing. The umbrella is wide. So what are the ways in which you can help? So of course you can donate. You can find small organizations in your communities that are working to support, especially the youth around you. Providing them with mental health care, with job training, with access to shelters, and maybe just even a safe space. If you are in the Washington, D.C. area, Smile, the D.C. Center, are both great organizations where you can donate money, and your money goes directly to supporting kids or Smile in general. Works with LGBTQIA youth, and the D.C. Center works at large, but they especially have a program for asylum seekers, which is dope. Another thing you can do with these organizations is volunteer your time. Whitman-Walker in D.C. is always taking volunteers to, you know, create bagged lunches, to come volunteer your time, to work with people. I mentioned Smile earlier. I mentioned D.C Center earlier. All of these spaces--this is just for if you're in the DMV area. I can't imagine the gamut of organizations out there doing good work. Volunteer some of your time. Take, you know, an hour out of your month to just spend time with people. It's well worth it. You get to meet new people and truly positively effect the life of others, and if you can't do that, you can call your state and local officials. Advocate on behalf of legislation that supports the LGBTQIA community. The Equality Act passed the House earlier this year. I don't know if it's gonna pass the Senate. God willing the rain--I don't even know how that saying goes. I think it's "God willing the rain don't come," or it's "God willing the sun don't shine." Someone will correct me. Help me with this, y'all. Anyway, support by, you know, calling into your state senators, your local officials, making sure that they know that you are a voter and you care about the rights of the LGBTQIA community, because believe it or not, our rights are still being voted on. Like I said earlier, in something like 29, 30 states, there is zero protection for housing security, for job security. Like, you can legally discriminate against people for their gender performance and their sexual orientation. That's a legal thing. Like, if I got married today and I wanted to put my wife on my insurance, it's entirely feasible that my employer could fire me for that. I mean, of course they're not gonna say "We fired you for this," but... I mean... yeah. Another thing you can do, those of you who are in larger companies--well, not even larger, mid-sized companies--you can encourage your company to host workshops and events and also get your company to meaningfully support some of those organizations that you find in your--in your own neighborhoods. If you find yourself donating your money to an organization near you, challenge your company, your boss, your leadership, to match your donation to that organization or to sponsor that donation for three months, six months, a year. You know, get your company to put their money where their mouth is, to affirm the life of or the lives of people who need support now more than ever, particularly in this climate. So I've been going for a little while now, and I just want to wrap up--I just want to wrap up this conversation by saying two things. One, pride matters because in June 2016 someone walked into a club full of gay people, queer people, lesbians, trans women, bi folks, during Pride Month, at a point in which the club would be full and people would be married and hearts would be joyous in Miami, one of the best gay clubs in town. He walked in there and shot the club up, and I mean that in the least complimentary way possible. His homophobia and his transphobia walked him in there, and he shot an entire club full of people who were just trying to celebrate life. In the aftermath of that rampage, 50 people were killed. Over 50 more were injured, and many people followed that incident by victim blaming, by saying "This is what you get for being different." Remember that pride started in Stonewall with the throwing of a brick. Remember that pride is subversive. It is revolutionary. It is refusing to forget, and it is refusing to break. Happy Pride.

On the eighteenth entry of Tristan's Tips, our special guest Tristan Layfield (@LayfieldResume) dives into a goal setting method that will help you achieve your goals through actionable steps called "Boulder, Rock, Sand." Connect with Tristan on LinkedIn, IG, FB, and Twitter!https://www.linkedin.com/in/tristanlayfield/https://www.instagram.com/layfieldresume/https://twitter.com/layfieldresumehttps://www.facebook.com/LayfieldResume/Connect with us!https://linktr.ee/livingcorporateTRANSCRIPTTristan: What's going on, y'all? It's Tristan of Layfield Resume Consulting, and I've teamed up with Living Corporate to bring you all a weekly career tip. Today we're gonna dive into a goal setting method that will help you achieve your goals through actionable steps. There are many goal setting methods out there, and you really have to find the one that works for you. One that I use and actually uncovered from someone I follow on Twitter is called Boulder, Rock, Sand. It takes SMART goals to a whole 'nother level. Boulders are your overarching, high-level goals or statements. So for example, a Boulder statement would be "I want to become a project manager in 2019." Rocks are your SMART goals that, once you achieve them, accomplish your Boulder. For those who don't know, SMART goals are goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. An example of a Rock statement is "I will take on two projects and complete my PNP certification by December 31st, 2019." Typically you want to have three to five Rock statements for each Boulder you set. It is imperative that these be as specific as possible and actually achievable. So if you set a goal of having your PNP certification by February of 2019 and it's December of 2018, you will more than likely fail because of the need to take the course and gather a certain amount of project hours, not to mention actually taking and passing the test. Now, the Sand statements are the specific actions you will take in order to achieve your Rock statements. So for example, I will 1. have a discussion with my boss about projects I can join, 2. utilize my in-office connections to identify projects in need of assistance, and 3. identify and register for a PNP certification course. You can then put these actions into a card or on a Trello board where you have four columns, Not Started, In-Progress, Blocked and Completed. Each card has a goal deadline date and begins in the Not Started column. Once you begin working on it, you move it to the In-Progress column. Now, the Blocked section is for when life happens and sort of stops your progress on that goal. So if your job requires you to travel for a lengthy, unexpected period of time, the card is moved to Blocked until you are back and able to return to working on that task. Setting up goals on a Trello board in this fashion allows you to visually see your progress, which provides motivation to keep going and achieve your goals. This tip was brought to you by Layfield Resume Consulting. Check us out on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @LayfieldResume, or connect with me, Tristan Layfield, on LinkedIn. Thanks for joining me. I'll be talking to you soon.

Zach sits down with the host of the Trill MBA Show, Felicia Ann Rose Enuha, in this special crossover centered around respectability politics. They discuss the importance of encouraging folks to embrace their full selves, noting that only in being your most authentic self can you really be your best at work.Check out the Trill MBA Show! Part 2 is on Apple!https://trillmba.com/episodes/https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i-am-not-your-negro-respectability-politics-w-zach/id1361878040?i=1000440238742Righteous Discontent on Amazonhttps://www.amazon.com/Righteous-Discontent-Movement-Baptist-1880-1920/dp/0674769783Connect with us!https://linktr.ee/livingcorporateTRANSCRIPTZach: What's up, y'all? It's Zach with Living Corporate, and listen, we have a really special episode. We have a special--and I do mean special--co-host with us today. Please introduce yourself.Felicia: What's up, Living Corporate family? [record scratch]Zach: [?].Felicia: I can't help it. This is Felicia Ann Rose Enuha, A.K.A. the truest MBA you will ever know, and I am the creator, executive producer, and host of the Trill MBA podcast, where my goal is to help you survive and thrive in Corporate America by giving you the truth and being as real as only I can be. So I am super excited to be here with you today, Zach, because I love Living Corporate. I love everything you guys stand for. I love the content you guys are putting out for the people, and so thank you for this opportunity to hang out with you and talk that talk today.Zach: Nah. Definitely the privilege is ours, and we definitely love Trill MBA. You do great content. It was interesting, 'cause in our research trying to figure out, okay, who's doing what it is that we're trying to do, who's out here really trying to have honest, courageous discussions about non-majority experiences in a--in a workplace, and Trill MBA was really, like, the only podcast that we saw that was really focused on that, and it's interesting because we actually had a conversation, like, internally about even, like, progressing and, like, moving forward with the Living Corporate platform, because we wanted to understand if we needed to be here, right? But over time I think what we realized is, like, there's definitely more than enough space for any voices that are aiming to do this, and the fact of the matter is if I look across the entire podcast landscape and I can only see one, then, I mean, that probably means, you know, it needs a little bit more.Felicia: Yeah. We need all different perspectives, 'cause here's the thing. As black people, we are not a monolith. Like, what goes for one black person doesn't go for the other. Hey, guess what? Not all black folks are Christian. Not all black folks are Baptists, you know? You know, like, we're not all the same, but the problem is the media portrays us as that one black friend or that crackhead or that baby momma, and that's what it's been until recently, right?Zach: Until recently, that's true.Felicia: And so we have these stereotypes that we need to fight, and the only way to do that is for many more of us to tell our stories, you know, be real about what's happening to us in different aspects of our lives in corporate spaces. That's just one aspect of, God, so many.Zach: No, that's super true, and I think it's interesting. Even the way that, like, you're framing this, in which I agree, is--I think, like, our vibes are really different, right? Like, our core messages are the same, but our vibes are different. So, like, Trill MBA, you know, y'all are--correct me if I'm wrong. My impression is y'all have been focused on, like, the very visceral experiences of black folks and how to really shed off the BS and really be your full selves at work. Now, Living Corporate, we aim to do the same thing, but we're not just focused on black folks and the framing and the tone in which we take around certain topics are a little bit different, and one could even say it's almost like an exercise in respectability politics in the way that we go about handling our content.Felicia: Yes, which is what we're gonna talk about today, and--Zach: Segue king.Felicia: [laughs] Well, the thing is also, like, I'm very focused on black women, because that's what I know and that's what I understand, and the great thing is a lot of the things that happen to black women in corporate also happen to other non-white males in corporate, but I want to pick out the nuances for black women. So for example, white women in the workplace, they get up in the morning, they'll look in the mirror, and their concern may be, "Okay, does this skirt fit too tight? Because I don't want to draw negative attention or derail my career because I'm coming off too sexy at work," whereas black women look in the mirror and say, "Okay, do I wear my natural hair today, or do I need to put this heat on it and damage it one more again? What meetings I got today?" So it's the same experience in the root of oppression. It just shows itself differently, and that's what I want to bring to the forefront.Zach: It's more than appreciated and needed, but yeah, you're right. We're talking today about respectability politics, and for those--'cause we haven't really said this yet, but we're gonna say it now. So this is, like, a two-parter, y'all. So we're gonna have part one on the Living Corporate side, and then we're gonna have part two on the Trill MBA side. But we just want to kind of give some context in terms of just what it is that we're talking about. So I want to go ahead and give a quick definition of respectability politics, and it's interesting 'cause when you look up respectability politics--like, you, like, Google it, right? So there's a Wikipedia entry, and then there's a couple of, like, posts on Medium, and there's also an article on The Root, but there isn't, like, a super historical breakdown, like, within The New York Times or the Washington Post or even, like, The Atlantic. Like, it's not--it's not necessarily something that we just talk about and really explore it in-depth in the same ways as we have other, like, hot terms, hot button terms, but I do want to talk a little bit about it. So the term "politics of respectability"--I'm reading from the Wiki, y'all, so don't judge me. Ultimately, when you--when you look at the history of respectability politics, it really actually started from the efforts of black women aiming to distance themselves from the negative stereotypes that came with being black in their communities, and it aims to control or really set the terms of behavior to make sure that your behavior kind of adheres to norms, and those norms are typically established by the majority. Stereotypes typically, like, around, like, us being lazy or dumb or violent or immoral, and so a lot of times when you think about, like, respectability politics, think about the difference between Carlton and Will on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, right? So, like, Carlton was, like, very quote-unquote articulate. He dressed--he did not, you know, sag his pants. He was a respectable guy. He was very intelligent, whereas Will was--he'd sag his pants, he'd laugh, he'd joke. He'd be all loud, you know what I mean? He was--he dated a lot. So, you know, he was not monogamous at all, and so, you know, that's where you see--you definitely see, like, a dichotomy there. And then it says--again, y'all, I'm reading off the Wiki. That's, like, kind of some of the background, but I'm also gonna put the other links in here around some of the other posts that we found, some of the other research that we found. There are research studies that associate part of the high burden of mental health disease for black Americans on assimilationist behaviors. So what does that mean? So the idea or the activity of us aiming to "act white," quote-unquote, puts a mental strain on us, right? Like, the idea that we need to adhere and just, like, behave in a certain way all the time, and that self-policing, that active self-policing, is mentally draining. Researchers Hedwig Lee and Margaret Takako Hicken argue further conversations about respectability politics should always consider the challenge of negotiating every day social spaces as a black American and how this impacts mental health. And then so really though if you want to--if you want to really read more on the origins of respectability politics, check out the book Righteous Discontent: The Women's Movement in the Black Baptist Church, 188-1920, written by Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham. And that's where the term was really coined and created, and it really, again, was to describe the social and political changes in the black community during this time. So this was transitioning from slavery. There was a movement that originated in the black church to really, like, almost reform the black image. This black image was one that was created through oppression, but it was the idea of having the right types of behaviors to be accepted as a functioning member of society. And you see that. Again, like, when you--I remember when I grew up, you know, when I was a little kid, there would be other black people who would be like, you know, "Y'all need to stop acting so black. Y'all need to act white." Right? Or if you're hanging out with your friends, your black friends, they'd be like, "You acting white," if you happen to do well in school or speak well or just reject--like, just reject slang or--it's like, "Oh, you actin' white." It's like, "I'm not acting white. I'm just--" I'm not acting white. Like, that is super problematic, but that's the idea of respectability politics. And then, like--look, so here you go. So y'all want another example? I'm about to say a bunch of buzzwords today. Black Lives Matter. So the Black Lives Matter movement is an example of a movement against respectability politics. The movement was motivated by the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. So we know the story of an unarmed teenager shot by a neighbor. In line with the growth of the Black Lives Matter movement, some celebrities who have typically shied away from the conversations about race have begun to engage the topic. And so we have, like, Shonda Rhimes as an example. Of course we have John Legend, but, like, there's--again, y'all, like, that's the idea. Am I making sense, Felicia? Or am I just kind of all over the place?Felicia: Yeah. I'm over here triggered that--like, that's why I'm like, "Oh, my God, yeah," 'cause I was that kid who was told in elementary school by my elementary school teacher--shout-out Ms. [Sledge?]. Well, I guess she might be married now. [laughs] But, you know, I would come to school and speak in black vernacular from home, and when you're learning, you know how to write sentences and how to write in, you know, "proper English," quote-unquote, you are told then at that point that how you're writing this is wrong. 'Cause I would, like, write things like, "What it is?" [laughs] "How you doin'?" You know? And the teacher's like, "How ARE you doing." "Oh, okay." And yeah, I caught on quickly, and I learned how to code switch without even understanding that's what I was learning to do. It became "This is how you talk at school, and that's how you talk at home." And so for me I also had a nickname, like many black people, and so my nickname is Lisa. And so at home I was Lisa, and at school I was Felicia, and so there began this whole psychological warfare of "Who am I?" [laughs] Or "Who do I need to be?" And always questioning that. So yeah, I'm triggered right now. [laughs]Zach: Well, it's interesting, right? 'Cause basically respectability politics, or adhering to respectability politics, says, "Look, for you to be treated better by those in power, you need to act this way," right? So you need to--you know, at work you need to dress this way. You need to say these things. Your work needs to look like this. Like, and it's so much about quality or even delivery. It's about the methodology of a thing and not necessarily the actual thing itself, and that--again, like, that effort to continue to self-police and tweak and adjust and consider every little thing you do can be genuinely, literally nerve-wracking, right?Felicia: It's dangerous.Zach: It's super dangerous. In my experience in my career, what I've seen is that a lot of times when you have, like, you know, employee resource groups or these types of groups that are, like, basically asking you to huddle around some aspect of shared identity--typically it's race--and for the black ERGs, what I've seen is really just a lot of conversations around respectability, right? So "Hey, when you come to work, you need to, you know, make sure you're dressing like this." "Don't be saying--don't use slang." It's just--it's a bunch of don'ts, right? It's a bunch of--it's a bunch of things for you to assimilate, and I think the biggest thing about respectability politics and just the whole concept of, you know, you need to act this way so that white people approve of you is, look, there's nothing you're going to do--there's nothing you're going to do that is going to dissuade someone from realizing that you're a black person, right? Now, in your mind, I guess if your goal is just to make sure you look like you're one of the good ones, I mean, I guess that's a choice, but ultimately nothing you're going to do is gonna stop them from remembering that you are not white. And it's interesting, because, like, when I talk to older mentors of mine who are the same age as my parents--they've done this for a little while. I say, "What would advice would you give me?" And they're like, "Look, the main thing you need to realize is you will not ever be one of them. Like, ever." Like, that's the--that's the feedback, and, like, that's what they've said over and over and over again is "Hey, you're not them, and you're not ever gonna be them." "So as long as you keep that in mind." He's like "Zach, you know, I know you're doing well and everybody likes you and blah blah blah blah blah, but, like, you're not--you're not gonna be them." And it was just--that hurt my heart. Like, for that to even be--like, for that to be--for that to be the advice that they gave me is--it hurts. Like, it's real, but it hurts. It's like, "Wow, okay." So--Felicia: Hold on. Let's unpack that.Zach: Hm?Felicia: Why does that hurt you and many people? Like, what is it about the fact that you will never be them that you feel--that makes you feel uncomfortable or you feel a certain kind of way?Zach: It's just--it's just sad. Like, it's just really sad, like, because a lot of times when you say, "Well, there is no--there are no races but the human race, and we're all one people," and all this kind of stuff, and it's like, you know, ultimately everybody wants to be accepted, right? Everybody wants to be accepted. So, like, when you're like, "Hey, I don't care what you do, you are always gonna be other. You're always gonna be different." And so it's the--the fact of me always being other and different isn't on its face hurtful. That's not the problem, but what is sad is that, like, the people that I'm talking to who are at the top of their respective fields, they are, you know, again, outside looking in, very respected and highly successful with a huge network of people that don't look like them--that ultimately even they, they go home at their end of their days, or they're in these situations where they still don't feel as if they truly are accepted and belong there. That's sad to me. It hurt. So that's what I mean when I say it hurts.Felicia: Yeah, and that's why I needed you to unpack that, because I didn't want it to be, like, you necessarily want to be them or want to be in the white boy club or want to be a white boy.Zach: [laughs] No.Felicia: [laughs] Right, I just wanted to make that clear.Zach: Definitely not. I'm very--I'm very in love with the skin God gave me. I'm happy with my culture and my identity. It's just more about, like, being other. It's just a different life. It's a different experience, and there's nothing you're gonna be able to do to really--to change that, and not that you should necessarily even want to change that I guess in terms of you being different, but it's just sad. Like, it's just sad to me that, like, I've met people who have been--I mean, they've been working for 40, 50 years. Like, they've been--they've really been putting in all this effort, and you would think at some point they would be truly accepted and truly part of the in group. And there's always gonna be a--there's always gonna be a bit of tension there in terms of "How much do you really belong?"Felicia: Well, and that's the thing, you're not. But we need to realize that that's okay, that it's okay to just live in your truth and be who you are, and I think what's so hard is that as human beings there is a need to feel accepted and to feel like you belong and that you have a place in the space that you occupy, and that rudimentary human need is expressing itself through the nuance of history and culture. You know, basically everything is the fault of slavery, but I think what bothers me the most is that you can't win in this situation of respectability politics because your mentors and those men that were telling you, "Hey, Zach, when you come into this space, you can't do this, you can't do that, you can't do this. You need to be this way." That isn't necessarily a rejection of who you are. What that is is survival, and so something that we have to give our ancestors the benefit of the doubt on is that the reason why they were trying to conform and assimilate is so that they can lessen the negative aspects of life that came from being so different and making white people uncomfortable. And so the idea is that if I show you and prove to you that I'm just as human as you are, that I'm just as good as you have claimed to made yourself to be, then you should treat me better, and you should just let me live, but that's the flaw in the thinking, is that you do this activity, you change yourself, you conform, but they will never see you as human. They will never see you as equal. They will never see you as them because the hate and the wanting to be in power and the wanting to be better than and more runs so deep through generations of the culture of Caucasians that you can do all the respectability politics you want, and it will get you so far--it will help you survive--but it won't help you thrive.Zach: It will, it will. No, it won't. And I think it's just--it's so interesting, because I would say, like, the most respectable person that we've ever seen on a public stage in our generation is Barack Obama, right?Felicia: Oh, God. Poor Barack.Zach: Like, Barack Obama is the most respectable person ever to respectable ever. Like, he is super--Felicia: But yet what I--and see, this is why I love Barack, right? Because, in a very rebellious way, he would let his blackness be known in public. So, like, when you see him greeting, you know, white people, and he's shaking their hands. "How are you doing? Hey. Good to see you. How are you doing?" And then a brother comes in that line, and it's a whole full dap up.Zach: I hear you. I hear you that there would be certain things he would do to let y'all know that he's--he is black, but what I'm saying is that when you look at his overall profile, like, this man has had--he always spoke very well. He went to prestigious colleges. Rarely cursed, like, in mixed company. He always kept his cool, right? Like, he was never angry. People used to complain about the fact that he didn't get angry enough. He dressed very respectably. But ultimately, people still talked to him crazy. People still called--people still attacked and degraded his wife. People still attacked and degraded his children. People still, you know, questioned his--questioned his competence and made a bunch of--a bunch of extremely racist statements. It was interesting, 'cause like, "Wow, man. This dude is the president of the free world. He's the leader of the free world, and yet he can't--"Felicia: He can't win.Zach: He can't win. He can't win. Like--Felicia: He can't win. Can't win 'em.Zach: I want to say like Ta-Nehisi Coates in The Atlantic said. Man, I watched this man, like--he said, like, "walk on ice and never slip once," right? Or something like that. It was like he was--he was squeaky clean, and yet, like--go ahead.Felicia: I was gonna say but then think about if Barack Obama had acted up half as bad--just as half as bad--as this fool, 45, that's in office right now. Can you imagine the David Duke-like person this country would have elected? Because I feel like the current person that holds the office of president--I can't even bring myself to call him president, but that thing in office right now, he is a direct result of Barack Obama's respectability politics and Barack Obama being this entity of a human that had to walk this tightrope line in behavior and manner and actions and, you know, trying to do the best he could with what he had, and they still hated him for it, and they just hated the fact that he was black. And because of that, it was like, "Well, this--" I ain't even gonna say it on your side, but you know what they called him, and now this is the--this is like, "Okay, we got rid of him. We're gonna fix it now," and then, you know, it's, like, swinging the pendulum all the way to the wrong side.Zach: Right. Well, you know, I believe it was in Martin Luther King's--I think it was either Where Do We Go From Here or the Letter from Birmingham Jail, but he talks about--he talks about white backlash to black progression, right, and he talks about the fact that, like, whenever there's something that happens where black folks make some type of progress in being more free, then the white majority--and again, for those who are listening, not every single white person. We're talking about the historical narrative of America--that there's some type of backlash, and I want to say, like, Van Jones--Van Jones, a couple years ago--as problematic as he can be from time to time--he used the term "whitelash," and that's what it is, right? And this is not a political podcast, right, but it's--to me, like, it's the biggest example to me of respectability politics and the narrative of, like, look, like, if they're not gonna listen to Barack Obama, with his very prestigious pedigree and vast intelligence, they're likely not gonna--they're likely not gonna feel you either. So, like, how do you--so then, like, the question to me then is what does it look like to reject respectability politics, reject respectability, and be your best self? Right? Like, that's really what I want to understand. I want to understand what advice it is we have for our listeners who--you know, who have--again, black culture, like, we--especially professional black culture is largely shaped by respectability politics. Like, you're gonna go and show up to these things. You're gonna talk a certain way. You're gonna not do certain things. You're gonna not have certain conversations. You're going to laugh at certain jokes. You're gonna laugh a certain way. You're going to dress a certain way. Like, because of respectability politics, because you want to fit in, and the point that you made earlier about, like, it's not to shame anybody. The origin of respectability politics and the origin of attempted assimilation is survival, right? And that translates today. Like, we act and carry ourselves in a certain way because we want to get promoted or we don't want to get fired or, you know, we want a bonus, or we want--like, there are things that we believe that respectability will earn us, will reward us, and so what I'm really curious about is that conversation. How do we encourage folks to be their full selves, right? How do we encourage people to fully embrace who they are and really be their authentic selves? Because only in being your most authentic self can you really be your best at work.Felicia: Right, and I think we have to really get honest with ourselves and understand that we're operating out of fear. And so this is something that I'll be touching on in my book. I'm working on a book right now to come out at the beginning of next year, and it's focused on career management for black women. And so one thing we've always been taught is that, you know, you need to show up in a certain way, and what I'm finding through my research is that the black women specifically that are doing very well in corporate America--so they're in the pipeline, they have senior-level sponsors. So their sponsors are CMOs, CEOs, CFOs, CIOs. Their sponsors are in the C-Suite, and they are being put into the succession pipeline for higher levels of leadership. Those black women are actually doing well because--they do something that's very unique in that they decide that they're gonna be themselves, but in addition to being themselves, they decide to share their story, one, and two, they also decide to bring their most positive self to work every day. So one thing they still keep I think from the realm of respectability politics is the idea that I have to fight against the stereotype of being the angry black woman. And I honestly think this is okay, because my grandma, she always told me "You catch more flies with honey than vinegar, baby," and that holds true to this day. So when you come into an organization and you face those challenges and the stress people try to cause you, whether necessary or not, when you can come in with your happiest self, your most pleasant self, your most positive self, and still bring the critical thinking--push back in a way that's a win-win for everybody, you know? Tell people about you and who you are and your personality, which we've always been taught "Don't do that 'cause they're gonna use it against you later." When you make that change, that's where you start to see a resonating with the humanity of the people you work with that don't look like you, because now instead of being afraid of you they start to understand you as a human, and you're not just this black entity that they don't know and they're afraid of. And so that's the thing that we need to change. We need to focus more on relationship building and less on conforming and putting our heads down and thinking that our work is going to speak for ourselves, because work is only 10% of the equation in success. So you can do all the great work you want to. The mediocre white man is still gonna get your promotion. Why? Because he has relationships. And so we can now move from this idea of respectability politics, because it's dangerous. It's dangerous to our mental health. It's dangerous because it doesn't help us fight stereotypes the way we think it is. It's like you're trying to call the stereotype as wrong, and first of all, stereotypes are just generalizations that have a bit of truth in them. We all have a Cousin Pookie. Yes, it's true. He might not be named Pookie, but we all have him. You know who your Cousin Pookie is. I got a couple of--Zach: Every family has a Cousin Pookie. Every family, irrespective of race. Right.Felicia: But the thing that we need to get white people to understand is that our Cousin Pookie is their cousin Billy Bob or their cousin Ray-Ray.Zach: Correct. Exactly, yes. Everybody has one. Everybody has a problematic--like, a challenging family member. Everybody has problems in their family. There's--like, the things that are so negatively attributed to black culture and brown culture, those things are happening in all families, all communities, because life happens. Because life happens and we are all human beings.Felicia: Yes! And that's what we all need to understand. This idea of thinking that there's aspects of your life that will make you better than the next person next to you and somehow make them less human than you are, like somehow you're a better human, that's the crux of prejudice and racism and just all of these ideas of you trying to somehow elevate yourself on the backs of someone else, and in order to do that and to somehow keep your conscience, you have to dehumanize the person who you're standing on. And in this country it plays out around race, but, you know, this is a human problem, but the more that we use our intellect to recognize it and recognize that respectability politics was only a way for us to survive in white spaces, that that doesn't work now. And you can try all you want to. You're not going to win. Barack is a very good example of that, and so now what do we do? We tell our stories. We humanize ourselves to the world. We share our culture. We share all of it though. The fun parts, the sad parts, the raw, human parts, the elated, joyful parts, and that's how we start to shift in the minds of the next generations that we are not a people that you can continue to step on and elevate yourself, because we're gonna move, and you're gonna fall on your butt.Zach: And, you know, I'm really appreciative of this conversation. I mean, it's tough because when you think about--I was raised to really believe that "Look, if you just put your head down, you work really hard, you keep your business to yourself, you don't tell your story, then you're gonna go far." And it's like you said, that's not working now. Like, storytelling is the chief medium of connection, and it's growing to be that, especially in corporate spaces. Like, those who can best tell stories, those who can best connect the dots in a way in a narrative form. And not, like, in a bulleted list, but, like, truly how they communicate is effective storytelling. Those are the folks that are making an impact, and that's a different point of direction for us, and it's, like, very much so against the grain of what I believe we've been taught historically will keep us safe.Felicia: Right, but I want you to realize - everything that we've been taught was taught out of fear. So it was "I'm afraid for you to walk in this space, and I need you to keep yourself safe, and so, you know, these are the things you need to do," which is--I mean, but literally it was about life or death, right? Like, if you walked in and you looked at a white man in the eye, you could die, you know? And so respectability politics had its place, but I think now we need to move forward and realize it is a new day, and so for you, Zach, I would encourage you to be more brave, be more courageous, and take those chances that feel, like, risky, like, real risky, and go for it, because those are the--those are the things that get you promoted.Zach: Oh, no doubt.Felicia: When you go to the CEO and be like, "Hey, I'm Zach. I just wanted to introduce myself. How are you doing today?" Now everybody will be like, "You just walked up to the CEO with your black self? And what did you say?" Even your white boss will be in fear. But the thing is, when you do that though, you're humanizing yourself. You're humanizing this person who has this title, and everybody walks around on eggshells around [them,] and now this person wants to connect with you because you opened the door, and they're just humans. And so we need to figure out, as black people, how do we get comfortable in our own skin in the workplace to make those human connections with the white men that are old and stodgy and they have resting bitch face that--nobody ever calls out that old white men have resting bitch face, but, you know, like, how do you get past all of that facade and go talk to them and meet them and learn about them and ask them to learn from them and share with them the things that you know about their organization that they'll never see because they're the CEO?Zach: No, that's real. And, I mean, it's interesting that you'd say that, 'cause even, like--and I haven't really ever shared this yet, but, like, my promotion journey to get to a manager role--and I got promoted at my last firm, and I'm at a new firm now, a new consulting firm now, but it had a lot to do with me telling my story and putting myself out there and connecting and networking with fairly senior folks, and I don't--and I don't think it's exclusive--and I don't think you're saying this, and I recognize Trill MBA's focus, but it's a chance to--Felicia: It's for everybody.Zach: It's for everybody, right? It's for every non-white person.Felicia: It's for white people too--it's for white men too. Like, and that's the thing we need to realize. Like, in some way, respectability politics also plays out from an economic standpoint. So you will have poor white men whose narrative is "I was raised in the back woods of Alabama, and my parents scraped together enough money to send me to Alabama University, and so then I went to grad school, I got into Harvard, and now I've unlocked this world of elitism." And then they hide, you know, their hick family, you know? They feel like they have to fit into this elite people, you know?Zach: That's real.Felicia: So these things happen in different ways, but they happen to all of us, and so I don't want to deny anybody's experience. I just want to call out, "Hey, as black women, this is how this happens for us," in a way that humanizes us and in a way that you can understand.Zach: No, that's real, and so what I want us to do is I want us to go ahead and, for our listeners...Felicia: Oh, it's about to get real. [laughs]Zach: Check us out. We're about to go ahead--and you're gonna listen to part two of this conversation on the Trill MBA show. That's right. So, look, we've got, like, a crossover thing. It's really cool, right? Like, it's kind of like when you have--I don't know, what's all the shows on NBC? You got Law & Order, and then you've got SVU and, like, you know, all the characters kind of cross over. You're like, "Oh, snap. Oh, [?]. They're on the--" You know, so it's kind of like that for your podcasts. For the loyalists over on Living Corporate, y'all get to now hear me on Trill MBA and vice versa, you know what I mean? So it's kind of like that.Felicia: Yeah. You're the Olivia Pope, and then I'm gonna be Viola Davis. I always forget her character's name. I know that's horrible, but she is so ratchet on that show. Like, she killed people and everything, so I don't think--Zach: Oh, you're talking about How to Get Away With Murder?Felicia: Yes! Yes. You know, they did that crossover episode. Annalise Keating! I'm gonna be Annalise Keating, and you're Olivia Pope. So you all statuesque and, like, put together, white knighting it, and then I'm over here breaking laws 'cause I'm a rebel.Zach: Wow. [laughs]Felicia: So if you want to come over and hear us be real black, come on over to the Trill MBA Show, where--what we're gonna break down though, we're gonna give you tangible, tactical tips on how to combat respectability politics for yourself in your workplace over at Trill MBA.Zach: All right, y'all. Well, listen here. Thank y'all for listening to the Living Corporate podcast. You can check us out everywhere at Living Corporate. That's right. So if you Google--that's right, Google--Living Corporate, we'll pop up. We're @LivingCorp_Pod on Twitter. We're @LivingCorporate on Instagram. Livingcorporatepodcast@gmail.com email address, and then we're living-corporate--please say the dash--dot com for the website. We're also livingcorporate.co. We're, like, all the Living Corporates dot whatever except for Living Corporate dot com because Australia is still holding onto that domain. So we're gonna have to see what's going on with the AU so we can get that domain, but yeah. If you have any questions you'd like for us to read on the show or anything you'd like for us to shout out, man, look, our DMs are open, okay? Twitter DM, Instagram DM, Facebook Messenger, and you can email us at livingcorporatepodcast@gmail.com. You can also contact us through our website, which I've already talked about. And make sure to subscribe to our newsletter through our website as well, okay? Let's see here. Shout-out to JJ. Shout-out to all the folks who are checking out the podcast. Shout-out to Trill MBA. You're gonna see us over on the next one. This has been Zach, and you have been listening to myself--Felicia: Felicia Ann Rose Enuha, A.K.A. the Trillest MBA you will ever know.Zach: JJ, drop the air horns right here. Yes, right on the outro. We're gonna put the air horns on here for my girl Felicia. Thank you so much. Thank y'all for listening to us. We're gonna be back. Peace.Felicia: That was so cool. [laughs]

On the seventeenth installment of Tristan's Tips, our special guest Tristan Layfield dives into how you can better prepare for networking events and lower anxiety around them.Connect with Tristan on LinkedIn, IG, FB, and Twitter!https://www.linkedin.com/in/tristanlayfield/https://www.instagram.com/layfieldresume/https://twitter.com/layfieldresumehttps://www.facebook.com/LayfieldResume/Connect with us!https://linktr.ee/livingcorporateTRANSCRIPTTristan: What's going on, y'all? It's Tristan of Layfield Resume Consulting, and I've teamed up with Living Corporate to bring you all a weekly career tip. Today we're gonna dive into how you can better prepare for networking events and lower anxiety around them. If you're anything like me, networking events can be a nerve-wracking experience, but growing and activating your network has become one of if not the best ways to find a new job. Over the years, I've found a few ways to better prepare for networking events and reduce my anxiety leading up to them, so let's jump into a few things you can do before your next networking event to be better prepared. First, set some goals around the event. I've found that networking events go smoother when I know I am there. For example, I went to a conference where my goal was to meet three panelists and to connect with ten other entrepreneurs. Number two, if you can, research who may be in attendance. If you know who's going to be there, you can figure out what commonalities you all have and use that to your advantage. Number three, develop your elevator pitch. An elevator pitch is a short and concise statement that explains who you are, what you do, and what type of position you're seeking. Spend some time here and make sure it's good. After all, it's gonna be most people's first introduction to you. Number four, you want to prepare your outfit. Let's be honest. When you look good, you feel good, and there's nothing worse than it being an hour before the event and you find out all your good clothes are dirty. Number five, figure out your contact strategy. You want to think about how you're going to provide your information, receive other's information, and what your follow-up strategy will be. Do you need business cards? Are you gonna show off your knowledge of LinkedIn's Nearby feature to connect? You know, what are you planning to do? Whatever it is, you just want to make sure it's appropriate for the event that you'll be attending. While networking can be intimidating, if you can take these steps you'll feel better prepared, exude more confidence while there, and hopefully land some new and fruitful connections. This tip was brought to you by Tristan of Layfield Resume Consulting. Check us out on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @LayfieldResume, or connect with me, Tristan Layfield, on LinkedIn. Thanks. I'll be talking to you soon.

Ade hosts a special episode centered around Ramadan on today's show! She lists a few ways to support your fasting co-workers and helpfully breaks down a handful of terms and phrases associated with Ramadan that you might hear this month.Ibrahim Abdul-Matin's book Green Deen can be found right here on Amazon!https://www.amazon.com/Green-Deen-Teaches-Protecting-Planet-ebook/dp/B00F9FMYDMConnect with us!https://linktr.ee/livingcorporateTRANSCRIPTAde: What's up, y'all? This is Ade, and you're listening to Living Corporate. So for those of you who have heard of Ramadan but have never had a co-worker or friend or family member who goes through that process every year, or maybe you do but you don't quite know what it means or you have questions as to what happens, this one's for you. So what is Ramadan? Ramadan is fundamentally two things. One, it is a period that varies from year to year--because the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar--that Muslims go through in order to fulfill a tenet of the faith. During this month, it's not just about fasting, although that's a significant part of it, from sunrise to sunset. Muslims refrain from eating food and drinking water, but there are also other components of this month that go beyond fasting. So it is also a time of prayer, of spirituality, of reflection, and also of community. Every night when you break your fast or in the morning [?], there is a process in which you spend time with your friends and your family members. Generally it's not uncommon that you're also going through this process alone, which isn't the greatest experience in my opinion. So if you're alone during Ramadan, I hope you're able to find a community near you. So you might have heard your coworkers say that they are tired if they're fasting during this month. That's because, in general, people will wake up around 4:00 a.m. in order to, you know, eat and drink some water, get settled for the day, and pray the morning prayers, and also are staying up pretty late in the evening to break their fast, to commune, to gather their family and friends, but also go to--if they are--I think this is a Sunni Muslim thing only, but if they're Sunni--if [?] is listening, please drop a line. Let us know if I'm wrong. I'm not quite sure, but Sunni Muslims go through this thing called [?]. It's late night prayers essentially. So while fasting itself is obligatory, you don't necessarily have to fast to also observe Ramadan. There are people who can't fast, who are either sick, or--traveling's a big one, or breast-feeding, or for people who have periods. You don't fast during your period. But there are also other components of the month that are special. So you--like I said before, you get to experience these late night prayers. You are also supposed to be--it's this internal time of reflection where you're supposed to be experiencing humility, and you're supposed to be a little bit extra--an extra sprinkle of patience. I mean, imagine that you're going 16, 17, 18 hours without eating or drinking water, which is actually a bigger deal than you might realize. But you're going through all of these things, and you're also trying to empathize with people who, you know, Ramadan is their daily life. You're attempting to extend yourself to others, to be more patient, be kind, be more humble. All of these components are an inherent part of Ramadan. You're also supposed to restrain yourself, right? Like, you don't get to have a lot of the physical pleasures that you experience, and so how does this, you know, reflect on who you are at work? Well, I know for myself I'm a pretty caffeine-reliant person, so imagine me at work at 9:00 a.m. meetings when I'm expected to perform at my best and I don't have, you know, my drug of choice, caffeine. I don't have--I haven't had water in a very long time. My head hurts. I'm probably tired. So part of Ramadan for people who are in Corporate America, in corporate spaces, and in, you know, just general is that you're spending a lot of time setting expectations before and during Ramadan. I know that I had a conversation with my team leads and my manager saying, "Hey, Ramadan's coming up. During the month on Fridays, I will not be here. I will be working remotely so that I can, you know, have that extra time to make it to [Jamaat?] prayers, or I will be, you know, a little bit crankier during the month. You know, not taking my frustrations out on people, but I'll be a little bit less perky essentially. I won't have water, I won't have food, and I certainly will not have caffeine, so be patient with me. And I also am a little bit more diligent during this month with writing everything down, because part of what fasting does is it affects your concentration, it affects your mental acuity, so I try to be extra diligent with that as well. And just being able to say, "Hey, these are the things that I'm experiencing. Thank you in advance for your patience and your support throughout this. This is what I need. This is what I don't need. It's really okay for you to eat in front of me in meetings. I'm not gonna be mad, and I'm not gonna Hulk smash anything." Setting those expectations I think makes them easier on everyone around you. So let's talk about--I'm doing this all by myself so it feels a little odd, but let's talk about what it means to be a supportive co-worker or supportive friend for those who aren't Muslims, aren't going through Ramadan. I also know that there are people who are non-Muslims who like to show solidarity with their partners or their friends or their family members by fasting along, and y'all are dope. So what does it mean to be supportive? I would say if you are in a leadership position, if you are in a management position, I would start by making some concessions. Allow maybe people to work a few extra days remotely this month. I would, you know, not schedule a whole ton of intense meetings, particularly near the end of the day. Closer to the beginning of the day is better, and that's because, you know, if I ate at 4:00 a.m., 12:00 is still a good time to talk to me. 3:00 p.m.? Eh, okay. 4:30 p.m.? You're definitely pushing it, you know? Again, think about this as this person's had not as much sleep as they typically do, they're under--they're working with much less mental stimulation, probably low blood sugar, and they're also making an extra effort at this time to be extra patient and extra kind. So meet them halfway. It's cool. So what are some ways you can support your co-worker at work? I think that, for most people, it's relatively easy to notice the ways in which you can support your co-workers, because it's just about being considerate. Let people work a few extra days remotely if possible. Yeah, just be flexible with their schedule, because it's often easier to come into work earlier than it is to stay later. Don't plan any extra meetings or make meetings extra long, because your concentration is pretty much shot throughout the month providing a space for people to reflect and pray if it's possible, because even if they're not ultra-externally religious over the course of the whole year, Ramadan is an extra special time, and it is a time during which most people that I know personally just take some time to reflect and to just kind of self-check, and it's really nice having a space where, you know, you can retreat while still also being accessible at work. So that's nice. Also, it's okay to still have food-based events. I know that we have birthday cakes for co-workers and things like that. Sometimes there are, like, potlucks during the month, and nobody [?] would ever ask you to stop that during the month of Ramadan. Just because I'm fasting doesn't mean that everybody else needs to. In fact, it's really great if there's--if people are having birthday cakes and they're like, "Save me a slice for later," 'cause I have, like, cake to look forward to, and who doesn't like having cake to look forward to? I'm generally going to say also that it's okay to ask how people are doing. It's okay to ask, you know, how people are holding up, what they're experiencing. It's not okay to say things like--that are condescending or dismissive in general, because, I mean, these are just basic rules of engagement when it comes to working with people, but it's not okay to minimize people. Like, "Yeah, I fasted." Like, "I've been intermittent fasting," or "I've been doing this intermittent fasting for a couple of weeks now. I know what you're going through," because truth is, yes, you have been fasting for several weeks, and not to minimize your experiences, but just to say that we are not experiencing the same thing, and it's okay to recognize that. In 2019 I'm gonna give up saying "um" so frequently. Thank you so much for your patience, y'all. And definitely allowing time to celebrate after Ramadan's done. So Ramadan ends with Eid--I think this year it's supposed to end on the fourth or the fifth of June. We are not sure because, again, lunar calendar, and there's a whole thing. Go ahead and--I encourage you to look into Eid and the end of Ramadan and what that means. Yeah, allow your co-workers to take time off to celebrate the end of Eid. It's often a time of celebration with family members. And think about it. People look forward to this time of year. It's this incredible time where you are exercising more discipline than you've shown during the year. It's like--for me personally I describe it as, like, a spiritual reset, when throughout the year I experience things and life gets more and more overwhelming or I surround myself with things that are not necessarily edifying, and there are things that are often toxic that you don't realize are toxic around you and in your space, and you just get to release all of those things through the things that you read and the things that you recite over the course of the month. I say all of that to say that this is a month of particular thoughtfulness and introspection, and at the end you get to celebrate all of it with friends and family, and your--like, because this is gonna be during the summer. There's gonna be, like, a huge barbecue, and you get to, like, hang out with friends, people you haven't seen in ages. There are often, like, marriage announcements during Eid, or people get married during Eid. Like, there's just, like, a whole ton that goes on, and it would suck if you spent all of Ramadan looking forward to Eid, not necessarily because that's what you're supposed to be doing, but you're looking forward to Eid, honestly, at the end of Ramadan. It's a ton of fun, and you don't get to take that time off. That blows. So if it's at all possible, certainly allow your coworkers or friends that time off to fast. Now, I think the final thing I want to touch on on what you can do as a co-worker to be supportive is I certainly think that because it's okay to ask questions, I would say that, you know, schedule some time after the month of Ramadan is over to grab coffee and say, "Oh, hey, I recall that you did this thing. What is that about?" If you're not asking during Ramadan because of all the reasons I just spelled out, because there's nothing--there's nothing wrong with that. There's nothing wrong with asking questions, and I actually also think that it's okay to say, "Hey, I'm kind of uncomfortable with this, and I don't know if you're comfortable with this, but I do want to ask you XYZ questions," 'cause that's how you get an understanding, I think. Just to recap what we talked about, allow flexibility with your friends and co-workers. That's not to say that we expect that, you know, you doing our work through Ramadan, 'cause Ramadan is so hard, but just allow some flexibility. Allow people to come in a little bit early if they need to. And there's some people maybe who prefer to come in later. That's cool too. I certainly think that it would be better to get a sense as to who's gonna be fasting and all of those things beforehand, and if they've been doing their due diligence, most people will generally call out, "Hey, Ramadan's coming up. Things are gonna be a little different for me. It's not you. It's me. I'm gonna be avoiding certain situations. It's not you. It's me." Your co-workers who will often go on smoke breaks with you, probably not gonna be going on those smoke breaks. That's probably one of the things that they're gonna give up during daylight hours. It's not you, it's them. People are in general often not gonna go to happy hours with you or they're not gonna do those things, and so I think part of--I think what I didn't highlight is just finding other ways to be inclusive, to have social gatherings. If you have any client relationships, maintaining those or helping your co-workers maintain those client relationships in ways that aren't going to exclude them, and by that I mean if you have lunch with your clients every third Thursday or whatever--I'm making that up--but if you have lunch with your clients, give your clients a heads-up. "Hey, Ali's not gonna be coming," or "Ali's gonna be here, but he's not gonna be eating. It's okay. It's not weird. It's just Ramadan." All of these different ways in which you can be allies to your co-workers in that way. And if they do say that they're fasting and they slip up and say something along the lines of, "Oh, I'm so thirsty," don't offer them water. It's coming from a good place, and I know that it's coming from a good place, but being like, "It's okay, you can break your fast 20 minutes early," or whatever, if it's close to the time of breaking fast. That's not actually helpful, and although you're attempting to be helpful, it's not, like, a truly help--like, it doesn't help my spiritual growth to say it's okay to bend your will and your dedication to this thing because I can see you feeling the effects of it. If I didn't know the consequences of my actions I wouldn't be taking them, if that makes any sense. We also said try to insure your meetings are a little bit earlier in the day rather than later. Meetings that are later in the day are painful. I mean, everyone knows that you don't--you don't truly want to schedule meetings well into the afternoon in general in Corporate America, but it's even worse when, you know, you're running low on blood sugar, you've been probably up for a good, long while. It starts to take a toll, and I'm not at my best in those meetings. So I would caution against that as well, and certainly--especially if you have a larger contingent of Muslims on your payroll, when Eid comes around I would expect to cover--I mean, in the same way that you expect that during Christmas people are going to be taking time off and spending time with their family, or during Thanksgiving, it's a similar concept in that we want to be with our families and celebrating, and it's just nice to know that we don't have to--we don't have to, like, steal our spines to negotiate time off work for this. And it's--you know, Eid is a big deal. It's not just a one-day thing. It's, like, a one, two, three, four day thing. Okay, it's actually one to three days. Whatever, but [laughs]--I wish it were, like, a seven-day festival of fun and festivities. I say all of that to say that your friends and co-workers are really going to need that time off, so if you need to, like, swap schedules, if you need to plan a little bit ahead of time, if you need to create some succession plans and insure that there are overlapping responsibilities--people are taking care of those overlapping responsibilities, I would take care of that as well. And also, this is just a really good time to approach your co-workers with some empathy, because people may not necessarily disclose fully what their experiences are, and I've talked a lot about how this is a time of community and a shared understanding, but I also know that there are many people who are very far away from home for whom this is a difficult time, and Ramadan may not necessarily be the happiest time for them. So in that case, or not just in that case, but I certainly think this is a great time to experience or to share some empathy, to extend yourself a little bit, extend grace to others around you in the spirit of Ramadan. One thing I've heard of when my friend was--a couple of years ago for Iftar one day, her team threw an Iftar. She was the only Muslim on the team, and they were all curious, so they all fasted with her for the day. And, again, you don't have to be super allies in this way, but they all fasted with her for the day, and then they broke their fast together, and that was just the cutest thing to me because one they didn't have to, but they extended themselves for her, wanted to put themselves in her shoes, and two, to truly experience a new way of living a world in which they never realized existed until they had this co-worker and extended some grace to her. So I encourage that as well. Let's see, do I have any final thoughts? Just some key phrases that you might be hearing over the course of this month. Ramadan Mubarak, which is, like, "Happy Ramadan." Ramadan Kareem is another greeting that you might hear. Then conversely, at the end of the month when it's Eid, you might hear "Eid Mubarak." Let's see. What are some other words? Iftar. Iftar is the breaking of the fast in the evening. So we typically do that by eating a date and drinking some water. And then suhur is your, like, morning breakfast. That's what you eat before you start your fast for the whole day. What are some other key words or key terms? If you play music at work, throw on some Sami Yusuf. I love, love, love--I personally love Sami Yusuf's music. That's Sami Yusuf. Yeah, take some song recommendations, play some music. Zain Bhikha is a good one as well to just listen to at work if you're in an environment where y'all play music during the day. Yeah, I think that's it for me. I don't have any book recommendations, although I should. I've been reading a few actually. Well, okay. There's a book called Green Muslim. I don't know what the author--I don't quite remember the author's name right now, but I'll be sure to provide that information in the notes. Green Muslim, it's all about being an environmentalist as a Muslim--or is it Green Deen? Goodness. My brain. See? It's all about being an environmentalist as a Muslim and what it means to support sustainability, and so it's a pretty good read so far, and I'm happy to share the name and a link to that in our show notes. Thank you again for listening. I hope this was not too rambly for everyone. Ramadan Mubarak, everyone. This has been Ade. Peace.

On the sixteenth entry of Tristan's Tips, our special guest Tristan Layfield emphasizes the importance of knowing your worth and how you can keep track of it. He offers a couple suggestions that could help, namely career journaling and a personalized document.Connect with Tristan on LinkedIn, IG, FB, and Twitter!https://www.linkedin.com/in/tristanlayfield/https://www.instagram.com/layfieldresume/https://twitter.com/layfieldresumehttps://www.facebook.com/LayfieldResume/TRANSCRIPTTristan: What's going on, y'all? It's Tristan of Layfield Resume Consulting, and I've teamed up with Living Corporate to bring you all a weekly career tip. Today, let's talk about the importance of knowing your worth and how you can keep track of it. "What's your career story?" This is a question I ask quite a bit in calls with my clients, and initially most of them struggle with it. Many of them will pose the question, "Well, who cares about career stories?" The answer is you. Well, at least it should be. These stories form the core of many of our interview responses and can come in handy when you update or tailor your resume, write a cover letter, or even while networking, but if you don't keep a record of what you've done and don't adequately reflect on that, you'll find out how the experiences you think you'll never forget can easily be forgotten. In today's world, we can't afford that. We have to be our own biggest advocates within our career, and we can't do it if too many pieces of the puzzle are missing. Often times many of us go into negotiations or requesting a raise from our boss, but we haven't taken the time to build a solid case as to why we are worth the amount of money we're requesting. That's not usually due to the fact that we don't have the background that warrants it, but it's typically because many of us don't keep track of the things we've done or accomplished throughout our careers. So here are two suggestions that will help to mitigate this. Hopefully one of them works for you. The first is career journaling. Essentially, it's very similar to regular journaling except you write down names, dates, and significant experiences or achievements from your career. You can highlight things like the amount of money you saved the company, being promoted to manage a team, or any metrics or accomplishment-based things that may be important within your industry. The second thing is simply creating a Google, Dropbox, or iCloud folder and throwing any awards, certificates, certifications or positive feedback in there. You know, create a document in there where you list your accomplishments and career highlights. Save relevant information or documents from projects you were on. Really put anything in there that will help you remember how amazing you are at what you do. There are so many instances where it's important that you know what you've done in order to get further. Resume updates, annual reviews, salary increase requests, interviews, offer negotiations, and that's just to name a few. In each of those areas, it is necessary to have a record of everything that you can review and utilize in developing a compelling career story to make your case. This tip was brought to you by Tristan of Layfield Resume Consulting. Check us out on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @LayfieldResume, or connect with me, Tristan Layfield, on LinkedIn.

We have the pleasure of speaking with Minda Harts, the founder and CEO of The Memo LLC, a career platform that helps women of color advance in the workplace. She speaks with us about a number of topics, including her new book coming out later this year titled "The Memo: What Women of Color Need to Know to Secure a Seat at the Table" and some ugly truths she says keeps women of color from securing their own.Check out Minda on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram, and don't forget to preorder her book from wherever you buy books!Connect with us! https://linktr.ee/livingcorporateTRANSCRIPTAde: Welcome to Living Corporate. This is Ade, and Zach isn't here today, but we do have an interview we had with the wonderful Minda Harts. Minda describes herself as a founder, philanthropist, and seat creator, which--seat creator is incredible to me as a phrase in and of itself, but Minda is a beast. She is an adjunct professor of public service of NYU's Robert F. Wagner's Graduate School of Public Service. That was a mouthful. She's also the founder of The Memo LLC, which actually I got regularly in my inbox, faithfully, before we even had a conversation with Minda. It's a career development company for women of color, and her debut book, which is called The Memo, comes out this fall with the Hachette Book Group/Seal Press. She's been featured in Forbes, CNBC, The Guardian, The Washington Post, and Fast Company. You can also tune in weekly for her career podcast as well for professional women of color called Secure the Seat. So obviously you can see that there's been some overlap in our interests as well as Minda's. Minda has conducted workshops all over the world and keynotes with ad corporations like Time Inc. Y'all may have heard of that little shop. South by Southwest. It's this popular little thing. You may not have heard of it. The Campaign for Black Male Achievement and the New York Public Library. She's also been at universities like Western Illinois University, NYU Stern, North Carolina A&T, and Cornell University. All that said, you may be expecting a few things from listening to this conversation, and what you're gonna hear between her and Zach will be some amazing strategies for women of color. So keep listening. We don't have any Favorite Things for you this week, 'cause y'all know how I am, but got you next week, promise. See you soon. This has been Ade. Peace.Zach: Minda, welcome to the show. How are you doing?Minda: I'm doing great. Thanks for having me, Zach.Zach: Oh, no problem at all. Really excited to have you here. Would you mind--for those of us who don't know you, tell us a little bit about yourself. Minda: Yeah. So my name is Minda Harts, and I am the founder and CEO of a career platform that helps women of color advance in the workplace called The Memo, and prior to The Memo I spent 15 years in corporate and non-profit spaces as a consultant. And I also teach at NYU Wagner and have a book coming out later this year called The Memo: What Women of Color Need to Know to Secure a Seat at the Table.Zach: That's incredible. Now, look, let's kick this off with this question, 'cause I think it's a good preface for this discussion. So you were recently quoted in a piece by the New York Times speaking to the anxieties around the motherhood penalty, and you said, "Because we are often only one or two or few in the company, we strategically have to plan our every move." Could you talk to us a little bit more about what you mean? Not only in the context of bringing your kids to work or having children, but being strategic period as a black woman and, larger, as a woman of color.Minda: Yeah, absolutely. I think that in that article too I also say that, you know, "A joyous day for one mother or father is mental gymnastics for another," and I think that often times, if you are the only ones, dependent upon how you're being treated in the workplace, you may or may not want your child to come to work with you because of how you've been treated in the workplace. And I think when we talk of micro-aggressions and bias and white privilege, I think our counterparts often don't think of what that means for us to show up. So again, you know, the pizza party in the jumpy house might be fun for all the other kids, but, you know, if I'm the only one in the workplace and I'm already dealing with all of this other stuff, you know, do I want to be subjected to that while my child is there with me? You know, so we have to think through. And then if one bad thing happens, our counterpart's child is being cute, but our child is being bad, you know? So we have to think about what those messages are. So each day, whether you have children or you don't, we have to really be strategic and calculate every step.Zach: So let's talk about your podcast also for a second--it's fire--called Secure the Seat.Minda: Thank you.Zach: No problem. What was your journey in, like, creating that space?Minda: Yeah. You know what's funny? I would say I battled myself for almost a year before I started Secure the Seat. I just didn't see myself as a podcaster. I thought, "Well, I have The Memo," the career platform with my co-founder Lauren. "We're fine over here," but what I realized was I was missing out on talking to some of the other issues that I think people of color, women of color, face, and also how can our allies or how can those who don't identify the way we do, how can they be helpful? And I think that part of a seat at the table is it's great to be at the table, but securing it looks much different, and also passing that baton, bringing others that look like us in the room with us, and I think we don't talk about that enough as people of color.Zach: I recognize your entire brand, your entire platform, is really wrapped around or centered around empowering women of color in the workplace and just period, and we know that you have a book coming out called The Memo. Can you talk to us a little bit about what led you to work on this book and write this book? And was it a similar journey to the Secure the Seat podcast? Was there any one moment that really hit you and sparked the fire and made you say, "Hey, I need to write this."?Minda: Yeah. It's interesting, because I had an idea back in 2012. So now, you know, it's 2019, so sometimes we just sit on things for a long time, right? And I knew I wanted to do something, but I didn't know what that something was, and it didn't manifest itself until 2015. And I realized that--what is my legacy going to be in Corporate America? What is my legacy going to be in the non-profit sector? And if there aren't people advocating for women that look like me, for, you know, men that might identify as, you know, people of color, then who--if no one else is gonna do it, then I need to be stepping up to the plate and add my unique slice of genius to this puzzle, because it's one thing to get yourself in the room, but if you're not bringing others along with you or sharing that secret sauce, then what are we doing, right? And so when we think about those who came before us, like the Harriet Tubmans, the Frederick Douglasses, the Malcolm Xs, they secured the seat so we could secure our seat, right? And so I want to be one of those people that played a role, even if it's a small role, in just having people think different. We talk a lot about leaning in, but what we're seeing is a lot of us are leaning out, and that's what I don't want to happen, because we've worked too hard to step away now.Zach: Absolutely. And it's interesting. I read a piece recently saying that leaning in does not work if you're a black woman. If you're a woman of color, like, it doesn't work. And I'm not using women of color and black women interchangeably because those are unique experiences and identities, but what I mean is that, like, even that language and, like, some of the frameworks in which we discuss these things, they are centered around whiteness, and some of these to be looked at or examined differently when you're talking about black and brown experiences. Your whole point around leaning out, that's really interesting. Can you, like, talk a little bit more about what you--like, what do you mean by people are leaning out as others are trying to lean in?Minda: Yeah. So we talk a lot about diversity and inclusion and equity, in terms of marginalized or underrepresented groups, and what we're seeing is that--at least for black women in particular, that a lot of us are leaving Corporate America and starting our own companies, and--which is great, that is to be celebrated, but we're leaving because of frustration, because we're not being invested in, because all of the education that we've obtained is not moving us forward. And so if they're not moving us forward, we're moving out, right? And so we're being cut off from this opportunity on the corporate side to obtain generational wealth in that regard, because the reality is not all of us will be successful entrepreneurs when we leave the traditional workforce. And so I'm saying that we almost have no choice but to kind of lean out of that, and my thing is, like, let's put the pressure on these companies for us to--for them to let us have a stake in the ground and move us up, if they say that's what they want to do. Zach: Now, look, I'm not trying to have you give out the sauce for free, but your website says that The Memo addresses some of the ugly truths that keep women of color from the table. Again, without you giving the whole book away on the podcast, could you talk a little bit about what some of those ugly truths are?Minda: Yeah. So I can't give all the sauce, but you can go and preorder it wherever you like to buy books.Zach: Ow. Yes.Minda: 'Ey. [laughs] Help me secure my seat. But what I will say is a lot of the business books, a lot of the career books, are centered--as you said--around the experience of white people in the workplace, right? And then we read those books, and we take what we can out of 'em and make that one-size-fit-all work for us, and I'm saying no. There are unique experiences that I've had as a black woman and that other women of color have experienced in similar ways, and I want to shine a lot on that "You don't understand what it's like showing up in a--being the one out of 90 employees," being that only person of color. And I know I speak from the lens of being a black woman and a woman of color, but I believe this book is important because as we talk about the future of work, this will require anybody who sees themselves in a management position to understand the unique experiences of their talent, and that requires all hands on deck.Zach: 100% right. And it's so interesting when we talk about the future of work and we talk about how workforces are getting browner, right? The next five to ten, fifteen, twenty years, like, the workforce will look dramatically different than it does today, and it's gonna be more and more important for there to be content and thought leadership around "What does it mean to be other?" Right? And again, as the workforces get browner, that doesn't mean that leadership is necessarily gonna get browner, but it does mean that there are gonna be more non-white folks in these spaces who are gonna, like, be new to these spaces. So what is it gonna mean for them to navigate and really be effective and be successful and not drive themselves crazy, for the lack of a better word, in trying to, like, really navigate and how they can really operate and be successful here. And so really speaking to that--you already alluded to this a little bit, about allyship. So I believe black and brown folks aren't really gonna go far in the corporate space without strong allies. Can you talk a little bit about what good allyship means to you or what allyship looks like to you?Minda: Yeah, absolutely. And that's--and you made a really great point. Just because the workforce itself is becoming more Crayola-like, right? More colors added to the spectrum, but it doesn't mean that the leadership is going to be, and that's the part that I'm like, "No." The future of work requires us to be at that table too, and so part of that allyship, that leadership--at least in my book I talk about shifting the language, because a lot of people are wearing this allyship badge like it's a sticker, right? Like I could go to any local store and just put this badge on and that's--and I'm good, and really I'm saying "Let's shift it to success partners." And I talk about that in my book. It's like, "No, you partner with me on the success." You know, "What is it gonna take for me to be where you are?" Or, you know, you provide a road map for me, an accelerated opportunity. I've been here, I've done the work, and it's gonna require people adding more seats, and when I was in Corporate America I had this one white man--shout-out to Steve. I don't know where you are today, but--Zach: Shout-out to Steve. Put the air horns on for Steve. [imitating the horns]Minda: [laughs] Yes, yes, and he had the privilege. He had the status, you know? He had the agency to be able to say, "I see you," and, you know, "Come through, pull up, and let me give you the shot," and I think more and more people in privileged positions need to be giving others that opportunity, because you'll never know what I'm able to do if I never have that opportunity to do it, and that requires you to partner with me.Zach: Man, 100%, and I can say that there was--there's not been anything that I've been able to achieve in my professional career that has not been, in some level, like, strong support from some white person, right? Like, in the corporate space. Like, I cannot look back and be like, "I did this by myself." I always tell people that I mentor--typically I'm mentoring black folks, also some brown folks, and I'll say, you know, "What's behind every strong black or brown person?" And they'll typically--99% of the time they'll say, "Their parents or their partner?" I'll be like, "No, a white person." And they laugh, but it's true. When you're talking about that sponsorship, allyship--like, when you talk about that support, someone using their privilege so that you can secure your seat at the table, like, you need that. I just don't think that it's practical or reasonable to expect that if you are a minority in these spaces that your very small network on your own is gonna be able to achieve and grow and get everything that you want to have, you know? You need some partnership. You said that--I loved that. "Success partners." So, like, could you just expand on that a little bit more? 'Cause I really like the way that's reframed. Can you talk--just unpack that a little bit more, about success partners?Minda: Yeah. Well, thank you, first and foremost, but I think it's--like you said, the majority right now is, you know, white men and women at these tables, making these decisions, and so they're gonna have to look out of the ivory tower and say, "You know what? Let's identify some people that are not in the room, that have talent, that have the ability if they had the opportunity. Let me partner with them and give them these accelerated career paths," and I think that's the only way we're going to do it, is for them to look around the room, take the time to see who's missing, and go and get them, right? Because we're there. It's not--it's not a pipeline issue, but if we keep leaning out due to frustration, then it will be a pipeline issue. So allyship is great, but now we need to shift into this partnership. So partner with somebody who's missing from the room and bring them up. And it's not charity. It's just giving people an opportunity, because 9 times out of 10 they have the opportunity to get to where they are.Zach: That's the wild part too, is that it's not charity. The people that you're identifying, the people that are out there that are not in the room--there's plenty of people out there that should be in the room more than you should be in there, right? Like, there are people out there that have earned it. But that's a really good point too, but I think--I don't know. I've seen it where--like, I've had people who have been allies to me, and there's a certain kind of sense of charity, right? Like they're doing me a favor. And I take it anyway, Minda, 'cause, like, hey, look, I'm just tryna get to the bag. So, like, hey, if you feel like you're doing me a favor, go ahead and feel like you're doing me a favor.Minda: Exactly, exactly. [laughs]Zach: But, you know, when you talk in terms of just, like, internally, intrinsically, you're not--that's a toxic mindset to have, and it's false, right? And it's kind of racist, lowkey, 'cause it's like, "No, this person has earned it." Like, I've seen--you tell me if you've seen this before, but I've seen in the working space where there's people who have exceled and they'll, like--they're seen as, like, really top performers, and then you kind of just, like, peel back a couple layers--you're like, "You're not that sweet. You're not that good." You know what I'm saying? [laughs]Minda: [laughs] If we were doing some, like, hardcore Inspector Gadget work, I think we would find out that a lot of people who are in that room should not be in that room. I was passed over for a promotion that they were quote-unquote "grooming me" for, right? And they ended up not giving it to me, and I had to--I typically wasn't the type of person to kind of challenge this, but I'm like, "Wait, I've worked here way too long for this to have happened to me," and I respectfully asked, you know, "Why did you decide to bring in someone who had less experience than me, has never really done this job?" And the response--I kid you not, it was, you know, "You're young. You're gonna have more opportunities. He's a good guy with a nice wife."[record scratch]Zach: Wow. Minda: [laughs]Zach: But then, see, if you threw a table or something, they would say you were crazy. That's nuts. Wow.Minda: I was crazy. I was crazy. Okay, but I've been working here 10+ years, grinding, hustling, taking on all of the top projects, and you're gonna tell me that someone who has 2 years experience, doesn't have the relationships I have, but because he's A. a white man--I don't know that that's necessarily why, but he was a white man and is a white man, and he has a nice wife. I'm like, "Okay. That's where we are." And in that moment, I realized that this is not the table I need to be at, because I'm gonna keep working my butt off and doing all of these great things. And I couldn't--I wasn't in a position, to be honest with you, to leave when that happened. I had to stay in that position another year and a half heart-broken while I helped him get up to speed before I was able to leave. And so where do the broken hearts go, right? So yeah.Zach: That's why I'm just so excited. I love the work that you're doing. I love your platform because--obviously I've watched you from afar as like--you're outspoken, you're courageous, you're gregarious, you're relationship-driven, you're a strong networker, all of these different things, but you shouldn't have to be all of those things to get the support that you need at your job, right? Like, there's plenty of people out there--black and brown folks out here who are a little bit more reserved and who aren't as sure and things of that nature, and they're struggling. Like, you just said, "Where do the broken hearts go?" There's plenty of people at work right now who don't want to be there, who don't feel supported, but don't know what to do, and that's just all the more reason why your platform is so important, so I just want to thank you again for even having it. Before we go, do you have any parting words?Minda: Well, first off I want to say thank you, and thank you to podcasts and platforms like yours, because we all need each other, right? When you're successful, you're successful. When I'm successful, you're successful. And there can be so many different ways that we get this information out to all of the broken hearts, right? And I think it's really important that we talk about experiences, and it was a journey. I just want to leave everyone saying that the Minda I am talking to Zach right now, it was a process. It was a journey. It was a process. I was not this outspoken. I was not--I've always been driven, but what I'd say a silent assassin, right? Like, I didn't really do a lot of vocalizing, but I realized that there a lot of people who, like you said, are not in a position to speak for themselves, and if I can help talk about the stuff that they can't in these settings and their bosses hear about it or read the book, then we're winning together.Zach: I love that, and you know what? Also before we go, go ahead and please plug your stuff. Like, where can people learn about you? Where can people preorder the book? Where can we get more of Minda Harts?Minda: Well, thank you. This is really important to me, this book, because when we were pitching it to the publishing houses, my agent and I, we kept hearing that there's not a--there's no one that would want to hear this. There's not an audience for this type of material, and there is, right? And so please go and preorder this book. Let's go and show the powers that be that we matter, our experiences matter. It doesn't matter if you're a woman of color or not, but there are career nuggets in here that will help each and every one of us who are underrepresented in the workforce. So wherever you like to buy books, it's "The Memo: What Women of Color Need to Know to Secure a Seat at the Table," and I'm most active on Twitter @MindaHarts, so find me there.Zach: Ay. First of all, Minda, thank you again, and thank y'all for joining us on the Living Corporate podcast. Make sure to follow us on Instagram @LivingCorporate, Twitter @LivingCorp_Pod, and subscribe to our newsletter through living-corporate.com, please say the dash. Or you could say livingcorporate.co, livingcorporate.org. We've got all the livingcorporates except for livingcorporate.com, 'cause Australia got that. Australia, we're still looking at y'all. You need to give us that domain. Don't play. If you have a question you'd like for us to answer and read on the show, look, just DM us, right? Like, get in our Insta DMs, get in our Twitter DMs. They're always open, right? Or you can just email us at livingcorporatepodcast@gmail.com. Also, don't forget to check out our Patreon @LivingCorporate as well. And that does it for us on the show. This has been Zach. You've been talking with the--that's right, the--Minda Harts. Catch y'all next time. Peace.

On the fifteenth installment of Tristan’s Tips, our special guest Tristan Layfield relates a personal story to illustrate the importance of tailoring your resume to the job you're applying for. He also shares a few rules to follow when tailoring your own resume.Connect with Tristan on LinkedIn, IG, FB, and Twitter!https://www.linkedin.com/in/tristanlayfield/https://www.instagram.com/layfieldresume/https://twitter.com/layfieldresumehttps://www.facebook.com/LayfieldResume/TRANSCRIPTTristan: What's going on, Living Corporate fam? It's Tristan of Layfield Resume Consulting, and I've teamed up with Living Corporate to bring you all a weekly career tip. This week, let's talk about why tailoring your resume is so important. Let me tell you a quick story. When I got fired from my first job out of college in 2011, I was frantically looking for employment. I created a resume, had someone look it over, and I went to work. I mean, I sent that same resume to well over 250 employers. I probably only heard back from about 30 of them, 25 of which were like, "Nah, fam, we're good on you." I didn't disclose that I had been fired, so I knew it wasn't because of that, but at the time I couldn't pin down the reason why. Looking back on it, I realize that it more than likely was because I was sending the same generic resume to every company no matter what industry or role it was for. Had I known what I know today I would have been more strategic, but we all know hindsight is 20/20. Before your resume is ever seen by human eyes, it is more than likely scanned by what the industry calls an ATS, or Applicant Tracking Software. This software scans your resume for key words and phrases then assigns you a percentage. If that percentage isn't higher than the threshold set by the employer, then you're automatically thrown into the "no" pile no matter how qualified you may actually be. To take it a step further, studies show that recruiters look at your resume for about 6 seconds--count 'em up, 6 seconds--before deciding if you're moving on to the next step in the hiring process. You have to increase your chances by giving them the information they want to see. The way you do that is by tailoring your resume for each job that you apply for. So here are some general rules. Do a quick review of your resume and take out any expired licenses and certifications, jobs with no transferable skills to the role you're seeking, skills and duties that don't apply to the position that you're trying to land, and trainings that have no role in this job. Then you want to work on replacing them with new and relevant experience that you've gained, key words that you identify from the job description, transferable skills and expertise that would be useful in any industry, and applicable trainings, licenses, and certifications. Tailoring your resume helps to ensure that you at least have a fighting chance to make it past that Applicant Tracking Software and be seen by a recruiter. After that, you have to make sure that your resume is selling you appropriately to make it to that next step. This tip was brought to you by Tristan of Layfield Resume Consulting. Check us out on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @LayfieldResume, or connect with me, Tristan Layfield, on LinkedIn. 

Zach and Ade respond to a couple more listener letters. Keep sending them in, y'all! The topics discussed in this one include being pregnant at your job and finding yourself unable to verbally fit in with your coworkers.Connect with us on our website!https://linktr.ee/livingcorporateTRANSCRIPTZach: What's up, y'all? It's Zach.Ade: And it's Ade.Zach: You know what? Wait a minute. Why do we always do me first? What is that about? You never go, "Hey, y'all. It's Ade," and I go, "It's Zach." Like, we always--we always do it like that. What's up with that?Ade: I don't know if that's true. I feel like I have gone first. I don't know. 'Cause I do the countdown, so I expect that you do the--Zach: Well, there you go.Ade: Yeah, I just--Zach: I don't know. I just feel like--I feel like if we're gonna dismantle patriarchy, like, we need to dismantle it at every--you know what I'm saying, every corner.Ade: I feel like you're just using that as an excuse to not go first.Zach: [laughs] Maybe it's 'cause--so when I walk around with people, like my wife, with women at my job, I open the door, and then I push for--I encourage for them to go first, and I kind of feel like it just doesn't rub me right 'cause--it rubs me wrong rather, because it's like I feel like I'm walking through the door first. Anyway, it's okay. Listen, y'all. You're listening to [inaudible]--Ade: Does anybody ever hold the door for you, Zach?Zach: You know what? My coworkers on my current project. They are--they hold the door open, and it's kind of awkward, and they go, "Yeah, that's right, Zach. I'm opening the door for you," and we laugh, and then I walk in the room. Ade: Wonderful. I was about to say I'd open the door for you.Zach: I believe that. I believe you would. I believe you would.Ade: Totally.Zach: Well, look for those listening in, you are listening to Zach and Ade on Living Corporate, and today we have--da-da-da-daaa--more listener letters. What's up?Ade: Sure do.Zach: So it's interesting. It was like--I feel like we've been asking for listener letters, and now they're coming in. Really excited about that. Please continue to send 'em in. We're gonna try to do at least two per episode, like, episodes that we do this, so--and we're trying to, like, churn through them, right, so we can get back to them, so that way y'all know that we're actually responding to y'all's notes. 'Cause y'all do be sending 'em in, and I feel bad--like, some of these we've been sitting on too long, but--[laughs] so I feel bad, so we're gonna start actually being a little bit more--I don't want to use the word aggressive--intentional, right, in getting these back to y'all. All right, well, go ahead. This first one I'm looking at, Ade--I'ma let you go ahead and ride on this one, and I may provide color commentary, but I feel like this is definitely a space that you would probably be better to speak in.Ade: I actually disagree. I think this is one that we should tag team, primarily because I have--I've never been in this dilemma before at least, so I don't know that I have the full range of context and experience, but I think it would be good to share this. Anyway, the subject of today's listener letter--it's called "Bun in the Oven." All right, let's go. It goes, "Hi, Zach and Ade. Thanks so much for this platform. I am dealing with a situation at work and I'm not certain what to do. I work in a relatively conservative area, and I'm pretty far from home. I've been in my industry for three years and in my current position for one. I'm used to working 60-80 hour weeks--whoo--at work, and I'm not alone in this. Most of my team tends to work long hours, but the pay is great and it's really rewarding work. Here's my problem - I recently discovered that I'm pregnant. I do not have a long-term partner, and I'm concerned about my ability to keep up with the pace at work and how my coworkers might react. What should I do here? Any advice welcome. Thanks again. Leah."Zach: Hm.Ade: All right.Zach: So now why do--what commentary or insight do you think I could add in this? I'm curious. What do you--how do you think I could--I could [laughs] provide--what value could I add to this conversation as a man? Like, you help me understand.Ade: I just--I feel as though, as someone who is more senior in their career, you might have more strategic ways of approaching this conversation than I might. You want to take a stab at it?Zach: Oh, okay. Yeah. So, you know, it's interesting. Of course I've been in a variety of situations. I work with folks all the time who get pregnant. I think what I've seen--I'm just gonna talk about what I've observed that I've seen go well is people just being really open about kind of what's going on if they are pregnant, utilizing their resources. So they talk to their leads, they talk to HR, they understand and, like, really explore their benefits, and then they just start making plans and saying, "Okay, well, look. You know, I'm pregnant, and this is gonna be--" "And I'm looking at my benefits so that I can go on leave. This is my work plan up 'til then." Talking, and, like, you know, just kind of being transparent with your leadership about, like, "Hey, because I'm pregnant, my work schedule may need--I need to adjust my work schedule in this way or that way." You talked about the fact that you're used to working 60-80 hour weeks. Like, those things may need to shift or change if possible, but again, I think it's--what I've seen is people who are really just open about it, because the last thing of course you want is stress. So the more things you can do to kind of destress the situation the better, and that's what I've seen--that's what I've seen work.Ade: That sounded like a lot. I don't know why you discounted yourself from the conversation and sharing your knowledge to begin with. Yeah, I just had to fact-check you right quick. Anyway... all right, so, Leah, first of all, thank you for writing in, and congratulations on this new journey on which you're about to embark. I think I would say, first and foremost, that you wrote about a couple of different things here, one that you're in a conservative area, two that you're far from home, three that you're working really, really long hours, and four that you're kind of doing this alone, and I would say that all the more reason to find your allies and your sponsors and your mentors at work and disclosing to them, as you feel comfortable, the situation you're in. Two would be that you don't concern yourself with keeping up with the pace at work. 60-80 hour weeks are great when you are not growing a whole other human being inside your body, but those are the circumstances in which you find yourself. So I don't think that it's wise to put the expectation upon yourself that you'll be able to keep up with 60-80 hour weeks. That's not even something that people who aren't pregnant want to do at a sustained pace for a very long time, let alone someone who's literally sharing resources with another human being. So don't put that pressure on yourself. Don't put that expectation on yourself. Definitely be realistic with what you can and cannot handle, and like Zach was saying earlier, start figuring out what your work plans are, what your contingencies are, and have honest conversations with your leadership about what it's gonna take from now 'til, you know, Baby Drop Day for you to continue being fulfilled and content in your career and also preparing for, again, this new part of your life that you're going to have to deal with. So Leah, the one thing that did concern me about this letter was that you--you mentioned that you were concerned about how your coworkers might react. I feel as though that is not something that should even pop up on your radar. I hope that you feel supported at work, and if you do not I think that it is--this would be the chief time to get some time on your--on the calendar with your HR person or with your allies or with your mentors and get a sense of what it means to split your time or to start removing some things from your plate, and it's OK to do that. It's OK to say, "Hey, I do not currently have the capacity for this at this time, and it's only gonna get--my plate is only gonna get fuller from henceforth, so how do we manage this in such a way to ensure I'm still having a fulfilling career and, you know, not being worked to death?" Leah, take care of yourself. Zach, is there anything else you'd like to add?Zach: You know, I think--the other piece is that you said that you're--you know, you're by yourself. Like, you're far away from home. So, you know, maybe there's an opportunity--and, again, every job is different. I know something that I was told, especially coming into the consulting space--and I don't know if you're consulting or not, but coming into consulting--I think it applies to just jobs in general, but it's like, "Hey, look, you don't get what you don't ask for," and so I wonder if there's any opportunity for you to work remotely on things, like, just for your whole working situation to change. I don't know the context of the role that you have at your job or, you know, how much of that is dependent on you being in the office, but, like, even if, like, a couple months, even before you take, you know, official leave for your baby, you could--you know, maybe there's an opportunity for you to work from home. Like, you know, there's other things. So I guess kind of going back to what I said at the beginning, which is, like, just being really transparent with the people that you trust, with your leadership, so that you can have a plan. I think that's part of it, is, like, being, like--just ask, like, you know, "What options are there for me?" I would also network within your business, right? I'm certain that there's other women at your job--well, let me not say I'm certain. Perhaps there are other--Ade: I was about to be like, "How certain are we?"Zach: "Are you certain?" But there may be other people at your job who have been pregnant and had children and had to navigate, so it's worth, like, networking and asking around as well. So that would be what I'd add, but nah, I think what you said is super spot-on. I agree. Ade: And sort of to pick up on that as well, if there are any employee resource groups at your firm, at your company, for women, I would certainly look into that. I just realized I didn't even, like, finish my train of thought with the whole mentors and et cetera, but also look into what support looks like after you give birth as well.Zach: Oh, that's a good point.Ade: Because again, you're going at this alone, so that means that you're going to have to figure out what childcare looks like, you're going to have to figure out--see, I don't even have a child, so I don't know--Zach: All the things?Ade: All the things. But postpartum care... shoot, I am ill-equipped for this conversation. But, you know, finding out what it means to be both a career woman and mom, that's a whole conversation in and of itself, a whole exploration process, and the more resources, the more conversations, then the more people you have around you who are able to support you in that exploration process, who are able to point you at the resources that you need and who are able to say, "Look, I don't know, but I am going to find out for you." That's the environment that you need--that's the support that you need, and I hope that you're gonna get that, and if you do not, I am hoping that you're able to find a space in which you can be both. And the other thing that I wanted to bring up--I read this post on Fishbowl. This just occurred to me. I read this post on Fishbowl a couple of weeks ago about this senior consultant who had just given birth and her team was already emailing her work to do, and she still has six weeks of leave left.Zach: Mm-mm. [disapprovingly]Ade: Don't ever feel pressured to take time away from your baby for your job, because your job will still be there, and should they ever find reason to fire you--and honestly, if you live in a state that doesn't require reason, then you're SOL anyway--I strongly advocate that you--when you do take time off work, be present entirely and let them figure out, right? No offense, but ABC Corporation will be just fine without you, and you're not gonna get the hours and the days and the weeks after you first give birth back just to just feel like yourself again, to bond with this new human, to breathe. You're not gonna be able to sleep for a little while, per my sister. So just being able to enjoy, step into the fullness of that experience... do not worry about the 60-80 hour weeks that are waiting on you or whatever it is that you left behind in your absence, because everybody else is getting paid for that. Like, they're getting paid to ensure that there is no lapse in the work that goes on, so I wouldn't worry about that.Zach: Yeah, that's a good point. That's a good point for everybody. I think a lot of times we can think that, like, if WE don't do something the whole world is gonna stop. It's like--it's a big company. Like, even if it's not a big company, you're not the CEO. Like, there's other people around. They get paid to help and be thoughtful and strategic on how to solve a problem. Like, you know what I'm saying? It's gonna be okay. It's navigable. Ade: Listen, just take a break. It's okay to say, "You know what? I'm a human being, and I have a life outside of this, and I'm not particularly interested in splitting my attention or my time with something that's not this. Like, this is the most important thing to me right now. You can keep the job."Zach: Yeah, straight up.Ade: It's okay to say that.Zach: It is. Okay. Well, Leah, congratulations as well. I apologize. I did not say that in my little initial response, but congratulations from the Living Corporate fam. Yearp.Ade: We should have a Living Corporate onesie made.Zach: Listen. Actually, I think that's a really cute idea. I just question, like, if we're--if we're big enough. But I would like to make one. If we get big enough and we start making, like, baby merch, we have--we have arrived.Ade: Officially made it. Mama, we made it.Zach: We have made it. We making baby merch? Not even just regular people. Baby merch. What? Anyway, one can only dream. The next letter comes from--oh, here we go--Jamal. Oh! ...I'm not hating on you. I'm not hating on Jamal.Ade: Why did you do that? Nope, now we're gonna--now we're gonna have to have a conversation, Zach.Zach: [laughs] It's just like--no, it's just funny, man. It's tough. It's tough out here, like, just the way that, you know, internalized depression is set up. Like, you know, even I see certain names and I'm like, "Oh, okay."Ade: I can't. We're gonna have to unpack that.Zach: We do. We need to talk about it. We need to talk about it in an episode about respectability politics, right? No, I'm just laughing at the name--I'm laughing at the name Jamal because it's just--it's so stereotypically black, and I love--Ade: In the context of the conversation that he's trying to have?Zach: And in the context of the conversation that he's trying to have. It's just funny. It's just all funny to me. Anyway, so look. Jamal, I'm not hating on your name. My name is Zachary. My mom named me that very strategically. I show up very well on resumes.Ade: You should also say your middle name.Zach: Sinclair.Ade: [laughs] Zach: [laughs] So I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum.Ade: I just also want to say that that was the only, like, American name for, like, a very, very long time. Any time I ever thought about "If I ever have children, what would I name them?" That was the only, like--Zach: Zachary?!Ade: No, no, no. Sinclair. That was the only non-[Yoruba?] name that I ever thought of, and it was because of Upton Sinclair. Zach: Sinclair is a dope name though.Ade: It's a very beautiful name. And then somebody was like, "Okay, but then they'll nickname your child Sin, and--"Zach: That's true. Call him Sini.Ade: Even worse. Even worse.Zach: I know. It's just ridiculous.Ade: Thank you so much for ruining this name for me, Sinclair. All right, let's move forward.Zach: Nah, kids are so mean. Anyway, that's another subject for another time. So this letter is from Jamal, subject line: Finding the Right Words. Finding the Right Words. "LC fam, I'm a new hire, and my team is very casual. Like, they use slang and don't even talk--do not talk very proper at all. They use more slang than I do outside of work. Maybe I'm old-school, but I speak fairly properly at work, to the point where I'm noticing I'm alienating my team. They'll say things like, "Hey, loosen up," but I really don't know how--"Ade: [laughs]Zach: "But I don't really know how. I didn't even know it was a problem until I got here. What advice would you give me to help me adjust? Thanks. Jamal." Oh, Jamal.Ade: Jamal. Jamal.Zach: J!Ade: First of all, my apologies... I just jumped right into that. Zach, is it all right if I go first?Zach: Go ahead.Ade: I am so sorry. I am not laughing at you, Jamal. I am tickled by the situation that you find yourself in. My apologies. I do not mean to be dismissive in which you find yourself. I am not minimizing your feelings. I just--I simply do find it humorous. OK. So Jamal, I want to know precisely what is said, you know? I don't--I do think that--and we've said this before on this podcast that--and Jamal, I'm assuming you're black 'cause I've never met a white Jamal, but--Zach: If we meet a white Jamal, he's coming on the show. I don't care what he does.Ade: If we meet a white Jamal?Zach: If there is a white Jamal--hey, if you're listening to this and you are white and your name is Jamal, email us and you will be on the show. I have never met a white Jamal. I've met a white Jerome. I've met a white Terrell.Ade: I have actually met a white Jerome. I used to date a white Jerome. Zach: Wow.Ade: That may have been too much information for this podcast. Let's move forward. [laughs]Zach: No. Oh, no. JJ, do not cut that.Ade: JJ. JJ.Zach: Was he a Kappa?Ade: Do me--oh, my God. We can discuss this offline. All right.Zach: I feel like--I feel like a white Jerome has a code shimmy. Ade: Can we--can we go?Zach: Go ahead.Ade: All right. Anyway, Jamal, again, I am so sorry. We are acting like plumfuls right now. First and foremost, again, thank you for writing in. Secondly, I feel like I need a little bit more context. What did it--what is it that makes you feel like you're alienating your team? Like, it's one thing for your team--I just have so many questions. One, I feel like there's a context necessary, right? If you work in an ad agency, the culture--or in a startup--the culture is not going to be as formal as if you worked in a bank, and that is not to say that you need to change the essence of who you are to fit into the context of your team, but I do think that it makes you more noticeable when you don't fit into the context of your team. Now, that said, there are fully ways that you can be who you are at work, not change an iota of who you are at work--see, you got me using--anyway, not changing the context of who you are, but also making more of an effort to be more accessible to your--to your team members. We've had this conversation before on an old episode where we were saying that people don't trust who they don't know. If you are inaccessible to your team members, it's harder for them to trust you, feel like they know you, go to bat for you in the same way that they would for other members of their team, regardless of how amazing you are. Like, I don't think that that is necessarily fair, because if you are a perfect coworker you just don't pop up at Happy Hours with the other coworkers simply because you don't drink. There's no reason why that should have an effect on your career trajectory. I do also think that there are other ways in which you can make people more comfortable with you without necessarily feeling out of place or like you're faking it. I think that you can--if you are a coffee drinker, you could invite people out for coffee. So they'll walk out for an afternoon coffee with you or coffee, or bring pictures of your family to put up in your workspace, or taking an interest in your coworkers, asking them questions about themselves so that you can listen to them use their slang and having a full conversation with them, because if that is not who you are, I wouldn't fake it. And I don't think you should have to in order to make anybody else comfortable. I do think that there are ways and strategies that you could employ to simply get to know your coworkers so that it's simply a part of who you are, Jamal, that you say, "I would not like to go to breakfast with you," instead of "Nah, I'm straight." You see what I'm saying? Does that make sense, Zach?Zach: It does make sense, and I do--I do think more context is needed, and I recognize, you know, you're not trying to get into all the details or whatever, but some--it's a challenge, especially, like--and I can really relate to this letter. That's why I was also kind of laughing, just because recently I've been getting feedback that I'm too--you know, that basically--not even too formal, but it's just like, "Okay, I'm getting lost in what you're saying, right?" And so what I have to challenge and what I have to question is how much of this is really me needing to adjust how I speak, because I'm almost 30 years old, and up 'til this point in my life I've been told that I'm a good communicator. I think that's one of the--one of my strengths. So how much of this is things I need to change? How much of this is, like, just personal style? You know, like, maybe what you're not used to? And then how much of this is just, like, you just maybe not being comfortable--like, maybe something about me makes you uncomfortable and there's, like, some unconscious biases there, right? Like, those are all--those are all things that are real, and, you know, when I think about--when I think about being at work and someone telling you to loosen up, it's like, okay, well, if you're communicating and kind of getting the message across, or if, you know, you're just saying what it is and they're still not really hearing you, then talking to someone you trust, right, outside of that team and being like, "Hey, look. Here's the feedback I've gotten. This is what I've been trying to do." You know, "What do you think?" Right? Like, getting some outside feedback I think is gonna be really important, because what you don't want to do is feel like you're having to--I think, like, to Ade's point, like, change your entire self. Like, you're trying to, like, rebuild yourself. Like, you're enough. Like, I imagine that you know how to put words together, so it might just be about making, like, some small tweaks and adjustments, but at the same time I think kind of trusting your gut as well and knowing who you are and then just kind of leaning into that. I think--the other point Ade made which I really like is, like, getting to know people and just kind of, like, building those relationships and then letting them see you, as comfortable as you are let them see you, but yeah. Like, that's what I would do, and then that way when they talk to you and you say, "Yes, I'd rather not," they don't go, "Oh, here you go again." Or maybe they do, but they've seen you, and they've seen you be consistent, so they know you're not putting on some type of, you know, air. That's my take.Ade: Right, and I do think that it's important that you separate who you are at work from who you are in general, and it's okay to not--it's okay to not want there to be an overlap. That's not to say that you have to hide yourself or lie or be unfriendly, and again, that's part of where this context that we're asking for comes in, because it's difficult to tell from this--from this letter whether the issue is that the coworkers don't feel as though they know you and that it comes out in them saying that you need to loosen up or that you are too straight-laced or if the issue is that you're not a culture fit for whatever reason. And I hate that phrase, "culture fit," because it's been used so frequently to exclude people of color, but again, some context is needed here, Jamal. I hope this conversation that we had helped, and if it did not, if you'd like to write in to further explain what's going on, we would love to have you, would love to hear some more from you, and if not, we hope that you get more comfortable, whether it is at this job or a next one. It's okay to be like, "You know what? I'm gonna take me and my suit and tie onto somewhere where we're respected." I think I'm perpetuating that "Break up with him."Zach: You are, you are. Ade: 'Cause I think I've said that about every single letter so far.Zach: You have, and I'm like, "Okay, Ade." I mean, everybody's not gonna just pack up and leave their job. I mean, you know, people do though. People leave. People find new jobs. I don't think this is what he's talking--I don't feel like this is the answer on this one though.Ade: No, I don't--I don't think that it is either. I am saying that it's OK if you feel like you don't want to and you want to kind of just pick up your things and go. The reason I say that is largely because you're a new hire, so I feel as though if they're trying to make you comfortable, singling you out is not the way to do that. And that may not be what they're doing. I fully admit that this letter's a little light on the details, et cetera. I'm just trying to address the full breadth of the experience that Jamal might be having. Since you're a new hire, it might be that they're trying to explain to you what the culture is without necessarily being the most obvious about it, because I know for a fact that I've, like--I've walked into a job in a full suit and the director was wearing jeans.Zach: Yeah, that happened to me recently. Like, I came to work and I was wearing, like, slacks and a blazer, and he was like, "Don't wear those slacks again." Like, it was super casual, you know what I'm saying? It was funny. And I got mad love for him too. He's funny. He's a nice guy. It was just super funny. And I wore a blazer. He wasn't super happy about the blazer, but the blazer has grown on him. I think he was like, "You have to take the slacks off." He was like, "I'ma kind of give you a little bit of a time about the blazer for a couple weeks, and then I'ma let you, but you gotta wear jeans." And so I got some--you know, I got some designer jeans. Anyway. We're on a tangent now, but anyway, I feel you. I feel you.Ade: Yeah, so I'm really honestly just trying to address the entire range of experience that might be going on here. It's entirely possible that they're wilin' and they need to relax and let you be who you are. It's entirely possible that they are trying to say, "Hey, you know what, a three-piece suit is not necessarily the way to go here," and they might also be saying that you're not a culture fit for whatever other reason. Either way, I would like for Jamal to feel comfortable in owning his experiences and in saying that, "Hey, I'm cool with this," or "Hey, I'm not cool with this," and either way, your life is yours, your career is yours, and you are able to make whatever decision you feel is necessary for your own growth and comfort.Zach: That's real. That's real. I gotta snap on that.Ade: Thank you, friend.Zach: You're welcome. You know, something interesting... we're saying these people's real names, and I wonder... should we not? Ade: Hm. You know what?Zach: We might need to do this whole thing over. I don't know.Ade: I feel like if they had wanted us to, like, bleep their names out or give them different names they'd have said so, but if you do write in and you prefer--and there are a bunch of Jamals out in the universe, so I don't--I don't expect--Zach: There's a lot of Jamals.Ade: Right? So if you do write in and you'd prefer that we do not say your actual names or the names with which you sign these letters--because these are just the names that signed the letters, so they may have given us fake names in the first place. Plot twist.Zach: That's real.Ade: But if you do prefer that we don't say your names, please let us know that, and we will do our best to find a repository of fake names to substitute.Zach: There we go. I like that. I like that cleanup. Thank you, Ade. It'd be so funny. What if, like, someone gave a fake name, we go, "You know, we don't really--" You know, "We're not gonna say this name," and then we give a fake name and the fake name is their actual name. Whoa. Ade: The universe really just needed you to say this with your chest then, because the odds of that--Zach: That's tough. That's tough tough.Ade: If you write in here, please note that I'm giving all of you [Yoruba?] names.Zach: Straight up. Okay, so--all Yoruba names, really?Ade: All of them.Zach: I like that.Ade: I mean, I might throw in an [?] name in there or an [?] name, but [?].Zach: Like Oshioke. That'd be dope. Ade: What? Oh, we're gonna have to coach you too.Zach: [laughs] I actually know an Oshioke. That's why that's so funny to me. Goodness gracious.Ade: It was just the way that you pronounced it. Zach: I know. No, I gotta do better. I need to grow. There's some opportunities for growth there.Ade: There are way too many Africans in your life for this to still be--Zach: There are so many. There are so many Africans. Shout-out to all my real Africans out there, but yeah. Okay. Well, look here. It's been--we got about 30 minutes? Okay, not doing too bad. Look, that's two listener letters. I feel like let's go ahead, let's do a Favorite Thing, you know what I'm saying, and then let's get on up out of here. How does that sound?Ade: All right, that sounds good.Zach: All right. What's your Favorite Thing? 'Cause I do have one.Ade: Okay, then you go ahead.Zach: All right, cool. So my Favorite Thing is actually this video, this music video, by this artist named Russ.Ade: [sighs] All right, and we're done. Thank you for listening.Zach: Oh, no. You don't like the video?Ade: I'm just being a hater. Go ahead.Zach: Oh, okay. I was about to say, this video was fire. So I opened up the video, 'cause I love music. For those who don't know, like, my background, before I changed my major, was music, and so I love music. Like, I'm really passionate about it, right? And so I'll listen to--I'll listen to really any genre. So anyway, I'm on YouTube like billions of others on this planet, and I open up a video and there's, like, this beautiful, I mean beautiful black woman, like, very, very dark, very dark-skinned, and I was like, "Man, this is incredible." And, like, the lighting was great, 'cause I'm also--like, I'm also really into photography and videography, so I'm looking at the lighting, I'm looking at the way--I'm just looking at, like, everything. Like, the color pallette. I'm like, "Wow, these are the prettiest black people." Like, on a--for this to be just a regular music video. This isn't, like, Black Panther. This is, like, just a music video. I was like, "Wow, the color--the lighting on the skin is so nice." So anyway, then the music starts playing, and then it's like--you know, it's an African song. Like, it's kind of African style. You help me, Ade, but it's--Ade: I'm gonna let you flounder for a few seconds.Zach: No, it's fire though. So anyway, then this random dude--I guess his name is Russ, I don't really know, so young people, help me out--this random dude, like, petite white man with very long hair is in, like, this really--Ade: Did you just call this grown man petite?Zach: I mean, he's like--he's only, like, 5'1". It doesn't matter. He's like--and he looks very out of place. He's wearing, like, a jersey with, like, baggy jeans, and, like, everybody else around him is, like, Nigerian or Cameroonian or, like, they are clearly, like, African, right? And they're all dancing, and, like, they look great, and he looks, like, super bummy, and the juxtaposition was really interesting, but it was a beautiful song.Ade: You just called this man bummy. You called this man bummy on his own music video? You called him petite and bummy on--are you sure this is your Favorite Thing?Zach: Everybody looks super--everybody looks so regal, but I like the fact that basically--to me, what I got from that was he was being himself, right? Like, I'm being myself. I'm chillin'. He also had, like, some--he also had some Nigerian cuisine references in his song, talking about "mix the jollof with the suya." I said, "Whaaat?" It was crazy. And so I just really enjoyed the video. I really liked the fact that you have, like, this really--apparently after I did some research on the Wikipedias--fairly [?]--on the Wikipedias. He's very popular, and, like, he really, like, centered--he centered black identity and experience in the song. And then the guy who sang with him, Davido... Davido? How do you say his name, Ade? Ade: I'm not doing this with you.Zach: He is cold! He snapped on this song. I said, "Yo, this is a fire song!" And so I sent it to Ade. I was like, "Yo, this is my Favorite Thing." Like, "The next time we talk about Favorite Things, I'm bringing this up." Yo, I loved the video.Ade: Do you know I completely forgot about that? I had to go, but, like, I'm literally watching the video right now as you talk about it. I had to go back to the text to go see what this is. I still can't believe you called this grown man petite, but yeah, he does look a little bit... slight.Zach: Listen, man. If the extra small fits. Like, I'm not trying to be mean. There's nothing wrong with being petite. You can--you can [?]--Ade: You are 6'3". Everybody is smaller than you.Zach: I'm 6'2", first of all. But yeah, I think--I wish I was 6'3". Man, that'd be great. I'm, like, 6'1" 1/2, almost 6'2". If I was, like, 6'3", what? If I was 6'3" with a beard--that's gonna be my next Favorite Thing, beards.Ade: There, so now you're only, like, 9 inches taller than me instead of 12. Great.Zach: There you go. But no, so why are you--why are you hating on the video? Do you not like the video?Ade: I'm not hating on the video actually. I just hadn't seen it, but I had heard a bunch of people, like, talking about it and how amazing it was, but I haven't seen it yet, so I'm just kind of like, "Ugh, God, I don't have anything to add to this conversation." And then you started the conversation about this, calling the man petite, and I had to go look.Zach: It got your attention though, right? See? There you go. Ade: I cannot. Okay.Zach: But what do you think? So you're looking at it. Like, well, how do you--is it not dope or is it not dope? Ade: Well, I haven't actually heard the song accompanying it, but yeah, it looks like a ton of fun.Zach: And don't the people look beautiful?Ade: I mean, yeah, of course. Wait, I think I just saw, like, a gay man in this.Zach: I'm saying. See? No, they're doing it. No, it's dope. Ade: Okay. All right, anyway, let's focus. All right.Zach: So that's my Favorite Thing. So what's your Favorite Thing?Ade: My Favorite Thing? So my Favorite Thing this week is a website called egghead.io. I've been struggling with--actually, two Favorite Things, 'cause, you know, y'all know how I am. Egghead.io is a website that has a bunch of lessons and tutorials for people who are learning programming, and they are, like, super short videos, which is great, because if you have a shrot attention span like I do, there's nothing in the world worse than signing up for sitting down for a 2-hour-long tutorial. It is so painful. And the concepts are [?] and robust, and you often get to, like, code along, so it's fun, for me at least. And then the other thing, my other Favorite Thing, it's the React training course. So I didn't tweet very often about it, but I went to--early last week I got the opportunity to go to a React training. It was on hooks specifically, but they essentially took us through the basics of React all the way through this new concept called hooks which uses [?] context and [?] effect, et cetera, which probably makes no sense to you right now, but I only got to go because I emailed the team behind React training and I just asked them. I was like, "I don't have $1,000 to drop on training, but I'd really like to come," and they said, "Cool, come on." And it's one of the things that I love the most about tech and tech spaces. It's that if you are--if you ask, more often than not somebody will try to find a way to make sure that you can get it. At least the spaces and the people that I have met have been super generous and awesome with their time and are willing to help you learn and help you succeed, and so for people to just go out of their way to support you simply because you say, "Hey, I'm a learner, and I would like the opportunity to attend this training. What can you do for me?" And they go, "Okay. Girl, come on over." It felt really good, and the training was amazing, and I am now using it to build a couple of apps with my friends. So I am--yeah, I'm super thankful for the tech community and thankful in particular for Ryan Florence and Michael Jackson. His name was really Michael Jackson. And Danny [?] over at React training. Yeah, love those guys.Zach: You said--you said his name is Michael Jackson?Ade: It's really Michael Jackson.Zach: Does that not make you nervous? 'Cause he might be so... BAD at his job?Ade: All right. Well, guys. You just had--you just had to get one in. Okay. All right.Zach: [laughing]Ade: Y'all, it was so awesome. Thank you for listening.Zach: Oh, you're not even gonna do your second favorite thing? You're just gonna--Ade: That was my second Favorite Thing, and my first thing was egghead.io.Zach: Oh, right. You just weaved into the next one. I'm sorry. You're right. Go ahead.Ade: You were so focused on your dad puns that you weren't even paying attention to me.Zach: I was paying attention to you. Relax.Ade: You were not practicing your active listening skills, Zachary.Zach: Man. I had some other ones I was gonna say, but I was like, "Dang, nah." 'Cause I don't wanna--you know what I'm saying? I ain't trying to mess the bag up, the future bag, you know what I'm saying? So I was like, "Eh, let me go ahead and not have a problematic joke."Ade: Your dad joke was amazing actually. Thank you.Zach: No, I believe it. I believe it. Okay, okay, okay. I'm sorry. You were wrapping it up. Okay.Ade: Yeah, caught Michael Jackson while he was on tour for once. All right, no, that was even worse. That was even worse than anything you came up with. Okay. Anyway, that's it for us today, guys. Thank you for joining us. Actually, I'm gonna stop saying guys. It's not very inclusive.Zach: I be trying to say. I'm trying to tell you. We need to relax on all these, you know what I'm saying, gender-limiting terms.Ade: You're right. Thanks for joining us, y'all. Next time we will see you--when's the next time we're gonna drop an episode, Zach? Do you know?Zach: I mean, next Friday. Ade: Word.Zach: We drop an episode every week, so.Ade: I've been using a contextual--like, weekly contextual language in this episode, 'cause I said last week, and I didn't know if it was actually gonna be last week by the time they hear this. Anyway, y'all, we're Living Corporate everywhere. We are on your LinkedIn, on Twitter, on Instagram, on Facebook. Wherever you be at we be at, so come check us out. If you would like for us to read one of your letters, please send us an email at our gmail. It's livingcorporatepod--podcast? Oh, gosh.Zach: Yo. It is livingcorporatepodcast@gmail.com. You can also DM us on Twitter and Instagram. You don't know--we're, like, 71 episodes in--or 72, I don't know when this one's gonna drop--you're talking about... goodness gracious. Yes, it's livingcorporatepodcast@gmail.com.Ade: I had "livingcorporatepod" on--Zach: You probably--what you probably did, you was probably thinking about our Twitter, @LivingCorp_Pod.Ade: Yes, that's the one. Uh-huh. I just--I'm not a terrible person. I'm just tired today, y'all. All right. We are on the world wide web at www.living-corporate.com. I got that one right that time.Zach: You did. Good job.Ade: Pats on the back, pats on the back. [laughs] Until next time, it's been Ade.Zach: It's been Zach.Ade and Zach: Peace.

On the fourteenth entry of Tristan's Tips, our special guest Tristan Layfield (@LayfieldResume) shares a few methods on how to get the most out of where you are in your career. Connect with Tristan on LinkedIn, IG, FB, and Twitter!https://www.linkedin.com/in/tristanlayfield/https://www.instagram.com/layfieldresume/https://twitter.com/layfieldresumehttps://www.facebook.com/LayfieldResume/Connect with us!https://linktr.ee/livingcorporateTRANSCRIPTTristan: What's going on, y'all? It's Tristan of Layfield Resume Consulting, and I've teamed up with Living Corporate to bring you all a weekly career tip. Today we're gonna discuss making the most of where you are. Are you eyeing that executive-level role and don't understand why you aren't there already? Are you consistently overlooked for promotions? Are you wrapped up in your side hustle and feel like your day job is getting in the way? So let's be real here. If you said yes to any of those questions, odds are you may either hate your role or you may be slacking a bit and don't even know it. You probably dread going in and are wondering, "Why am I here?" Believe me, I get it. I've been in that same exact spot. Nonetheless, you are in that job, and you need to make the most of it while you're there. Sometimes it's hard to see where the opportunities are, so I'm gonna try to make it plain for you. Is your 9-to-5 boring? If so, listen to educational and business podcasts and audiobooks that may help you get to that next level. Do you need new skills? Utilize the company's learning management system to take courses and learn skills that would be valuable in your current role or for the roles you're seeking. Are you planning on starting your own business? Study your 9-to-5's business concepts, strategies, and tools. It's like free business school. You get to learn from their mistakes. Want to know what another department does? Sit in on meetings if you're allowed to or request some informational interviews of your own. You'd be surprised who will actually say yes. Do you need a certification or another degree to take your career to the next level but you're strapped for cash? Utilize any tuition reimbursement programs or certification programs that the company has as a stepping stone. No matter how horrible we think a job is, we have to stop and realize how we can leverage our current roles to get to our future ones. We have to get out of the habit of asking for more when we haven't mastered less. The resources your current job provides can assist you in getting to that next level. If you treat every day in the office like it's practice, I can guarantee you'll set yourself up for whatever your next move is. This tip was brought to you by Tristan of Layfield Resume Consulting. Check us out on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @LayfieldResume, or connect with me, Tristan Layfield, on LinkedIn.

Zach takes care of a little house cleaning and touches on a few important topics, such as our blog, 5-star reviews, listener letters, and our monthly newsletter. Back to regularly-scheduled programming next week!Connect with us! https://linktr.ee/livingcorporateTRANSCRIPTZach: What's up, y'all? Zach here with Living Corporate. Now, we have some news, okay? We all know from time to time we'll shout-out JJ. You know, we'll ask him to drop a Flex bomb or the Jamaican air horns or some applause. So listen, he's actually married to the woman who y'all hear on the outro. Her name is Kiara. Mind-blown. Crazy, right? I know, I know, I know. Anyway, look, my wife Candace and I are godparents to their eldest child, and we're all pretty close. Like, we've known each other for many years. So they're actually bringing in their second child very soon. In fact, they may even be here by the time you're listening to this podcast episode. So look, I feel like that gives us a healthy moment to pause and shout-out Kiara and JJ on their expanding family, and it gives me a reasonable excuse to give y'all some other updates, right? All right, so boom. First thing is our blog. Y'all, look, we have content coming out nearly every week now, so make sure you check us out on the website, living-corporate.com, and actually share it on your platforms, especially, like, LinkedIn, Facebook. You know, it's a--remember, like, we're Real Talk in a Corporate World, right? So the more that we can share this type of content in professional spaces--quote unquote professional spaces--the better. So I definitely want to shout-out our regular writers and our guest writers. Y'all need to please keep it up, and y'all--that y'all was to the writers. Now, this y'all is to y'all. Check us out, right? Check us out, give us a read, and just share it around. Okay, so second thing is our 5-star reviews. So we talked about this in our Season 2 Kickoff, but we have some giveaways planned for those who show us love on the iTunes, okay? So do this for us. After you give us a 5-star review, screenshot it and email us with your address. You will then get into a drawing where you can win a mug from us. This is a good mug too. Like, this is not, like, a little, you know what I'm saying--this is not your grandma's mug, okay? It might be your grandma's mug if your grandma's mug would be big, right, with a huge cup. This is a big mug, right? It's a good mug. Like, you could almost actually eat, like, a little small thing of cereal out this mug. Like, it's a good mug, so check it out. But for you to get the mug, again, for free, we're just asking that you give us a 5-star review, and we'll definitely shout y'all out on the show, just like we did so many episodes ago. Third thing is listener letters. Now, look, y'all, we're not just trying to talk AT y'all, and I know that's kind of weird since we're a podcast, but we're not, right? Like, we actually want to dialogue with you, and so make sure you keep sending in listener letters. Ade and I have had fun thus far in what we've gone through, but we could always use more. So continue to send them in, and encourage your friends and your people to do the same. Fourth thing is our newsletter. So every month we drop a newsletter on what we got going on. Our latest episodes, our blogging content, giveaways, partnerships, all of that, so make sure you subscribe to the newsletter through our website. We have--I'm not gonna say the exact number. We've got a few thousand, you know, folks on the newsletter list right now, but our goal is to get to 25,000 by the end of this year, and we're coming up on the halfway mark of the year. We've got a little ways to go, but we want--we want y'all to be on this newsletter, so make sure y'all actually subscribe to the newsletter. Okay, cool. So then last thing, shout-out to y'all. There are so many spaces that I'm seeing in, like, these formal corporate contexts that--they try to talk about culture or D&I, but there's just such a thick veneer of, like, respectability and, frankly, an aversion to discussing race and gender in an intersectional way that--long story less long, rant less long--I just am continuing to understand and value what it is Living Corporate is trying to do here. And this is not me tooting my own horn or trying to pat my own back, but really thanking y'all for supporting this journey that we've been going on, right? It's been a little bit over a year. And our goal was just to create courageous, transparent content that talks about and aims to center identities that are not often centered, right? I mean, kind of what I'm speaking to is I've noticed that, even when we talk about race and we talk about gender within the corporate context, it still centers whiteness, right? Like, it rarely actually centers the perspectives and experiences of the people that are actually being marginalized. It somehow makes racism or discrimination or bias either something that is innocent or unintentional, but it doesn't really, like, seek to empathize, again, or center how those experiences make the non-white party feel. And I believe that Living Corporate is an exercise in empathy, right? Like, we're aiming to really drive and put you, our listeners--especially if you're not a person of color--in those shoes of the people who are experiencing these things and having real, honest, transparent conversations about these topics. And, you know, this platform was kind of birthed out of a certain level of frustration. That frustration has not necessarily gone away. It won't go away, but the frustration is not our fuel for Living Corporate. The love that we've gotten and the support that we've gotten from y'all has been our fuel, so again, shout-out to y'all. Shout-out to Kiara and JJ. Congratulations on y'all's little one. Hope to see them soon. And yeah, we'll catch you all next week. Back to regularly-scheduled programming. This has been Zach. Peace.

On the thirteenth installment of Tristan's Tips, our special guest Tristan Layfield illustrates the importance of performing a skills gap analysis when we find we need more skills, credentials, or experience to position ourselves as the best candidate for the job we want. He helpfully breaks down how to conduct one step-by-step.Connect with Tristan on LinkedIn, IG, FB, and Twitter!https://www.linkedin.com/in/tristanlayfield/https://www.instagram.com/layfieldresume/https://twitter.com/layfieldresumehttps://www.facebook.com/LayfieldResume/Connect with us!https://linktr.ee/livingcorporateTRANSCRIPTTristan: What's going on, y'all? It's Tristan of Layfield Resume Consulting, and I've teamed up with Living Corporate to bring you all a weekly career tip. Today, we're gonna dive into what a skills gap analysis is and how you can conduct one. When we finally figure out the exact job we want to get, often times we are not qualified right off the bat to apply and get it. We may need to gain new skills, credentials, or experience to position ourselves as the best candidate, but the question is "How do you figure out what skills and steps you need to take?" While this can be answered in many ways, a skills gap analysis is a great place to start, so I wanted to take a moment to walk you through how you can conduct a skills gap analysis to help you figure out what skills you need to develop to get into that new role. Step 1, analyze the requirements. When doing this, there are a few questions you want to consider, for both the job you want and the employer you're considering. For the job you want to ask, "What are the roles and responsibilities? What task will I be performing? What technical skills, language skills, or industry knowledge is needed? And what type of education, certifications, or experience is required?" Now, for the employer you want to ask, "Where is the company headed? What skills do they need, not only now but in the future?" And what are their objectives or values? Now, in the next step, Step 2, you want to do a self-assessment. This step requires you to assess what skills and qualifications you currently have. Now, sometimes it's a little hard for us to really identify the skills and qualifications we currently have, so you may want to consult your manager, your mentor, or your professional network to gain a more holistic view of your skills. You just want to get perspective on what knowledge, skills, and ability you currently have. Step 3, identify the gaps. Here you're going to compare your skills to the skills required by the employer, which you identified in Step 1. You're comparing where you currently are to where you want to be. Anything that is present on the employer's required skills list and absent on your skills list is a gap, and that is where you want to focus for the next step. Step 4, create an action plan. Here you figure out how to bridge those gaps that you've identified throughout the analysis. Some of the items that you can do to bridge those gaps may include things like mentoring, interning, more schooling, online courses, certifications, training programs, conferences, reading, volunteering, et cetera. You want to make sure that the goals that you set here in your action plan are S.M.A.R.T., and when I say that I mean that they are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Step 5, the last step? Execute. This last step is get out there and get it done. So I thank you for joining me again. This tip was brought to you by Tristan of Layfield Resume Consulting. Check us out on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @LayfieldResume, or connect with me, Tristan Layfield, on LinkedIn. I'll be talking to you soon.

Ade sits down with community builder and career/life coach (and Mentors & Mentees founder) Tim Salau to talk about what it means to take ownership of your career. They also discuss the future of the workforce and what shape it will take in the next 5-10 years.Connect with Tim on IG, Twitter, or LinkedIn!https://www.instagram.com/timsalau/?hl=enhttps://twitter.com/timsalau?lang=enhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/timsalauTRANSCRIPTAde: Hi. Welcome back to the show. If you're listening, this is Living Corporate. My name is Ade. I'm one of your hosts for the show, and with me today we have one of our favs here on this show, Tim Salau. Tim, you want to say hello?Tim: Yeah. Hey, y'all. It's Tim Salau.Ade: How are you doing? How are you doing, man?Tim: I'm doing well, Ade. I'm doing good.Ade: Welcome back. How have you been all of these days? Like, you just dipped off, left Living Corporate Land, haven't, like, shown your face back around these parts.Tim: I've been doing well. Some big, great things have been happening since then. I've recently started working with WeWork, leading product marketing management and focusing on really unleashing the future of work.Ade: Wow.Tim: Yeah, and I continue to grow the Mentors & Mentees community and have onboarded a few brand partners since then, including Living Corporate as one of them. So a lot of great things have been happening.Ade: That's amazing. That was a perfect segue into the conversation that we're having today. When you say the future of work, could you talk a little bit more about that?Tim: Absolutely. So the future of work is this really general, broad view of how, in the next 5-10 years, we're no longer gonna be working in a workforce where things are static, where you only see salaried employees. More so you'll see a mix of freelancers, salaried employees, and even contract workers in the workforce. So it's this very broad view with most of--you know, that looks at how the organizations of the future are gonna look, that thinks about how the gig economy is gonna affect, you know, what the workforce is gonna look like in the future, and most importantly, how will workers have to adapt in this future. And when I think about the future of work, I often define it as, from a worker perspective and a professional prospective, you being able to take control of your career as a worker, as a professional, and I think there are other elements of it where you can look at it from a gig economy perspective, you can look at it from an organizational design perspective and a more business perspective. How do organizations adopt and adopt a leveraging AI and all of these different tools that will allow them to stay digital in an ever-changing digital landscape? But my definition of it is more so taking control of your career as a worker and pursuing the opportunities that are tailor-fit for you.Ade: That's awesome. So question for you, then, to follow up on that. What does taking control of your career look like as an individual? I want to come back to what it means for organizations to make this kind of [C-?] change into the workforce of the future, but as an individual, as someone who's gonna be working for a few years, I want to know what it's like--what taking ownership of my career looks like and what that means for an individual.Tim: Well, you know, there's a lot of elements to that, Ade. I believe that taking control of your career, first and foremost, is starting to invest in what you can control. I think I often talk to professionals, and they don't realize that the future of work you have to be pushing yourself towards being an asset, not a commodity. So really starting to outline what are the strengths, the skills, the unique aspects of you that are fit for a role that you're interested in, right? For example, if you are someone looking to get into product management, right, and potentially work for a media podcast company, you would have to take control of the opportunities or the platforms that allow you to put yourself out there, whether it be a LinkedIn, you're having a website or networking the right circles that give you visibility to that network of media podcast professionals and product managers who are working within that industry, right? So I think that, for a long time, there's been traditional expectations, traditional behavior, that workers have adopted in which we no longer see our careers as in our control, as being proactive and really working towards where we want to be by doing the right things. Instead it's always been you wait to climb the corporate ladder, you wait until your manager says you can get promoted. You wait until, you know, you see the opportunity that comes to you instead of really taking that self-agency and pursuing the right opportunity. So I think that's one element of, you know, you taking control of your career. And I think another element of it is being very clear at investing in your personal brand. I do believe, from a worker's perspective, that personal brands are gonna matter in the future, 'cause your personal brand is what differentiates you. It's what allows people to start seeing you as an asset. Ade: Right. Okay, well, now I have to put some thought into my personal brand beyond, like, jokes and talking about food. Okay, thank you. I'm gonna put that on my to-do list. So you mentioned earlier the Mentors & Mentees community. Let's talk a little bit more about that. What are the top three tips that you give within Mentors & Mentees about the intentionality that you put into your career?Tim: Yeah. I think, first and foremost, it starts with introspection. I don't believe that, you know, you have to force your personal brand. I don't believe that you have to start investing in things, whether it be courses or coaches, who tell you that this is your personal brand, yet it's not. It's not something that you feel is true to you. I believe that one of the best ways, and what I often tell my community, is that you start realizing your strengths, what your gifts are, by really going deep, going deep and evaluating "What are prior roles that I've had that have led me to this point in my career?" "What do people that I spend my time with intimately--family, friends, coworkers--what do they think are some of the unique strengths of me? Let me ask them those questions," and then from there you get to a point where you start--and then you soul-search and say, "Okay, what am I great at? What do I want to be great at? What do I want to be known for?" And then when you take all of those different factors--what your coworkers say about you, your prior experiences, and then you dig deep, you start to see--you start to see some patterns, and you, more importantly, start defining what is it that makes you unique. Is it your cultural background? Is it certain industry experiences that no one else in your domain has? Are there certain skills that no one else wants to do or has acquired that you bring to the table when it comes to being, you know, an employee for a company? You really get that holistic perspective. So I always tell my members of my community and my friends that look, dig deep, right? And then from there, start being a giver. Start finding opportunities where you can give your strengths away, where you can really stand out because you're playing in your zone of greatness. So that's really when your personal brand starts unlocking for you. I'll give you an example. For me, I realized my purpose and kind of what I wanted to kind of be uniquely known for and that I wanted to kind of live day in and day out two years ago when I was at UT Austin pursuing my grad degree. And, you know, I had deep moments of reflection, and I realized, "You know what? If there's anything I want to be great at, it's to strengthen the bonds that people share through compassion and empathic action," and, you know, I eventually found a title for it in kind of an area that I really, really love, which is community building. From that point on, I created a community. I've invested myself in that community day in and day out, and to a degree now people know me as that. That's my brand because people know how great I am at it, right? So I've uniquely differentiated myself, and I also operate within this overlap where I do product management work and I'm in tech, so now I have this really unique characteristic of me where I stand out. I'm not only a community builder, but I'm somebody that can talk to you about product management. I'm someone that can talk to you about how to get into tech, so I get hit up about that a lot. So that's really how you go about saying, "Okay, how do I stand out in such a competitive job market so I can thrive in the future of work?"Ade: Right, and I love the phrase that you used earlier, "zone of greatness." I'm probably gonna--I'm gonna co-op that for my own use a little bit later on. Thank you. Snatched. [both laugh] All right, so before we go--those were some really great points that we're gonna take forward, and I'm probably gonna start sending, like, surveys around to my friends and my family members, like, "Hey, take this three to five question quiz about what I'm good at, 'cause I'm trying to develop my personal brand."Tim: Yeah, and you should. You should.Ade: So if you are my friend and you're listening, please note that you will be receiving a survey within the next three to five business days.Tim: And you know what? The ones that do, Ade, the ones that answer that survey, they care about you. They want you to be great. The ones that don't, you gotta question that relationship. [laughs]Ade: My woes. Listen, if you receive a survey from me and you do not respond to my survey, our friendship is dead. DEAD. [both laugh] All right. So before we go, let's talk about WeWork really quickly. You mentioned at the beginning of this interview that you now have a position or relationship with WeWork. I personally attend a ton of events at WeWork, especially at Flatiron School. Tim: [woos excitedly]Ade: Yeah, I'm a huge fan. So talk to me. What attracted you to WeWork? What are you doing there? How can I get a membership for the low-low? [Tim laughs] Tell me all about it.Tim: So I'll see what I can do about the membership, but to give you a little bit of clarity as to, you know, why I'm really excited to be working with WeWork is that what WeWork does in the community space in terms of their core business, which is, you know, obviously selling space to entrepreneurs and creators who want to, you know, do the best work of their lives and build their business and connect with others. The fact that WeWork is really just a framework for creating community, that's what attracted me to the company, and as a community builder, someone that is obsessed with community and someone that does it day in and day out as my life purpose--it is what I'm building my legacy around, 'cause that's what drives me, I saw that there was a unique opportunity for me to contribute my value, contribute my perspective as a black man in tech, and as someone who's an avid community builder and understands there's strength in numbers, there was great potential in me, I believe, working with a company like WeWork that's really building that next generation of what community will look like, right? Whether it be at work, in cities, and at a global level too, because we work as a multi-national company, and I felt as if, you know, I'm at a point in my career where I want to be able to do the best work of my life, and I know what my strengths are, I know what my gifts are, so the opportunity now for me to really lead the future of work, something I talk about often online with my community, with my friends, and what people know me of, it was a perfect fit. And, you know, that's why I encourage people to think about too--when you think about the future of work and you think about how you want to build what you're known for, you have to think about what are companies, what are the opportunities that are a unique fit for you? Because I could say working with WeWork is a unique fit for me. This role that I'm in, I'm gonna be doing a lot of community building. I'm gonna be doing a lot of evangelizing about the future of work. I'm going to be doing all of the things that really unleash all of the best aspects of me. So when you find that fit, you know, you become on another level.Ade: Right, right. That's awesome. I think an additional thing that I love about WeWork is that as a space it's almost inclined to support interaction, right? Like, you come in, and there are a lot of open spaces. Like, yes, you can find your privacy, and there's some really interesting areas and nooks and crannies that you can hide yourself if you are, like me, not interested in extended human interaction, but there are also times where you walk into WeWork and there are a bunch of people there who are complete strangers, or were complete strangers 20 minutes ago, and they're now talking about their interests and their companies and "Oh, I formed Such-and-such LLC, and I can help you form an LLC," and all of these really amazing conversations, particularly with young professionals in tech, many of whom are transitioning, many of whom aren't even sure what the vastness of the possibilities exist within tech. So yeah, I'm gonna wax poetic about WeWork a little bit more later on, but yeah, thank you so much for sharing that experience and sharing your purpose in that manner. And I especially think, for those of us who are underrepresented in tech in general, no one who wants longevity out of their career goes at it alone. It's one of the things that I discovered when I started self-teaching, is that isolation will hurt you more than it will help. There's some times where you need to shut the entire world off and really, like, buckle down and focus, but more often than not somebody has done what you're doing. They--Tim: Someone has done it.Ade: Right, you're not the first person in the world to be stuck on binary search trees or hash tables. [both laugh] And it's probably a better use of your time to seek out the wisdom of those who have done it before than to kind of bang your head at it for six months at a time, not because there's no utility in teaching yourself those things, but because you're joining a community, you're joining a community of learners and teachers, and there's no better place to be than people who are eager to share their experiences within their understanding with you, which does not minimize your experience as a learner. Again, waxing poetic. All of that to say that WeWork is such an important space, and building a community for yourself is such an important aspect of your career.Tim: I couldn't agree more. You need to come work with us at WeWork. [both laugh]Ade: Is that how I get a space? Tim: That's it.Ade: Because, I mean, I'm down.Tim: You got the job. You got the job! [Tim laughs]Ade: Just like that. See? 2019, getting jobs I didn't even interview for. Look at me. Shout-out to God. Okay. Before we go, Tim, is there anything else that you'd like to add, anything that you'd like to touch on that we haven't spoken about?Tim: Absolutely. For all of y'all listening right now, join the Mentors & Mentees community if you want to take control of your career and achieve career fulfillment. That is the focus of our community. We are in growth mode, and, you know, we are booming. As a community builder, I will welcome you, I will show you love, and our members will do the same. And I also want to share that if you've got a friend that needs a career coach, let them know I am a career coach as well. Aside from all of the things I do--I do a lot of things 'cause I'm living in the future of work literally as I speak about it--so if you need a coach that will take care of your career and help you, position you to thrive in the future of work, that is moi. So, you know, hit me up on LinkedIn. For y'all who are following me on LinkedIn, thank y'all. For y'all who are not, please get to it. I'm also on Instagram and Facebook as well if those are your preferred channels. But connect with me. I would love to continue to carry this conversation with you all.Ade: I just want to add that your hustle is unreal, because, like, I think I've counted--I think I've counted, like, the three positions just now. [Tim laughs] I think the only--like, the only people who work harder than Tim are, like, Jamaicans and Beyonce. Tim: I've gotten that before. "Are you Jamaican?" I said "No, I'm Nigerian. I'm Nigerian-American."Ade: [laughs] That's hilarious, and know you're doing Nigerians proud. Very happy to have you in your corner. Tim: I am happy to be a part of the Living Corporate family.Ade: Thank you so very much for joining us, yeah. So happy to have you. Please don't be a stranger.Tim: Oh, of course not.Ade: That's it from us, guys. We're signing off. Remember, per usual, you can catch us on pretty much, you know, everywhere. If you're on Facebook, if you're on LinkedIn, if you're on Twitter, if you're on Instagram. We are Living Corporate everywhere. You can also catch us at www.living-corporate.com. Tell Australia to free livingcorporate.com for our use. That's it for us today. I was so happy to speak to you today. Thank you so much for joining us, Tim, and until next time, Living Corporate family, go out and be great.Tim: Be great!Ade: Peace.

On the twelfth entry of Tristan's Tips, our special guest Tristan Layfield shares why we should prepare for our one-on-ones and how to do just that. No meeting is ever productive without some preparation beforehand, so take 10-15 minutes either the day before or morning of to prepare!Connect with Tristan on LinkedIn, IG, FB, and Twitter!https://www.linkedin.com/in/tristanlayfield/https://www.instagram.com/layfieldresume/https://twitter.com/layfieldresumehttps://www.facebook.com/LayfieldResume/TRANSCRIPTTristan: What's going on, Living Corporate fam? It's Tristan of Layfield Resume Consulting, and I've teamed up with Living Corporate to bring you all a weekly career tip. So today, let's talk about why you should prepare for your one-on-ones and how to do just that. Most of us in Corporate America have bosses who are pulled in many different directions, so we should really be making the most of our one-on-one time with them. No meeting is ever productive without some preparation beforehand, so take 10-15 minutes either the day before or morning of to prepare. By coming prepared to your one-on-one, you can get your questions answered, make sure you're aligned with your boss, and most importantly, show the work you've been doing. So let's talk about some ways you can prepare. First I'd say check your notes from the last time you met. This way if you all didn't get to a topic, you can come back around to it, but you'll also know what follow-ups are needed. Now, that takes me to my next point. Check your follow-up and task list. If your boss gave you some things to follow up on or to do, it's the worst when you get together and realize you didn't complete those tasks. At least now you may be able to get in a few calls and a few emails to say you've reached out. Also, it will refresh your memory on things your boss took away that they're supposed to be checking on, so you can bring those up as well. Next, I would say check any email exchanges you or your boss have had since your last meeting. Maybe there's something in those messages that you didn't understand, and this is a great time to ask. Maybe there's something you know your boss will want an update on, and now you can make sure that you have it. This shows your boss that you're paying attention to their correspondence. Last but definitely not least, review your goals. At the end of the day, everything in corporate comes back to your annual goals. This will allow you to know where you stand, ensure your goals are aligned, and potentially gain feedback if you need assistance. Preparing for a one-on-one can make a world of difference in how your boss views you. Take the time to do so, and I'm sure at the very least your working relationship will improve. This tip was brought to you by Tristan of Layfield Resume Consulting. Check us out on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @LayfieldResume, or connect with me, Tristan Layfield, on LinkedIn.

On today's episode of the Living Corporate podcast, Zach and Ade read and respond to two listener letters. They provide their unique perspectives and offer up helpful advice on how to best advocate for yourself while encouraging others to do the same.Connect with us on our website!https://www.living-corporate.com/TRANSCRIPTZach: What's up, y'all? It's Zach.Ade: And it's Ade.Zach: And you know what? You're listening to Living Corporate, and, you know, today--Ade: Yerp.Zach: Yerp. And today--[both laughing] we have listener letters. So for those who don't know, we encourage, at the end of every episode, to send us some listener letters. You can submit them through Instagram DMs, through Twitter DMs, through our email, through our website Contact Us section. Just hit us up. Ask us things and we will provide our perspective. We are not certified coaches. We are just--Ade: Or psychologists.Zach: Or psychologists.Ade: Or counselors.Zach: Or counselors.Ade: Let's just put all of our disclaimers out there. All of this is just from our perspectives, and we love y'all, we care about you, and we want to make sure that you succeed. However, you know, this is not a binding contract. Cool. Let's move forward.Zach: Yep, that's right. We're just two black folks out here trying to help other people of color, you know what I'm saying? That's all we're trying to do. So this is what we're gonna do. We're gonna read a couple of these listener letters. We'll talk about 'em, wax poetic, and then we'll wrap it up. Ade, what else do you think we need to add to this? Ade: Sit back, relax, grab a glass of water if you're listening, and sip with us. Take a sip. Oh, and also, just side-note - this is a thing that my mother has been making me do recently - drink some honey lemon ginger tea or honey ginger lemon or ginger lemon honey tea, whatever combination works for you, to just, like, soothe your throat while you listen.Zach: You got the--you got the recipe? Or--Ade: I mean, I'm not gonna be responsible for my mother's recipe getting out there. Look on the Internet. There's a whole bunch of different recipes. Zach: Okay, so just Google it basically. So they won't be drinking your mom's recipe, but that combination of tea would be good. Okay, I just wanted to make sure we [?]. All right, cool. Okay. Well, look, our first listener net--listener letter--Ade: Listener netter.Zach: Listener netter, which is a new type of listener letter, is coming from Raquel, and the subject is--Ade: Hi, Raquel.Zach: What's going on, Raquel? Also your phone's making noises in the background. Ade: Wasn't me.Zach: Huh?Ade: Wasn't me.Zach: Wasn't you? Was it me? Might have been me.Ade: Probably. Zach: No. Oh, it probably was me.Ade: It was totally you.Zach: Yep, it was.Ade: Narrator: It was actually me.Zach: My bad. [?] [laughs] First listener letter is coming from Raquel. Hi, Raquel. Subject line is "I need a promotion." Here we go. "Hey, guys. End-of-the-year performance reviews are coming up, and I'm really anxious about getting promoted. I've had some serious wins this year and positive feedback from my boss, and I've been bringing up my desire to get promoted. I'm not sure if it's enough though. Performance reviews start in about six weeks. What advice would you give in my final stretch? Thanks." Hm.Ade: Do you want to start, or should I go?Zach: You go.Ade: Okay. First of all, Raquel, thank you for writing in. This is a pretty big one. I think everyone in general is invested in the course of their careers, and feeling as though your review is coming up and you're not quite sure that you can advocate for yourself is a huge deal. So that said, I will give you the advice that my senior, the senior associate on my project, gave me when I first started. It was that you write down all of your wins. Like, in the next few weeks, start taking stock of all of the things that you did really well, all of the pats on the back you got, all of the shout-outs, all of the wins, and then also write down all of the not-so-great situations. All of the sit-down conversations that you had to have, all of the after-action items that you had to take down, so that you have all of the knowledge necessary to advocate for yourself once it's time for those reviews, because it's very, very easy for you to personally recall all of the times that you didn't do so well more than the times when you killed it, like you had a three-hour turnaround time for some huge deliverable or you owned that client meeting and all of the clients left looking at you like you were the second coming of the messiah. Just really take stock of all of the amazing things that you did, because 1. it makes you more confident in these conversations, 'cause you can walk into those meetings like, "Yeah, I am that person." Of course the term I'm using here is not "person," but whatever. But also it's very, very difficult for managers to miss the million, million, million things that you did that were amazing because they're overseeing a whole bunch of people, and so it's easy for some of your big wins to fall between the cracks, and that big win falling between the cracks can mean the difference between a $2,000 bonus and a $10,000 bonus. Maybe not that significant, but you get what I'm saying. What do you think, Zach?Zach: Yeah. So, you know, my experience in getting promoted is all about having more than just one advocate in those rooms, right? So one, to your--everything you said I 100% agree. You have to make sure that you're writing down and that you make it easy for people to advocate for you, and the way that you do that is what you just said. So writing down your wins, writing down your growth, like, documenting those things in something that is easy to read, like a one-pager or a couple of PowerPoint slides that you can quickly just send out and folks can, you know, review and speak to or reference. That's gonna make it easy. And then also, you know, you used the language "my final stretch." It's really important--and, like, again, recognizing where you are, but any time you're thinking about getting promoted or you know that you're looking to get promoted or you're looking for a huge raise, you're looking for--you're looking to get something out of the--you're looking to really progress, you want to--really want to treat your entire performance almost like a campaign run, right? So, like, mapping it out, thinking about who are the folks that you want to connect with, what are the things that you want to accomplish, and then like we've been saying, making sure that you document those things and that you equip the people who you want to be your promoters, your advocates in those rooms, in those spaces, give them plenty of heads-up, right? So you said you have six weeks. I would, like, look across, think about what you've done this past year, think about the people that you've worked with and say, "Hey, I'm looking to get promoted this year. This is my goal." And, like, don't be afraid, right? It's a goal, and ask, "Would you be willing to support me?" If so, if they say yes--depending on how you want to frame it, "If so, would you please review this here?" Or "Would you be willing to write something for me?" Right? So every company has something different. Some companies have kind of, like, in-time reviews. Other people have, like, informal kind of, like, write-ups and positive notes. Other people--like, there's various things, right, that you can--there are various ways you can document, but it's about gathering those points of evidence, and then that way when it's time for your review and people are looking for your--you're basically building a case for yourself, there's a variety of things people can pull from. That's really important. So, like, you said you have six weeks. I would really, like, kind of put your nose to the grindstone, reach out to the people that you know that you've had a positive impact on, have a conversation with them, make it easy for them to advocate for you, and then, again, kind of depending on who it is--if you know who's gonna be the person who's gonna, like, explicitly gonna be talking about, "Hey, this is why this person should get promoted," have a conversation with them as well. Let them know what you're doing. Give them all of that evidence, and then make sure that y'all have a conversation about what it looks like for you to be properly spoken about and advocated for. Ade: That's not to say that this process is easy, especially, Raquel, if you are feminine-of-center, it's not--you're not often taught how to advocate for yourself and how to really push for what you want. It's something that I'm personally learning how to do, and I think that there's no better place to do that than at work, because it's work, so yes, it bleeds into the rest of your life and et cetera, et cetera, but it's really just a microcosm of the greater world around you, and what it means to advocate at work is also what it means to advocate for yourself in your personal lives, in your friendships, in your relationships, and so treat this as a proving ground for--it's not just about work here, right? I would treat this as, "Okay, if I'm able to really push for what I want here, whether or not I get it"--and yes, you will, girl--"Whether or not I get it, I know that I've had the experience of what it means to advocate for myself period, regardless of where I go." So once you get this one out of the way, every successive conversation that you have that might be difficult, that might feel uncomfortable, cannot possibly be more difficult than the very first one. So either way, we got your back. Thank you for writing in.Zach: Yerp. Ade: Did you have anything else you wanted to say, Zach, before I cut this entire conversation off?Zach: Nope.Ade: [laughing] I realize that that's what I did, my bad.Zach: No, it's good. I feel like my contribution was the "yerp." I'm good.Ade: [laughs] I can't stand you.Zach: [laughs] Cool. Yeah, so all--godspeed to Raquel. Definitely excited for you. Hopefully you can give us an update and let us know how it goes.Ade: Right. Drinks on you next time around.Zach: Drinks on you next time, 'cause you ballin'. Maybe one day, you know what I'm saying, we can all work together, you know what I'm saying?Ade: Big ballin', shot callin'.Zach: Right. Right, right. So cool, cool, cool. We have another one here.Ade: Yerp.Zach: Ade, you want to take this one?Ade: Most definitely. All right, so this one, the subject says "GET ME OUT OF HERE!" In caps, so I really had to give it the respect that it was due. So Xavier writes in saying, "Hey, y'all. I am so close to just walking out of work and never coming back it's not even funny." Oh, my. "I seriously need a mental heatlh break, just go on a trip and never come back. JK." He really said that. "JK, I come back. My problem is that even though we have "unlimited PTO" at work, it feels like we're discouraged from taking PTO." Hm. "My co-worker went on a trip a few months back, and she's had to deal with jokes about her work ethic." What?! "She's been made to work really hectic schedules and just overall painted like less of a team player. I don't want to deal with this while at my job. I can't keep living like this. Please help. Frustrated and about to burn out, Xavier." [exhales] Ow.Zach: Oh, man. Xavier.Ade: You want to get started with this one, Zach?Zach: X. Yes. [laughs] Ade: Professor X.Zach: X! Ah, X. Nah, I mean, I've definitely been there, and I feel like I sadly--like, I'm closer to being there than other places, so this really resonates with me. It's tough when you don't feel like you can--you can take off work, right? But at the same time, I mean, when you start getting to the point where it's like, "Man, I'm about to quit," or "Man, I just gotta get up out of here," then I think that's when it comes to making sure that you have, like, really transparent conversations, right, with your boss, like, "Hey, I recognize we're in a really busy time, I recognize what's going on. I am--I am burnt out. I am exhausted. I am--" Just be honest, right? There's ways to phrase it in a way that does not come across like you're whining or that you're being fragile or dramatic, and these are insecurities that I deal with all of the time, 'cause, like, I'm always trying not to be the diva. And I'll say that. I'll be like, "I'm not trying to be a diva. I apologize for bringing this up." Like, there have been things that I've had to raise at work in my career that were perfectly right to raise, but I don't like being the center of that attention, right? But you gotta think about this. Xavier, he's saying--he's saying that he's, like, thinking about not coming back, and he says JK, but, I mean, like, he's not really--he's not really kidding. Like, he wrote this, right? Like, he took the time, wrote it, and sent it, so there's a certain level of seriousness to this. So I would say have a conversation with your boss, be transparent about where you're--why you're feeling this way, and then move forward and take the time off, right? If your job provides you unlimited PTO, and you have a--and you're about to burn out, then take it. I think the only thing is that make sure that whatever work that you need to get done or that you won't be tackling during that time, make sure that you're working with your boss, with your team, with whoever to make sure that those things are covered, right? That's the challenge. So, like, with your co-worker who they were saying, like, people question their work ethic and everything, it's like, some of that is cultural. Like, that might just be, like, just the culture of that space, but also if you're really proactive and you say, "Hey, look, for the next three days I'm gonna be off, 'cause I need to recharge, and these are the things that are gonna be happening in these three days." And again, like, not--I would not give them a day heads-up. I would tell them, like, you know, a couple weeks in advance and say, "Hey, look, these are the tasks. Can--who--" Like, make it very simple. Like, "Hey, these are the things that need to get done. This is the way that you're gonna have get these things done," and that way people can just kind of take it, drive it, and then close it. That way when you come back you're not staring down the barrel of a bunch of work that didn't get done. Your team isn't having to kind of pick up the--isn't having to, like, deal with the impacts of stuff, just the dependencies and anything like that that you--the things that they were depending on you for. You're able just to--you're able to kind of, like, have a clean transition, but if you do that and you're transparent with your supervisor, hey, man, you gotta take the time off and take care of yourself. Ade, what do you think?Ade: Agreed. I think my very first point was that succession plan that you were talking about earlier, creating just an Excel spreadsheet and listening the discrete tasks that are yours, that you own, and who is equipped on your team to deal with them, and then having a come-to-Jesus moment with your--with your boss, because I think of it as a sign of poor management that you would even have to justify you leaving and taking a mental health break. The reason I say that is because if you're experiencing this, like, heavy workload and this hectic schedule and you feel like you're about to burn out, then somebody has noticed. Somebody has noticed. I can say from my own personal experience, like, when it's incredibly hectic at work, my director comes up and is like, "All right, we're taking everybody. Stop what you're doing. We're going for a coffee break. We're just gonna walk and go outside and experience the sunshine on our faces," or my lead goes, "Okay, everyone has to leave at 6:00 p.m. tonight. Nobody needs to be in this building." Like, they're being proactive about caring for you as a person as much as they care for you as a co-worker or as a resource at work, because everybody knows that you are less valuable to them as an institution if you're honestly not on top of your game, and there's no way that you can be on top of your game when you are a ball of nerves and anxiety. That's one. Two, I am genuinely concerned, actually, about your co-worker having to deal with being treated poorly. So it's one thing to leave your team in the lurch and, you know, not have adequate support for all of your--all of the times in your workstream, or your co-workers feeling like you left them holding the bag on several items, but this sounds like she was just punished for--and it might just be your own current perspective based off of how you're feeling currently--but it sounds like she's being punished for having the audacity to leave. To, like, just go and take a mental health break, and I would look into--I know you say you love your job, but I would look into alternate employment, simply because--Zach: [laughs]Ade: I am so serious.Zach: [laughing] I know. I know you're not joking.Ade: I am so serious, because the same way that they find it comfortable to alienate someone just for doing what they say to do--like, a lot of these companies will go, "Yeah, we absolutely--we give you unlimited PTO because we care about you and we want to make sure that you're okay and your life continues, just because--" Yada yada yada yada yada yada. Okay, whatever, but if the truth of the matter is that when you do in fact take this time off and when you do in fact take advantage of all of the perks associated with your job you get treated a type of way for it, that doesn't sit well with me personally. It feels like you're being set up, and again, this may not be the truth of the matter. I'm just reading, inferring from what I see here, but it does feel like, or it does sound like, there is no winning, that you are either going to be working your butt off until you have, like, a sincere breakdown, or you take breaks when and forever long you need them and you're punished for it, and that just in general doesn't sit well with me personally. That seems like a bad practice. It seems retaliatory, that you would take a break and then be given all of these hectic schedules upon your arrival. So yeah, I think in general I advocate that you come up to your boss with full honesty, like Zach said, and a succession plan, and by succession plan I mean literally take every single thing that you do over the course of a week and list them, and also list the people who are able to take on those tasks, 'cause you generally--I don't know about everywhere else, but I know that I don't work in a complete silo so that if I ever have to take a break from work, there are people who know and understand enough of what I do that they're able to take--to pick up the slack in my absence, and it's just--for those of you out there who own your own companies or are senior management in companies, it is such a toxic work culture to create to say that people aren't able to take breaks when they need to, that people are punished for just living their lives. Like, people's lives don't start and end at work, and it's unfair and it's toxic and it's abusive to decide that your employee's whole world should revolve around work, and when it doesn't you punish them for it? That's jacked up.Zach: Nah, I agree, and I was laughing about you saying, you know, "I would really advise you to seek somewhere else to work," 'cause it kind of reminds me of The Read where people will be like, "Dump him." Ade: Absolutely.Zach: "Dump him" is, like, the main thing they'll say.Ade: But also, if you've ever--if you notice, like, people who write into The Read--and this is a complete sidebar, but I have felt this on my spirit for a while--people who write into The Read or the Relationships subreddit generally are, like, at the end of their rope. People don't just go seek advice from strangers for funsies. They're like, "Okay, I really can't talk to anybody else in my life about this. I need some kind of help," and it's usually just, like, a wild situation, and everybody needs to, like, scream at them, "Please leave. Please."Zach: No, that's 100%. You're not wrong. It's just funny, but ultimately, because of the capitalist society that we live in, right, like, life is becoming increasingly about work. There's an unspoken but ever increasing expectation that you're just gonna work, and work and work and work and work, your mental, physical, emotional, spiritual wellness be damned, right?Ade: Right, and you are validated only through your work, and I am here to tell you that that is not it, friends. That's not the truth of the matter. It doesn't have to be the truth of the matter. Please take breaks.Zach: Yeah. No, no doubt. So Xavier, I definitely hope that this helps. I pray that you don't burn yourself out, give yourself the break, and it's crazy because--what's really interesting rather is if you don't give yourself the break, your body will give itself a break eventually, right? Like, you'll pass out, you'll get sick, and, like, you know, that vacation, like, you'll get a different type of vacation. So make sure you--just make sure you take care of yourself.Ade: There are no beaches in hospital beds. I'll tell you that right now.Zach: That's true. [laughs] Oh, goodness. Okay. Well, cool. So we have--you know, we have a few. We try to do two or three listener letters, you know, per each of these episodes. We're not trying to inundate y'all, but we do have more, so we'll be back with more listener letters in another episode.Ade: Yep, and thank you to everyone who wrote in. We hoped this helped. Again, please seek out the advice or help of people who are even more professionaler than we are.Zach: Yes, professionaler. Who are betterer than us.Ade: Who are betterer at us than this, who are able to physically be there for you in a way that we may not be able to. We love y'all. Stay safe. Stay lifted. You have anything else you want to add, Zach? Do you have, like, a Favorite Things? I know I sprung this one on you, but you sprung it on me the--well, a few weeks ago, so.Zach: Nope, nope, fair enough. So my Favorite Thing this week--I do have a Favorite Thing, so that's gonna be crazy socks. So crazy socks are--and when I say crazy socks, I really just mean, like, socks with unique designs. So socks with unique designs, like, they've been kind of, like, in style, like, they've been normalized now, but I still really enjoy them. So I'm not gonna say the website I procure my socks from, but I've been really excited 'cause I recently just got some socks that are, like, pink with, like, little black and white puppy dogs on 'em.Ade: [scoffs] That sounds really cute actually. I was gonna make fun of you, but...Zach: Aw, look at you.Ade: I mean, I'm still gonna make fun of you, but they still sound cute.Zach: Okay. Well, I appreciate that. I respect that. So then I got some, like, lime green ones with, like, some red t-rexes on 'em, but they're, like, cartoony kind of t-rexes. So I love socks. I think it's an easy way to show a little bit of style. People laugh--so I know on my current project people laugh because--like, I'm the only person on the project that wears a blazer, but, like, from a style perspective I think blazers are cool, and so I'm gonna rock a blazer. Like, no doubt, and so--and I also have, like, a little pocket square, and then I have my crazy socks. And it's not like I'm wearing, like, high--what's the word, high-waters? I'm not flooding, so it's not like you're gonna just see my socks, but, like, if people go, "Hey, like, what's the drip looking like?" I'ma be like, "Ayo." I'll pull up the pant leg one time and let you know, like, it's dripping. I'm dripping.Ade: "What's the drip looking like."Zach: [laughs] When my boss--if my boss ever walks up and he says, "Hey, Zach, what's the drip looking like?" I'll be like--Ade: Why in the world--see...Zach: No one ever--no one ever at my job would ever say "What's the drip looking like?" No one would say that.Ade: Yeah, I just--I need--anybody from Zach's job, if y'all are listening to this, I encourage y'all to write in and please tell me the accuracy of this man's statements, not because I think this man is lying, but, like, I just want a first-hand account of his dad jokes at work.Zach: But I have taught my--I have taught my supervisor the concept of drip, and it's funny, like--Ade: On that note, we're gonna roll out of here. That's gonna be--that's gonna be it for us on today. Zach: [laughs] Oh, you're not gonna--you don't have a Favorite Thing?Ade: [whispering] Damn, I really thought I was gonna escape.Zach: [laughs] What's your Favorite Thing?Ade: So my Favorite Thing currently is Victory Lap by Nipsey Hussle. If you've heard of Nipsey Hussle--or if you haven't, Nipsey Hussle was a rapper and an entrepreneur who was murdered recently, and because it was essentially his final project--I don't know if there's anything in his vault that his family will eventually decide to release--it really was a spectacular album. It was nominated for Grammy of the Year, I think. If I recall correctly. If not, then whoops, my bad. But yeah, my Favorite Thing. I haven't been able to stop listening to it, and I encourage you all, if you are a fan of rap, of hip-hop, of storytelling in general, even if it's not a medium you've ever enjoyed, it's a worthwhile album to listen to just because it's such an incredible story. That's it. That's all I got.Zach: That's dope. Well, cool. I guess we're gonna get up on out of here. Thank y'all for listening to the Living Corporate podcast.Ade: Yeah, thanks for listening.Zach: Make sure you follow us on Instagram @LivingCorporate or Twitter @LivingCorp_Pod. Ade's already talked to you about submitting listener letters, but I'm just gonna say it one more time. If you want to submit a listener letter, make sure you get at us at Instagram DMs, Twitter DMs, our email, livingcorporatepodcast@gmail.com.Ade: We're also on Al Gore's Internet at living-corporate.com, because Australia refuses to let us be great.Zach: That's true, but we're also at livingcorporate.co with no dash. We own all of the domains really except for livingcorporate.com. We have livingcorporate.net, .org, you know what I'm saying? We have 'em all. We just don't have livingcorporate.com.Ade: Which is wild.Zach: Which is wild. We have everything else but that. Anyway, appreciate y'all. We'll talk to you all soon. This has been Zach.Ade: And this has been Ade.Both: Peace.

On the eleventh installment of Tristan’s Tips, our esteemed guest Tristan Layfield illustrates the concept of time management and offers up a few of his very own methods to help you get more organized and productive.Connect with Tristan on LinkedIn, IG, FB, and Twitter!https://www.linkedin.com/in/tristanlayfield/https://www.instagram.com/layfieldresume/https://twitter.com/layfieldresumehttps://www.facebook.com/LayfieldResume/TRANSCRIPTTristan: What's going on, y'all? It's Tristan of Layfield Resume Consulting, and I've teamed up with Living Corporate to bring you all a weekly career tip. Today we're gonna talk about time management. There are so many things we aren't taught in school that are necessary to be a functioning part of society, including things like career readiness and personal finance, but there's one essential skill that is necessary or everything else might crumble, and it's time management. While there's no one correct way to manage your time, I figured I'd talk to you about a few things that I've tried or currently use to see if you can adopt some of them in hopes that they help. The one thing that has always worked for me is a handy-dandy to-do list. Many people make to-do lists, but quite a few of them do it wrong. They jam their list with tons of things, knowing that they won't get to them all, and then wonder why they don't feel accomplished at the end of the day. Always be smart about your to-do lists. I keep a large list of all of the things I have to or want to do, then I use that to make my daily to-do list the night before, prioritizing items as needed. This helps me know what I'll be focused on on the next day. I also ensure that I look at my calendar to determine how many tasks or how much I can take on. I don't overdo it, because stuffing your to-do list with things you know you're not going to do defeats the purpose. Now, the way I've created my to-do list has varied over the years. I used to use my Notes app, then I tried what's called bullet journaling, next I moved to Trello, and now I use the Google Tasks app. It's clean, it's simple, and I can see my to-do list and on both my Gmail and Google Calendar. This makes my list readily available no matter what device I'm on. So, you know, really the message here is don't be afraid to go out and find the tools that help you do what you need to do, and for those of you who are more analog in a digital world, keep that handy pen and paper out and make your list. Don't try to fit into the mold of what others are doing, especially if you know it doesn't work for you. Lastly, if you're having some issues managing your time, there's a couple things I suggest. First, consider doing an activity log or journal. This is where you keep a record of all the things you do throughout the day and how long you do them for. Not only does it include work tasks, but it also includes things like eating, social media, or even watching TV. This provides an accurate picture of what you do during your day and how you invest your time. Your activity log will help you understand whether or not you're doing your important work during the right time of day, and it also helps you clearly see how much time you're spending on things that aren't getting you towards your goals. So there's some of my time management hacks. Hopefully they help you get more organized and productive. If you try any of them, please be sure to reach out and let me know how it works for you. This tip was brought to you by Tristan of Layfield Resume Consulting. Check us out on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @LayfieldResume, or connect with me, Tristan Layfield, on LinkedIn.

On today's show, Zach and Ade discuss and expand on last week's D&I episode featuring Chris Moreland. They relate some interesting statistics and share a list of five important things to know to actually have an effective diversity and inclusion strategy.Connect with us on IG, Twitter, and Facebook!https://www.instagram.com/livingcorporate/https://twitter.com/LivingCorp_Podhttps://www.facebook.com/livingcorporatepodcastCheck out our website!https://linktr.ee/livingcorporateTRANSCRIPTZach: Oh, man. What's going on, y'all? It is Zach.Ade: And Ade.Zach: And you're listening to Living Corporate.Ade: Sho are.Zach: [laughs] Yes, they are. Now, listen. It's funny. You know, we've been around for over a year, and--[both laugh] we've yet to explicitly talk about diversity and inclusion. I mean, our podcast is about--essentially about diversity and inclusion, right? But we've yet to talk about it, like, explicitly on this podcast, like, as a subject, and I find that kind of--kind of weird.Ade: Super weird. Super odd.Zach: Okay. Yeah, it's kind of odd. I mean, you would think it's kind of low-hanging fruit. It's, like, right there, you know? You know, we start off with these concepts and, you know, every-man topics, and we didn't really, like, go straight at it, you know? I don't know why we are just now getting into this. I don't know. Anyway, diversity and inclusion. Ade, what is--what is diversity and inclusion? Like, when we use the words "diversity and inclusion," like, what do we typically think of? Like, what are we--what are we talking about?Ade: We're talking about an actual effort by an organization, big or small, to ensure that their workplace, their groups, their team members, are representative of the world at large, that their spaces are not these homogeneous microcosms, and that they are really and truly including everybody in their missions. I think that would be my personal definition of diversity and inclusion.Zach: Well, you know, it's fire because you said homogeneous and microcosms back to back.Ade: Bloop. Get at me.Zach: Bars. [both laugh] No, I agree with that. You know, it's funny though, because often times I do believe that's the definition in theory, but a lot of times the term "diversity and inclusion" is just kind of used to make sure that folks don't get sued, right? Like, "We're not racist and we don't discriminate against people, so we're gonna use the term diversity and inclusion." You know what I'm saying? Like, if you look--I've seen some organizations--listen, I can't go into all of the details, but I've walked into a variety of companies, okay? And organizations can be as homogeneous as a pot of peas, okay?Ade: As a pot of peas...Zach: As a pot of peas. They all look the same. Everybody looks the same. [laughs] That's right. I'm country. I said it. A pot of peas. But on their website, oh, boy... boy, they got all the--all the jargon, all the lingo.Ade: Every stock photo of every [?] you can imagine.Zach: I see the same five black people in all of these diversity and inclusion photos.Ade: I mean, at least they have the common sense to actually have photos of people that they actually employ on their website. I have seen some egregious cases of literally stock photos on these websites.Zach: That's what I'm saying. That's what I've seen. I've seen the same--oh, I see what you--you thought I was saying the same black people on one website. No. Well, I've seen that too, but I'm saying I've seen the same stock photo images across multiple companies.Ade: Wow. Like, have you no shame? Have you no decency?Zach: [laughs] My goodness. There's millions of us out here. My gosh.Ade: There's literally billions, but I think the additional point, though, is that, like, it tells me what you value as an organization when you're willing to put more time and effort into planning your happy hours than you are into truly representing, not just racially but with the gender diversity makeup, the disability diversity makeup, with--like, there's so much that goes into thinking through what it means to have a diverse organization, and y'all will blow your HR budget on beer. And not even good beer.Zach: Not even good beer, lowkey.Ade: It drives me nuts that the conversation that we have about diversity and inclusion is about making it more palatable for everybody else as opposed to being like, "No, let's center this on what the truth of the matter is and what reality is as opposed to let's center this on what makes people comfortable."Zach: That's real. You're kind of jumping the gun a little bit, but I feel you. I feel you.Ade: My bad.Zach: No, you're good. You're good. I'm excited. I mean, like, now I'm activated, you know what I'm saying? I'm here. Let's go. [both laugh]Ade: Get active.Zach: But no, you're absolutely right, and it's interesting because--so I had, like, a crazy idea, right? So we know that companies actively--you know, like, when you look at black and brown unemployment, disabled unemployment, it is drastically higher, right, than majority unemployment. It would be dope though if companies, when they interviewed people and, like, they know--you know you're not about to hire that black or brown person, so you say, "Hey, listen, I'm not gonna hire you, but I'd love to take your picture for some of our diversity and inclusion stock photos."Ade: Excuse me? First of all, lawsuit. I'm not even gonna say anything. I'll just nod, smile, and, like, put Voice Memo on on my phone and just--Zach: [laughing] I couldn't even say that with a straight face, but it's--but you know what, though? There's some money in there somewhere, man. There's some business in there somewhere.Ade: All right. If you're done being ridiculous, let's focus.Zach: No, I'm not--listen, I'm not really being ridiculous, because as an--as an aside, y'all, I just read some article at random about this little 12-year-old white kid who was getting six-figure deals to create dances for rap songs, and then people buy the dances, and then, like, they pay him. But he's not doing--he's not doing new dances though.Ade: These dances he's creating are a compilation of dances that black people came up with.Zach: Black dances. Yes, yes.Ade: I just also--I think this is a separate conversation actually, but I wanted to have a conversation about what it means to monetize blackness divorced of black people.Zach: I'm here for it. Well, this is--so I feel like I'm--Ade: We're going down this rabbit hole.Zach: [laughs] We are, but no, seriously though, the reason I was being--I was, like, making a joke--it's kind of a joke, it's kind of not--is like, people are out here monetizing and getting bread off of this, off of the concept of D&I, without actually doing any D&I, right? And so I'm just saying, like, at least if you did that, you--at least some of these black people who are unemployed that have a little bit more money in their pocket while they look for their next job. I mean, something--I don't know. There's something there, but anyway. Okay, cool. So we've talked a little bit about what we think D&I is. We've done some research, right?Ade: Oh, actually, I also want to have another example of this.Zach: Yes, keep going.Ade: Did you see recently that Twitter Detroit posted a picture of their office space? And all white people. Every single person in that photo.Zach: Mm-mm, did not see that.Ade: Yeah, every single person in that photo was white. Now, I think it later came out that the--all of the black people that they had employed at Twitter Detroit was at NSBE, although I don't quite--I don't quite know the truth of that statement, but it was just a really striking photo, that you are in Detroit, a city that is 84 or 85% black...Zach: Detroit is black black.Ade: Blackity-black as hell.Zach: Detroit's the kind of black that makes other people, you know, kind of uncomfortable. [laughs] Like, it's black. It's a lot of black people.Ade: Kind of. Detroit--up until, like, three, four years ago, Detroit was the kind of black that these type of white people were not going into.Zach: I mean, to be--to be honest, that's true. That's true.Ade: Anyway, I say all of that--Zach: So they said all of the black people was at NSBE?Ade: I don't know if--again, this is not something that I did a ton of research into, because they posted an apology tweet attached to that first image... and I can read the tweet to you actually. It says, "We hear you on the lack of diversity. We're committed to making our company reflect the people we serve, and that includes here in Detroit. We've got a lot more work to do. We have a team at NSBE now, and we look forward to connecting with the amazing people there." I just have two questions. The first is there are three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine maybe people in here, all of whom are white-presenting. There are a couple of people who are out of the photo or they have their backs turned, so I don't know necessarily how true that is, but it's incredible to me the--because I was able to see that photo, and obviously a lot of people were able to see that photo, and immediately see the problem, but what does it say of your organizations that you are so deeply homogeneous that you don't recognize right off the bat that, "Hey, we're in Detroit. Every single one of us in here is white. What does that say about this organization?Zach: Well, you know what they're gonna say. They're gonna say it's about diversity of thought, Ade. Diversity of thought.Ade: That's cute.Zach: [laughs]Ade: And let me not poo-poo that idea out the gate. Let us treat that as a serious, intellectual argument. Okay, so you were saying that diversity of thought is more important than physical diversity, gender diversity, et cetera, et cetera, ad nauseum. However, what does it say that you think the only diversity that matters, diversity of thought that matters, is the kind of diversity of thought that represents you? Because there's no way you're telling me that you have the exact same thoughts and the exact same experiences and the exact same lens as, say, a black queer man who grew up in Detroit. There's just no--I don't believe that could ever be the case. Like, if you are from--if you're a queer man from midtown Chicago, you don't have the same thoughts as a queer man from Detroit. So I don't understand how that is even an argument that anyone could make, but I say all of that to say that diversity is important. So is inclusion, because it would suck even more if the person taking that photo had been a person of color or had been the only disabled person in the office or had been the only neuro-divergent person in the office, and they're not even included in the photo. You see what I'm saying? Like, there's--Zach: Oh, I hear you. Yeah. I'm letting you cook.Ade: There's so many different--[laughs] there's so many different--thank you, friend--there's so many different layers of complexity to that that on the one hand, why don't you have any of these--any of these types of diversity represented in your office? But also I don't know that it would be a safe space for anybody to walk up and say, "Oh, I'm the only black person in here." Having to represent at all times, that just sounds exhausting. So it's just--it's a very difficult conversation for me to--for me to really think through. Do you have some thoughts, friend?Zach: You know, I do, I do, and I appreciate you actually, like, slowing us down a little bit, 'cause I was gonna say that, you know, we did some research, right, and we've read a few things--just a couple thinkpieces, you know what I'm saying? Some Gallup data from the civil rights movement and some other things, you know what I'm saying? And labor data all around what does it really mean to be diverse and inclusive in an organization. And, you know, we've seen, like, you know, five things organizations are doing wrong, the top three reasons why D&I doesn't work, you know, what makes an effective D&I organization, what makes an effective D&I strategy, da-da-da-da-da, and so, look, as opposed to us reading all of our--all of the findings that we've had and just kind of reading it to you--boring, right--we decided--we, Living Corporate, right, Zach and Ade--decided to give y'all our own list of what you need to know about diversity and inclusion so that you can actually have an effective diversity and inclusion strategy. Yo, JJ. Drop the Flex bomb. Whoa.Ade: Not the flex bomb. [sighs]Zach: [laughs] Boom.Ade: I'm really looking forward to you being a dad, because you're just so equipped, and I'm tired of hearing your dad jokes.Zach: Nah, drop the Flex bomb. [dropping] In fact, JJ, drop it again. Yes.Ade: JJ, please stop. [he stops] Thank you.Zach: Nah, but it's--you know, it's important. So this is what we're gonna do. We're gonna give y'all some game for free. We're gonna give you some of our thought leadership for nothing at all. All y'all gotta do is listen. I mean, come on. I ain't trying to brag, but I'm saying, like, we're pretty dope, right? Am I wrong, Ade?Ade: I mean, no.Zach: Okay, here we go. So how many of these do we have? We've got five, right?Ade: I mean, something like that, but you know we can always expand on our lists if we start riffing off each other, et cetera, et cetera. We got five. We got five on it.Zach: All right, we got five. We have five on it. We're not messing with that endo weed, because it's not federally legal, but we do have five on it. [both laugh] Okay, here we go. First things first. [Ade continues laughing] You're really laughing. That's funny. First things first, diversity and inclusion are two different things. I know.Ade: Bars.Zach: Bars, I know. Diversity and inclusion are two different things. Often enough times, we kind of just throw the terms "diversity" and "inclusion," like, we just smack 'em together, but they're actually very different, right? So a lot of us understand what diversity is. Diversity is the concept of having a variety of experiences, perspectives, in gender representation, ethnic representation, able-bodied representation, sexual orientation representation, right? Like, geographic representation. Having different types of perspectives in a space. Like, that's the concept of--Ade: Pause.Zach: Go ahead.Ade: Pause.Zach: Go ahead.Ade: [?] Sorry.Zach: It's good. Hey, JJ. Just cut all that out. That part is diversity, right? Inclusion though is different, right? Inclusion is not just about--it's not just about having people have a seat at the table, but making sure that those voices are actually heard at the table. And so a lot of times we'll say, "Well, inclusion means making sure people feel included." Inclusion means the power not only to sit at the table but to speak and have your voice equally heard at that table, right? And so it's not just enough to have a variety of voices at a table if only a certain number of voices or a certain type of voice is gonna be heard. Then it just kind of becomes, like, a dog and pony show, right? So no, I mean, that's really what it means, all right? Inclusion is all about making sure that those voices that have a seat at the table actually are heard, and typically, because of the hierarchical natures of these companies, voices that are not high on the totem pole are not heard, right? So it's about making sure that those voices are actually supported and given authority and access so that their ideas can be mobilized, right? I think a lot of times when we talk about inclusion it's like, "Oh, we have you in the room," but you're, like, over in the corner, or you're just kinda--and it also just kind of makes you feel tokenized, right? It's about actually making sure you have a voice. So that's the first one. Diversity and inclusion is--the first one is people don't really understand that diversity and inclusion are two different things, and they don't understand what those words mean.Ade: My turn. So beyond, you know, expanding the table and inviting people to eat--that's one of the phrases that I've used to describe, or that I've heard used to describe, diversity and inclusion, empowering people. I also would like to make the point that it's not the responsibility of marginalized people to diversity your workplace. What I've seen happen time and time again is that these embattled corporations where people realize "Oh, no, we treated diversity and inclusion as an afterthought, and now everybody looks like [trash?]. What do we do?" And they will hire somebody, usually a high-profile person, black person or a queer woman, they'll bring these people in and do nothing to change the fact that the culture that fostered this homogeneity continues, and so--and in so doing make it the responsibility of this person that they invited into this hostile workplace, make it their responsibility to improve everything. And then when said person starts making points like, "Yeah, you really shouldn't be making rape jokes during our lunch hour. You shouldn't be making them at all, but it's especially not appropriate in the work space," or saying things like, "Yeah, I'm actually not gonna let you touch my hair, Karen. I don't want to do that, and you don't have my permission to do that, so great talk." They're treated as though they are the problem, and we don't address the institutional racism. We address the black women talking about the institutional racism. We don't address the institutional--just general lack of respect for people with disabilities, and it's something that you would know if you spoke to the people who are experiencing these things, but it is instead more expedient to pat yourselves on the back for your awesome allyship and employing someone in a wheelchair and doing nothing to ensure that this person in a wheelchair is safe, comfortable, and can do their job without feeling belittled or patronized or outright ignored. So to restate my point, it is not the responsibility of the marginalized person to do the work of diversity and inclusion. It's not their job. It is everybody's job to ensure that the workplace is open and accessible.Zach: That's good. That's good.Ade: Bars.Zach: Bars. [both laugh] You like that. That makes you--that makes you giggle. Bars makes you laugh. I've noticed that over the past few episodes here. Okay, my turn. So in the spirit of your last point, my third--the third entry here is that diversity and inclusion will only go as far as the majority allows it to go, okay? So I'ma say it again. Diversity and inclusion will go...Ade: Bars.Zach: Only [laughs] as far as the majority allows it to go. So what do I mean by this? Let me give y'all some statistics from some Gallup polls back in 1961, in the throes of our U.S. civil rights movement. I'm gonna give y'all a few data points. Here we go. Do you approve--and this is a poll, right, a Gallup poll, given to white folks in 1961, again, in the middle of the civil rights movement. Here we go. "Do you approve or disapprove of what the Freedom Riders are doing?" 22% approved, 61% disapproved, 18% had no opinion. Here's another one. "Do you think sit-ins at lunch counters, freedom buses, and other demonstrations by Negroes will hurt or help the Negroes' chance of being integrated in the south?" 57% said they believe it will hurt, 28% said it will help, 16% said no opinion. Here's the last one, okay? This is the [Survey Research Amalgam?]. This is April, 1963. "Some people feel that in working for equal rights for Negroes, Reverend Martin Luther King is moving too fast. Others think he is not working fast enough. What do you think?" 8% said he's moving too fast. 71% said he's moving at the right speed. 21% said he isn't moving fast enough. And so, you know, when we talk about--when we talk about, like, historically, right, civil rights, not just for African-Americans, but it's the easiest one for us to point to because historically, like, when you kind of--like, there's the most data points around it, and, you know, really, if we were to go by the data and the survey data and what people were really comfortable with, then we would still probably not really be--I mean, we're not really integrated, but we wouldn't have even the civil rights laws we have, right? And I think an uncomfortable reality is when you talk about diversity and inclusion and you talk about creating a truly diverse and inclusive working environment, it can only go as far as the majority is comfortable with it going, right? And when you think about the fact that--like, when you look at the civil rights laws, and you especially look--if you look at our present, right, like, we're fighting to maintain some very basic civil rights laws that we achieved over 50 years ago, just over 50 years ago, like, and we haven't really made, in terms of legislation, much progress since then. In fact, again, we're fighting just to keep what we established 50 years ago, and really, if you think about historically, what we fought to get 50 years ago, we should have already had, like, 50 to 60 years before that. And so, you know, I think that's--like, again, just kind of pointing to your point--like, really reinforcing your point around the fact that, like, it's not--it's not about making people comfortable. It's not about, like, just kind of checking a box, and ultimately, it's gonna take all of us, but the majority, to drive and make sure that we're actually moving forward. It can't be the responsibility of the marginalized to move the needle. We don't have the numbers. We don't have the power.Ade: Facts.Zach: So that's number three. I'm volleying it back to you.Ade: Okay. I think I'm gonna expand on a point that I made at the end of my last--my last rant. So diversity and inclusion is all of our responsibility. It is not a position. It is not--the term Chris Moreland used was a function, and it's also not about how good it makes individual people feel. It's not about the money that it makes for the organization. Like, sure, yes, there are stats out there that show how good it is to have a diverse workplace, but--and I'm starting to realize that it's really not a common thing or a common opinion anymore to do things because they're the right thing to do. There has to be a cost-benefit analysis on this, and that's trash.Zach: That's really trash.Ade: Yeah, I don't--I don't know what's happening. Maybe I shouldn't say that. I know what's happening. It's capitalism.Zach: Right.Ade: But the point is that diversity and inclusion is about you as the individual respecting the whole of other people who are individuals in your workspaces and recognizing when there are individuals who aren't welcome in your workplace and doing something to change that. Even beyond what it means to be an ally. You are actively doing the work of being a good human being and encouraging others in your workplace to do the same. I think I--when we were working on the Disabled At Work episode, I read a story about a guy who got a job working at one of these big tech companies, and he just knew it was gonna suck, right? Because when he had interviewed there, he did not see anybody who was wheelchair-bound as he was, and he had a very large electric wheelchair, and he was like, "I can't turn it down because of the money, but I feel like this is not going to be great." But he then told stories of how everybody was inclusive. They would ensure that he could get his scooter up and down these hills in San Francisco. They would ensure that he wasn't just stuck being wet when it rained or that he could have a standing desk as opposed to the lower desk that wouldn't work for his electrical chair. So there were all of these different parts of what it means to be inclusive, and not just empowering and recognizing the diversity in your coworkers, but also saying--taking it a step further and being like, "I'm right there with you." Like, "Whatever it is that you need in order to feel comfortable in this space, in order to feel human in this space--" Like, we gotta be here at least 8 hours a day, dogg. Like, the least we can do is ensure that you are your whole self while you're here, and I think that is such a significant thing to highlight. It's such a significant thing because it very, very easily goes unspoken that you have a responsibility to your coworkers to not just be kind but be supportive.Zach: You know, I think a large part of diversity and inclusion just comes--like, a large part of it is driven by empathy, right? Like, really--and I know that Chris talked about this too in the interview. It was just about, like, understanding someone's story. Like, building a connection with them. Like, really understanding them. It's challenging for me though, because, like--and I really--I love what Chris is doing, not only at Vizient but with his own start-up--with his own start-up at Storytellers, you know, but I don't have to hear your story, right, like, for me to treat you and recognize that you're a human being, you know what I'm saying? Like, I shouldn't have to. I get it. I get it from a relationship-building perspective. Maybe I need to hear your story for us to, like, really build trust, but I shouldn't have to hear your story for us to, like--for me to just empathize and recognize that you breathe--you're breathing and walking, or--you're breathing and existing and having a human experience just like me. It's heartbreaking, to be honest, when I think about it like that. But okay, cool. So last one. I think I'm--I think it's on me.Ade: Most definitely.Zach: All right. So really kind of pigging--piggy-backing off of my first point, but it's really important. Ayo, if you don't have inclusion, you don't have diddly. Say it again. If you don't have inclusion, you don't have diddly. Listen, it's not enough for organizations just to hire non-majority people, right? Because often times if you look at the turnover rate of non-majority employees, they're significantly higher than majority employees, and if you do a cross-analysis with non-majority turnover and minority representation, you'll see some connections--you'll see some connections there, right? Like, you'll see in organizations that are not truly inclusive, that do not have representation and some level of power, distribution of power for non-majority people, those organizations struggle to retain non-majority talent, and I think something to continue to keep in mind--organizations, I'm talking to y'all--listen, man, these gener--like, millennials and these Generation Z, the people coming behind us, we're aware. Like, we pay attention, and we're sensitive to that. Like, we peep game. Like, we're gonna look and be like, "Oh, there's no--there's none of me here. I don't see myself here. Okay, so I know I probably got only so much time to go before I gotta find somewhere to be," or when something goes wrong or they feel like they're not getting the coaching that they need or they're not getting the development that they need or they're getting passed over for promotion, if they don't feel like they can talk to somebody and they're not represented in the decision--in that pool of people that actually make the decisions and make the company grow and grow, then they're not gonna feel like they can talk to anybody, and they're gonna leave, right? They're gonna be even more discouraged to, like, even try to stay, because they'll be like, "For what? I'ma be the--I'm the only person here." They're not gonna be as comfortable when it comes to networking and trying to build relationships and--Ade: Correct.Zach: Right? Because they don't know who they can talk to. Like--and then, like, many of us, we're the first people from our families in Corporate America. That's my story. Ade, is that your story?Ade: Like, only one.Zach: Exactly. [laughs]Ade: Solo dolo.Zach: Solo dolo, and so, like, ayo, like, inclusion is important, and I guess part B to this one is listen, diversity of thought by itself is not real. Okay? That's right. I'm giving y'all two, so we got six now. Diversity of thought is not--diversity of thought on its own is not real. It's a term that some group of people in some laboratory made up just to kind of pat themselves on the back and create diversity where there really isn't any.Ade: Not a laboratory.Zach: [laughs] They made crack and diversity of thought in the same place. What's up?Ade: I am...Zach: JJ, give me them air horns right here. [laughs]Ade: Okay. Okay, [?].Zach: Nah, but for real though, like, it's not real. Like, so diversity of thought is as relevant as diversity of experience, and if you look at American history, experiences are sharply divided along racial, gender, and sexual orien--lines of sexual orientation. Ade, you got another one?Ade: Just a final thought.Zach: Do your thing.Ade: I think that paying lip service to diversity is almost worse than not doing anything and not paying attention to diversity and inclusion in the first place, because you--when you pay lip service to diversity, you delude people into thinking your workplace is a safe space and that they can come to your jobs and bring their own selves and come and do what they love to do for you. When you don't even pretend, it lets everybody know who to avoid. When you pay lip service and you end up being these ultra-toxic, ultra-just all around disgusting places for people, it's almost heartbreaking, right, because people want to come into these places and do good work and go home and love their families, and instead they come into these places, you gaslight them, pretend that nothing is actually happening when, you know, they're facing all of these micro-aggressions, they are being passed up for promotions, their careers are stalling, and they have no allies and no way out. It's a pretty abusive relationship, I'd call that, and even further than that I would say that, you know, you're actively oppressing them in that scenario. So I say all of that to say that if you know that you have no investment whatsoever in diversity and inclusion and the success of everybody--and the growth, too, of all of these folks, then just leave us alone. Love us or leave us alone. That's all I ask.Zach: No, real talk though. No lukewarm DM--no lukewarm stuff, right? Be hot or cold. Either you're in or you're out.Ade: The man came through with a word from the church for y'all.Zach: [laughs]Ade: Don't think I didn't notice, Zachary.Zach: [laughs] Man, okay. Well, y'all, so this has been a dope B-Side, just sharing our thoughts about the interview with Chris Moreland. Really enjoyed him, and yeah. Ade, anything else? Do we want to do Favorite Things? Are we good?Ade: My Favorite Thing right now--we can if you have something.Zach: I got something. Go ahead, yeah.Ade: Okay. Okay, so my current Favorite Thing is the voice of a young reggae artist known as Koffee. Love, love, love--I have just been listening to her on repeat lately and finding out--finding her music, where I can find her, but amazing. I love her.Zach: That's what's up.Ade: That's it for my Favorite Things.Zach: Okay. Okay, okay, okay. Yeah, you know--Ade: Oh, wait. I lied.Zach: Keep going. Go crazy.Ade: Sorry, one other Favorite Thing. I have this book I'm currently reading. It is the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Study Guide.Zach: Okay. [laughs]Ade: Yeah, it's my second Favorite Thing. It's just a personal--as a reminder to myself to keep working.Zach: I respect that. Okay, okay. I have one Favorite Thing, and this Favorite Thing, it's--you know, it's something that I partake in every day. It's actually a beverage, and this beverage--this beverage is called kombucha.Ade: Oh, I thought you were gonna say water. I was about to be like--Zach: [laughs] No, no, no. I definitely do drink water every day though, and shout-out--ayo, if you're listening to this, go ahead and get yourself some water. I don't care what time it is. Ayo, get some water and take a sip.Ade: Take a sip.Zach: Take a sip.Ade: Take a sip.Zach: Take a sip. Okay, so--[both laugh] Okay, so--Ade: Some ASMR peer pressure for your head top.Zach: That was incredible. Yo, we should actually do an ASMR episode of us just, like, drinking water quietly. [whispering] "Ah." [like his thirst was quenched, laughs]Ade: No. Let's move forward. [laughs]Zach: "Ah, these ice cubes." We could, like--no, but seriously though, 'cause we got these--these mics are pretty good. Like, we could just take--like, make sure the ice hits the glass. Clink, clink, clink. You know what I'm saying? It's, like, all soft. All right, so listen here. Kombucha--and please don't--y'all, don't kill me in the comments if I'm saying it wrong. I'm country. Forgive me. It is a fermented, slightly--only slightly--alcoholic green or black tea drink, okay? It is so good. Like, think about it like--it's like a soda. It's like a healthy soda, right? And there's--Ade: [?]Zach: Say it again?Ade: I wouldn't go that far, a healthy soda.Zach: You wouldn't go that far? It's like a healthy soda.Ade: No, it's not.Zach: It's carbonated. It has some bite to it.Ade: You know what? You're right. Who are me to disagree with your Favorite Thing? My bad.Zach: [laughs] It's so good though, y'all, and it's like--and so, like, you know, it comes in all kinds of flavors. You can--and it's a fermented tea, right? So you take the tea, and it's fermented, and then you put, like--you know, you can put whatever you want in there to flavor it. So, like, I'll--my favorite flavor is ginger-ade. It's like ginger and lemon and honey and fermented, like, fermented with the kombucha. Man, it is so good, and it's low-calorie, right? So, like, a bottle--like, the same amount of this drink that would be, like, I don't know, 200 calories in soda is, like, 50 calories. And it's good for your digestion, so it helps keep you regular. That's right, we're talking about health. We talk about wellness on this podcast, so part of wellness is making sure that you're regular. Come on, Ade. You know what I'm talking about.Ade: Please leave me out of this narrative.Zach: [laughs] But it's important, y'all. It's important. It's important to be regular, and so anyway, kombucha, it helps. It has those live cultures and bacteria for your stomach, and it's just delicious. It's just so good. So yeah, that's my Favorite Thing. I don't have a brand, 'cause we don't have no sponsors for kombucha yet, just like, you know, Capital City Mambo Sauce ain't wanna show us any love, but we still love y'all. It's okay, it's okay, but I'm not giving no more free ads, okay? So I'm not gonna talk about the brand. I'ma just say I like kombucha. Or is kam-buka? What is it?Ade: I'm pretty sure it's kombucha.Zach: Okay, cool. I just wanted to make sure I said it right.Ade: But then you said it really, really wrong, so I really don't know if you saying it right in the first place even counts.Zach: [laughs] Dang, that's jacked up. You're supposed to be my peace.Ade: No, sir, I'm not. Candice would have my head.Zach: [laughs]Ade: I just--first of all, that was a setup. Secondly--I forgot everything I was about to say because I was--I was so startled and taken aback at that--at that statement, wow. Candice, if you're listening to this, I don't want [?]. That is all.Zach: Candice gonna show up--Candice gonna show up to D.C. with that Yao Ming on her all 'cause of me being silly, and I apologize.Ade: All of the choppas just aimed in my direction, and I want none of it. I'm good.Zach: Yeah, nah, 'cause I'm joking. It's jokes, it's jokes. Candice don't listen to this podcast.Ade: Wait a minute. Now [?].Zach: [laughs]Ade: All right, y'all. That does it for us on Living Corporate. Thank you so much for joining us on this podcast. Please make sure to follow us on Instagram @LivingCorporate, on Twitter @LivingCorp_Pod, and please subscribe to our newsletter through www.living-corporate.com. If you have a question for us that you'd like us to read on the show, please make sure you email us at livingcorporatepodcast@gmail.com. We're also taking any wins that you've had lately. We're taking any [refuse?], any thoughts that you'd like to share with us. That's it for us. This has been Ade.Zach: And this has been Zach.Ade and Zach: Peace.

On the tenth entry of Tristan’s Tips, our special guest Tristan Layfield details the importance of getting it in writing. He focuses on three key areas this often comes into play.Connect with Tristan on LinkedIn, IG, and Twitter!https://www.linkedin.com/in/tristanlayfield/https://www.instagram.com/layfieldresume/https://twitter.com/layfieldresumeTRANSCRIPTTristan: What's going on, y'all? It's Tristan of Layfield Resume Consulting, and I've teamed up with Living Corporate to bring you all a weekly career tip. Today let's talk about the importance of getting things in writing, A.K.A. having your receipts. When I started at my current job, my boss said, "You really like to get things in writing, don't you?" And while that question is rhetorical, the answer is "Uh, yes." I've been burnt in the past, so I've learned from my mistakes, and I wanted to make sure that I always had something to refer to. Getting things in writing ensures not only that everyone is clear but that you're also covering yourself. There are so many times where getting it in writing comes into play, but I'm gonna focus on three. Have you ever led or been on a project where people weren't clear about their responsibilities? That is the worst, but imagine if you put everyone's duties in writing and distributed them out to the team. Some of the confusion wouldn't happen, and even if it does, there's more accountability as everyone was made aware of who was responsible for what and had the opportunity to question it. The next situation where getting it in writing could come in handy is during a meeting with your boss. Sometimes these meetings are scheduled and sometimes they're not, but either way, I always suggest sending a follow-up email summarizing the topics of discussion, no matter if you were discussing a new project you'll be taking on, getting their approval for PTO, or even talking about your best sales incentive. If they don't respond, you'll have a record to refer to at any given point in time, and it puts the onus on them to correct anything you may have misunderstood. Lastly, I know when you get that verbal offer for a new job, you want to quit your current job right in that moment, but do not until you receive that offer in writing. I've seen this go wrong one too many times with candidates just like yourself ending up burnt. You don't want to have to retract your resignation and end up looking like a fool. Also, make sure you get any contingencies, like a signing bonus or 90-day bonus in writing, too so you can hold your employer to it. There are so many instances where getting it in writing can not only help you out, but really could save you from so much turmoil. Do yourself a favor and start documenting things a bit more so you can pull out those receipts. This tip was brought to you by Tristan of Layfield Resume Consulting. Check us out on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @LayfieldResume, or connect with me, Tristan Layfield, on LinkedIn.

We have the pleasure of speaking with Chris Moreland, the chief diversity and inclusion advocate at Vizient. He explains why he puts inclusion first and talks about the top three things most companies are getting wrong when it comes to D&I.Connect with Chris on LinkedIn!https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisjmoreland/Connect with us!https://linktr.ee/livingcorporateTRANSCRIPTZach: What's up, y'all? It's Zach.Ade: It's Ade.Zach: So listen, y'all, we gonna get straight to it this time, 'cause we have a really special guest. I'm really excited. Today we have the opportunity--we had the opportunity rather to sit down and speak with Chris Moreland. He's the chief inclusion and diversity advocate at Vizient Incorporated, based out of Dallas, Texas, and I'm just gonna read a little bit of his profile so we can kind of talk about what we're talking about today. Known for possessing a contagious regard for winning, a bias for action and a healthy disrespect for insurmountable challenges. A street-smart C-level leader with a diverse industry background, an indispensable partner for innovative organizations, people development, and building teams. Chris is best known for leading organizations through change, developing innovative solutions, and deciphering ambiguity. He established a track record of performance and execution at Fortune 500 icons like Vizient, Microsoft, Expedia, General Electric, Johnson & Johnson, Pepsi, and Mobil, okay? So this person that we got to speak to today, he and I had an amazing conversation about inclusion and diversity, and in the conversation that you're gonna hear, you'll hear why he puts inclusion first, but we're really excited and want y'all to hear the whole interview, and so we don't want to make it too long by, you know, adding to it, so--Ade: We're gonna keep it short and sweet.Zach: That's right, we're gonna keep it short and sweet. So unfortunately, Ade, no Favorite Things this week.Ade: Nope, but we have an amazing, amazing, amazing interview, so it's good.Zach: It's dope. And after the interview, you know, we'll wrap from there, but the next week we've got a B-Side, and it's me and Ade talking about the interview, talking about D&I, and, you know, having fun. Hopefully y'all laugh. Maybe y'all will cry. Maybe you'll laugh and cry at the same time. I don't know. We'll see. Maybe. [strange noise]Ade: What was that noise? [laughs]Zach: It was like a [strange noise]. It was a shrug. That's, like, a shrug if I was to put a noise to it. [again]Ade: I'm gonna pass on your sound effects skills once again.Zach: Man, my sound effects skills are fire, but that's okay. In fact, you know what? Hold on. JJ, go ahead and give me some air horns, one time for ya head top, for Chris Moreland, 'cause he gave us a fire interview. [imitating air horns] Let's go. [JJ drops 'em] I'm giving him the air horns before we even get to the interview. That's how fire the interview was. What's up?Ade: Look, I don't disagree. Shout-out to Chris. Amazing conversation.Zach: Shout-out to Chris.Ade: You on the other hand are a walking dad joke store.Zach: Yo, I really feel like--so watching that movie Us, I really feel as if that character that ya mans was playing was really just me in, like, five years with no beard, but that's me.Ade: Like, Winston Duke's character?Zach: Yes, I feel like that's me.Ade: I have not heard great reviews, so you probably should not--Zach: No, first of all, Us is fire, and we can talk about that later.Ade: Well, not--you know what? Yes, let's close this out.Zach: So shout-out to Chris, shout-out to Vizient, and yo, shout-out to him being the chief storyteller at Storyteller's Consulting. He's gonna talk a little bit about that in the interview as well, and we'll make sure we have all of this information in the podcast notes, but look, until next week, it's been Zach.Ade: And this has been Ade.Zach: Y'all check out this interview. Peace.Ade: Peace.Zach: And we're back. And so as we shared before the break, we have Chris Moreland on the show. Chris, welcome to the show, man. How are you doing?Chris: I'm fantastic. Thanks so much, Zach.Zach: For those of us who don't know you, would you mind sharing a bit about yourself and how you got into your field?Chris: Absolutely. Well, my name is Chris Moreland. I reside in Dallas, Texas, and I am now the chief inclusion and diversity advocate at Vizient. Vizient is basically a supply chain company that does GPO for health care systems. We do about 100--maybe 105, 110 billion dollars worth of hospital spend on an annual basis.Zach: That's awesome. You know, I guess for me--so let me just say as a quick aside, and this isn't even in my questions, but I just wanted to say it--it's really inspiring to see a person of color, and frankly a black man, in such a position of influence, and I'm just really excited to have you here. So I probably should've said that at the beginning. I don't really care. This is our show. I just want to tell you that I'm happy that you're here.Chris: It's good to be here. It's good to be here.Zach: Absolutely. So look, let's get into it. So I'm on this app, right, called Fishbowl, and it's an anonymous posting app for consultants. Every now and then diversity and inclusion comes up, and most are disillusioned by the topic because it's being seen as a lot of talk and very little walk. So what do you think are some of the top three things most companies are getting wrong when they talk about diversity and inclusion?Chris: Right. That's a really good question, Zach, and it's not a simple answer, but I'll try to simplify the answer. There are several things that companies are not getting right, and if you--if you look at the most recent research, I think it points to some very important things that I think, going forward, we really need to focus on. The first thing is that most companies tend to put diversity and inclusion into the bucket of human resources as though it is part of a function which is different than the function of marketing, which is different than the function of, you know, research and development, which would be different than the function of sales. I think that's one of the biggest mistakes, by putting it specifically in a function. The second thing that I think goes wrong often times with the way companies approach diversity and inclusion is around--they use education as a way of changing behaviors, and we can talk about this a lot more later, but education has been proven now as being the least credible way of changing a human being's behavior, okay? And then the third piece, which I think a lot of people get wrong as far as diversity and inclusion, is how they think about diversity and inclusion relative to accountability. It's one thing to talk about it, but it's a whole 'nother thing when no one ultimately is accountable for the changes that they would like to make relative to diversity and inclusion.Zach: Expound upon that a bit more if you could.Chris: Absolutely. So the first piece around which function generally owns diversity and inclusion, and that being human resources. The reason why that normally doesn't vet out very well for companies is that the organization then feels like their [?] human resource officer is ultimately responsible for diversity and inclusion, and that's an error. Diversity and inclusion should be part of every function. It should be part of the culture of the organization. It should not be quarantined off into a specific function, because it should flow just like values, just like goals, just like culture. It should be part of the way we do business. It should be used as an enabler, not as a functionally-constrained part of an organization. You know, the second piece, which points education--education, as you know, is something that people try to use to make different decisions and result in different behaviors, but as you know if you've ever gone to church, if you've ever seen students in school, education doesn't necessarily mean that once a person knows what they should do, knows the right thing to do, understands the impact of certain actions, that they are going to then adopt those habits, those practices. Each of us go to church every Sunday, and we--depending upon what denomination you may be part of, but you can see the same church crowd that sits in the pews on Sunday, they go out and cut each other off in traffic immediately following the service in some cases, and so it's--you know, it's a bad way of thinking that "I'm going to change the behavior by telling you the right thing to do." And in the last piece, which is what I call just accountability, is that, you know, again, if it's in HR, a lot of times HR feels accountable solely, but no one else in the organization feels as though they have any accountability. They feel as though it has been quarantined off and thus there is a function that is accountable for it, but that is the only function that ultimately becomes accountable for it in that instance, so yeah.Zach: Man, that's incredible. When you and I first met, we talked about diversity and inclusion, and you told me--you said, "Zach, you know, a lot of times people get those letters--the order of those letters wrong, and they should be putting inclusion first." So let me ask you this - what does inclusion really mean practically, and how can companies actualize inclusion in the workplace?Chris: Right. So inclusion, in my title and at least at Vizient, we actually put that word in front of diversity, because inclusion has more to do with the actions that you are taking. Inclusion has to do with "Who's in the conversation? Is the conversation being had? Does everyone's perspective, opinions, and backgrounds matter? Is there value seen in my difference?" Not "Am I different?" Diversity, which really comes from a Latin root word meaning "divertere," or "to divert, to separate." It's the differences between us. It's pretty much meaningless in any organization unless you have the inclusion part first, and the inclusion means that I see you, I see your differences, and I see the value in those differences, and ultimately I don't want to move forward with any decision, with any strategy, with any proposal, until I get all different sides of this idea understood and heard, because understanding that when I am inclusive I actually get a much better outcome. It should always precede diversity. Diversity by itself is pretty meaningless unless it is preceded by inclusion.Zach: Yeah. No, absolutely, and so I'm curious - what methods have you seen that are effective when it comes to organizations really leaning into the inclusion piece of their I&D strategy?Chris: Right. That's a great question, because there is a--there is a huge difference. It's like night and day when it comes to organizations and effectiveness of those organizations when you do lead with inclusion. A couple of practices. One, there is--there are very few human beings that I've met thus far who are openly and consciously biased. In other words, open and conscious bias means that I see you, I see your differences, and I am absolutely just going to deliberately exclude those differences from my decisions, from my thoughts, from my practices, from my campaigns and everything else. When I lead with inclusion, what it does is it says I understand that I have this subconscious, this subliminal, this unconscious ability or need or desire to assimilate with those things that look similar to me, and we all have this in our personalities. We all want to assimilate with like things. We want to be around people who look like us, act like us, talk like us, have the same backgrounds as us, because it makes us more comfortable, and there's nothing wrong with that, but in order to actively have an inclusive culture, you have to understand that it's an uphill battle. It goes against our natural tendencies, and so when organizations actually adopt a truly inclusive culture, it doesn't start with just education, making people aware of the subconscious knack to go away from things that are not like you. It actually does more than that. It goes to creating an understanding of what those differences are and why and how those differences can and should be used to create greater value. I'm not talking about, in this case, educating you on unconscious bias. I think you may remember more recently in the news Starbucks had a situation with one of their restaurants, and they shut their stores down for an entire half-day, and what they did was they focused on educating people on unconscious bias. So there was a training that was done around unconscious bias, and the net effect of that training based on all research is that it had a shelf life of about 90 minutes.Zach: 90 min--an hour and a half?!Chris: 90--an hour and a half. It had a shelf life of 90 minutes, but then our natural, innate tendencies go back to exactly the way we were before we were exposed to that education and training. And so the good thing is that they at least acknowledged that there needed to be something done. The bad thing is that they're using the same tools that we used in 1962, in this country, in order to make civil rights the rights of everyone, and you can see, you know, 50 some odd years later, the outcomes are the same. It's because the techniques and the practices are the same. A lot of it is education, and then the second piece to that is legislation. So when you educate and legislate, you believe that, "Oh, things are going to change." They don't change. These are behavioral tendencies that we have to tap into in order to try and counteract things and make people's behaviors actually change.Zach: Well, see, it's interesting that you say that because--in terms of the historical lens by which you're looking through to discuss inclusion and diversity and facilitating change, because I don't necessarily know if I--if I see a lot of the historical narrative being engaged when we talk about effective methods and approaches to really driving inclusion and diversity, and often times, in my experience, these programs rarely even engage the subject of race explicitly, even to the point where they may create, like, different points of diversity. Like, diversity of thought, diversity of education, and yes, I'm not saying that those points don't exist, Chris, but historically, like, those points, they're strongly interwoven with the intersection of gender and ethnicity, right? But I don't know if I necessarily 1. see a lot of invoking of history when we talk about education and effective methods moving forward in the future, and I don't know if I see a lot of--in fact, sometimes I hear diversity of thought or diversity of education or diversity of background really used as replacements for diversity of race and intersection between--intersectionality of gender and race. Have you seen that? And if you kind of see where I'm coming from, why do you think that is?Chris: Yeah. So let me answer both questions pretty quickly, and then I'll get into a little detail. So the answer is yes and yes. Yes, I have seen it happen. Yes, it is very, very frustrating, and yes, I do understand why it is happening the way that it is happening, because--first let's go back to the terms of diversity and inclusion and why most people tend to use the word diversity preceding the word inclusion. It is because it is a lot easier for me to point out all of the differences between, you know, the 7.5 billion people that are in this world. I can tell you there are differences for all of us, and we should all be aware of and appreciative of all of those differences, but let's think about that at a neurological level, because that's where change happens. It happens at a neurological level. So Zach, if you walk into a room, and a person who walks into a room--and you're originally from where, Texas?Zach: Yes.Chris: Okay, so you're originally from Texas. So you walk into a room, and then right next to you a straight Caucasian male walks into the room, and his background just happens to not be from Texas. Let's say he's from L.A., okay? So he has diversity of experience. You have diversity of race. You both walk into the same room, and you're both seen by a group of executives that are sitting around the table that you're about to engage. Sitting around that table, what do you physically think the reaction will be of your presence versus your male straight white counterpart's presence who just happens to be from L.A.? Both having diversity, you know, based on just them walking into the room. And again, the audience--let's say the audience is full of Texans, okay? So if you--go ahead. Please answer that question, and then I can go on.Zach: [laughs] Yeah, I think--I think that if it's all Texans and they are, let's say, all white men, I think they're gonna gravitate and presume that the white--my white counterpart is the more senior, more competent authority in the space.Chris: Exactly. There are a certain set of assumptions that go into your brain, in other people's brains, the second you or I walk into a room. The second you or I walk into a bus, the second you or I walk into an elevator. And again, I do not blame the neuroscience behind the minds of the individuals who make assumptions as soon as you or I walk into a room, but it is very different when I used the word diversity talking about race versus when I use the word diversity and I talk about a person's background or a person's education, because certain people have certain assumptions that are attributed to their physical being. They can't help it. You can't help what I think about when I look at you as you walk into a room. You have no control over that. It's just like the white straight male from L.A. cannot help what I may think about him when he walks into the room, but some of these assumptions, some of these thoughts, some of these implicit biases are nothing--they have nothing to do with who's standing in front of you, okay? So I think--going back to your question, I think a lot of times--in the field of diversity and inclusion we've now migrated away from the cornerstone of diversity and inclusion, which had everything to do with gender and race, and we've migrated now to diversity of thought, diversity of background, diversity of experience, diversity of a lot of different things, and I'm not saying any of those things are wrong, but I am saying that neurologically, when I think about the word diversity, the reason why I believe we have to go back to the cornerstone of diversity, which has everything to do with gender and race, because of that reaction when you walked into the room with your white male counterpart. Until I can get this country and individuals in corporate America past the fact that they have no control over that implicit bias associated with that initial impression, then I cannot move forward and start thinking about other forms of diversity because there is an implicit association associated with just your physical presence that, quite frankly, has a stereotype associated with it, and it has a whole set of thoughts and assumptions associated with just your physical presence, which is where I think the work needs to be done, which is where I think we need to start building from.Zach: So you've made mention about making authentic connections and those neuropathic pathways. I'd love to hear more about that. When we first spoke, like, you talked about that. I'd love to hear more about that, because as you and I know, the real change happens at the executive level. So one, please expound a little bit about those pathways and those genuine, like, connections, and then what methods have you seen be effective in driving that sort of openness to be connected outside of one's comfort zone at, like, the top and highest of levels?Chris: Wow. So big question. [both laugh] I'm gonna start with three words, and then I'm gonna dive into each of those words just briefly so I can uncover some of what you've asked. The first word I want to talk about is a word called covering. The second word, or words, I want to talk about is safe place, and then the third word that I want to talk to you about is change and change management, okay? And these are all different, but they're all connected. So covering, let's start off with that. The reason why men and women who look like you and I, who work in corporate America, spend a large percentage of their time covering is because we understand that there are certain stigmas associated with our physical presence and there's no getting around it. The reason why you or I might not necessarily be as open to talk about some of our childhood experiences in the corporate setting is because we do not feel as though they are appropriate, and so we hide them, we cover them. Covering is an actual term that was coined back in the mid-'60s by a sociologist who talked about stigmas associated with all different types of people, and we all have them, you know? Straight white men also have the habits of covering, but they are a lot deeper when it comes to some of the underrepresented races in this country. So if you're either foreign background or of a heritage that puts you into a category as far as being called brown of some sort or shade in this country, you spend a lot of your physical energy covering, covering up who you authentically are, because you do not feel as though it's appropriate. You do not feel that you will have a good opportunity to assimilate unless you cover. And covering goes across the board. It's everything from how you groom yourself to, you know, as you're getting older, some of us, you know, color the gray hairs that may be popping out of our heads, and others of us cover even things like our bodies. Our bodies are a lot of times covered. There's a--the first billionaire female in this country made a billion dollars by covering women. It's the woman who started the SPANX brand in this country. The first billionaire woman under 40, I believe it is. SPANX. SPANX is nothing more than us having an openly bias toward a thinner physical person, and thus SPANX helps us do that, and so we like to cover the fact that we are not necessarily of a certain physicality, and we hide that through things like SPANX. So covering is where a lot of this starts. Go ahead. You have a question.Zach: I was gonna say--you were talking about SPANX. You know, it kind of reminds me of the first black--the first black female billionaire, Madam C.J. Walker, right?Chris: Absolutely, absolutely.Zach: Right? With selling perms and relaxers, right? Like, that was--I think that kind of falls into the bucket of covering. Please continue though. This is amazing.Chris: Yeah. No, you've hit something that is extremely important. I wasn't gonna talk about it because a lot of us suffer from this, but the reason why weaves, the reasons why straight hair, the reason why the European look for African-Americans in this country has been such a phenomenon and has made so many millionaires and billionaires in this country, is because of this thing called covering. When we view something as being the way that we need to better assimilate, we spend our entire lives trying to fit that image, trying to mold ourselves into the image of what we want to assimilate into. We bleach our skin. We straighten our hair. We change the way our body is shaped, all with an effort to cover who we actually are. So a lot of this starts with the idea of [or phenomenon?] called covering. Let me move to the second piece, which is safe space. Safe space is what your executive leaders at every major corporation in this country need to create in order for other people not to feel the need to cover. A safe space is basically an environment or a culture where inclusion is part of what they just do. Inclusion means that I am going to allow you to show up and be your authentic self because I think there is so much value in that. "Chris, I want you to come to work. I want you to dress, act like, be like, you know, fashion yourself after who you really are versus who you believe we want you to be, because we see value in that. We see and understand the value of your differences. We want to know who you are really, and through that story we're actually going to use it to create a better organization, a better company, a better culture." So the idea of creating a safe space can only be done when senior leaders see and understand the influence that they have on an organization and in a culture. If you've ever been in an organization where you felt like there were certain things you can't do, you can't say, certain ways that you just can't act--and not because they're inappropriate, but just because the leader, who creates the culture, has already deemed certain things as being inappropriate, and if you've been in any corporation in this country you know, depending upon which company you're a part of, there's certain things that are just not allowed, and those certain things often times are usually authentic parts of who you are. They're not abusive. They're not distasteful. They're just part of who you naturally are. One key example is my administrative assistant, who for the longest time had been wearing hair pieces and weaves and wigs and everything else, and she had been working for me for about two years, and she called me one weekend in almost a panic, and I answered the phone and I said, "What's going on? What's happening?" And she just happens to be African-American, and she said, "Chris, I'm going to text you a picture of me, and I want you to let me know if it's okay." I said, "Okay," and I thought it was--I thought it had more to do with clothing that she was wearing. She texted me a picture of her wearing her natural hair.Zach: Oh, wow.Chris: Wearing her natural hair, and she said, "Is it okay if I show up to work on Monday without my wigs?" And I said to her--and I'm not gonna use her name 'cause I don't want to embarrass her on this podcast, but I said, "Oh, my God." I said, "You look beautiful." I said, "You look like my sister. You look like my daughter. You look like my mother. You look like my friend. You look like the person who is my partner at work, and I love your authentic self." I said, "Do not ever feel like you have to cover who you are to show up at work." She says, "Well, I just wasn't sure if it was appropriate," and I told her--I said, "You are beautiful as you are. Please show up just like the picture has you," and again, all she did was allow her hair to be natural, and it was just curly, a little kinky, but it was the cutest, most beautiful picture I have ever seen, and since time she has worn her natural hair every day of the week.Zach: That's beautiful, yeah.Chris: Exactly. I could not make this story up. So as a senior leader, your job, your accountability, is to create a safe space so that people who are different can actually show up as themselves. The third piece that I would talk to you a little bit about is called accountability or change management, and when I say change management/accountability, what that to me says is that's, again, the job of the senior leaders in the organization, and that has more to do with if they show up as what I call Pepsi perfect, then they have already set the standard. If they do not or are not willing to show any humility or vulnerability, then no one else will feel like they can make mistakes or be vulnerable. They set the stage, the culture, for the organization and how the organization is going to evolve, and when they believe that they have to be perfect or show up perfect or set requirements such that there can be no mistakes, then you get very unauthentic, unengaged people showing up. The last piece of your question was methodology, and "Chris, how do you think we can use--what methodology have you used to try to create this environment of safety, this culture of inclusion and the ability for people to show up authentically?" And I'll tell you, it starts at the neurological level, and that is it has everything to do with your ability to articulate who you really are, and I call that story-telling. And the reason why I call it story-telling is because there is actually a neuroscience change that happens in your brain when you hear a person's story. When you take the time to understand a person's background, when you take the time to understand what has gotten a person to where they are in life, you change yourself. The reason why you change is for two things actually. One, the reason you change is because your brain doesn't know the difference between an experience and a story. So if I tell you a--if I tell you about a story, it is the same thing as if you were to experience it yourself. If I talked to you about my story of growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, and basically having to take two buses and a train to get to school every day and some of the experiences that I had going through, you know, high school and college, after I finished my story, Zach, you will neurologically change, because your body--your brain doesn't know the difference between my story and you actually experiencing some of that yourself, and so you get this flood of hormones that go through your body which actually change the neuro-receptors in your brain and make--because your brain has this thing called plasticity, you actually change. You feel different about me, and the reason why you feel different about me is because you see a part of you in me. Because it may be a completely different experience that I had in high school or college or even in the work environment, but as I tell you my story, you see yourself in me, and it brings you and I together. And it's not just you and I, it's me and the CEO. It's me and the chief marketing officer. It's me and the chief operating officer. So as opposed to that person or those people relying heavily on what they physically see when I walk into the room, when I tell them my story and I learn their stories, they can no longer look at me the same way because they have neurologically changed. We have created relationship where was none before.Zach: Wow.Chris: Yeah.Zach: [both laugh] Hold on. You know what I like about you, Chris? Well, I like a lot of things about you, but I like the way that you be--you be hitting, like--you be hitting [?] bars, and then you'll be like, "Yeah." Like, "That was fire and I know it. React to that." [both laugh] No, no, no. There's so much there, and I think--first of all, we're probably gonna--we're definitely gonna have to have a part two to this podcast because I want to get deeper. At the same time I don't want us to go have a two-hour podcast, but I do want to follow-up on something. So then when you're talking about creating these--like, sharing these stories and making these connections, you know, what are ways that black and brown professionals coming into an organization can facilitate that in a way that manages up? Like, what are ways that they could do that and help move the needle forward in their favor? What are ways that they could--they could share their stories and create those connections that would support and help them in their careers?Chris: God, that's a great question. So I'm gonna use a term which is based on education, which I told you at first that education does not necessarily change you, but I want to use this term from education 'cause you can start using it and applying it in your day-to-day. And it's a whole study and science around this thing called emotional intelligence, okay? So emotional intelligence, a quick definition of what it is - it's just your ability to take everything that's going on today in your life, Zach, everything that happened, you know, this morning--you know, you, you know, getting out of bed at a certain time, having to, you know, get certain things done, worrying about certain other things that probably lingered from the weekend--your ability to take all of those things that are just clawing and drawing at your attention and put them to the background and focus on Chris during this podcast. Your ability to do that is the quick definition of what emotional intelligence is. It's all of our ability to take everything that's going on in our lives and put it as a backdrop and to be present and able to listen to and serve the person who is sitting in front of us. So taking ourselves and putting ourselves secondary to another human being, but how does emotional intelligence actually help us as we're trying to create these inclusive organizations, to your point or your question, "How do we manage up?" We do it by being emotionally intelligent, and I'll give you a little bit more definition about how that application actually works at work. First of all and foremost, emotional intelligence is the best-correlated skill set to career advancement that there is. Let me pause and say that one more time. Emotional intelligence has the greatest correlation to career advancement than anything else. It is higher than IQ. You may get a job because of a high IQ. You get promoted because of a high EQ, and in this case EQ is emotional intelligence. And so how does that show up and how does that work? It works like this. As you get into an organization--and let's just say that you are different from an ethnicity or from a race-based perspective--first of all, all eyes are on you, and you probably know that if you've been employed by any of the major Fortune 1500 companies in this country, and because all eyes are on you, you get a lot of exposure that you had not even really anticipated or asked for, but the way you manage that from an emotional intelligence perspective is that you spend all of your time trying to find out and figure out what is going on with other individuals and people around you. One of the first things I did when I came to Vizient seven years ago--this is the truth--is that I went up to the CEO--first of all, I didn't take the job until I got a chance to meet the CEO, and I made that a prerequisite before I even came to the organization because I knew that the CEO creates the culture, and I wanted to figure out exactly what type of culture he had created. The first meeting that I had with him, the first thing that we talked about was his dress, the way he dressed, and the reason why we talked about the way he dressed is because he dressed the way I had always wanted to dress. It was very colorful. He had--you know, custom jeans on. He had designer shoes on. I mean, even to this day I can't afford everything that he wore, but it was so well put together that our first conversation was around his dress. I then wanted to understand how did he progress through the organization, so we had a really long conversation about the fact that he started out as an analyst, you know, 30 something odd years ago and then eventually was promoted up through the ranks of CEO. I found out about his wife and her background and the fact that she started out as a CPA. I also had many, many conversations with him about his son. He only has one son, and his son at the time was just about to enter college, and he had an incredible attraction to African art. I also found out that he spent a lot of time in New Mexico, and the reason why he spent a lot of time in New Mexico is because 1. it gave him a chance to get away from Texas, and 2. he was able to basically walk down the street and people really not know who he was or what he did. So he could kind of not have to be a CEO for those periods of time where he got a chance to get away. The reason why I tell you this story is because I immersed myself in understanding who he is, how he thought, how he worked, what was important to him, what his likes were and what his dislikes were, and as I did that, as I immersed in his life, he then paid the same respect to me. He paid the same respect to me, because he began asking questions about me and my story and what brought me to where I was in my career, in my life, in my work and everything else, and we built a very strong relationship. I'm gonna pause on that word relationship, because a lot of times the things that hold us back in corporate America, especially if we show up either from a gender difference or from an ethnicity difference, is that we don't take the time to form those relationships, and they have to be formed very selflessly. Very purposefully but very selflessly. You cannot walk into a relationship and expect a person to just automatically, you know, ask you about your family or your spouse or your education or anything else like that, even though that's a big part of your story. You have to first start out by asking them about themselves. I always tell people when they're about to go to an interview or if they're about to, you know, have a first conversation with another human being, and I tell them, "Use the 80/20 rule," and the 80/20 rule says that you should only talk 20% of the time, because when you're talking, you're not listening. When you're talking, you're not able to hear the story of the other person who is in front of you, who emotional intelligence tells you should be the center of your attention for that interaction. Does that make sense?Zach: It does make sense. For sure, for sure. So let me ask you this, because I'd like to get, you know, your prediction. Based on your expertise as an I&D subject matter expert, like, what is the future of I&D if it stays its current course?Chris: Yeah. I will tell you if it stays its current course--we've seen the current course trajectory for inclusion and diversity over the last 50+ years. We still have the same representation of minorities in CEO positions and board director positions and females in CEO positions and board director positions that we've had for the last, you know, 30+ years. That course has not changed. We have the same make-up as far as individuals who are moving into C-level jobs. We've got the same make-up that we've had, you know, for the last 35, 40+ years. That trajectory has already been put in place, and it continues to be there even though the demographics of this country have completely changed. As a matter of fact, if you're under the age of 18 right now, the majority in this country have actually become the minority and the minority have become the majority, but it doesn't mean--because the numbers are there, it doesn't mean that there will be change in organizations and corporations and boards of directors and people making key decisions. If you look across the world, we see where that phenomena has happened in other countries, where the minorities in a country are actually still in powerful positions over the majority of people who actually happen to be part of the organization or the countries, because they have not changed. They have not understood how to change the mindsets and really tap into the value of the vast majority of people who actually inhabit the place that they're at geographically. So the current trajectory has already proven out that it will remain the way it is, and the bad side, the down side of that trajectory, is that we don't have the ability to tap into one of our greatest resources, which is the true, rich diversity of people that walk into organizations every day, that walk into churches every day, that walk past you down the streets every day.Zach: Hm. That's a heavy--that's heavy, but this has been a great discussion, Chris, and, you know, before we wrap up, I'd like to know - are there any other projects that you're working on?Chris: Yes. Yeah, so the one--the latest project that is just unfolding at the conclusion here of 2018 has been a small I'll just call it boutique consulting firm that I just decided I'm going to create, because I don't see the current trajectory changing, and I said, "You know what? At the end of the day, one person can make a difference if they just figure it out and start doing it in a very meaningful way," and so I just started a small firm called Storytellers Consulting, and Storytellers Consulting has a lot to do with what we just discussed on this podcast, and that is teaching executives how to tell their stories and how to bring the stories out of the people who they work with and how to create inclusive cultures and how to create safe spaces and how to evolve organizations into becoming more inclusive. If there is nothing that is done at the neurological level, change will not happen, period. So here's my final thought on how change happens and why I know for sure this is true. So January. January is the most important month of the year for a lot of people, because they make a lot of promises to themselves. Most of us--most of us make promises like, "I'm going to lose that 10, 15, 20 pounds that has burdening me for the last, you know, 15 years of my life." That resolution lasts 'til about February 15th. I always give people right up 'til about Valentine's Day, and then the behaviors go back to what they used to be, right? And the reason why the behaviors go back to what they used to be is because change management requires for people to actually change neurologically, and the only way that that happens--let's call it for the sake of losing weight--the only way that you're gonna physically be able to lose weight and keep it off is if something triggers you to know that my behavior has to change or else there's either a consequence or else I see the benefit so much that I'm not gonna go back to my bad habits, and for a lot of people, those changes happen only when you get burdened with something like--something bad is gonna happen to you if you don't lose weight. Like, you get a call from the doc and they tell you the consequence of you not losing the weight. So short of that--because most people are not faced with that--short of that, we've got to change neurologically, which means that in order for me to physically make sure that you're going to stick to your commitments, I've got to explain to you in a way that makes so much sense that you are not gonna go back to your bad habits regardless of the temptation. The reason why this is so important is because, again, for most of us, we get off the diets by February 15th, and the reason being is because we've done nothing to convince ourselves that we have to be on that diet or we have to change our way of living. In diversity and inclusion, that neuroscience change starts with creating a relationship. The same exact thing would happen if you were to--as opposed to telling someone else that you're gonna lose a whole bunch of weight, if you signed up and created, let's say, a partnership with someone and said, "You know what? For the next year, you and I, three times a week, are gonna meet at the gym. We're gonna go together. I'm gonna hold you accountable, you're gonna hold me accountable, and we are going to change our lives together." When there is that partnership, that relationship, that neurological change inside of your head, inside of your body, it has a lot better of an opportunity of sticking, and so that's exactly what we want to do with Storytellers Consulting. That's exactly what we want to do when it comes to change management just in general across the country.Zach: This has been a phenomenal conversation. I just--I really appreciate it, Chris. Before we let you go--I know you just shared some--first of all, you've been dropping sauce this entire conversation, but do you have any final thoughts or shout-outs?Chris: Yeah. I guess the final thought or shout-out I have is 1. I really want to just let people know that one, there is no criticism associated with, you know, where we are today in this--in this country relative to diversity and inclusion. I do not feel like it is anyone's fault. I don't want anyone to, you know, hear this podcast and believe that, Zach, you or I are saying that there are so many social injustices going on in this country that, you know, this is just a throwaway or there is someone to truly blame for everything. That is not the message whatsoever. The message is that most of our current existence, most of our decisions, most of our behaviors, they are so subconscious, unconscious, subliminal, that we're not even aware of it a lot of times, and so all we're doing, all we're saying, all we're advocating for is for people to actually do things that are more consciously driven, and when you do things that are more consciously driven and there's a motivation and a methodology for you to do that, then we can actually make change, and that is exactly what we're advocating for, is that we just really think about this from a historical perspective, realizing certain things have just not been that effective, you know? The legislation that we did back in the '60s and, you know, all of the affirmative action pushes that we've done through the '70s and '80s, you know, as great as they've been, you know, to make people feel better, they really have not necessarily touched on the--on the real metrics associated with businesses and corporations in this country, and our organizations are missing out on an incredible opportunity to tap into what is now going to become the majority population in this country. And so again, my shout-out [?] to take a very introspective look and approach at what are we personally doing right now to build relationships that actually go beyond our racial differences, go beyond our gender differences and create true, meaningful, authentic relationships with other human beings by getting to know them at a neurological level. A lot of times, that is done through stories and through the art of storytelling.Zach: Chris, we definitely appreciate you being on the Living Corporate podcast today, and we consider you a friend of the show, and we hope to have you back, man.Chris: Thank you so much, man. It has been a pleasure and a gift and a blessing. Thank you.Zach: Amen, man. Peace.Chris: Amen. All righty, be well.