August 29, 2024 • 32 mins
Discover some keys to career growth with expert insights from Ayana Carroll, a trailblazer in human resources and leadership development. Join us as Ayana shares tips on overcoming leadership struggles like imposter syndrome and the unique pressures faced by women in male-dominated environments. Ayanna reveals how acknowledging your right to lead is the first step towards dismantling unrealistic expectations and fostering a healthier leadership mindset.
Mid-level leaders, often the unsung heroes of organizations, face unique challenges, and Ayana offers practical advice to empower them. She emphasizes self-advocacy, increasing visibility, and becoming an expert in your field as keys to unlocking career potential. Hear actionable steps for mid-level professionals to navigate their roles effectively, prevent career stagnation, and ensure their contributions are recognized. Tune in for an episode packed with insights to enhance your leadership journey and career growth.
Mentioned during the show:
Connect with Ayana!
- Website: ARC Consulting
- LinkedIn: Ayana Carroll, SPHR
- Instagram: arccoachingconsulting
- Facebook: AyanaDebowCarroll
Please subscribe to our mailing list to stay connected and get updates! Thanks for listening to the Graced to Lead Podcast.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Belinda Gaston (00:08):
Welcome to the Graced to Lead podcast.
I'm Belinda Gaston, your host,and listen.
If you are a Christian womanwho leads at work, in your own
business or even in ministry,you are in the right place here.
You'll find practical adviceand encouragement as you lead
through real conversations thatwill challenge and inspire you.
So join me on this journey tobecoming better leaders, god's
(00:31):
way.
Are you ready?
Let the journey begin.
Welcome to the Graced to Leadpodcast.
I am Belinda Gaston, your host,and listen.
Today we have a dynamicconversation.
We have with us none other thanthe Ayana Carroll, and let me
tell you about Ayana.
Ayana is a professional in theworld of human resources and
(00:55):
leadership development.
With over two decades ofexperience As a passionate
advocate for diversity, equity,and inclusion, Ayana has played
a pivotal role in transformingworkplace cultures.
at the executive level in thetech industry, she has honed her
skills in building and leadinghigh-performing teams.
Now, as the founder of ARCConsulting, Ayana is dedicated
(01:21):
to empowering mid-levelprofessionals, helping them
unlock their leadershippotential and accelerate their
careers.
Her unique blend of corporateexperience and hands-on coaching
is designed to inspire andguide emerging leaders in their
journeys, workplaces ornurturing the next generation of
(01:42):
leaders.
You can find her traveling theworld with her husband, cheering
on her son in the footballfield and playing with her
beloved puppies, roxy and Snoopy.
Graced the Lead podcastlisteners.
Would you do me a favor andgive a virtual welcome to Ayana
Carroll.
Ayana, welcome to the Gracedthe Lead podcast.
Ayana Carroll (02:02):
Thank you so much .
Thank you for having me.
I am really excited to havethis very important discussion.
This is going to be great.
Belinda Gaston (02:12):
And I think that you're perfect for this
conversation because you've hadso much experience in the world
of HR and because you are acoach for mid-level leaders, and
so I'm looking forward to yourinsights on this topic.
So let's start with what we'vediscussed.
You are a coach for mid-levelleaders, and so I'm looking
forward to your insights on thistopic, so let's start with what
we've discussed.
In a previous episode, Idiscussed leadership and
loneliness, leadership andisolation.
(02:32):
It really did spark aconversation and resonate with
the Graced to Lead audience.
So my first question is in yourexperience, why do you think
that this topic struck such achord with so many people?
Ayana Carroll (02:48):
And you know I'm really going to speak from my
experience with these becauseyou know I don't want to speak
for everyone, but I believe itresonated so strongly with with
people, because leadership oftencomes with a sense of
responsibility and pressureright, and they can, and that in
itself can create a feeling ofisolation and I think that many
(03:13):
leaders feel like they mustshoulder the burden alone and it
makes it difficult.
You know when you're, whenyou're trying to do that and you
don't necessarily share thatstruggle with others.
I also think that there is anexpectation that leaders this
was really serious for me thatleaders have all of the
(03:35):
knowledge.
They know all of the things youknow like I know it all, and if
I appear that I don't know itall, then am I not the leader
that I think that I am?
So that also keeps, I believe,people from sharing when they
should and keeps them isolatedand keeps them confined to their
(03:56):
selves.
So I think that there's a thatcould be why this struck a chord
with so many people.
It's like I I'm supposed toknow everything, I'm supposed to
be this very senior levelleader and if it appears that I
don't know what I'm doing or Idon't have all of the
information or I don't know allof the answers, then am I really
(04:17):
that great of a leader?
So I think, at least when Ithink about leadership, that's
how I was feeling when I wasgoing into it and when I'm
growing up in it and as I'mcoaching people, those are the
things that I I see and I hearand I feel.
Belinda Gaston (04:33):
Yeah, thank you for sharing that, and I'm
curious where do you think thatidea comes from, that, as women
who lead, we have to have allthe answers or if, or.
If we don't have the answers,that you know we somehow are
failing as leaders.
Where does that pressure comefrom, you think?
Ayana Carroll (04:53):
I think it goes back to the imposter syndrome a
little bit.
Right.
It could be that if I don'tknow it, do I really belong here
?
You know, we're made to feellike and I don't know why we're
made to feel like this, butwe're made to feel like we have
to know everything because aswomen, we show up in these
(05:14):
spaces that are lots of timesvery male dominated, right, and
if we don't know, it looks as ifwe don't belong in that space,
but in fact we really do.
I remember and I don't will notever evoke politics in anything,
but I remember that MichelleObama said one time when she sat
(05:36):
in a room with mostly men thatit really turned out that they
didn't know as much as you know.
They were not as smart as shethought that they were.
And I think, if we approachthat not that men are not smart,
but I think that if we approachit that I have just as much
right to be here.
I know all of the things that Ifeel like I need to know, and
(05:57):
if I don't, that's okay, we willbe fine.
But I think we approach this asthere's not many of us in the
room, so we have to be better,we have to show up differently,
otherwise we won't be takenseriously and we won't be given
these opportunities again.
So I think there's a little bitof that in there.
Belinda Gaston (06:18):
And I know for me and my leadership journey, it
is that kind of idea of reallyunrealistic goals and pressure
sometimes that we set onourselves as women who lead, and
I often wonder if it's the sameway for men.
One day I'm going to have anepisode where I ask men like,
what are you thinking about whenyou lead?
Because I've never heard a mansay or allude to anything like
(06:39):
that.
But for sure, for women, weoften put pressure on ourselves
to almost be perfect.
It's this idea of perfection inleadership, and so it can be
challenging, and I know that alot of what resonated in the
previous episode was this ideathat a couple people wrote in
(07:00):
and said I didn't know.
I thought I was the only onewho felt like this, and so I
would love it.
Ayana, if you are comfortablesharing a time in your journey.
I mean, you have been at thetop levels of leadership in your
career.
Has there ever been a timewhere you've had to overcome
loneliness or isolation as aleader and, if so, how did you
(07:25):
navigate that space?
Ayana Carroll (07:27):
Yeah, many times, many times.
Most recently, I recall a timewhen I was navigating a
significant leadershiptransition and I felt incredibly
isolated.
I was leading us through amajor organizational change and
the weight of the decisions thatI had to make were overwhelming
.
They were overwhelming.
(07:48):
I felt that I couldn't fullyexpress my concerns or my
uncertainty with my team.
I'm part of a leadership teamand I couldn't express my
concerns or my uncertaintieswith my leadership team.
And not only did I feel like Icouldn't, I also didn't want to
(08:09):
look like I didn't know what Iwas doing.
So there was a point in timewhere I was just I was.
I was really suffering andbecause that transition was new
for me, it was going into acompletely different role and
the transition was new for me.
It was going into a completelydifferent role and the
transition was new for thecompany.
I hadn't built that board ofadvisors around me yet that I
(08:31):
could go out and seek help fromother people.
So it was a really difficult,difficult time for me.
So what I had to do to getthrough that was that was a
moment where I really had tolean on my faith, because I
didn't have those board advisorsaround me, I didn't have the
(08:53):
support of the leadership teamwithin my company, and, although
I have great friends, it justwasn't a space where I felt like
I could share with them and getthe advice and counsel that I
needed.
So I was.
I felt pretty isolated andpretty alone, pretty overwhelmed
and, at times, I dare to say,traumatized by the fact that I
(09:16):
didn't have the support that Ineeded.
That was a period of time whereI really had to lean on my
faith and go into a lot ofprayer about how to handle that
situation and to not feelisolated by it.
So I leaned heavily on prayerand sought out wisdom and
spiritual guidance to getthrough that.
(09:37):
Ultimately, though, I was ableto build that board around me
and I was able to kind of comethrough, lead the company
through where we needed to gothrough board around me, and I
was able to kind of come through, lead the company through where
we needed to go through, theorganization through where we
needed to go through with theadvising council just some
mentors and some support outside, and it worked out.
Belinda Gaston (09:56):
Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for being sotransparent about that.
I think it's helpful for ourlisteners to hear that people in
all levels, including thehighest levels, have similar
experiences, different forms.
The number one thing thatpeople say is I don't know how
to find these people.
A lot of times, I even sharedin the previous episode that
(10:28):
I've been intimidated byreaching out to someone.
It really takes a level oftransparency and vulnerability
to put yourself out there.
So I think it would be reallyhelpful if you can talk a little
bit about how you developedthat personal advisory board.
How did you get those peoplearound you and invite them into
a space where you can receivetheir advice and where they'd be
(10:50):
willing to give you advice?
Ayana Carroll (10:52):
Yeah, not only did it take vulnerability, it
took a lot of courage.
Right, it's just not naturalfor me at least, it's not
natural to go out and startemailing people and say, hey,
introducing yourself and who Iam and can you be part of my you
know my trusted board.
But that's exactly what I did.
You know a couple of differentways.
(11:14):
So I went to some folks that Ihad already known that would
have some connections in theindustry that I was in it
happened to be DE&I and said,listen, I am new with this.
I would like to have somebodywho is very well versed in this.
Can you maybe introduce me tosome folks that you think would
(11:36):
be helpful?
And that happened to be somefolks on the board of directors
of my company that I wasfriendly with and they
introduced me.
But the other part of it was Iwent to LinkedIn and I found
thought leaders and experts inthe industry and I sent them
messages letting them know who Iwas, letting them know what I
(11:59):
was doing and telling them thatthis is what I needed.
And you would be surprised atthe people who are like
absolutely, this is fantastic,let me help you.
I'm happy to dedicate that timeto you and that's what I did
and I was able to come out witha really great group of diverse
people, voices and perspectivethat was able to help me kind of
(12:21):
navigate through some of thatspace.
So it's a scary moment.
I think that we all feel like Idon't want anybody to say no, I
don't want to feel rejected oryou know, I'm sending out these
unsolicited emails or DMs topeople who are going to be like
I don't even know who you are.
But I didn't get one singleperson who was like no, I don't
(12:46):
know you, I don't have time.
There were people who said Iwould love to do this but I'm at
capacity right now and I don'tknow that I'd be able to really
fully and completely commit toyou.
And that was perfectly fine.
They were kind and they allresponded.
But putting yourself out thereand just stepping out on faith
and sending that message tothose folks, I think the best
(13:06):
way to do it to a lot ofdifferent people.
Belinda Gaston (13:10):
And that is so interesting because I would
think I mean, if you're sendingout things, you think, oh, what
about the rejection?
Oh, I'm going to get thisrejection and it's going to be
terrible.
And what I hear you saying,ayana, is that in fact, you got
fewer rejections than youexpected, and they weren't
necessarily rejections.
It was a not.
(13:30):
Right now I just don't have thecapacity to help you, but they
were willing to help you, andthat's what I'm hearing.
Ayana Carroll (13:38):
That's exactly what happened.
That's exactly what happened.
That's exactly what happened,and I think we need to be okay
with the rejections.
It's going to happen and Idon't think it's a rejection on
you.
It's just maybe I just don'thave the capacity now.
So in those moments and Ireally had to sit with myself in
that in those moments it's nota rejection on your person.
It's perhaps the person justdoesn't have the capacity and
(14:01):
maybe they didn't use the rightwords.
So we have to be okay with thefact that it's a no and then we
move on and not take itpersonally.
But if we just sit and don't doit, it's at our detriment.
Belinda Gaston (14:16):
Now that's a moment we need to pause.
Listeners, I hope that youheard what Ayana just said.
So you are at a crossroadswhere you can choose to be
courageous and be vulnerable atthe risk of a rejection that is
not a rejection of youpersonally, but just at the
opportunity right then or youcan do nothing and sit in the
(14:39):
same space and not see change.
So the question for you,listeners, is what will you do
in this moment?
Ayana Carroll (14:47):
Yeah.
Belinda Gaston (14:51):
So I think it's great for us to turn to some
other tips here.
If you were to give a few tips.
You've just talked aboutbuilding a personal advisory
board.
You've admonished people toreally be courageous and to do
it.
You've given tips about usingLinkedIn to do that.
Ayana Carroll (15:13):
Yeah, the advisory board and sponsors and
mentors are going to be reallyhuge in that and I don't know if
this is going to be somethingthat is going to lead you from a
place of isolation andloneliness, but it could take
some of the burden off so thatit could help.
And that's delegation.
(15:33):
I said earlier that you know,as a leader, we feel like we
have to take on all of thethings and know all of the stuff
and do all of the work, but wedon't.
So if we learn how to delegatesome of our responsibilities
that we can to people, we're notburdened so much with all of
(15:54):
the things, burdened so muchwith all of the things and we
don't have to always feel likethere is, then we've got to take
it all on and that there isthat piece of loneliness that
comes with having all of theburdens, having to solve all of
the problems.
If you allow someone else thatmay, quite frankly, be better at
(16:15):
it than you may be to take onsome of those responsibilities,
that could be helpful as well.
So that was a lesson for me inleadership that I had to do
because, as a woman inleadership, there's not many of
us.
If I'm not good and if I don'tdo this well, it's going to look
bad on me.
So I'm going to just take itand I'm going to do it.
(16:35):
And I felt burdened, I felttired, I felt exhausted, I felt
lonely, I felt all of the things.
But if I would have just allowedsomeone else into that space
and then it also grows anddevelops them right To have that
responsibility.
We don't have to do it all, wedon't have to do all of the
(16:57):
stuff.
I mean, many of us are moms andwives and business people and
we think that we've got to doall of the things and friends,
and you know, some of us haveaging parents and we've got all
these things that are on us thatwe have to take.
If we just let some of it goand give it to other people, we
don't have to sit in that lonely, isolated place alone at all,
(17:21):
and that, too, takes a level oftrust.
Belinda Gaston (17:23):
It takes a level of trust Trusting that one.
As a leader, you know thosepeople who work with you and
what they're possibly good atand not everyone will rise to
the occasion, but you would hopethat most do.
And it also takes trust inletting go taking your hands off
of something and just allowingsomebody else to do.
(17:43):
It is big for leaders.
So thank you for sharing that.
Can you tell our listeners alittle bit about what you offer
through ARC Consulting?
Ayana Carroll (17:51):
So ARC Consulting is my brand new pivot that I've
done out of HR and wespecialize in helping mid-level
professionals elevate theircareers and step confidently
into their leadership roles.
You know, being in DEI, therewas a gap between executive
(18:13):
leaders and mid-level leadersand how we coach them, mentor
them, how they have access tosponsors, and I saw that
firsthand and I saw how itreally impacted the leadership
development.
And you know, companies often goout and bring leaders in versus
training the ones that theyalready have in their companies.
(18:34):
So I want to put folksmid-level professionals in a
position where they're able toadvocate for themselves, they're
able to brand themselves,they're able to find those
mentors and coaches and sponsorsthat they need in order to get
access.
I want to build theirconfidence and get them those
big projects, buildrelationships, so that they're
(18:57):
able to get into those rooms andsay you know I can do this and
these are the projects that I'vebeen working on and here's how
I can help.
So that is what ARC Consultingspecializes in and I'm very
excited about this.
I've had great success over the20 years that I've been in HR
with mentoring and coaching andgrowing the careers of executive
(19:18):
professionals and mid-levelprofessionals, and I thought
this is a gap.
So how can I help close thisgap?
I do want to say I coacheveryone, but I specialize in
Black professionals becausethere is definitely a gap in the
professional world with Blackprofessionals trying to move up
(19:39):
that ladder.
Belinda Gaston (19:40):
Can you tell me why you have such a passion for
mid-level professionals andmid-level managers?
Ayana Carroll (19:50):
Yeah.
So a really good question, andI think that this question is
one that we don't ask oftenenough about mid-level employees
in general, because I believe,in my opinion, that mid-level
leaders or managers, employees,are the backbone of every
organization.
I think that they bridge thegap between senior level and
(20:15):
then you know newer type ofemployees.
They are the front line, youknow they.
They have to deal with strategy, they have to deal with growing
their employees, they have todo with revenue, they have to
deal with professionaldevelopment and support of the
people that they, that they'reresponsible for.
(20:35):
But they oftentimes gounnoticed and untapped and they
don't get the recognition at all.
And so we rely heavily onmiddle level managers, employees
, people, and we just we missthat level of greatness within
them because we just don't, wedon't recognize regularly what
(20:58):
they do and how much theycontribute to the growth of any
organization or the growth ofany employee.
Belinda Gaston (21:06):
And why do you think that is?
Why do you think that we oftenoverlook that group of people?
Ayana Carroll (21:12):
I don't think it's by design.
I think that mid-level folksare there to do a job and they
keep their head down, most ofthem, and they just get it done.
They power through it, they getit done.
So they go and notice and in myexperience, a lot of them have
not been vocal about hey, I'mhere, see me, I want to grow.
(21:34):
They just get the work done.
There's so much to be done.
There's so much on theirshoulders.
Just get the work done.
There's so much to be done.
There's so much on theirshoulders.
They're pulled in hundreds ofdirections.
Most of them are understaffed,they have no budget and they're
dealing, they're juggling withall of those things.
So they just they're not vocalat all and as senior level
leaders, we take for grantedthat they're there and we just
(21:56):
assume that they're going tojust do the work and they do,
and it's a shame.
It's a shame because that isuntapped potential that we
overlook regularly.
Belinda Gaston (22:07):
And I think it's easy, when the train is moving
well, to just kind of overlookthere's no problems and the
things are getting done andoftentimes the folks in that
area and that space are the onesthat are overlooked.
And so for our listeners, ifthey are in a space where they
are mid-level professionals,mid-level managers, mid-level
(22:27):
leaders and they're on theirleadership journey managers,
mid-level leaders and they're ontheir leadership journey First,
can you kind of talk aboutmaybe two to three challenges
that they tend to face mostoften if they're in that space?
Ayana Carroll (22:40):
Yeah Well, like I said, they don't get the
recognition, nobody recognizesthem and they're not there.
So I think that we miss that,and that's a missed opportunity
for senior leaders is to notrecognize your mid-level,
because then you have diminishedmorale, you have people who are
not showing up, they're burntout, all of those things.
(23:02):
So one of those challenges isthe lack of recognition.
The other challenge, I think,is being able to manage upward
and downward.
So I've got to manage up andI've got to manage down, and
that's hard to do because you'redealing with different
personalities, you're dealingwith different people, you're
dealing with differentstrategies, and balancing those
expectations effectively arereally really difficult,
(23:27):
especially if you have a seniorleader who's not a strong
communicator and you don't knowwhat the goals are and they're
not trickling down appropriately, just trying to manage up and
get your leader to articulatewhat it is that there's the
goals are, so that then you canthen trickle them down so that
your team is effective in theirroles.
(23:48):
Otherwise, otherwise it allfalls apart.
So I think that's a bigchallenge that we deal with.
And the last thing is careerstagnation.
Like if I'm a mid-level leader,a mid-level manager, I may want
to grow and because I'm notseen, I'm not heard, I'm not
recognized, I'm right here and Idon't go anywhere else.
(24:10):
So that's where we have tobegin to make ourselves seen,
self-advocate for ourselves and,kind of you know, let people
know that we exist.
And one of the things that Icoach my clients on is there may
not be a place for you to go,not be a place for you to go,
right.
So if you're in an organization, depending upon the size and
(24:38):
depending upon the position thatyou're in, you may not be able
to grow because there's justnowhere for you to go.
But you know that you want todo something different.
Like I can do this role with myeyes closed and I'm getting
bored and you know there's alack of morale and all of that
stuff.
Get out there and go toconferences.
Be an expert in your field,become an expert in what you do.
So speak at conferences, youknow.
(24:59):
Talk to other thought leadersand get yourself out there.
That's one way to just buildyourself up and build your brand
and be visible.
So those are some of thechallenges I think that
mid-level managers face and getyourself out there.
Belinda Gaston (25:16):
I think that's a great tip.
To start with, the first tipyou give is to get yourself out
there.
I'm curious if you have othertips like that to address some
of the challenges that you'veidentified.
Are there tips that you wouldgive this group of leaders?
Ayana Carroll (25:34):
tips that you would give this group of leaders
.
Yeah, I think something thatgoes so untapped is people
standing up for themselves andadvocating and saying I can do
this.
And keeping a God what do wecall it?
A keeping love letters toyourself, so to speak, things
that you've done, your work,that you've done.
Don't be afraid to put yourselfout there and say I have done
this, I know how to do this, I,these are all of the things that
I have done, that I'veaccomplished that.
(25:56):
You know, we, we, we excel that.
So I think that that's one ofthe things that we don't do,
especially women.
We don't do well is we do notself-advocate for ourselves and
tell people how great I reallyam.
Not self-advocate for ourselvesand tell people how great I
really am.
So telling people how great youare, building your advisory
board around you and gettingyourself out there, building
(26:18):
your brand the kids talk aboutthat a lot my brand, my brand,
you know build your brand totell people who you are.
When you walk into the room,they'll say, oh, that's
so-and-so, they're an expert inthis area.
Let's tap them and get them tospeak, because that's a huge
deal these days is being able tospeak at some conferences and
(26:40):
be a part of panels and podcasts, where you're really able to
talk about your knowledge andoffer that to others.
Belinda Gaston (26:49):
And so I want to go a little bit further with
this advocating, because I knowthis comes up quite a bit and
the question is really how doyou start to advocate for
yourself?
So let's say you're in acorporate environment, you're a
mid-level leader, you're doingyour work well.
How do you begin to advocatefor yourself in that space?
(27:10):
How?
Ayana Carroll (27:11):
do you begin to advocate for yourself in that
space?
So it's very simple.
You just start to talk aboutwhat you've done and we often
think about well, I'm not goingto brag about what I've done,
why not?
Why would you not do that?
I mean, you don't have to do itin a way that's distasteful.
But that's essentially what youwant to do.
You want to talk about whatyou've done and what you can add
(27:32):
to the project or to thecompany where your value is.
Talk about your value and yourworth.
So there's no science behind it.
It's very simple.
I have done this, this and thisand these are the outcomes from
all of the things that I'vedone and because of those
outcomes, we were able to raisemore money, we were able to land
this client, we were able to doX, Y and Z.
(27:55):
Talk about what you've done.
Talk about the outcome that youachieved with all of the things
that you've done.
I don't recommend you just bragabout what you've done without
suggesting the outcomes, but youdefinitely want to do that.
There's no science.
It's very simple.
Belinda Gaston (28:13):
Those are really great tips.
Ayana Carroll (28:15):
If I can just add one more thing onto getting in
front of people, there's alsothe opportunity for you to
volunteer for projects Outsideof self-advocating for yourself.
Volunteer for those stretchprojects.
You don't want to do anything.
That's going to be simple.
You can do all of this stuffand that isn't going to
necessarily bring you all of therecognition because we assume
(28:37):
that you can do that.
Volunteer for the hard stuff,volunteer for the project that's
really going to stretch you andget the attention of people.
Don't do anything that you arenot equipped to do.
But if it's in your wheelhouseand you feel like you can do it
and you have that group ofadvisors around you that can
help talk you through it, do it,do it.
I really encourage folks toreach out and stretch themselves
(29:02):
in some of these things.
It can only end well for you.
What we often forget asmid-level leaders is that your
career is your responsibility.
Leaders is that your career isyour responsibility.
That's for your.
Your career is yourresponsibility.
Nobody is going to take controlof your career for you like you
.
So if you're not bold enoughand courageous enough to speak
(29:25):
up and advocate for yourself,then you have to reevaluate what
it is you're doing.
Maybe you don't want to, maybesome, some people are fine
staying right where they are,but your career is your
responsibility.
So, but I do understand that isa scary moment when you're
sitting across from executivesand board members or whatever
it's, you're afraid to raiseyour hand.
But listen, you got to eat, youhave to eat.
(29:51):
So being able to say I kind ofdisagree with that, or let me
tell you what I've done, is youonly need to do it one time and
then from there you'll feelcomfortable with it.
So, yes, that's what we teach,that's what we do.
And it took me a long time toget there too.
So I can't even pretend like Icame out the boom speaking up
(30:11):
for myself, but absolutely.
And then what else happens isif you don't speak up for
yourself and a company grows, orthey go into a different
direction, or the organizationchanges and you're mid-level,
they may bring someone over you,right?
So perhaps you are currentlyreporting to a senior director
(30:32):
and that senior director is likelisten, I need another layer
underneath me to manage thesepeople.
You could have been that personthat got that promotion, but
because you didn't self-advocate, because you didn't speak up,
because you didn't bring outyour love letters and tell
people what you did, that's amissed opportunity for you.
And now you're mad, and now youwant to leave.
Your morale is down.
(30:52):
All of those things you have,all those feelings.
So it's up to you to do it.
Belinda Gaston (30:58):
Wow, your career is your responsibility, yes,
yes.
And for our listeners, ayanahas a wealth of knowledge in
this space.
How can people reach out to you?
How can they contact you?
Ayana Carroll (31:18):
Yes, you can reach out to me via my LinkedIn
at Ayana Carroll at LinkedIn, oryou can visit my Instagram page
, which is coach consulting onInstagram, or you can visit my
website atgoarccoachconsultingcom.
Belinda Gaston (31:28):
We do have the information for ARC consulting
and how to get in touch withAyana in the show's notes.
So thank you, ayana, for beinga part of the podcast.
I really appreciate it.
You really did drop some wisdomnuggets, and so we thank you
for that.
Ayana Carroll (31:46):
Thank you for having me.
This was fantastic.
I appreciate being here.
Belinda Gaston (31:51):
Thank you, Ayana .
This has been a great episode.
Thank you so much for listeningto the Graced to Lead podcast.
As always, I don't take yourlistening, downloading our
episodes lightly.
We appreciate you joining usand we will be back again next
week.
We are almost at the end of ourfirst season.
(32:13):
I cannot believe it.
So you definitely want to comeback next week, because it is
our last episode for the seasonone of the Graced to Lead
podcast and, don't worry, we'llbe back for season two.
I have lots of new thingshappening, so I can't wait to
tell you all about it.
But until then, join us nexttime on the Graced to Lead
podcast and remember you areindeed Graced to lead Bye-bye.
Ayana Carroll (32:48):
Thank you.
Welcome to the Graced to Lead podcast.
I'm Belinda Gaston, your host,and listen.
If you are a Christian womanwho leads at work, in your own
business or even in ministry,you are in the right place here.
You'll find practical adviceand encouragement as you lead
through real conversations thatwill challenge and inspire you.
So join me on this journey tobecoming better leaders, god's
(00:31):
way.
Are you ready?
Let the journey begin.
Welcome to the Graced to Leadpodcast.
I am Belinda Gaston, your host,and listen.
Today we have a dynamicconversation.
We have with us none other thanthe Ayana Carroll, and let me
tell you about Ayana.
Ayana is a professional in theworld of human resources and
(00:55):
leadership development.
With over two decades ofexperience As a passionate
advocate for diversity, equity,and inclusion, Ayana has played
a pivotal role in transformingworkplace cultures.
at the executive level in thetech industry, she has honed her
skills in building and leadinghigh-performing teams.
Now, as the founder of ARCConsulting, Ayana is dedicated
(01:21):
to empowering mid-levelprofessionals, helping them
unlock their leadershippotential and accelerate their
careers.
Her unique blend of corporateexperience and hands-on coaching
is designed to inspire andguide emerging leaders in their
journeys, workplaces ornurturing the next generation of
(01:42):
leaders.
You can find her traveling theworld with her husband, cheering
on her son in the footballfield and playing with her
beloved puppies, roxy and Snoopy.
Graced the Lead podcastlisteners.
Would you do me a favor andgive a virtual welcome to Ayana
Carroll.
Ayana, welcome to the Gracedthe Lead podcast.
Ayana Carroll (02:02):
Thank you so much .
Thank you for having me.
I am really excited to havethis very important discussion.
This is going to be great.
Belinda Gaston (02:12):
And I think that you're perfect for this
conversation because you've hadso much experience in the world
of HR and because you are acoach for mid-level leaders, and
so I'm looking forward to yourinsights on this topic.
So let's start with what we'vediscussed.
You are a coach for mid-levelleaders, and so I'm looking
forward to your insights on thistopic, so let's start with what
we've discussed.
In a previous episode, Idiscussed leadership and
loneliness, leadership andisolation.
(02:32):
It really did spark aconversation and resonate with
the Graced to Lead audience.
So my first question is in yourexperience, why do you think
that this topic struck such achord with so many people?
Ayana Carroll (02:48):
And you know I'm really going to speak from my
experience with these becauseyou know I don't want to speak
for everyone, but I believe itresonated so strongly with with
people, because leadership oftencomes with a sense of
responsibility and pressureright, and they can, and that in
itself can create a feeling ofisolation and I think that many
(03:13):
leaders feel like they mustshoulder the burden alone and it
makes it difficult.
You know when you're, whenyou're trying to do that and you
don't necessarily share thatstruggle with others.
I also think that there is anexpectation that leaders this
was really serious for me thatleaders have all of the
(03:35):
knowledge.
They know all of the things youknow like I know it all, and if
I appear that I don't know itall, then am I not the leader
that I think that I am?
So that also keeps, I believe,people from sharing when they
should and keeps them isolatedand keeps them confined to their
(03:56):
selves.
So I think that there's a thatcould be why this struck a chord
with so many people.
It's like I I'm supposed toknow everything, I'm supposed to
be this very senior levelleader and if it appears that I
don't know what I'm doing or Idon't have all of the
information or I don't know allof the answers, then am I really
(04:17):
that great of a leader?
So I think, at least when Ithink about leadership, that's
how I was feeling when I wasgoing into it and when I'm
growing up in it and as I'mcoaching people, those are the
things that I I see and I hearand I feel.
Belinda Gaston (04:33):
Yeah, thank you for sharing that, and I'm
curious where do you think thatidea comes from, that, as women
who lead, we have to have allthe answers or if, or.
If we don't have the answers,that you know we somehow are
failing as leaders.
Where does that pressure comefrom, you think?
Ayana Carroll (04:53):
I think it goes back to the imposter syndrome a
little bit.
Right.
It could be that if I don'tknow it, do I really belong here
?
You know, we're made to feellike and I don't know why we're
made to feel like this, butwe're made to feel like we have
to know everything because aswomen, we show up in these
(05:14):
spaces that are lots of timesvery male dominated, right, and
if we don't know, it looks as ifwe don't belong in that space,
but in fact we really do.
I remember and I don't will notever evoke politics in anything,
but I remember that MichelleObama said one time when she sat
(05:36):
in a room with mostly men thatit really turned out that they
didn't know as much as you know.
They were not as smart as shethought that they were.
And I think, if we approachthat not that men are not smart,
but I think that if we approachit that I have just as much
right to be here.
I know all of the things that Ifeel like I need to know, and
(05:57):
if I don't, that's okay, we willbe fine.
But I think we approach this asthere's not many of us in the
room, so we have to be better,we have to show up differently,
otherwise we won't be takenseriously and we won't be given
these opportunities again.
So I think there's a little bitof that in there.
Belinda Gaston (06:18):
And I know for me and my leadership journey, it
is that kind of idea of reallyunrealistic goals and pressure
sometimes that we set onourselves as women who lead, and
I often wonder if it's the sameway for men.
One day I'm going to have anepisode where I ask men like,
what are you thinking about whenyou lead?
Because I've never heard a mansay or allude to anything like
(06:39):
that.
But for sure, for women, weoften put pressure on ourselves
to almost be perfect.
It's this idea of perfection inleadership, and so it can be
challenging, and I know that alot of what resonated in the
previous episode was this ideathat a couple people wrote in
(07:00):
and said I didn't know.
I thought I was the only onewho felt like this, and so I
would love it.
Ayana, if you are comfortablesharing a time in your journey.
I mean, you have been at thetop levels of leadership in your
career.
Has there ever been a timewhere you've had to overcome
loneliness or isolation as aleader and, if so, how did you
(07:25):
navigate that space?
Ayana Carroll (07:27):
Yeah, many times, many times.
Most recently, I recall a timewhen I was navigating a
significant leadershiptransition and I felt incredibly
isolated.
I was leading us through amajor organizational change and
the weight of the decisions thatI had to make were overwhelming
.
They were overwhelming.
(07:48):
I felt that I couldn't fullyexpress my concerns or my
uncertainty with my team.
I'm part of a leadership teamand I couldn't express my
concerns or my uncertaintieswith my leadership team.
And not only did I feel like Icouldn't, I also didn't want to
(08:09):
look like I didn't know what Iwas doing.
So there was a point in timewhere I was just I was.
I was really suffering andbecause that transition was new
for me, it was going into acompletely different role and
the transition was new for me.
It was going into a completelydifferent role and the
transition was new for thecompany.
I hadn't built that board ofadvisors around me yet that I
(08:31):
could go out and seek help fromother people.
So it was a really difficult,difficult time for me.
So what I had to do to getthrough that was that was a
moment where I really had tolean on my faith, because I
didn't have those board advisorsaround me, I didn't have the
(08:53):
support of the leadership teamwithin my company, and, although
I have great friends, it justwasn't a space where I felt like
I could share with them and getthe advice and counsel that I
needed.
So I was.
I felt pretty isolated andpretty alone, pretty overwhelmed
and, at times, I dare to say,traumatized by the fact that I
(09:16):
didn't have the support that Ineeded.
That was a period of time whereI really had to lean on my
faith and go into a lot ofprayer about how to handle that
situation and to not feelisolated by it.
So I leaned heavily on prayerand sought out wisdom and
spiritual guidance to getthrough that.
(09:37):
Ultimately, though, I was ableto build that board around me
and I was able to kind of comethrough, lead the company
through where we needed to gothrough board around me, and I
was able to kind of come through, lead the company through where
we needed to go through, theorganization through where we
needed to go through with theadvising council just some
mentors and some support outside, and it worked out.
Belinda Gaston (09:56):
Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for being sotransparent about that.
I think it's helpful for ourlisteners to hear that people in
all levels, including thehighest levels, have similar
experiences, different forms.
The number one thing thatpeople say is I don't know how
to find these people.
A lot of times, I even sharedin the previous episode that
(10:28):
I've been intimidated byreaching out to someone.
It really takes a level oftransparency and vulnerability
to put yourself out there.
So I think it would be reallyhelpful if you can talk a little
bit about how you developedthat personal advisory board.
How did you get those peoplearound you and invite them into
a space where you can receivetheir advice and where they'd be
(10:50):
willing to give you advice?
Ayana Carroll (10:52):
Yeah, not only did it take vulnerability, it
took a lot of courage.
Right, it's just not naturalfor me at least, it's not
natural to go out and startemailing people and say, hey,
introducing yourself and who Iam and can you be part of my you
know my trusted board.
But that's exactly what I did.
You know a couple of differentways.
(11:14):
So I went to some folks that Ihad already known that would
have some connections in theindustry that I was in it
happened to be DE&I and said,listen, I am new with this.
I would like to have somebodywho is very well versed in this.
Can you maybe introduce me tosome folks that you think would
(11:36):
be helpful?
And that happened to be somefolks on the board of directors
of my company that I wasfriendly with and they
introduced me.
But the other part of it was Iwent to LinkedIn and I found
thought leaders and experts inthe industry and I sent them
messages letting them know who Iwas, letting them know what I
(11:59):
was doing and telling them thatthis is what I needed.
And you would be surprised atthe people who are like
absolutely, this is fantastic,let me help you.
I'm happy to dedicate that timeto you and that's what I did
and I was able to come out witha really great group of diverse
people, voices and perspectivethat was able to help me kind of
(12:21):
navigate through some of thatspace.
So it's a scary moment.
I think that we all feel like Idon't want anybody to say no, I
don't want to feel rejected oryou know, I'm sending out these
unsolicited emails or DMs topeople who are going to be like
I don't even know who you are.
But I didn't get one singleperson who was like no, I don't
(12:46):
know you, I don't have time.
There were people who said Iwould love to do this but I'm at
capacity right now and I don'tknow that I'd be able to really
fully and completely commit toyou.
And that was perfectly fine.
They were kind and they allresponded.
But putting yourself out thereand just stepping out on faith
and sending that message tothose folks, I think the best
(13:06):
way to do it to a lot ofdifferent people.
Belinda Gaston (13:10):
And that is so interesting because I would
think I mean, if you're sendingout things, you think, oh, what
about the rejection?
Oh, I'm going to get thisrejection and it's going to be
terrible.
And what I hear you saying,ayana, is that in fact, you got
fewer rejections than youexpected, and they weren't
necessarily rejections.
It was a not.
(13:30):
Right now I just don't have thecapacity to help you, but they
were willing to help you, andthat's what I'm hearing.
Ayana Carroll (13:38):
That's exactly what happened.
That's exactly what happened.
That's exactly what happened,and I think we need to be okay
with the rejections.
It's going to happen and Idon't think it's a rejection on
you.
It's just maybe I just don'thave the capacity now.
So in those moments and Ireally had to sit with myself in
that in those moments it's nota rejection on your person.
It's perhaps the person justdoesn't have the capacity and
(14:01):
maybe they didn't use the rightwords.
So we have to be okay with thefact that it's a no and then we
move on and not take itpersonally.
But if we just sit and don't doit, it's at our detriment.
Belinda Gaston (14:16):
Now that's a moment we need to pause.
Listeners, I hope that youheard what Ayana just said.
So you are at a crossroadswhere you can choose to be
courageous and be vulnerable atthe risk of a rejection that is
not a rejection of youpersonally, but just at the
opportunity right then or youcan do nothing and sit in the
(14:39):
same space and not see change.
So the question for you,listeners, is what will you do
in this moment?
Ayana Carroll (14:47):
Yeah.
Belinda Gaston (14:51):
So I think it's great for us to turn to some
other tips here.
If you were to give a few tips.
You've just talked aboutbuilding a personal advisory
board.
You've admonished people toreally be courageous and to do
it.
You've given tips about usingLinkedIn to do that.
Ayana Carroll (15:13):
Yeah, the advisory board and sponsors and
mentors are going to be reallyhuge in that and I don't know if
this is going to be somethingthat is going to lead you from a
place of isolation andloneliness, but it could take
some of the burden off so thatit could help.
And that's delegation.
(15:33):
I said earlier that you know,as a leader, we feel like we
have to take on all of thethings and know all of the stuff
and do all of the work, but wedon't.
So if we learn how to delegatesome of our responsibilities
that we can to people, we're notburdened so much with all of
(15:54):
the things, burdened so muchwith all of the things and we
don't have to always feel likethere is, then we've got to take
it all on and that there isthat piece of loneliness that
comes with having all of theburdens, having to solve all of
the problems.
If you allow someone else thatmay, quite frankly, be better at
(16:15):
it than you may be to take onsome of those responsibilities,
that could be helpful as well.
So that was a lesson for me inleadership that I had to do
because, as a woman inleadership, there's not many of
us.
If I'm not good and if I don'tdo this well, it's going to look
bad on me.
So I'm going to just take itand I'm going to do it.
(16:35):
And I felt burdened, I felttired, I felt exhausted, I felt
lonely, I felt all of the things.
But if I would have just allowedsomeone else into that space
and then it also grows anddevelops them right To have that
responsibility.
We don't have to do it all, wedon't have to do all of the
(16:57):
stuff.
I mean, many of us are moms andwives and business people and
we think that we've got to doall of the things and friends,
and you know, some of us haveaging parents and we've got all
these things that are on us thatwe have to take.
If we just let some of it goand give it to other people, we
don't have to sit in that lonely, isolated place alone at all,
(17:21):
and that, too, takes a level oftrust.
Belinda Gaston (17:23):
It takes a level of trust Trusting that one.
As a leader, you know thosepeople who work with you and
what they're possibly good atand not everyone will rise to
the occasion, but you would hopethat most do.
And it also takes trust inletting go taking your hands off
of something and just allowingsomebody else to do.
(17:43):
It is big for leaders.
So thank you for sharing that.
Can you tell our listeners alittle bit about what you offer
through ARC Consulting?
Ayana Carroll (17:51):
So ARC Consulting is my brand new pivot that I've
done out of HR and wespecialize in helping mid-level
professionals elevate theircareers and step confidently
into their leadership roles.
You know, being in DEI, therewas a gap between executive
(18:13):
leaders and mid-level leadersand how we coach them, mentor
them, how they have access tosponsors, and I saw that
firsthand and I saw how itreally impacted the leadership
development.
And you know, companies often goout and bring leaders in versus
training the ones that theyalready have in their companies.
(18:34):
So I want to put folksmid-level professionals in a
position where they're able toadvocate for themselves, they're
able to brand themselves,they're able to find those
mentors and coaches and sponsorsthat they need in order to get
access.
I want to build theirconfidence and get them those
big projects, buildrelationships, so that they're
(18:57):
able to get into those rooms andsay you know I can do this and
these are the projects that I'vebeen working on and here's how
I can help.
So that is what ARC Consultingspecializes in and I'm very
excited about this.
I've had great success over the20 years that I've been in HR
with mentoring and coaching andgrowing the careers of executive
(19:18):
professionals and mid-levelprofessionals, and I thought
this is a gap.
So how can I help close thisgap?
I do want to say I coacheveryone, but I specialize in
Black professionals becausethere is definitely a gap in the
professional world with Blackprofessionals trying to move up
(19:39):
that ladder.
Belinda Gaston (19:40):
Can you tell me why you have such a passion for
mid-level professionals andmid-level managers?
Ayana Carroll (19:50):
Yeah.
So a really good question, andI think that this question is
one that we don't ask oftenenough about mid-level employees
in general, because I believe,in my opinion, that mid-level
leaders or managers, employees,are the backbone of every
organization.
I think that they bridge thegap between senior level and
(20:15):
then you know newer type ofemployees.
They are the front line, youknow they.
They have to deal with strategy, they have to deal with growing
their employees, they have todo with revenue, they have to
deal with professionaldevelopment and support of the
people that they, that they'reresponsible for.
(20:35):
But they oftentimes gounnoticed and untapped and they
don't get the recognition at all.
And so we rely heavily onmiddle level managers, employees
, people, and we just we missthat level of greatness within
them because we just don't, wedon't recognize regularly what
(20:58):
they do and how much theycontribute to the growth of any
organization or the growth ofany employee.
Belinda Gaston (21:06):
And why do you think that is?
Why do you think that we oftenoverlook that group of people?
Ayana Carroll (21:12):
I don't think it's by design.
I think that mid-level folksare there to do a job and they
keep their head down, most ofthem, and they just get it done.
They power through it, they getit done.
So they go and notice and in myexperience, a lot of them have
not been vocal about hey, I'mhere, see me, I want to grow.
(21:34):
They just get the work done.
There's so much to be done.
There's so much on theirshoulders.
Just get the work done.
There's so much to be done.
There's so much on theirshoulders.
They're pulled in hundreds ofdirections.
Most of them are understaffed,they have no budget and they're
dealing, they're juggling withall of those things.
So they just they're not vocalat all and as senior level
leaders, we take for grantedthat they're there and we just
(21:56):
assume that they're going tojust do the work and they do,
and it's a shame.
It's a shame because that isuntapped potential that we
overlook regularly.
Belinda Gaston (22:07):
And I think it's easy, when the train is moving
well, to just kind of overlookthere's no problems and the
things are getting done andoftentimes the folks in that
area and that space are the onesthat are overlooked.
And so for our listeners, ifthey are in a space where they
are mid-level professionals,mid-level managers, mid-level
(22:27):
leaders and they're on theirleadership journey managers,
mid-level leaders and they're ontheir leadership journey First,
can you kind of talk aboutmaybe two to three challenges
that they tend to face mostoften if they're in that space?
Ayana Carroll (22:40):
Yeah Well, like I said, they don't get the
recognition, nobody recognizesthem and they're not there.
So I think that we miss that,and that's a missed opportunity
for senior leaders is to notrecognize your mid-level,
because then you have diminishedmorale, you have people who are
not showing up, they're burntout, all of those things.
(23:02):
So one of those challenges isthe lack of recognition.
The other challenge, I think,is being able to manage upward
and downward.
So I've got to manage up andI've got to manage down, and
that's hard to do because you'redealing with different
personalities, you're dealingwith different people, you're
dealing with differentstrategies, and balancing those
expectations effectively arereally really difficult,
(23:27):
especially if you have a seniorleader who's not a strong
communicator and you don't knowwhat the goals are and they're
not trickling down appropriately, just trying to manage up and
get your leader to articulatewhat it is that there's the
goals are, so that then you canthen trickle them down so that
your team is effective in theirroles.
(23:48):
Otherwise, otherwise it allfalls apart.
So I think that's a bigchallenge that we deal with.
And the last thing is careerstagnation.
Like if I'm a mid-level leader,a mid-level manager, I may want
to grow and because I'm notseen, I'm not heard, I'm not
recognized, I'm right here and Idon't go anywhere else.
(24:10):
So that's where we have tobegin to make ourselves seen,
self-advocate for ourselves and,kind of you know, let people
know that we exist.
And one of the things that Icoach my clients on is there may
not be a place for you to go,not be a place for you to go,
right.
So if you're in an organization, depending upon the size and
(24:38):
depending upon the position thatyou're in, you may not be able
to grow because there's justnowhere for you to go.
But you know that you want todo something different.
Like I can do this role with myeyes closed and I'm getting
bored and you know there's alack of morale and all of that
stuff.
Get out there and go toconferences.
Be an expert in your field,become an expert in what you do.
So speak at conferences, youknow.
(24:59):
Talk to other thought leadersand get yourself out there.
That's one way to just buildyourself up and build your brand
and be visible.
So those are some of thechallenges I think that
mid-level managers face and getyourself out there.
Belinda Gaston (25:16):
I think that's a great tip.
To start with, the first tipyou give is to get yourself out
there.
I'm curious if you have othertips like that to address some
of the challenges that you'veidentified.
Are there tips that you wouldgive this group of leaders?
Ayana Carroll (25:34):
tips that you would give this group of leaders
.
Yeah, I think something thatgoes so untapped is people
standing up for themselves andadvocating and saying I can do
this.
And keeping a God what do wecall it?
A keeping love letters toyourself, so to speak, things
that you've done, your work,that you've done.
Don't be afraid to put yourselfout there and say I have done
this, I know how to do this, I,these are all of the things that
I have done, that I'veaccomplished that.
(25:56):
You know, we, we, we excel that.
So I think that that's one ofthe things that we don't do,
especially women.
We don't do well is we do notself-advocate for ourselves and
tell people how great I reallyam.
Not self-advocate for ourselvesand tell people how great I
really am.
So telling people how great youare, building your advisory
board around you and gettingyourself out there, building
(26:18):
your brand the kids talk aboutthat a lot my brand, my brand,
you know build your brand totell people who you are.
When you walk into the room,they'll say, oh, that's
so-and-so, they're an expert inthis area.
Let's tap them and get them tospeak, because that's a huge
deal these days is being able tospeak at some conferences and
(26:40):
be a part of panels and podcasts, where you're really able to
talk about your knowledge andoffer that to others.
Belinda Gaston (26:49):
And so I want to go a little bit further with
this advocating, because I knowthis comes up quite a bit and
the question is really how doyou start to advocate for
yourself?
So let's say you're in acorporate environment, you're a
mid-level leader, you're doingyour work well.
How do you begin to advocatefor yourself in that space?
(27:10):
How?
Ayana Carroll (27:11):
do you begin to advocate for yourself in that
space?
So it's very simple.
You just start to talk aboutwhat you've done and we often
think about well, I'm not goingto brag about what I've done,
why not?
Why would you not do that?
I mean, you don't have to do itin a way that's distasteful.
But that's essentially what youwant to do.
You want to talk about whatyou've done and what you can add
(27:32):
to the project or to thecompany where your value is.
Talk about your value and yourworth.
So there's no science behind it.
It's very simple.
I have done this, this and thisand these are the outcomes from
all of the things that I'vedone and because of those
outcomes, we were able to raisemore money, we were able to land
this client, we were able to doX, Y and Z.
(27:55):
Talk about what you've done.
Talk about the outcome that youachieved with all of the things
that you've done.
I don't recommend you just bragabout what you've done without
suggesting the outcomes, but youdefinitely want to do that.
There's no science.
It's very simple.
Belinda Gaston (28:13):
Those are really great tips.
Ayana Carroll (28:15):
If I can just add one more thing onto getting in
front of people, there's alsothe opportunity for you to
volunteer for projects Outsideof self-advocating for yourself.
Volunteer for those stretchprojects.
You don't want to do anything.
That's going to be simple.
You can do all of this stuffand that isn't going to
necessarily bring you all of therecognition because we assume
(28:37):
that you can do that.
Volunteer for the hard stuff,volunteer for the project that's
really going to stretch you andget the attention of people.
Don't do anything that you arenot equipped to do.
But if it's in your wheelhouseand you feel like you can do it
and you have that group ofadvisors around you that can
help talk you through it, do it,do it.
I really encourage folks toreach out and stretch themselves
(29:02):
in some of these things.
It can only end well for you.
What we often forget asmid-level leaders is that your
career is your responsibility.
Leaders is that your career isyour responsibility.
That's for your.
Your career is yourresponsibility.
Nobody is going to take controlof your career for you like you
.
So if you're not bold enoughand courageous enough to speak
(29:25):
up and advocate for yourself,then you have to reevaluate what
it is you're doing.
Maybe you don't want to, maybesome, some people are fine
staying right where they are,but your career is your
responsibility.
So, but I do understand that isa scary moment when you're
sitting across from executivesand board members or whatever
it's, you're afraid to raiseyour hand.
But listen, you got to eat, youhave to eat.
(29:51):
So being able to say I kind ofdisagree with that, or let me
tell you what I've done, is youonly need to do it one time and
then from there you'll feelcomfortable with it.
So, yes, that's what we teach,that's what we do.
And it took me a long time toget there too.
So I can't even pretend like Icame out the boom speaking up
(30:11):
for myself, but absolutely.
And then what else happens isif you don't speak up for
yourself and a company grows, orthey go into a different
direction, or the organizationchanges and you're mid-level,
they may bring someone over you,right?
So perhaps you are currentlyreporting to a senior director
(30:32):
and that senior director is likelisten, I need another layer
underneath me to manage thesepeople.
You could have been that personthat got that promotion, but
because you didn't self-advocate, because you didn't speak up,
because you didn't bring outyour love letters and tell
people what you did, that's amissed opportunity for you.
And now you're mad, and now youwant to leave.
Your morale is down.
(30:52):
All of those things you have,all those feelings.
So it's up to you to do it.
Belinda Gaston (30:58):
Wow, your career is your responsibility, yes,
yes.
And for our listeners, ayanahas a wealth of knowledge in
this space.
How can people reach out to you?
How can they contact you?
Ayana Carroll (31:18):
Yes, you can reach out to me via my LinkedIn
at Ayana Carroll at LinkedIn, oryou can visit my Instagram page
, which is coach consulting onInstagram, or you can visit my
website atgoarccoachconsultingcom.
Belinda Gaston (31:28):
We do have the information for ARC consulting
and how to get in touch withAyana in the show's notes.
So thank you, ayana, for beinga part of the podcast.
I really appreciate it.
You really did drop some wisdomnuggets, and so we thank you
for that.
Ayana Carroll (31:46):
Thank you for having me.
This was fantastic.
I appreciate being here.
Belinda Gaston (31:51):
Thank you, Ayana .
This has been a great episode.
Thank you so much for listeningto the Graced to Lead podcast.
As always, I don't take yourlistening, downloading our
episodes lightly.
We appreciate you joining usand we will be back again next
week.
We are almost at the end of ourfirst season.
(32:13):
I cannot believe it.
So you definitely want to comeback next week, because it is
our last episode for the seasonone of the Graced to Lead
podcast and, don't worry, we'llbe back for season two.
I have lots of new thingshappening, so I can't wait to
tell you all about it.
But until then, join us nexttime on the Graced to Lead
podcast and remember you areindeed Graced to lead Bye-bye.
Ayana Carroll (32:48):
Thank you.
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