How We Work

Women’s Leadership Exchange Growth Guru Dr. Robin Johnson speed coaching in Long Beach. Photo from Long Beach Business Journal

When you work with Dr. Robin Johnson or any of the members of the multicultural coaching network as your coach, when you hire Dr. Robin Johnson as a Keynote Speaker, or when you organize or attend an executive education event with Dr. Robin Johnson…

You can expect her to address these issues:

Effective Career Management Insight and Tools
No matter how far people go in their careers, if they feel they are not being the true to themselves, not doing what they love, not fulfilling their purpose, or somehow being inauthentic – the cost will have been too high.  Dr. Johnson helps people identify their motivating interests, skills and values and combines those with three career management tools

• a mission statement,
• a career management matrix,
• and a career development statement. 

Using the Career by Design system participants/clients manage their performance, seek-use-give feedback more effectively, focus more on their contributions to their organizations, work better with co-workers/bosses/team members, and manage their networks of mentors and developmental relationships better.

Mentoring / Developmental Relationship Network Clarification
Successful executives got where they are with support.  Everyone needs a wide network of developmental relationships – role models, sponsors, friends, mentors, etc.  Our clientele needs to pay particular attention to the diversity of that network and the possible pitfalls related to cross-identity relationships.  In talks, programs, and coaching we address and assess professional relationship networks so that everyone in the organization has intentional, supportive, strategic, and respectful work-relationships.  The career matrix and development statement tools give clients tools to build those relationships safely, make sure key people know what you have done, what steps you want to take to move your career forward, and how they can be supportive.

Negotiation Skill Development and Strategies
Effective negotiating means knowing what you want and how to get it.  Women and people of color often face particular barriers to negotiations – from stereotypes to greater resistance when they do ask.   In coaching, speeches, and workshops, we help clients identify sources of resistance and use skills to negotiate effectively in informal and formal situations with people at all levels in the organization.  Many of our clients do invisible work that they did not get credit for until they learned to notice what skills they were using to achieve their results, claim their accomplishments through the intentional use of their skills, and measure their output so that people could count what they did.  A key outcome we seek in our work is making sure people are recognized and rewarded for their contributions to the organization.  The Ask! approach to negotiating increases satisfaction and commitment to organizations by teaching people how to negotiate appropriately for resources that make them effective at work, and how to be compensated fairly for their contributions.

Clarity about Leadership Style
If you’re reading this, then I know you want to make a positive difference in the world – in your way, using your skills, not as a clone of many of the leaders we hear about today.  You also want to influence others to achieve shared goals.  That’s leadership!  Dr. Johnson’s talks, programs, and coaching identify leadership styles and role models from a wide range of multicultural leaders.  She also discusses strategies to nullify behaviors that hamper leadership effectiveness -- including glass ceilings, muddy floors, and sticky walls. These might be invisible communication style differences and stereotypes that cause people to miss or discount their own or other people’s leadership because their way of leading is not familiar.  There are many different leadership styles.  These different leadership styles can all be effective when used in the appropriate situations.  You will learn when to flex your style, and when to hold firm in order to maximize your influence for achieving your leadership goals.  The Dance of Leadership model identifies 5 styles with multicultural role models and strategies for being effective in appropriate situations with each style. 

Maps for Dealing with Resistance and Blocks
Our clients are signing up for change.  And with all change comes resistance.  Some of this resistance will be individual doubts and fears.  Some of the resistance will come from organizational or external sources.  Together, we will assess the source and content of the resistance to change.  Dr. Johnson helps participants and clients identify and modify beliefs or behaviors that are actually resistance to change, and strategize about how to deal with that resistance in order to move forward.

Strategies for Coming Out and Trusting Co-workers
LBGT managers and executives deal with the issue of coming out constantly.  And both LGBT and People of color often describe a reluctance to trust co-workers because of both overt and clueless discounting and discrimination that goes on in organizations. We help clients understand trust, and develop strategic authenticity – strategizing about when and how to disclose information about their personal lives so that they can have quality professional relationships.  Trust is a decision.  Understanding what trust is, and when, whom, and why to trust people at work with the corresponding consequences and implications enhances empowerment and effectiveness of everyone in the organization.

Guidance for Being Your Complete and Authentic Self at Work
Many times the apparent success of women, LGBT execs, and multicultural managers may come at the cost of disconnection from their racial, cultural, orientation, or ethnic community.  In our coaching, speeches, and workshops we address how and why including the full, authentic, productive person at work – and staying in connection with community that matters – is the best way maximize both organizational and individual effectiveness.

Time Mastery and Work-Life Balance Tools
Time Mastery means being clear about priorities and directing individual and corporate energy to those activities that are consistent with those priorities.  Because our model of effectiveness means productivity, learning, and happiness, we know that goals and objectives that balance all three of those criteria work best in the long run.  So rather than making ‘SMART’ goals, we help individuals and organizations have S.M.A.R.T.E.R. goals.

Specific
Measurable
Ambitious, but
Realistic
Timed,
Enjoyable, and
Results-oriented.

S.M.A.R.T.E.R. goals focus attention on those things that matter most. S.M.A.R.T.E.R. goals balance doing-busyness with those other things that matter in life. We also understand that it is a major challenge to take time away from work tasks for professional and personal development.  And we also know that not taking time to stay competitively agile and professionally sharp is a big risk in our fast-paced world.  We help organizations and individuals focus their efforts on those priorities that will really make a positive difference in achieving shared goals without burning out and overstressing the very human resources needed to achieve those goals.

Guiding Beliefs and Values

Effective leaders choose to do what they love
and what they do well in environments that allow
and value effective expression of their talents.

Productive people are happy people.
People want to love their work.
Many organizational work habits, practices, norms and behaviors block people from giving their best.  We believe that effectively removing those blocks will allow people of all kinds to contribute at work, and in our communities.  Our work is based on a belief that most people, but especially our clients, whatever their race, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, ethnicity, size or personal style, want

• to do work they love,
• to be around people they respect and who respect them,
• to make a contribution, and
• to lead – that is to make an intentional positive difference in the world. 

Social identity matters.
Social identity includes all of those aspects of who you are that you value and share with others in your racial, gender, sexual orientation, religious, ability, age, and/or cultural group (to name the most common).  Everyone has race.  Everyone has gender identity.  Everyone has a sexual orientation.  Not just Blacks/Asians/Latinos, women, and LBGT people.  Many everyday conversations, programs, and diversity activities focus on only one-side of a social identity, making the other side invisible.  This has negative consequences.  So our approach values diversity AND inclusion.  In fact, "A-N-D" is one of our favorite words.  We know that not all aspects of identity are valued equally in our world.  And being a member of a minority-subordinate identity group often means dealing with challenges as work that are not related to your competence or commitment.  We are particularly skilled at helping our clients assess their organizational environment, make choices, and learn responses that will improve the likelihood that all people will be included and have a fair chance for career success. 

Harmony-Peace-Respect.
We believe that people do things that make sense to them from their perspective.  Our approach is not to blame or guilt trip coworkers.  We look for ways to give the respect we seek and make the workplace a fair place for everyone to contribute their best.  Peace and harmony starts with each of us doing our best to communicate in peaceful, harmonious ways.

Relationships are important.
Career effectiveness depends upon having a network for relationships that provide people with support, sponsorship, feedback, and information.  Seeking and maintaining quality work relationships makes a significant difference in career success, compensation, and satisfaction.  Moreover listening, managing conflict, and negotiating effectively are key skills for managing daily work relationships. 

Choice is often our greatest source of power.
People can choose to do work that energizes them, to use skills that demonstrate their competence, to have relationships of mutual respect, to work in organizations that value their contributions, and to work with colleagues they would consider friends.  People can choose to change – habits, behaviors, or beliefs – if they are not working well.  And while individuals cannot change others individuals (and in most cases they cannot change the company), individuals can make informed and empowered choices.

 

The EQUEST Difference: Multicultural Coaches

There are many coaches out there.  EQUEST is different.  Our coaches and webinar leaders are multicultural, committed to diversity and inclusive practices, and authors-speakers-researchers in the areas of multiculturalism, diversity and inclusion.  They have a solid foundation in general coaching / business principles.  And they are empathetic - they've been where you are.  They are where you are.  They have the personal-professional experience necessary to support your development with your unique identity perspectives. 

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We have shared our beliefs and values.  Feel free to download this short values questionnaire so you can share your top values when we have our free consultation.

Click on the relevant link for more information about our specific services, workshops and products.

To contact us for a free consultation about our Multicultural Coaching program, click here.