Jessica Van Kline’s Post

In my experience navigating the realm of sales leadership, I've come to recognize the transformative power of networking for professionals aiming to shape a strategic vision. Connecting with peers, mentors, and industry leaders not only facilitates the exchange of best practices and insights into future trends but also opens doors to new opportunities and perspectives that can profoundly impact one's career trajectory. By actively engaging with a community of like-minded professionals, individuals can broaden their horizons, stay abreast of industry developments, and gain valuable mentorship that transcends traditional career growth avenues. It's crucial to acknowledge that one's network serves as more than just a professional resource—it also acts as a robust support system, offering guidance, encouragement, and access to opportunities that may otherwise remain undiscovered.

In between trying to become an Alabama resident (invest in state government infrastructure and services!!!) and *finally* preparing to start my own data collection, a few thoughts have been spinning around in my mind so yall get the pleasure of reading them! In my many roles and life experiences, the idea and importance of representation has always been at the forefront. From often being the only Black and/or woman in the room, to feeling compelled to speak on behalf of the under-appreciated/under-valued/misunderstood job series (shoutout to my IAs and PDMs), knowing that when I provide insights, I am showing up for more than just Takeisha. But somewhere in the mix of “Representation matters,” “If not me, then who?” and “Not about us, without us” is the mandate that I (read:we) elevate new voices. ⭐️Leadership requires that we develop future leaders.⭐️ It is our duty to prepare our people to step up—exposing them to new experiences and opportunities. You cannot call yourself a leader if you pull the ladder up and close the window once you’re done climbing. ⭐️Leadership requires introspection.⭐️ Why do I want this opportunity? How have my past contributions moved the needle on this topic? How can I ensure that my voice isn’t the only voice? If you’re not regularly reflecting on what you bring and how you show up to the table, give somebody else your seat. ⭐️Leadership requires that we pass the torch.⭐️ Before you say “yes” to that next thing ask yourself: Do I need to be the one to sit on that panel? Do I have to facilitate this workshop? Do I need to be the face of this? Is there someone in my network that’s been looking for a similar opportunity? If you’re as good as you think you are, more chances will come your way. Promise. My parting thought—Don’t conflate visibility with representation. Just because you’ve been the only, doesn’t mean you are the only. Expand your network! Build your personal brand! Be the executive you’ve always wanted to be! But don’t let your career aspirations and desire to be visible, trump your commitment to foster the next generation of talent (hint: this includes your peers). That’s just not good leadership 🤷🏾♀️. Stay tuned for my next post on why I think “soft skills” is a BS and outdated name for the set of skills that are arguably the more difficult to master 🤭.

It’s all about who you know! 2024 is almost here and I’m claiming it as my most transformative year! In preparation, I’ve been reflecting on my journey. I’ve gone from having a side-hustle in 2014, to introducing my brand to the world in 2019, to full-time business ownership in 2022 🙌🏾 I’m one of only 9% of Black coaches and the force behind a Black woman-owned boutique coaching firm with a full-blown ecosystem to serve Black women 💪🏾 If I’ve don’t anything right along this journey, it’s connecting with the right people, at the right time, for the right reason. In other words, 🚨Building strong, supportive relationships IS my secret sauce. And now it’s available to you! Join me for my FREE webinar “The Career Accelerator Formula” as I break down my step-by-step approach to building a high-power network to help you advance. My approach is simple yet powerful enough to advance your career in record time! ✅ If you feel stuck because you don’t have the right guidance or mentorship to help you. ✅ If you’re building influence and want ti become more effective in your leadership role. ✅ If you’re wondering how to create a strong network to leverage to accomplish your goals. 🏆You just struck gold! This is my last event of the year! Don’t miss out! Link to register in comments #executivecoaching #leadershipdevelopment #professionaldevelopment #womenempowerment

Eric Harkins, who leads GKG Search & Consulting based in the Twin Cities and author of "Great Leaders Make Sure Monday Morning Doesn't Suck," did a great job of breaking down his advice on how to move organizations forward. Rule No. 3 is not to let bad leaders lead. Easier said than done, right? But he said organizations too often avoid difficult conversations and decisions. If you do that, you let poor performers slide and your top performers get tired of working for you. So have those hard talks so you can spend your time making sure your top performers are having fun at work. As I say to high-schoolers in career talks, you spend 40 hours at work. That's more waking hours in most cases than you spend with your family. So if you can (we all need to make money), make sure it's work you want to do and is meaningful to you and is at a company that values you.

Rely on yourself to develop your career. This is the one piece of advice I consistently give to Women of Color and other underestimated individuals. 💱 As a former organizational DEI Leader, I deeply believe in the need for the systemic change that we design, advocate for, and drive. AND ⏰ That change can take time. Both things can be true. Inequitable systems were not created overnight. 🐢 Depending on the organization's size, agility, and readiness, they can take longer than we wish to change. That can mean their intentions don't yet match their impact when it comes to the availability of professional development opportunities, promotion parity, equitable access to stretch assignments, mentorship program availability, and so on. It doesn't mean they won't get there; it just means that their pace may not match yours. You might desire to grow faster than what your organization might have to offer at the moment. So if you find yourself stuck in this position, how do you continue to grow when the opportunity isn't available in your organization? 🤔 You get strategic. ✳ Pull organizational levers that are available to advance your career. ✳ Identify a mentor who can help you navigate the landscape of your organization. ✳ Work toward securing a sponsor who can champion your leadership potential. ✳ Use your professional development stipends to upskill through coaching, courses, and degree programs. ✳ Invest in your future self; sometimes, who you want to be requires that. I know I've done it and never regretted it. And build your community to create a place where you can land and still be soft—because you're human. ❤️ ----------------------------- Hi, I'm Jaya! I help you align with your values to lead authentically and inclusively. Want to grow a career in alignment with your values and learn how to lead authentically? Consider joining the Rising Leaders Program - our next cohort starts the week of April 15. ✨ Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/dWhqdtCy

Stumbled on this course from Laurie Ruettimann (author of Betting on You: How to Put Yourself First and (Finally) Take Control of Your Career - 2021) on LinkedIn Learning: https://lnkd.in/g8nRryfW Frankly, worth every second of this 26 minutes presentation. Kudos Laurie Ruettimann surprised how I have become a character like what she describes without even knowing such a concept exists. So far, I was always drawn to 'leadership' [I began thanks to Leadership Certificate with Seneca President Letter from Leadership Institute at Seneca College.] A couple of notes from Laurie's course: 0) The worst advice is the unsolicited advice [Hope I am not doing so 😂 ] 1) A job worth doing is a job worth doing well. 2) "The cobbler's children have no shoes?" judgment involved. Most adults are like the cobbler's children.   3) How do you everything is how do you do anything. 4) I want you to do your job as if I weren't here - Sara Blakely, the founder and CEO of Spanx "When I was in college, I worked at a video store with a guy who said things like, "I'm the assistant manager, so I'm in charge." Nobody respected him. We couldn't help but laugh. I wonder how many of you have worked with that guy? How many of you are that guy? All of us have to work in the new economy where the org chart is confusing, and the difference between a boss, employee, contractor or vendor isn't always certain." - Laurie says

I’m always surprised when clients think that executive presence is something people just have and others don’t You might be wondering: “What magic fairy dust has been bestowed upon these people who just ‘magically’ seem to have a magnetic presence about them?” When it is, in fact, their executive presence which can totally be practiced by anyone. Many of my clients come to me being told that they need to work on their executive presence to get promoted, but they aren’t told “how” This is something I help my clients with, in the Lit Up Leadership Academy for Women in Tech. First, I clear up any misconceptions about what Executive presence is and then we dig into the 3 main areas of cultivating this presence so that you can start practicing it. We discuss When to speak and when to listen. How to communicate calmly and thoughtfully, especially under pressure. Mastering your self-awareness, posture, and self-care because, even though this might seem irrelevant, it’s actually one of the most important pieces to help you cultivate executive presence and a memorable reputation. And why might you need to work on this you ask? Executive presence helps you: ~ Build rapport within your organization ~ Get buy-in to your ideas ~ Obtain promotions and move in the direction of your desired career path Executive Presence is only one of the many, many valuable tools and skills we help you with, to advance your career in the Academy. Want to learn more about The Lit Up Leadership Academy for Women in Tech? Comment 'LULA' for more information

This #memberspotlight needs no extra spotlight to shine bright! Highlighting Monica Buren, MBA, Supplier Diversity Manager with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. In February 2019, Monica was named Diversity Hero by the St. Louis Small Business Monthly Magazine. That same year in December 2019, she received the Advocate of the Year award from Mid-States Minority Supplier Development Council. Then, in May 2023, she was again named Diversity Hero by the St. Louis Small Business Monthly Magazine and in August 2023, was accepted into The St. Louis Business Diversity Initiative – Fellows Experience Leadership Program 2023/2024. The best career advice she ever received? From her mentor, he said be open to pivoting into new spaces. She notes, this can mean different things for different people, but for her, it means being open to exploring new industries and roles even if they didn't necessarily match her original career goals. Her mentor also said to venture outside of her comfort zone, meet new people - you never know where that next connection could lead you. Show up early and be ready, become a lifelong learner, check in with your career path once per year- you may find your goals and career designs have changed; search for the value in feedback or criticism, cultivate perseverance – every failure is not a final “NO” and always, always keep your promises.

I spent all last Friday working on it. I kept writing while in the car on our way to Home Depot. I wrote while standing with the laptop on the cashier's counter while my husband handled our purchase at Home Depot. (𝘠𝘢𝘺! 𝘞𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘵 𝘝𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘴) The next day, I received this message from a new CEO subscriber to my newsletter: "𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗳𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗯𝗶𝘁 𝗕𝗦, 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗽, 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗳𝗳 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘁. 𝗜  𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴" Honestly, 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 (𝗮𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗱) 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗻'𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝘆, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 (I waited till the second one). I'm not sure if I even shared it on LinkedIn, I was so embarrassed. So I mean it when I say 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸. 𝗬𝗼𝘂. 𝗙𝗼𝗿. 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗧𝗵𝗲. 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲. 𝗧𝗼. 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲. 𝗔𝗻𝗱. 𝗟𝗲𝘁. 𝗠𝗲. 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄! Your support and feedback means a lot to me, more than you know. I'm thankful. 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗜 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗻𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗣𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗲-𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆, 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗲-𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆? Here are the 5 steps: 1. Cure your Imposter Syndrome by accepting your brilliance. 2. Heal your People Pleaser / Nice Good Person affliction by embracing your inner B*tch. 3. Be firm on assigning responsibility for tasks, hold staff accountable. 4. Know your worth to your boss. 5. Present yourself with credibility and authority. Read the newsletter to find out more - and why this CEO said it's the real deal on leadership. 𝘄𝘄𝘄.𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲[.]𝗰𝗼𝗺/𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 ______________________ I'm Natalie Evie, I help senior leaders in transition deal with the bullsh*t at work. Follow me for hard won wisdom on careers and relationships. ♻️ repost to help someone in your network

Today, I had a meaningful discussion with one of our corporate leaders. The conversation was enlightening, but what struck me the most was her advice: "Own your career". It’s a simple yet powerful reminder that we are in control of our professional journey. A lot of people aspire to progress, but do most of us own our career the way we should? It's up to us to seize opportunities, make informed decisions, and steer our path toward success. On the other hand, it’s so refreshing to hear leaders be absolutely transparent about future plans, the current standing, and where you fit into all of it. Clarity on organizational goals aids aspirants in planning their career paths more effectively, acquiring relevant skills, and most importantly, networking with the right people. I hope this inspired you to take more conscious actions as much as it did me. Happy Friday!