Leading in This Moment! w/ Julia Rock

Speaker A: What's up, y'? All? Y' all are listening to Living Corporate's flagship podcast. If you didn't know, Living Corporate helps organizations build employee engagement and market trust through data analytics and data transformation, our elearning platform and brand marketing storytelling. We're so excited for you to be here today. The conversation you're about to hear is going to connect the dots between employee experience and go to market effectiveness. If you're not ready, get ready. Here we go. Go.

Speaker B: Hm.

Speaker A: It's Julia Rock, longtime friend of the show, past contributor of the show. If y' all was here during the early days of Living Corp, because, golly, it's been eight years. Um, but, you know, years ago, man, Julia Rock was all on Living Corporate, dropping content knowledge bombs about career navigation and, uh, and career management. Julia, it's always a pleasure to have you here. Always a pleasure to talk to you. How are you doing? Welcome back, man.

Speaker B: Zach, thank you so much, man. We go way back, and so thank you again for always sharing your platform with me and allowing me to contribute. Um, I think back to, like, the COVID days. It was really rocking it out of the COVID days, man. What a time to be alive. Uh, but I'm doing well. I know I sound a little bit like Ariel after Ursula took her voice sound great, but we working it out, but. But I'm excited to be here.

Speaker A: So. So we got to talk about. We got to talk about your work. I mean, it was interesting, I think, you know, when I think about how we got. First of all, I can't recall how we got connected, to be honest with you.

Speaker B: Me either. I was trying to. While you were talking, I was like, how did I even meet Zach?

Speaker A: I don't. I don't recall. But I think. I think what I, uh, what I will say is I believe it was just. It was a season. And I. I, uh. Frankly, I believe that we're. I don't think we've ever really left the season, but I. But I do think we're like, entering a more rich version of it. Another high point of the season where black folks were really trying to figure out where. What does navigating work look like for me right now? And, um, you know, especially we talked about during that Covid time, a lot of folks were rightfully reimagining and challenging what work really meant and means and how they really want to work, and what does it mean for them to be supported and respected at work and. And gave themselves permission to demand a different degree of treatment and experience for Themselves by their employers. And uh, as I think about, uh, this season, this moment now, um, where black unemployment is at all time highs, um, irrespective of how you want to slice and dice the data. Because obviously you have this administration trying to hide and shift things.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: Um, but you're also seeing, you're also seeing, you know, contract work grow exponentially as folks and you're seeing benefits being cut in really dramatic ways. You're seeing just the overall employee experience degrade. And so you're still seeing a desire from people to engage in content that helps them understand what does work look like for me. And you know, I'd love to hear your perspective based on your own background as like, as a career, a, uh, navigation expert. Right. Like, what is it that you're seeing? What are you noticing? What shifted? What's changed? I would just love to hear your perspective on the landscape.

Speaker B: Man, this, this environment is, is, is interesting to, to, to put it mildly. But what I have seen that has really been beneficial has really been around relationships. Right. Because a lot of the just traditional apply and, and, and hope for the best kind of thing that just in an environment when there is an intentional effort, um, to kind of reimagine, uh, the workforce and in terms of who gets to be a part of it and who doesn't. Right. When there's that kind of intentional deliberate effort, um, and to also kind of tamp down the contributions and the expertise of minorities and especially black people. Uh, what I have found is that relationships are really the currency right now. Relationships and building those connections and leveraging connections that you already have because people who are in the rooms that you have a relationship with can speak up on your behalf. The other thing that I'm also seeing is, um, the ability to kind of showcase true knowledge and expertise. Right. I think there is a time when charisma and all of these things could get you by. But I think in an age now where there's so many people who are, who are in the landscape looking for a job, looking for an opportunity, you, you being able to set yourself apart with exactly like how much, you know, the expertise, the experience that you have, that makes a huge, huge difference. And I think that there was a season where people felt like, man, everybody else getting on but me and I have all this experience. What's happening. I do think that we're look more people are looking for that because it builds trust. This is a climate where people are looking for trust. That's why the relationships matter. That's why the Depth of expertise and experience matters because people want to trust whoever they're working with, confiding it in, you know, partnering with, opening up a job opportunity for. So those are some of the big things that I'm seeing. And the last thing I'll say is this is a market where being adaptable is important. Right? Because gone are the days of certain kind of traditional opportunities, whether it's AI, um, kind of, you know, entering the space, uh, companies restructuring, redefining what their organizations look like. This may be a time where you have to be a little bit more flexible as to what do I go after? You know, I always say when I talk to professionals, even executives, you know, the job that you're in right now doesn't have to be a forever job. It doesn't have to be a dream job. It may be that you take something that will allow you to build skills, pay bills, whatever it might be, and then you can always step into something else. So gather all the knowledge you can from this opportunity and then move on. So being adaptable, being flexible, that's also a big sign in this market because like you said, traditional opportunities are drying up. There's more contract, there's more consulting, whatever it might be, that are kind of shorter in nature, and it doesn't require that much of organizations to invest in you. So you may have to be willing to be a little bit more flexible.

Speaker A: You know, the point around expertise, it's so, it's so true. And I think there, and there obviously still is to an extent. Um, but I think the, I think, I think it's kind of showing itself to be, to be faulty, um, is the generative AI movement, um, you know, really, I believe, was functioning to kind of like undermine expertise. Right. So this idea of like, oh, I can type in something and get a bunch of stuff from Reddit and like, have it composited and whatever the case is. And it's like, I think, I think organizations are starting to slowly see that while these tools have their place and can be helpful, it does not replace expertise. It does not replace, um, having genuine firsthand knowledge and experience and building or doing the thing. That isn't to say, though, that the person who has genuine expertise, who's able to leverage technology strategically is still going to be more ahead and further along than the person who just has the expertise but is on, is inflexible to the technology.

Speaker B: Right, I would agree with that. And, and that goes back to the idea of being adaptable. Right. So even if you have expertise, um, you know, and even for me, I can speak for myself that I, I firmly believe in AI as a tool. I don't believe it in it as a replacement, but part of it for me has been better understanding what the technology is and what it offers. So that even as I have conversations with clients that if, if AI comes up that there's something that I'm versed in and can have that discussion and that I know how to leverage it as. And so because the idea, I mean, when we think back into history, right, Whether it was the Internet, whether it was the calculator, whatever it was at the time, humans learned how to master the technology and incorporate it into their life going forward and incorporate it into their work, it was never the idea of I have to battle this thing and fight it out of the space. It's like, how does this work collaboratively, together? I think the same situation is the case with AI, is for us to understand, especially as subject matter experts, thought leaders, whatever the fancy buzzword is, how do we adopt that same mindset that we had with the Internet and other technology to then leverage, um, you know, AI and understand this is a tool to help us be successful. This is a tool to help us be more efficient, more effective. And, and so I think that that's really the, the idea is to make sure that we're not thinking it's an us versus the, the technology. Right? Look, this is not aliens or, um, there's not alien or Terminator or anything like that, but it's thinking about in real life today, how do we partner with the technology to be more successful.

Speaker A: What are you seeing with black women and how they're navigating the work, uh, the market right now. And what advice or conversations do you catch it find yourself continuing to have?

Speaker B: Man? Um, it's on a couple of different fronts, especially for when on the side for entrepreneurship, right? There is this space of feeling like I'm trying everything and things are not working because you're finding that opportunities are getting yanked or right sized and what have you. And so you begin to have that reflection of, am I doing something wrong? Am I not cut out for this? And some of that kind of reflection. And so part of the discussion I have is this is not about you yourself, right? Like you are enough, you have what it takes. But sometimes in the market, and especially when you have different type of leadership, uh, in the political sphere, you know, this is this, things may not work out as we envision. So I say, I'm a 9 to 5 evangelist. I always say, that there's nothing wrong with you going to get something to pay your bills, stabilize your income, give you peace of mind so that you're not beating your head against the wall, feeling like I'm a failure. Right. Getting a day job is not a sign of failing. It's about surviving. Because that way when the market shifts, your business is still there versus closing it down entirely and then you're trying to restart when everyone else is ahead. Right. But that's part of the conversation, especially on the entrepreneurship front, is what am I doing wrong? Why are other people getting opportunities? Why are my opportunities being taken away? Is there something wrong with me? And it's really just reflecting on, hey, there's nothing wrong with you. And what resources can you leverage within your community or network? Um, what programs may be available to help you kind of navigate this tough season. So that's the entrepreneurship side. So for the career professionals though, I think there's also, um, there's some signs of, of, of, of loneliness. Well, as well, because you're seeing people, so many black women who have been forced out, pushed out, have left, whatever the case is. So if you're still in that space and there are fewer and fewer of you and you know what the sentiment is in the organization, you also just, whether it's survivor's guilt, whether it's loneliness, whether it's just stress and anxiety about am I next? It's trying to navigate that and still, you know, still show up every day, still add value, still put a smile on your face, what have you. So some of that is also just, just pressure and, and being exhausted by the weight of that and the pressure of that. And so how can they make sure they're maintaining self care in those and, and, and maintaining their well being and their mental health when you're navigating all of those kind of headwinds in the corporate space and you still have to, you know, there's, you know, when you're seeing all those stats about how many black women have left and it's like, okay, I'm going to work every day. And you know, they're looking at you and you're looking at them, right? It's just a lot of pressure. So it's navigating that space. Um, and then the last thing I'll say is, especially for some of the black executive women I've talked to, it's just about, um, some of them are just like, do I want to keep doing this? Right? Do I want to keep doing this or do I transition into doing Something else. Because, you know, if my day is coming and I've worked so hard, I've done all the things, I've checked all the boxes, but I'm kind of running out of gas. And so it's really talking about, um, understanding what they want from a career perspective and what their vision of success looks like, uh, to them versus what the world or society or corporate says success should look like. Because especially after you've climbed the ladder and you've kind of like, okay, I've made it now. Now you're like, okay, well was this all worth it? Do I feel fulfilled? Do I feel like I've arrived? And in many cases, what you've had to give up to get there, sometimes you're just wondering, man, do I want to even keep doing this? Especially in this kind of a marketplace. So a mixed bag of things. I'm hearing from the women who look

Speaker A: like me, you know, I, I sit in this moment, right? And I'm just kind of like, man, I, I asked because I don't really know what else we're supposed to say, right? Like two black women, two black folks. Um, and it's hard. Like, you know, work, work has. Because then I'm talking to, it's interesting, right? So I sit in this really inter, I sit in this intersection of have a 9 to 5 job, have living corporate full time. And there was like several years where living corporate was like my primary and only thing. And I was debating if I wanted to also pick up a 9 to 5 job. But then my wife and I had two more kids, so I was like, well shoot, I might have to pick

Speaker B: up two more and get this job.

Speaker A: Um, but, but it was interesting in talking to people and talking about their, their full time experiences and like they're like, yeah man, you know, we used to have a match on our 401k now. Now we don't, uh, you know, we don't have bonuses anymore or they get a new job. Hey, there is no bonus. It's just a salary and some really basic benefits. That's it. Right? Um, there is no promotion path. Like I already kind of reported to see, you know what I mean? Or, or it's like, you know, people are navigating and juggling like multiple contract gigs. Um, or, or they, they've been out of, they've been out of corporate for a while. They're trying to stand up their own, you know, single, single ownership owner, llc and they get to your early, but they kind of get jerked around. Like things get pulled oh, oh, yeah. We'll definitely move forward then. No more emails, no more phone calls, no more responses.

Speaker B: The ghosting, the ghosting.

Speaker A: Can we talk about it?

Speaker B: Can we talk about it, like, in real life? Like, let's talk about the. Yeah, we're gonna move forward. And then. And the.

Speaker A: Does that happen? Am I the only person? Am I the only person? No, Julia, I get ghosted so much.

Speaker B: Same, same, same. Like, yeah, it's crazy because, you know, and I think that that's part of the challenge, especially for business owners right now in this market, because you were so hopeful, especially when you have almost like a verbal agreement where it's like, hey, we are ready to move forward. I'm not talking about the lead that says maybe someday, potentially. I'm not talking about, about that. I'm talking about, hey, we want to move forward with you. Awesome. You know, sending over the information. It's like, okay, let's go ahead and get started. Crickets. And you bump it back up to the top of the inbox and crickets. And then, you know, maybe you get the over pulling it, but sometimes you just don't get anything. And so it's disheartening.

Speaker A: I, I, I, I, I can tell you there are times when I'm just like, There are times when I'm just like, man, we did all this work to get here. The least you could do. Like, it's, you know, if I send you a proposal or whatever the case is, and you say, gary, I'm give this to you, and then I hear nothing from you. Like, the least you could do is say, hey, sorry, I changed my mind. Hey, actually, like, we found something else. Hey, actually, we're not this long is going to work, like, but I would, I appreciate the. No, what I don't, what I don't like is like, just the, the silence, right? And it's like. And I'm the type. Look, and I'm pretty, I'm, I will, I'm pretty relentless. Like, I will follow up. Like, you know, and it's not about following every day, but, like, you know, let's say if I email you on the 1st, and I will tell you, hey, look, I come from consulting. I've been on following up. If I don't hear from you in two weeks, is it okay? And they say, absolutely, say, cool, I'm gonna send that note in two weeks. And then I'm gonna wait another, like, week missing another one. Then I'm wait, like two, three weeks, I'm gonna send another one. I'm gonna wait maybe a month and I'm send another like Julia, I'm gonna follow up because.

Speaker B: Mhm.

Speaker A: Out of respect for myself. Right. Like hey, we took the time, we had several conversations. You agreed to me sending you a proposal. You said we would meet. Right. And so. And ah, here's the thing. I think that has been again personally for me, just my own, my own values. I'm gonna follow up because I need to get closure on it. But then two that's also served like that also has helped. Like I've gotten. I've closed business that way too. Of like oh well, hey, sorry this got buried. Hey, I was sick. I just came back. Um, let me connect you with this person who actually don't even do this part right. But it's. But, but the. I think the challenge about business being an entrepreneur and especially like you know, if you're coming from marginalized background and you don't have the same network of support or resources or capital to float you, enterprise level sales can take 12, 18, 24 months.

Speaker B: It's a very long sales cycle. This is not B. B2B is not B2C. You have to. And that's why going back to what I was saying about if you need to pick up a job, if you need to pick up a contract or something, there's no shame in that because while you're working these contract angles with the. From an organizational. It has to go through that long sales cycle. It can take a year, it can take two. And so if you don't already have that kind of war chest of funds, that's that, that can support you for that long. Do what, do what you have to. Um, and I think we have glamorized what entrepreneurship is. Uh, you know, it's like, it's so sexy. Time, freedom, money, freedom, all the freedom, right? It's like it sounds like the most magical place on earth, right? This, this magical land of entrepreneurship. But then when you get into it, you realize that magic has to come way down the road when you're building that. That it's not the magic. It's not the magic land of skittles. It's like it's grind, it's follow up. But their fortune is in the follow up. Many a time I have followed up and, and you get the. Like you said, oh man, I was sick, I was out of office or my, my assistant didn't tell me whatever it might have been. And so if you are listening and you have not followed up with some of those contacts or Leads and you think they've ghosted. You follow up, ask a question, um, you never know why the person didn't respond.

Speaker A: And I think, and I think like, kind of like putting some like, humanity back into the process and perspective. It's like you just don't know what's happening in people's lives. Right?

Speaker B: That's right.

Speaker A: Like, you know, you think about the, you think about your own personal family losses, your own personal illnesses, car accident, like, all the things that can happen to you and happen to people that you know and your loved ones be happening to other people too. You know what I'm saying? And so you're like, you're like, oh man, like this person just stopped talking to me after two weeks. Like, bro, you are like 308th on their list. Like, you have no idea what's happening in their space in the world. Which is why, like, I try to extend, uh, grace in that regard and also just follow up. Because ultimately it's like, look, do you want to follow up? Do you want to get paid or no? Like, do you want the business or not? Like, you gotta follow up. Right? And so, you know, it's also interesting, you know, as we talk about this landscape in this moment, um, you know, we're seeing a lot of, um, a lot of content out there. And I've gotten, I've had a lot of conversations around this, um, from, like, from, from black women. I know where they're being advised to like dumb down their resume or like take off the VP title and the director title. Like, what are your thoughts when you hear guidance like that, like from coaches, career resume, coaches, career coaches, around like, well, don't say you were vp, just say you were a mid level manager or say that you were this and that the third, like what, what do you typically advise?

Speaker B: You know? So, uh, the reason I struggle with, with that is because it's hard for you to feel good about an opportunity that you get. If you feel like I have to go in and be some smaller version of myself, right? And, and uh, but here's the thing. We all got bills, so I'm not gonna knock anybody if you gotta do what you gotta do because you gotta feed them kids, do what you have to do. Right? But at the same time, I think it's, it's hard to feel good about, I'm going to show up to this job every day and be able to give my best, knowing that the going in position is a fraction of who you are. Right? Because then when you get in and you Try to take up space. It's like, whoa, whoa, what? Do too much, right? And so do you want to set yourself up for failure or. And even if you, even if you succeed in the job, are you going to succeed mentally and emotionally and physically because you have the weight of, I can't be me, I can't be my full self, I can't bring all of my expertise because they want to stick me in this box. Now, there are some people who may say, well, you know, just bait and switch, right? You get in the door and then you do what you have to do. But it depends on the organization. And are they going to be open to the bait and switch? Because they, because companies, there are organizations who will tell you in the most professional, uh, terms possible to stay in your place and stay in your lane,

Speaker A: or they'll just tell you that straight up or.

Speaker B: Right. They may not even couch it. Right. And so, so the question becomes, is that the dice that you want to roll? And so what? So the conversation that I typically have is, if this is, if you feel that this is what you need to do in, or because we are at a position now where we just got to do what we got to do, then I'm not going to advise you of anything different. But knowing how I have poured into leadership development and helping people to be authentic at work, I know that I can't just say, hey, just dumb down your resume to just get in, because I know the mental and emotional impacts of that. So I give them the choice of, like, I will help you craft what you think, what, what feels aligned for you. But I'm not going to give you the idea, the, the, the mindset to shrink yourself, because if you shrink yourself at work, then, uh, that permeates every other area of your life, right? We spend most of our time at work. So if you are shrinking yourself every single day at work, how do you go home and be the best version of yourself for your husband, for your kids, for your family, your friends? It's hard. You can't flip that switch that easily. And so being a practitioner, I just can't feel good about giving that advice.

Speaker A: Listen, I'm right there with you. I will also say, though, as, like, as I take a step back and look at, like, the macro of the, of this moment is, I believe if there was ever a season, um, to reset and rethink about how you identify or how you shape your identity and to de, to segregate it or to, to, to break it out from your job, this will Be that moment right. Like you're seeing right now in the market. Now here's the thing. Typically, especially if you're black, uh, from marginalized background, you know this already. But these companies don't care nothing about you. So. And, and it's showing itself to be true in how we're having like global record corporate profits. Well, at the same time having incredible living in cost of expenses and equities. Right. We're seeing like, folks are struggling. Uh, m. Like I got my little monitor. It's not, it's not an ad. I use Monarch because I used to use Mint, um, before, you know, went away. And so I got my little notifications of how much my groceries are. Now again, I have. We're a family of six. But the point still remains. These groceries are expensive.

Speaker B: And the gas is expensive. Man.

Speaker A: Gas is expensive. The car repairs are expensive. Cars are expensive. Rent, mortgage is exp. You know, everything is.

Speaker B: Interest rates are so high. Yeah.

Speaker A: By the grace of God, my wife and I, we bought our second home and it's, you know, we got an incredible, uh, rate. A rate that I literally don't even know if the rate's going to exist for another like decade. You know what I'm saying? Like, it's because I'm talking to people. They got like, they got mortgages at like 5 and 6 and 7. Like my goodness gracious.

Speaker C: Yeah.

Speaker A: Pod for another time. The point is though that like we're, we're seeing organizations continue to de. Um, to divest from and to um, pull back from anything related to enriching employee experience. So if there was ever a season to be like a wake up call that like, you are not your job. True, like this would be that season. Right. And so, and so it's like, I think both things can be true. I don't believe in shrinking yourself to, for.

Speaker B: For.

Speaker A: On your resume. I think you go in for. I think you go in for because. Because here's the thing. Irrespective, if you say, if you lie and say you're not, you weren't a VP or a director of such and such. Guess what? That's still what you did. And it's going to show up in how you move. And so people should know that because that way it's less hiding that you have to do when you get this job. So, okay, you as a VP of such and such, now they want you to come in and be a manager too, or a specialist three or whatever the case is. Hey, that's important because they need to know they need to know. And you need to both know, hey, you're not hiring me at the level that I've applied at, that I've. That I've operated at. And yes, if I wanted to, I could run this whole thing. We can both go into this with our eyes wide open with that fact that is okay. And that. And that way when you show up and you just do your job, which is Manager 2 or Specialist 3 or whatever the case is, there's no question marks there. And I think, though it's about. And I say you, I don't mean you personally mean like you like the person you have to also be at peace with and embrace the freedom that comes with a, uh, bunch of stuff not being your headache. Just because you was a VP At M. JP Morgan and doesn't mean you have to act like a VP at this telecommunications company or at this contractor gig. Like you can just be yourself. You're gonna carry. You're gonna carry certain things forward in the world. And you're your brand and stuff. Your brand isn't going to change. Right? Like.

Speaker B: Right.

Speaker A: Your brand is going to be your brand. And so I just think that's really important. Like, I have a, uh, you know, and I think that what you don't want to do is you're, you know, you show it to a job and they think they're hiring this small person, and then you. Then you actually let your brand shine and then they're intimidated and frustrated by it. Then there's going to be this tension because there's dissonance between, between what you presented and who you are.

Speaker B: And that, that was the point that I was making, is that if, if, if you position yourself in this shrunken small state and then try to do, like I said, the bait and switch, it's harder for them to digest. But absolutely, if you have to, you can repackage and reposition in Wordsmith, where you can still say that you did the thing and change the title. My fear is, though, is that are you shrinking yourself and feeling shrunken when you're showing up? And that's why to your point, the separating the identity from the title setting, separating the identity from the work, you are enough, you are sufficient, you are brilliant with whatever job title you have or don't have. So that separation does need to exist. Um, and, and like you said, repackage it, reposition it, call it what you want as. As long as your experience is shining through. But if you feel like I have to be a smaller version of Myself. And I have to pretty much say I was a bank teller when I was a vp.

Speaker A: That's crazy.

Speaker B: You know, the dissonance that's going to be there, like you said, because the tension is going to get us is going to exist because everyone's gonna be looking around like, wait, who's this person? And now they're trying to do this or take this over or leave this. You. You don't want that kind of tension. Especially when you're first starting in your firm and you're like, thank God I landed this job and now you're getting paid, but now you're also living in hell every day. So it's finding that right balance of showing up authentically and being your full self, but being mindful of, okay, I know what I got to do in order to land this gig and be able to provide for my family in this moment.

Speaker A: Amen. One quick last story. I was applying to a role some months, months ago, and they said, well, we're just kind of nervous because, you know, you're just so senior and this role is so junior. Whatever. And I was like, okay, what's the salary, though? They were like, well, will it be X? I was like, all right, well, then don't worry about it. Like, like, it's fine.

Speaker B: Go ahead and cut the check.

Speaker A: Doesn't matter. But, but I think. But anyway, they end up saying, look, we just don't have something senior enough for you. And so this role is not going to be a fit. Like, we're going to wait and hold it because we're working on some more executive positions when to get back to you. And, like, was I a little annoyed at my time being wasted? Yes. But what did. I appreciate the fact though, that we both stood our ground. Hey, you're great. You're too senior. Cool. I'm senior. I know I'm senior, but it's fine. And they were like, yeah, but we're not fine. That's actually better than them lying and acting like it is fine. And then. Because then resentment grows to, ain't we gonna talk about black, uh, executive leadership and the psychology of accepting black leadership in corporate spaces? Like, we can have duet pod on another day.

Speaker B: Okay, yeah, that's. That's a whole conversation in and of itself.

Speaker A: You know what I'm saying? But, but look, look, look. I told you we was going to be get you in and out of here. You have a lot of stuff going on.

Speaker B: Yes.

Speaker A: You're actively networking and growing, building in Houston and. And beyond. There's A conference coming up later this month in September. Talk to us about this conference.

Speaker B: Yes, yes. So, uh, it's the Uncomplicated Leadership Conference is named after my book. Actually happen to have a copy right here, if you could see it somehow. Uh, so it's named after my book. But the Uncomplicated Leadership Conference is centered around getting back to the basics of leadership. What we have found in recent years because of the proliferation of AI and other uh, technologies and the rapid change is that we've gotten away from the humanity and the basics of leading well. And we've also over complicated leadership. Whether it's with how many frameworks and the enneagram and the personality assessment and all these things, we have over complicated it. But people are still feeling left out at work. They still don't have purpose. The, you know, employers and employees are still struggling to find relationships. And so m. My co Host Javon and Dr. Uh, Javon Wooden and I said let's create a conference where we can bring these leaders in and get them back to the basics of how do you lead people? Well, what's required of you to lead people? Well, without all the bells and whistles and fluff. And so that's happening on September 24th and 25th with a special executive roundtable on the evening of September 23rd. So that roundtable is for C suite and kind of SVP level leaders. It's, it's limited to 10 to 12, uh, leaders. And we're having kind of the conversation around the biggest issues that leaders at that level are facing and how to lead well in this climate. And then on September 24th we have a welcome reception for all of our attendees. And then Friday, September 25th we have the full day conference and we have some amazing speakers who are talking on the various concepts of uncomplicated leadership and really being able to share their expertise. But what's really special about this is that we're also going to have ICF certified coaches there. And so we, what we've tasked the coaches with is not to give ClA, uh, cliffhangers. Right. Oftentimes you go to coaches at a conference and they're like, well, if you really want to get something, sign up

Speaker A: for my such and such.

Speaker B: Right, exactly. And so we've tasked all the coaches with, you need to deliver something tangible within that 30 to 45 minute session and then allow the person to book with you should they so choose. If you do your job in that 30 to 45 minutes, they'll probably book with you anyway.

Speaker C: Right.

Speaker B: And so, so we're very clear about that. And then we also have a resource library. So it's not like this vendor table at the back that you're not seeing. It's a, it's a dedicated room where you're going to have resources from the speakers. My uh, book's going to be there, Dr. Javon's uh, book books are going to be there. All in the mindset, uh, of for people to go and get curated resources to help them uh, navigate their leadership journey. And so you know, if someone's listening and they're wondering is this conference for me it's really about if you were a leader and you know that you want your team to perform at a higher level and that means it's going to require more of you. This is the place that it needs to be and you don't have to spend all the money on team building and consulting packages and all that expensive stuff that in this market you can't afford. Uh, it's come to the conference. The prices start at 3:99, which, which for a leadership conference in this day and age is very reasonable. You come for the, for the day or you come for the welcome reception and you're able to glean things that you can leave and apply immediately after. That's what we've also tasked the speakers with, is that making sure that they are going to deliver things that are immediately applicable. You don't need a PDF, you don't need the follow up that you can take it from that session and immediately apply it. Yep. So, so we are just over the moon, excited. Um, and so it's at the Blossom Hotel in Houston, Texas in the Med Center. So it's a great gorgeous space as well. So we are excited to have as many folks join us as possible.

Speaker A: And what link can they, what where can they go if they want to sign up and register?

Speaker B: Absolutely. They can go to uncomplicated-leadership.com so uncomplicated-leadership.Com and you can learn all about the conference, learn about the speakers, um, and then hit the register, uh, the link to register and we have a room block. So, so if, if, if people are listening, they can actually go and, and register to get uh, a room at a discounted rate as well.

Speaker A: Now look, you know what I like about your com about the, the function of the Uncomplicated Leadership Conference is that it's practical, it's tangible, it's accessible, it's affordable. You know there's this um, there's like a scourge happening around here, Julie. Now for several years where people come to Houston and they do these conferences or um, events and it's just a vibe, but they take it. But they take in mad money. Right. And they continue to do it in a market where people cannot afford it.

Speaker B: Right, right. We don't need, we can't afford kickbacks in perpetuity.

Speaker A: We cannot. Look, I went viral for making, having a very simple. Making a very simple statement about Afro Tech a couple years ago. And most people was fine about it, but some boy, them um, Blavity blacks was upset.

Speaker B: Boy, I was, I was gonna say, I was like, you probably were going to get, uh, get into trouble if you said something. Bless your heart.

Speaker A: They were so upset. But my only point was just. My thing is again, back to the positive is I believe that if you're going to ask someone to take the time to come into town or travel, even if it's just up the street, spend their money, get their clothes together, blah, blah, blah, and then spend and then give their time up and also, and again give. I'm going to reinforce, give you money for it. The output should be something that's usable, tangible, it should be accessible. Um, and we're just not in a season where folks have a few spare whatever thousand dollars. You think about the ticket, you think about the flight, you think about if you're coming out of town, you think about the room, you think about food, transportation. Transportation.

Speaker B: It's expensive. And that's what we said. If we're going to create something we want that people feel like there is an opportunity to come and learn something so that when they leave it's like, I did spend this money but man, I can take this back to my team on Monday and, and get to work. Right? And that's our goal, is that when they leave the conference that they feel like when I go into the office on Monday that I can immediately get to work. And we do have sponsorship opportunities that are available. Um, and then also if organizations or folks want to sponsor tickets for others, we also have that available so folks can reach out to me directly. Um, and also through the uncomplicatedLeadership.com website so that if they want to get involved with us as we're leading up to the conference, that they, that they can. Because uh, we want to make this accessible for as many leaders as possible.

Speaker A: I love it. Listen, it's been Julia Rock, long term, long time friend of the show, contributor to the show, overall dope person, doing incredible things, make sure y' all click the links in the show notes, y'.

Speaker C: All.

Speaker A: Learn more. Register Sponsor Share it Till next time y'. All. Peace.

Speaker C: Living Corporate is a podcast by Living Corporate llc. Our logo was designed by David Dawkins. Our theme music was produced by Ken Brown. Additional music production by Antoine Franklin from Musical Elevation. Post production is handled by Jeremy Jackson. Got a topic suggestion? Email us@livingcorporatepodcastmail uh.com you can find us online on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Living Corporate. Com. Thanks for listening. Stay tuned.