Dr. Julianna Hynes With Julianna Hynes and Associates

Intro: [00:00:06] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios in the Bay Area. It’s time for Bay Area Business Radio. Now here’s your host

Lee Kantor: [00:00:17] Lee Kantor here, another episode of Bay Area Business Radio and this is going to be a fun one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor, Leah Davis, coaching inspiring women of color to claim their wealth legacy. Today on Bay Area Business Radio, we have Dr. Juliana Hines with Julianna Hynes and Associates. Welcome, Julianna.

Dr. Julianna Hynes: [00:00:40] Thank you, Lee. Pleasure to be here.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:42] Well, I’m excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us about your practice. How are you serving, folks?

Dr. Julianna Hynes: [00:00:47] Yeah, so thank you for that. I really this really started. It was birthed out of my own early career experiences. When I went into the workforce, I was a lot younger, female, black, new college graduate, and I worked with a lot of older white men, made tons more money than I did, and there was just a mismatch between leadership, them and those being led like me. And so I got to a point that I really just consciously thought there’s got to be a better way. There’s got to be a better way for me to develop as this young, ambitious person, person and professional. And there’s got to be a better way for them to lead as leaders and particularly someone that’s a person of color female just different from them. And so I started my business, Julianna Hines Associates, to address that challenge, and I work with business execs of all the way throughout the organization. If you consider yourself a leader, I work with you and on more interpersonal skills such as influence and communication and showing up as an executive.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:09] Now, when you were starting out in your career and you had this thought, Hey, this is this is a happening to me, I think it’s probably impacting other people and I’m want to solve this kind of complex problem. Sure. What were some of the baby steps you took from that kind of epiphany? Hey, there’s a problem here, too. Now where you are today launching this, you know, kind of global leadership program that you have. So obviously that was a journey and it didn’t happen overnight. But what were some of the steps you took so others can learn from that journey?

Dr. Julianna Hynes: [00:02:43] Absolutely. So from the time that I had the revelation, I was in grad school and I was getting my degree in clinical psychology, a master’s degree. And from these experiences, I shifted my focus to organizational psychology. And I often joke that those that needed the therapy weren’t going to see therapists. They were still in the organization. So that’s where I want it to be. And so I got a little bit more education and experience under my belt. And then when I started my business, I was working full time at another company. By then, I had just got remarried and had a baby and I was in my PhD program. So that seemed to be the ideal time, if you will, to start my business because I was juggling a lot and starting my business would have been advantageous and was advantageous for my family so I could be home when I needed to be. And so that’s those were the beginnings, the steps I took, and I am actually walking my 16 year old daughter through this. Now she’s starting her business, and I first decided I had to legitimize my business. So get a fictitious business name, get a license and do all the things that were required of me by the state and county to be an official business. I got the website and business cards and all of that good stuff, but I would say the biggest thing that I did and I recommend whether someone’s starting a business or growing their career or just want to do more with their life is building relationships and networking. And I did a lot of that just calling people being introduced to people having lots of lunches, and I like to eat. So that was fun or coffees and just sitting down and talking with people about their perspectives, their companies, what are their challenges? And the more I did that, the more that informed the work I’m doing now.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:53] Now, a lot of people believe that their network is their net worth, and it sounds like you’re a believer of that as well. Any. Hips for the young people out there who may feel like they don’t have a way to reciprocate and that it isn’t peer to peer that they’re looking for help and they don’t have much to offer, this person that has is more seasoned than them. Do you have any advice for them on how to kind of, you know, kind of improve their network?

Dr. Julianna Hynes: [00:05:20] Absolutely. So a couple of things. First, I definitely get you want to give back in some way. And it doesn’t have to be necessarily quid pro quo in that they you have as much experience as the person you’re talking with. You might be able to share some things with them that they don’t know. Being a younger person, they might. You might be able to help them figure out something like technology or social media. You might come across an article that you just share with that person and let them know, Hey. From our conversation or just thinking about you. Here’s an article I thought you would find helpful. And then in terms of expanding the network, I really am a believer of talking with the people that are in your closest circle and finding out who they know because they have their own networks and asking for a warm introduction to another person. And even if that’s a little bit scary, then practice on some of the other people. Think about what? What are you going to say? What questions do you have and what do you really want the result of the meeting to be? Oftentimes, especially if someone’s in job search, they’re thinking, OK, I have to get a job, but that’s not really the intent of sitting down with someone. They might not have a job for you, or they might not have something for your business if you’re a business owner. But just having that relationship expands your ideas and also opens doors to meet other people.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:53] Now I’ve found that I from talking with a lot of different people that kind of getting involved in associations and groups around your business or whatever you’re doing and then volunteering, taking leadership roles that really kind of can change the way people see you. And it’s something that young people. I don’t know if they really appreciate how much value that that provides not only to the association, but how it elevates them and their position in the minds of the leaders that are also members of that group.

Dr. Julianna Hynes: [00:07:26] Absolutely. And that visibility is so important because then people get to see you in action, so to speak, without any pressure or without them having to be concerned about, was this person trying to sell to me? They just see you doing your thing.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:45] Now you decided to write the book Leading On Purpose, The Black Woman’s guide to shattering the glass ceiling. Was this something that came about because, you know, you’ve just been gathering all this information and you’re maybe frustrated at the speed of which change happens? And then you just wanted to share everything you’ve kind of learned thus far in this book and get to get it to as many people as possible.

Dr. Julianna Hynes: [00:08:10] Yeah, exactly. So the book was birthed out of the outcome or results of my doctoral dissertation. I study successful black female leaders and learned some of the strategies that they use, the challenges that they face. And it was just such a gift for me to sit down and have the conversations. I wanted to afford anyone and everyone the opportunity to have the experience that I did, and so the book was the best way to do that. And yeah, it really is. For those who are starting out in their career, how how do you want to think about building your career, but also for those that are already more seasoned than their career? There’s some great nuggets and reminders for them as well.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:01] Now, do you find that some folks kind of don’t approach their career strategically, that they kind of are just floating around and then of someone offers them a job and then they start doing that and then they get frustrated and they look for another job and they leap over there and then they get frustrated. But because they’re not really kind of leading, you know, kind of living on purpose, they’re kind of just kind of exactly.

Dr. Julianna Hynes: [00:09:24] That’s what. Yeah, yeah. So. And that was me. I thought I was going to be a therapist until I had this experience and I took a what was called a visionary leadership class in one of my grad school classes. And it really opened my eyes to having a vision, having a strategy, being intentional. And in that class, I had the opportunity to do my first vision board and really dream and think about what do I want my life to look like and what do I want it to be? And it was amazing. I mean, there’s this thing called the reticular activating system, and all of this stuff gets stored there, even though we don’t remember. But having that vision really put me in on track to where I am today. At the time I did my vision I was I was in a graduate program, not my PhD, so I hadn’t had that, but that was on my vision board. I wasn’t in a house. I’m in the house I bought now and that was on my vision board. I wasn’t married at the time. I’m remarried kids. So everything that I wanted my life to be just by putting it on paper and putting it in front of me really made a difference and help me to really help me to realize that being intentional, deliberate living your life leading on purpose can really be not only advantageous for us as individuals, but our communities, our organizations, the businesses that we want to bring about.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:57] Now do you find that? I don’t know if this is just black women, women, just the human beings, just as a whole that a typical person doesn’t aim high enough, that they’re they’re just kind of almost selling themselves short, that there can be so much more. But for whatever reason, they don’t want to dream big enough. And that I would imagine that that exercise of the vision board really almost forces you to dream bigger.

Dr. Julianna Hynes: [00:11:28] It gives you permission to dream bigger. When I was about a week or so ago, I was working with my daughter on hers and she wants to go into the beauty industry and I said, Who would be your ideal client if you were to work with anybody that you could? And she named Rihanna, and I thought, that is such a big vision in that it’s so great. And my daughter was like, Well, I’ll probably never work with her. You never know just by you putting it out there and by you having that idea of who you want to work with, it’s going to draw you down that road. So yeah, I encourage people to dream big and don’t censor their their dreams or their vision. There will be plenty of time to do that. But just to start, just think dream idealize, whatever it is you need to do to to dream as big as possible.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:27] Now, do you think that the reason a lot of people don’t dream bigger is that maybe when they were younger that people kind of squashed some of those dreams early? And then just kind of they just people kind of learned that, hey, that’s silly. That’s impossible. And then they don’t. Then it’s almost like they’re cutting them off at their legs. They don’t. They stop trying because what’s the purpose?

Dr. Julianna Hynes: [00:12:53] Right? Absolutely. So mindset is what you’re really speaking to is big for someone if they’re going to go after a dream or a goal. And especially as a business person, because they’re going to be a lot of ups and downs as they go through this journey. And so having that North Star, if you will, having that confidence in yourself that you can do it regardless of what anyone else is telling you. When we first started this part of the conversation I quote came to mind by less I think it’s less brown. That said, if you shoot for the moon and miss, you’ll land somewhere among the stars. And I thought that was so great because it just opens up opportunities that you never know. You’ll you’ll make if you’re not or get an opportunity to do certain things if you don’t even shoot for that goal that you want.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:50] Yeah, that’s being a parent myself. I know that was something that I was being very mindful about with my child is that I didn’t want to be the one to tell him he couldn’t do something. I was always trying to say, Why not you? Why not you? Because life is hard enough. And a parent, I think, shouldn’t be the the dream killer. They should be the one that’s enabling as many dreams to come true as possible.

Dr. Julianna Hynes: [00:14:18] I agree. I tell my kids I’m their biggest cheerleader, right?

Lee Kantor: [00:14:22] And they can count on me to be rooting for them and I and that’s and that gives them the security to kind of be bolder, I think.

Dr. Julianna Hynes: [00:14:30] Yes, yes. And you’re right. And that’s part of the intentionality as well is I speak into my children’s lives as often as I can. There’s the discipline side, but there’s also the side that saying you can do it and I believe in you. And how can I support you or do I? What do I need to do to invest in you? And also encouraging them to learn the lessons along the way. I can’t do everything for them, but I’m here to definitely be that that wind beneath their wings, so to speak right?

Lee Kantor: [00:15:03] And give them places to kind of fail safely. It’s better to fail, like in a lot of ways younger where the stakes aren’t as high as opposed to never failing. And then all of a sudden something big happens and then you fail in and then people don’t have kind of the resilience to handle it.

Dr. Julianna Hynes: [00:15:22] Absolutely. I wholeheartedly agree.

Lee Kantor: [00:15:25] Now are there any kind of key skills that you’d like to share for women to work on in order to kind of have that escape velocity in their career to make it the way they would like it to be?

Dr. Julianna Hynes: [00:15:37] Yeah, great question. Thank you. So from my dissertation, I really teased out and found a few things from talking with these amazing women, and there were really three pillars that supported their advancement. The first was professional savvy, and that’s where you find all the interpersonal skills, influence, executive presence, communication, all those things. So how do you know what to develop? I always encourage leaders to do an assessment, ask for feedback, do a three sixty, whatever they need to get the information from others about how they’re showing up. How what are their strengths? And then also, what are their development opportunities? And that’s. Are a lot of professionals stop and often get frustrated because they’re doing all these things and still not getting the opportunities. So the second pillar is around support and accountability and finding the mentors, the sponsors, the coaches, friends, family, colleagues, whomever to provide that support to you that you can talk to, brainstorm with ask questions of. And then with that, the accountability piece that you’re sharing something with someone like that dream we were talking about. Once you share it with someone, it kind of puts a little bit more pressure on you to accomplish it. So you have that person being really encouraging and saying, Hey, what’s going on with this? Or How can I support you? And so that’s the second pillar and then the last pillar a lot of professionals don’t think about as well, which is a strategy. So putting a plan in place, one that’s measurable, one that’s actionable, one that is going to keep you motivated to advance to those those levels wherever you want to go in your career or to build a business. So I always speak about those three pillars when I share with leaders really what is their success strategy around advancement or starting a business?

Lee Kantor: [00:17:56] Now, can you share a little bit about who that ideal client is for you? Is it that kind of high achieving woman that is kind of rocketing up the corporate ladder? Is it the person that’s frustrated or plateaued and doesn’t know what’s happened and seeing other people be promoted around them? Or is it the organization that says, you know what? We have to invest in our people and then put a program in place to help them be the best them they can be?

Dr. Julianna Hynes: [00:18:25] Yeah, so all of the above is who I work with. My ideal client is that first one, the high achieving woman black woman who really just needs a safe space to share challenges and difficulties to brainstorm ideas around how to overcome one thing or another. And typically, the organizations bring me in. So they’re identifying this person as a high potential to be in the C-suite, and this person needs a little bit more development in a certain area. So they’ll call me in to work with the executive women and help them shore up some of the skills that they will need to be more successful.

Lee Kantor: [00:19:16] Now, are you finding at the corporate level that having a coach or investing in their people in terms of coaching is something that’s more accepted and is kind of moving further down the food chain, if you will, when it comes to more and more people having access to this kind of service because it seems like there’s a lot more acceptance accepting of coaching nowadays than maybe there were, you know, 10 years ago.

Dr. Julianna Hynes: [00:19:44] Yes, absolutely. I firmly believe in coaching. I was first a trainer when I was in HR and then I became a trainer and training’s great. And sharing new concepts or perspectives or ideas with a group of people is an amazing opportunity. What I found, though, is that someone will go to training, they’ll learn all this good stuff, they’ll leave and all. They’re all excited about it, and then they’ll go back to their group or team or company that hasn’t taken the training and they get indoctrinated again back into that culture. If the culture doesn’t change, it’s really hard to bring different mindsets or a new attitude back. So coaching really ingrained those lessons so I could teach communication in a class to 10 people in a year or even six months. Those 10 people, it’ll probably be very little they retained. But if I coach someone on communication for six months and I go back to them another six months, typically they’ve now incorporated those behaviors. I fully think coaching should be offered at every level. I really do see an opportunity for organizations to offer it further down the pipeline because then they’ll see more a more robust, stronger pipeline of leaders, people that are ready to take on those roles because they’ve already prepare for them earlier in their careers.

Lee Kantor: [00:21:27] And I would I would also believe that that you’re going to change the culture of the company. If you believe in your people that much, you’re investing that much in them.

Dr. Julianna Hynes: [00:21:36] Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. Well, and go ahead.

Lee Kantor: [00:21:40] I’m sorry.

Dr. Julianna Hynes: [00:21:41] I was just going to say it’s a great way to show your key talent that you believe in them. That investment really goes a long way for I’ve talked to leaders and they are so excited to get a coach and they don’t want to let the company down. They don’t want to let their manager down because they understand the investment that’s going into it.

Lee Kantor: [00:22:04] Well, Julianna, congratulations on all the success you’re doing. Important work and we appreciate you. If somebody wants to learn more about your book, about maybe getting on your calendar to have more substantive conversation. Is there a website they can go to?

Dr. Julianna Hynes: [00:22:22] Yes. So my web address is the same as my name, Juliana Haines dot com, and I have a gift on the website for anyone who is interested. It’s leading on purpose tools for getting unstuck, focused and in action. So as for those that do feel like they’re plateaued and they’re trying to figure out what’s next, it’s a great book for them and my contact information and calendars on my website, as well as the books that I have produced already.

Lee Kantor: [00:22:57] And that’s Jli A. and a h. Y. Juliana Heins, thank you so much for sharing your story today.

Dr. Julianna Hynes: [00:23:07] Thank you for your time and for having me.

Lee Kantor: [00:23:10] All right, this is Lee Kantor. We’ll see next time. Bay Area Business Radio.