Embrace Your Unique You: Empowering Self Confidence w/Velera Wilson

Jackie - 00:00:10:

Welcome to Season 10 of Diversity: Beyond the Checkbox, proudly presented by The Diversity Movement and part of the Living Corporate Network. I'm your host, Jackie Ferguson, author, business leader, and human rights advocate. In this podcast, we're diving deep into the stories of trailblazers, game changers, and glass ceiling breakers who share insights and professional success and personal development. Thank you for being part of this amazing community. Enjoy the show. You're listening to Diversity: Beyond the Checkbox. My guest today is Velera Wilson, global speaker, author, and consultant on confidence, leadership, and underrepresented talent. Velera, thank you so much for joining me today.

Velera - 00:00:56:

Yes, thank you so much, Jackie, for having me. I'm super excited for this conversation.

Jackie - 00:01:00:

Me too. Velera your journey has taken you from marketing strategy for Fortune 100 and 500 brands to founding Positive Identity, which is a company that's focused on empowering underrepresented talent. What inspired you to make that shift and shift your focus to helping individuals build confidence and thrive?

Velera - 00:01:24:

So it really is a very long journey, but I'll make it short. It is about 20 plus years, you know, leading marketing strategy, as you mentioned. And I had an opportunity to join a number of global organizations through their leadership programs. Or once I was in their leadership program or once I joined the company, I would be, you know, nominated for the leadership programs or maybe the high potential talent or even industry, you know, accelerator program. And so. And I think it's interesting because sometimes you can assume that your struggles are yours and that other people may not have the same struggles. And what I started to see after going through so many of the programs and leading different teams is that. My struggles weren't my own. That others had similar challenges, even if they look like me, didn't look like me, but they were persistent. And I call it like the common swirl of self-doubt. And I saw that particularly for people that were in rooms where they weren't the majority, obviously, whether from a gender or ethnic majority or whatever was different about them. And so it became really apparent, and particularly as I start to see some own successes in my own career journey to help others also be successful, despite knowing that, hey, maybe you aren't the majority in the room or something, you know, you have a different point of view. So really looking at ways to help others be successful and to own their voice, own their power and to lead confidently. And so it's so interesting to me because so often we have expertise and insight that we don't share because maybe we're not confident or we're not leading effectively because we aren't confident. And so when I start to chip away at my own. Self-doubt. I started to look at the reasons why I wasn't showing up confidently. I started to really do the work. And begin to thrive, I've now felt compelled to help others do the same.

Jackie - 00:03:28:

That's great. And Velera tell me a little about being recognized as high potential talent, right? What was that process like? What are some of the things that you did for people to recognize that in you and about you?

Velera - 00:03:44:

Sure. I would say the bottom line of it all for me was, I don't know where I'd have picked up the statement from, but it was always somewhere I remember saying to myself or being told that your work is your signature. And so it became really important for me. To just do great work for one. And do I think a bit of that was influenced by the fact that I felt like, wow, I should just be glad to be in the room at times because, so that was part of my own self-doubt. But really at the end of the day, it became important for me to one, do great work. And over time, it became apparent that I was doing great work and start. I started to develop key relationships with people, managers or leaders. And then, again, as I started to become even more confident in my expertise and the value that I brought, I began to raise my hand and say what I wanted. And so it was during those times that I began to get recognized even more. And so it was both authentic, but also strategic.

Jackie - 00:04:49:

That's great. Yeah. And that's helpful as we're thinking about, right, how do I move into those programs or how do I get recognized for those programs that sometimes, especially as underrepresented professionals, elude us? Blair, your book, You're Absolutely Worth It, addresses the importance of confidence and self-worth. Can you share some of the key insights from your book and how they can empower listeners to overcome self-doubt and achieve their goals?

Velera - 00:05:21:

The first chapter in the book, It's called Get to the Root. And that was the first chapter I wanted to write because... Oftentimes it's easy for us to say, well, you know, I'm. We speak to the symptom. Either I'm afraid or I get nervous or... I don't know how, or I haven't done this yet, or we procrastinated on something. And the better question that I think is so important to ask ourselves is why? Because when we can honestly speak about the why, we can then get to the outcome or the resulting behavior and change it. And so that's why I want to speak to that first in the book. And so one of the things I ask people to consider are what I call our she influencers. It's what we saw. She isn't feminine. It stands for what we saw, what we heard, or what we experienced. That is either hindering us from going after what we really want. Or propelling us to go after what we really want. And so each one of us has these influencers. And so I asked... Readers too. Look at them. I can remember if, you know, I've mentored women and I talk about this even in my book, or maybe when I've done a few keynotes is I remember talking to a woman and she was struggling to show up confidently in meetings. She really didn't talk much and she really wanted to overcome that. And I vividly remember asking her one day, well, Why do you think that is? She didn't talk about a workplace experience. She went all the way back to her childhood and talked about the things that happened that she really believed impacted her. And so we all have a root, whether it's in the workplace, whether it's something someone said or did, or we experienced in the workplace or outside the workplace. And it could have happened recently or. Years ago, but the question still remains, get to the roots and see how it's impacting. And then the other is to not assume that the answer is. No, sometimes we're afraid. To ask because we think the answer will be no. And to get a no, oftentimes it's synonymous with rejection. We start to internalize that and we can to assume that, well, I'm not good enough. And so what I also then talk about in the book is if you do ask and get a no, that it doesn't determine your work. That it just means that it's a no and you now need to go find your yes. So that's why the last part of the subtitle of the book is Own Your Yes.

Jackie - 00:07:52:

I love that And, you know, Velera it's just so true because we sometimes don't even ask the question or put ourselves up there because, that no hurts, right? And so we have to get to a point where no is just, it can be information, it can be a learning experience, it can be progression to the yes. So that's, that's great. Velera what are some common barriers to confidence and leadership that you've observed over the years, particularly among underrepresented groups? And how do you help them overcome these obstacles?

Velera - 00:08:28:

That's a really good question. So a couple areas or a couple barriers. One, I put them in two categories. One, I would say, and I speak to this in more detail even in my women's workplace confidence report that has hundreds of women's input into their challenges impacting their confidence or performance in the workplace, what they need most now to thrive. And so we go down two paths in the research. And one is organizational and the other is what I call intrinsic. Those are two factors that can impact confidence and leadership. An organizational is anything from, you know, culture, policies, practices. Intrinsic is anything that's true about you regardless of where you go. So that's your gender, age, your orientation, your abilities, you know, whatever that is. And so if you look at both of those, what I've seen are some common barriers when we start to look at organizational is, for example, training and development. Oftentimes, confidence is synonymous with competence for a lot of people. It is for me, right? If I'm more knowledgeable in something, I have a greater likelihood to be more confident. Of course, unless there's some other factors. And then of course, I may not be. I need to own what I know and then show up in a greater way. But at a baseline, many times people that aren't as confident or aren't skilled as leaders because they don't have the training and development. And that's an organizational challenge or organizational opportunity. And then the other is intrinsic. Right. So things like self-perception. So if you're the one or the only or the first, there can be this intense pressure. That comes with either being visible in the room, being the voice in the room, and that can create a lot of angst. And when you talk about leadership, let's say this person is a new leader or a leader coming into a new organization. That desire to be perfect or to be perceived as having it all together can be very, very overwhelming and counterproductive to success. And so how I help people, regardless of whether it's organizational or intrinsic, is through the work that I do through my company, Positive Identity. So if it's training and development, I work with organizations to help their talent gain both the skill sets and the mindsets to lead with confidence, communicate with confidence, and to navigate change with resilience. And those three areas are really, really important because that tends to be, you know. The areas where confidence will decrease and because of certain situations and has a great impact on results. So those are three areas. So that's training and development. And when you talk about self-perception, oftentimes that is woven into that training. So we don't just talk about the skill sets. We talk about the mindset. Why are you showing up this way? Why don't you communicate effectively? What do you think is causing you not to be? And again, oftentimes we'll get down to the root as well. It's because I don't really believe this or I've experienced this. OK, now let's unpack and unravel that. And so I bring those worlds both together, both skill set and mindset to help. Talent thrive, both from a confidence perspective and a leadership perspective.

Jackie - 00:11:55:

That's great. And I, you know, I think there's certainly an aspect that's individual, right? So where you're thinking about confidence, that's within you. But Velera let's talk about the difference between confidence. And being underestimated in the workplace? What are some of the things that the organization needs to do? Or maybe more importantly, what are some of the things that we as underrepresented professionals need to look for to be in the right place so that that work and confidence and building our skill set can be utilized?

Velera - 00:12:33:

Yeah. So a couple of things I like to ask myself and when you think about, are you in the right room and what does the organization need to do? So first organizations, when you start talking about policy and practices, I mean, at a very baseline, when we start talking about this concept of diversity, a lot of times there's resistance. And. For me, diversity, I appreciate it. Being pro-diversity is smart business because anytime you have too much of the same thought process, the same approach to anything, that stalls innovation. That stalls creativity. The world continues to evolve. Customers tend to evolve. We have very smart consumers today who are looking for companies that are investing in people that look like them. Not only that, talent is smart today. And in today's digital world, people can work from anywhere with anyone. The company that's going to have the best and brightest talent is going to be the company that has people that look like the best and brightest talent. And it isn't all just one demographic. And so that's at the baseline for organizations to really look at. One, how are they promoting or advancing their talent that is diverse? All right. That is underrepresented. So that they can attract others that look like them that are great, that they can then continue to drink, to attract consumers that are diverse and how to how so that they can also continue to innovate and to thrive. And so that's one piece of it. And then when I think about it from a perspective of for the talent to show up and how do they assess the right environments? I think a couple of questions. One is, are they able to contribute truly? Oftentimes. You know, you're in rooms and. Some way, you just kind of know, I'm not really, this may not be the right room because I'm not able to offer anything or I'm not, there's not alignment. Maybe there's already identified or misalignment in values or prioritization. The second is. You know, if you're not the underrepresented talent is, are you able to learn in this room or this space? Truly, are these people that you respect and value input and learn from? And then three, are you being heard or are you being dismissed or discounted? That's a really, really big one, because if your ideas are not being valued, if you're not being heard and they're not being actioned on or even taken serious or supported, then it's definitely not the right space or room.

Jackie - 00:15:13:

I love that. And it's just so important, Velera because so many people that are leadership coaches or professional coaches or trainers or consultants, they focus only on the individual, but there's that full circle piece where you have to help people and coach them to make sure they're in the right space for them, right? So that their skills can thrive. So I love that.

Velera - 00:15:38:

Absolutely.

Jackie - 00:15:38:

Thank you for that.

Velera - 00:15:40:

That's so important. I was going to say, you bring up a really good point. And then part of the other work that I do is it's a very honest assessment because it sounds great. And you're right. The complete onus cannot be on the individual to make the environment perfect. It has to be the organization that can meet them halfway. And so the other part of the work that I do, especially when I talk about self-worth and understanding the value that you bring. Is that if you're in a room where you aren't being heard. You aren't learning, or you aren't able to contribute truly, then It's probably best for you to find another place where you are not just tolerated, but you're truly valued and appreciated and that you're thriving. Because at the end of the day, spending a full day somewhere that doesn't align with who you are, doesn't appreciate who you are, what you bring, it's just a waste of time. And it can be incredibly demotivating. The mental and emotional impacts are very real. It's just not worth it.

Jackie - 00:16:44:

Absolutely. And Velera you've, in past conversations, you've mentioned it as like a litmus test, right, for the room. And I love that because it's so right, because there's the self-evaluation piece, which is very real, but then there's the environment evaluation piece, which is also equally important. And just as you have to evaluate yourself, your skillset, why you're reacting the way you are, why you're afraid to make certain leaps, you also have to evaluate that room. And I love, just love the phrase litmus test. And that's exactly right. And so important. One of the things that we often do is stay, feel like we're stuck somewhere. And we, feel like we're kind of beating our head against a wall, trying to make the changes in the environment or in the culture of the workplace that we're in. And sometimes you have to make that change.

Velera - 00:17:47:

Agree. It's either the environment changes or... You make the change to another environment. I like to think of workplaces as mutually beneficial relationships. And at the moment in which it no longer is mutually beneficial, It's time to move on. Either the organization needs to move on or the person needs to move on. In businesses, when organizations do this all the time, it's called layoffs. It's called... Separation or termination, the various phrases that you can. You know, use. I think. Individuals have to make that same assessment. Their life is a business, their career is a business, and they have to manage it accordingly. And it's easy sometimes to nest for different reasons. Right or wrong, right? You know, sometimes you might be in a season where the greater The greater good is to stay somewhere because. Maybe you have some health challenges or you have some personal things going on in your life where you can't. You know, you can't afford to make that change. And so maybe it's not the right work environment. Or ideal work environment, it'll do until you get through this situation. You know, that's, you know, outside of work or whatever those reasons, and there's no shame. Right? Everyone's decision or timelines are subjective. I just say that we should be honest about those reasons about why are we still somewhere? Why haven't we moved on? Um, so that we can make honest assessments once for ourselves, but also when we know it's time to, okay, now it really gets time to move on. We can make that step.

Jackie - 00:19:14:

I love that. And Valeria, you said that diversity is increasingly recognized as a crucial factor in driving innovation and success within organizations. How can leaders, right, let's talk about the leadership role now. Foster a culture of inclusivity that empowers individuals from all backgrounds to thrive and contribute those perspectives.

Velera - 00:19:39:

Sure. When I think of the word inclusive, I think of You're included. You're not the other. And so I believe leaders to. Should be very intentional about engaging. Different perspectives. That's one. So often. I've seen where you know, and I'm sure you've probably seen in listeners as well as you go into organization, maybe even if you're new. And Um, the new ideas aren't. Accepted or you've been there for a while and you have a difference of opinion than say maybe someone else in the room. And it's not, it's not received or. Everyone continues to do things status quo. And so, again, going back to that concept of if diversity, which it really does, drive innovation and unique perspectives. Embracing different ideas that aren't the norm or the status quo or how we've always done it. Becomes really, really important. In order to help people to feel even more empowered or confident to share their ideas. Because who wants to share their ideas if they're always shut down or discounted? No one. At some point, people are going to take the path of least resistance and less stress, which is, I'm just not going to say anything or contribute in this room or this space. And that's not the point. You're missing out on great ideas. So that's one thing. The other thing that I think is huge. Is to embrace risk-taking and not count failure. Or mistakes as fatal for someone in the organization. If people are constantly nervous or afraid of making the wrong decision or making a mistake because they'll be caught out on the carpet or there'll be some type of negative result. You're not allowing for creativity. You're not our critical thinking. And. People will consistently be relying upon the leader to make all the decisions. That's not the point. The point is to empower people to make decisions. And thrive and contribute in their own unique ways. And that's how you do it is to treat it as a cultural love. Hey, I want your input. You can make a mistake, obviously. We're not talking about mistakes that are catastrophic to the business, but things that are just that just happen because maybe you didn't. Know something or you didn't. Factor in something. That does happen. Those things are normal. And if those things are embraced by leaders and those mistakes are embraced, it just continues to expand the creativity that's brought, the energy, the engagement that's brought. From everyone from different backgrounds. And then a third, and I think a very practical way is honoring different traditions. And or scenarios. So things, for example, such as remote workplace. So how can people thrive when they're not? In the office. Right? Is it, are they only able to thrive if they're in person? That's another piece. And then finally, I would say in that same vein is. What about different? Cultural practices, right? Different holidays that show that certain level of respect and appreciation for cultures that are different than everyone else's. So I think those are some very real and very practical ways that. Diversity and inclusion can be fostered by leaders.

Jackie - 00:23:08:

That's so helpful, Velera And you mentioned remote workers, so I'd love to dig into that a little bit. COVID certainly shifted the paradigm of how we live and work. What are your thoughts for leaders around engaging remote or hybrid workers? What are your own lessons that you've learned in navigating your journey during that time?

Velera - 00:23:38:

Yes, I would say remote work. Amplifies the need to stay connected. And that can be. Done very intentionally. So for example, staging or hosting. Periodic you know, one-on-one skip level meetings. Town halls where you're sharing the, even as a team or with your skip level team or the larger organization that maybe you manage. Sharing the results of the business, where you're headed, what you're thinking about, answering questions. There are so many ways to encourage people to connect and engage and to keep giving them information that keeps them connected and understanding the greater goal, because it's so easy in a remote environment to be disconnected from the big picture. Everyone can get siloed into their own work, their own work stream, their own calendar for the day. So being able to stay connected becomes really, really important. I found that extremely helpful during the time of COVID was to just have those check-in meetings, temperature checks, personally, professionally, where people are. So I think those are a few.

Jackie - 00:24:54:

Amazing. And you've had a successful career in marketing before transitioning into coaching and consulting. How have your experiences, Velera in the corporate world influenced your approach to empowering others? And what lessons from marketing strategy do you apply in your work today?

Velera - 00:25:13:

Oh, that's a really good question. So when I think about my experiences in the corporate world, I think coming from the space and now being a consultant, a speaker, I'm speaking from it, not from just theory. I'm speaking to it from a very lived experience, over two decades of lived experience. And so I can speak both on the practitioner side and the user side, so to speak. And that is, I think, really, really important because I understand what worked in real time for me, what failed for me in real time, both for myself and the people I led. And so I'm able to connect in very real ways with other leaders in corporations and organizations because, again, I've lived it. I've been responsible for global teams. I've been responsible for. You know. Hundreds of millions of revenue. And I know the pressure that comes with that. I understand the pressure of reporting to C-level executives executives and all those things. And I also understand the journey and the path, the pitfalls and successes that can come along from someone that's not a majority, right? I'm a Black female. And so I know what that looks like navigating the workplace as well. So I get to speak from a lot of different intersections. But at the end of the day, It allows me to have really, really. Impactful and relevant conversations with the different segments of people in organizations from the intern to the C-suite and talking to them in very lived experiences in very well ways, and then the lessons from marketing strategy i think that's an interesting one because Marketing is about engaging with people and driving a certain behavior based on what you share. And so it's the same thing that an organization has to do. It's the same thing that a leader has to do. It's the same thing that an individual has to do if they want to advance their career. And so for me, both as a marketer. And a leader in organizations, you have to engage people. You have to show value. You have to communicate that value, get good at that. And most importantly, you have to understand what's important to them, the listener, the end user. And so bundling all of that together, I'm able to help people or individuals who are trying to figure out how do they advance and thrive, as well as help organizations figure out how do they engage and develop and retain their talent.

Jackie - 00:28:01:

Great advice. Thank you for sharing that Velera You know, it's, it's interesting to think about all of the pieces, right. And, and how these major shifts create changes for leaders that we're not ready for. Right. And now we've got to figure out, right. So the demographics of our world are changing. Right? We're becoming more and more diverse. And that has been a trend that I think leaders just were not paying attention to until they had to. But then you throw in, you know, COVID and now you're navigating. Hybrid versus remote versus in person and all of the things. So it's, it's important to understand, you know, that one, it's a complicated journey leading teams and even navigating as an individual, the workplace and the world and your communities. But those tips are super helpful and, you know, just trying to piece it together and find best practices. So thank you for that. Looking ahead, what are your aspirations for the future of positive identity? And how do you envision continuing to make a positive impact on the lives and careers of the people that you work with?

Velera - 00:29:20:

Great. Oh, gosh, the aspirations are endless. But I would say when I start to look forward. It's really important for me. You mentioned diversity, and that's so important. And within that. There are emerging leaders, their mid-level leaders who are. Who have aspirations of their own or who are trying to, you know, ascend the corporate ladder and are really trying to figure out what does it take or what do they need or what else do they need to do? What are the puzzle pieces? And so my goal is to continue to help. That demographic of talent because they are the future senior leaders of companies. And so partnering with companies who are understanding that. Diverse, emerging and mid-level leadership is where the time and attention really should be. If it isn't already, becomes really, really important for the work that I do for all the reasons that we've talked about before. The pool is there, right? When you talk about talent. Pipeline, succession planning, all those things. We start to talk about boomers and those leaving the workplace and what that means for the remaining population of. People in the organization. It is that mid-level leader. It is that emerging leader. And so that's really where I intend to spend even more time.

Jackie - 00:30:50:

Love it. Velera what's the message that you want to leave our listeners with today?

Velera - 00:30:57:

I would leave your listeners with this thought. Is that your career is. Your business. And. Whether it's an individual or... A leader of an organization listening for the individual, your, your, your careers, your business and navigate it accordingly. You get to write it, rewrite it, adjust it, change it just as long as it's authentic to you. And for the leader, of an organization. That's the scene. I strongly encourage you to really look at how you've set up, whether it be your culture, whether it be your practices. Whether it be the training or the development that you're doing. I really encourage you to look at that. Because you're in essence creating the success for your organization now. Either regardless of how you intend to or not by what you do or don't do. And so I would say Invest in your talent today. So that you can reap the benefits tomorrow.

Jackie - 00:32:01:

I love that. Love that. Velera how can listeners learn more about your work and get in touch with you?

Velera - 00:32:08:

Sure. They can visit velerawilson.com, V-E-L-E-R-A wilson.com to learn about all the The work that I'm doing or follow me, I'm on LinkedIn.

Jackie - 00:32:17:

Awesome. Velera thank you so much for spending some time and thank you again for your insight.

Velera - 00:32:23:

Thank you so much, Jackie, for having me.

Jackie - 00:32:28:

Thanks for listening to this episode of Diversity: Beyond the Checkbox If you loved this show, please take a moment to share it with a friend, leave a rating and review, and subscribe so you'll be reminded when new episodes are released. Become part of our community on Instagram, LinkedIn, X, YouTube, and TikTok. Or subscribe to our newsletter at beyondthecheckbox.com. This show is part of the Living Corporate Network, sponsored by the The Diversity Movement, and edited and produced by Earfluence. I'm Jackie Ferguson. Take care of yourself and each other.