Welcome, everybody. Thank you for joining me for another session today with us. We have Lekisha Middleton, who is the founder of the good success network. Look, Keesha, thank you for joining.

Thank you for having me, Michelle.

So let me ask you, how did you or why did you rather create the good success network? And what is it?

Wow, the good success network, we are a consulting and executive coaching firm that started in actually about five years ago. And the reason I created it, I started with crina for coaching, just to help other individuals manage their careers. And then once I left my global firm, and what completely out of my own, I expanded it to offer consulting as well. But the reason I started it is because I’ve always wanted to be entrepreneur. And I figured it was just time to do so. And I really wanted to be able to help my clients on my terms and offer that, you know, give them the offerings that I thought would be most beneficial to them.

Okay. So can you tell us a bit about your career path? Because this is a little bit different than let’s say, about 12 years ago, we initially met? Did I? So location, this is different from when I met you, about 12 years ago, you were doing something different? What were you doing 12 years ago? And like, how did you get to executive coaching.

So, when we met in Pittsburgh, 12 years ago, I was in it, like completely in it, I was in our PMO office at the time. And you know, although I was in tech, I was still doing more process, you know, pm based work. And I’ve always played that role. Well, both of my degrees are in IT management. But I’ve always played the role between the business right, I can speak both languages. So between the business and technology, and how I got to where I am now is because I realized that although I sat in tech, people was always my passion, right, making sure that they were learning making sure that they were able to do their jobs effectively, was always what I was passionate about. So when I took my job at, you know, consulting firm I was previously employed at, I got into organizational change at the time. And it was just, it was a great fit. It was a great fit, I was able to pull people process and technology together. And I’ve continued to do that since I was there. So yeah, and then the coaching piece, really, you know, goes on to the part about developing people and helping them to be their best selves.

Michele:
Yeah, you have that PPT, people, processes and technologies. see him coming up, coming up with stuff for you.

Lekisha:
Write that down as well.

Michele:
It might be recorded somewhere, I might let you catch it from there. But okay. So I love the migration and really finding where your fit is, especially with as you grow our skills, skill set? Yes. When you think about executive coaching, what a common myths you run into, when you tell people what you do.

Lekisha:
what everyone thinks I’m a life coach, right, which I don’t deny, depending on what your view of life coaches but some people’s view is, is very extreme. And the reality is, is I am sort of a life coach, because everything works together. I can’t coach you on your career, right, or on how to negotiate a salary. If we don’t talk about your life, if I don’t know how your what your lifestyle is, if there’s something in your home that is impacting you, that’s going to come out in our session. So I think that’s the biggest misconception. People just don’t know what a coach is. And it’s not a therapist, you know, I’ll be clear with that. But a coach is simply getting you from point A to B, quicker than you would on your on your own. Yeah, that’s all the coaches. So that’s what I do for my clients.

So, we are sitting now, in the midst of pandemic and before I even get to that part, I want us to talk about equity, specifically, equal pay, or women and people of color prior to the pandemic. And what what did that what does that look like?

Lekisha:
Oh, prior to the pandemic, I mean, there there’s still a disparity right? We do. So well, I wouldn’t say celebrate, but acknowledged, equal pay day a few weeks ago back in March. And that date every year is on the day, in the following year that it takes women on average, right? They collect all women, on average to make the same amount per dollar that men make that white males made. And I mean, before, you know that you hear diversity, equity inclusion so much, and it’s become more of a buzzword, but the reality is, there’s still so much work to do. Right? And it’s, it’s, it’s more than just one is not one lunch, you can’t it depends on the company, you’re in your depends on how diverse the company is. It depends on what salary you ask for when you enter the door. Right? Because if you start at a lower rate, it’s that much harder to get, you know, raises and promotions once you get in the door. So it’s really a lot around education, as far as how do we really upfront ask for what we want with you know, with research and with data and asking for a reasonable number, so that we naturally are putting ourselves at a at a more fair and equitable place when it comes to to pay.

Great, thanks. Thanks for sharing that. So we’re in the midst of the pandemic mercy disparities in who gets to work remotely? Yeah. And who doesn’t? Even then, there’s a pay gap. Right? Even so now it is, it’s not critical. What was the term they use for essential worker? Yes, yes, essential workers. And what that looks like in COVID, 19 is very different than what a lot of people may have thought 30 days ago. How do you foresee or some things that should be considered when you’re continuing to look at the pay gap specifically for essential workers? Yeah. So

I mean, that’s an excellent question. Right. So you the just like you stated, when you when you say essential, now, you think about the ER doctor, and you think about the postal worker, right. And you think about the farmer who’s producing our food, you think about the, you know, the, the public transportation worker that’s operating the metro or train system in your state, right? These are not people that we often think about as essential workers. And I will definitely venture to say that every parent in America is thinking teachers right now, right? That’s what we keep hearing about teachers is like, we always say teachers don’t get paid enough. But right now, parents are really realizing how much teachers do. They’re not just teaching. They’re they’re actually parenting your kid to bother. They’re, they’re being therapists, they’re being coaches, you’re doing all these roles, that they’re not getting paid for. So I’m what I am hoping is that we really level the playing field here, right? and reevaluate how we’re compensating people for the real impact that they make not just a title they’re in, but the impact they made. Because that this has been eye opening, we’re the people that you know, we walk by every day and see them, as you saw, may see as less than now they’re, they’re essential.

It is it’s interesting, because prior to the pandemic, be like, oh, a robot can do that, or we’ll have software to do that. And right now you’re going like, Oh, my God, thank you so much for being here. You know, I really appreciate what you’re doing. And those people have been there. Yes. Before the pandemic. And I, all my friends, if you if you’re a friend of mine on Facebook, it’s probably some public posts anyway. I’ve said hey, to all the teachers that follow me are connected to me. Be sure you screenshot all these things parents are saying about educators. Because when it’s time to go vote for you to get a pay increase, start sharing what they said during the pandemic, to remind them how how much they realize what you do and the value you bring to them and their children. So I like that people can easily forget, but a screenshot will that last longer.

Reach out this forever.

Hashtag screenshot is forever. Now. One of the things that we like you mentioned was negotiating your salaries, your contracts in your promotions. Yes. And women, oftentimes too often don’t do this. What are some things That the women or people of color can do, then what are things employers should be aware of? At the same time?

So I would say from the, the candidates side, right, so the women and people of color, we have to be aware of this the value that we bring out, I stated that earlier, but what is the value in the work that you do? So many times, even when we write our resumes, it’s very tactical, right? It’s first starting with a verb, and here’s their end result. But one of the things I always recommend to my clients is, what’s the value? So you ran the report, but what was the value in running that report? Right? Did you say help the company save money? Did some processes become more efficient, right? So really, being able to speak to your value? The more you can recognize that the more you can actually put quantify that right? The second thing I would say is do your research. Google is our friend. Right? So there’s so many ways to you know, whether it’s salary, comm or pay scale or Glassdoor different resources, where you can see in your area, what are they paying, you can see the low the high end and median pay scale. So you know, at least what to go in with. And you know, I would go into a little higher than the median. So there are some negotiating room there as well. But just do your research, and really, really own what you bring to the table. Because the reality is, most of the time, we’re not asking for a certain amount, because we’re not really internally don’t believe that we’re worth asking you for that. But when you know what, what you’re worth, you’re you asked for it without apology.

So yeah, you gave a great list of resources. I love those resources. Yeah. And there’s always debate on whether you’re working remote or not, which salary Are you negotiating for? And, and I and I go back to someone who negotiated a salary for certain locations, oh, we want you to move here. And they’re like, Well, I didn’t negotiate a salary for there. And they didn’t want to give them a salary change. Or they wanted to just do a cost of living adjust. They didn’t even want to do a cost of living adjustment or anything. And so how do you think now that everybody’s predicting that we’ll get to be more remote working? How would that impact? salaries are? and and you know, especially with the pay gap?

So here’s the thing, it’s it, there are different schools of thought with that, right? Because So, you know, based on what you asked before about from the employer standpoint, some people would would charge less, right, some employees would would pay you less, because you’re working from the comfort of your home. The reality is, everybody doesn’t like working from home. Right? People like, you know, every, the reasons that they give for offering less is you don’t have to commute. Right? So can you run into cost of gas, putting, you know, mileage on your car paying for parking, especially when you’re in places like DC, New York, that kind of thing, the time that it takes commuting back and forth? That’s the that’s a lot of the reasons that they give. But the reality is that that doesn’t change the value that I bring. Exactly right. So if I’m working from home, it shouldn’t matter. Because they need the same I believe in the same the same cost. Now some people would be that when it comes from the employer standpoint, that is a way to for negotiating room because based on that person situation, if they want to work home enough, they may come down on your salary, right? So that’s something that they have to you know, kind of figure out, but you know, I don’t charging less like my work is mostly remote with occasional travel to the client, my rate is still my rate.

Great, great point. Now as we look at salary gap in relation to equity in DNI What does that look like? What What should employers be aware if they’re truly working on creating diverse and inclusive workplace where there’s equity for all of their employees?

So I can’t remember I may have to research this now because I do remember a company either last year or the year before they actually went through all of their employees salaries. And so if you have the same title, you’re doing similar work, right? You’re on the same team. And let’s say one person was making more they level out all salaries. So based on the highest salary that was being paid. Now, there are certain things like, you know,
years of
service, you know, where you get extra perks and things like that, but actually just starting where you are, right? So is somebody in your other two people in your department doing the same work and one is getting 25,000 more a year than other? That’s huge, right? So there’s really no way to justify that if they’re doing the same work, they’re adding similar value, they should be getting paid the same. And if they’re not, if they’re supposed to be doing the same work, and one person is not adding as much value, then that’s something else that needs to be dealt with, right. But if they’re doing the work, you need to pay them for that. So that that’s why I think most companies just start is just by assessing the current pay scales in their company at the time, and then seeing what they can do about that. Then as you’re bringing in new hires, you already have that data cleaned up. So then you have a baseline to start with. Right. But that that’s what you know, I would recommend, I’m not saying it’s easy, but if you really committed to being equitable, then you will do it.

 

Michele:
Yeah, I remember when Salesforce did it, two years ago, and it was on CBS, and the I think, the Chief Human Resource Officer, like she went to the CEO and like, hey, I need you to agree to this. Even I don’t know how much it’s going to be. And he was like, well, he like just or are you on board or not? He was like, Okay, I’m on board. And there was a few million dollars in gender equity from women and men or those who identified as women and men that they had to increase salaries with. And then they did it a second time. They’re like, wait, why are we doing it a second time that we acquire new cuffs companies. And so we have to continue to do it and watch it like you said, especially if you’re doing acquisitions, you’re looking then on how it looks? And and especially if you’re bringing in different job titles and duties, yeah, coming out startup, you could have one title and you’re doing five jobs.

 

Lekisha:
That’s so true. And it was Salesforce. That’s who it was. And that’s the thing that people don’t think about, right? When you anytime you merge with another company, there’s that rationalization that needs to be done. So there are people you literally have to do like the comparison to see, okay, you’re doing this job in this company that we just acquired, how does that match up with some of the jobs? Sometimes you have to create new titles, right, based on how big the groups are? So yeah, it’s those are real conversations that we need to be having. But it all starts with getting the your stuff clean now, because if you don’t, you’re just adding bad processes on top of that process, right? Yeah. Yeah. Oh,

so I’m enjoying this a lot. I like talking about money.

I did. Yes. What do you got next? I’m pumped up. You know,

I know. So you have talked a lot about salary and tools and things like that? What are what are your biggest accomplishment in helping clients, increase their salary and really find a career that they like?

Oh, that’s a good question. So that’s a good question. One of my biggest accomplishments, I would say, definitely. Now that I’m, you know, I did a lot of mentoring and coaching before I broke out on my own right. So just really talking through that with because I had like countless people that I counsel that the time, but really, in now, with the coaching, most of my clientele that comes to me, they’re high performing workers, right. So they’re, they’re the consultants, they’re the, you know, the engineers, they’re the the medical professional, they’re, you know, they’re
the C level executives.
So when they come to me, though, they’re at a fork in the road. So a lot of times that requires a career change, as well. And really getting them to, again, that value assessment of, you know, what do you bring to the table, no matter what the role is, right? What are the things that you bring into the table that way if they do change careers, because that’s one thing we think, too, if we change careers, but I can’t ask for that amount anymore. But if you’re adding value that the company needs, and they’re willing to pay that, why can’t you get paid that amount, right? So it’s really about thinking differently. So my accomplishments is, you know, I’ve had at least two of my clients that switch careers, it was able to either sustain or get paid higher than they were before and do work that actually love. So when those two things meet, I think that’s just that’s just optimal.

That’s great. What do you see for the future with the good success network. For the Future.

Lekisha:
So let’s see, I guess five years from now, right? So one thing that this pandemic has forced me to do, and a lot of ways, which a lot of companies have is to reevaluate our vision, right? And how ready, am I really, for disruption? So what I’m doing is making sure you know, I’ve been using this time, and making sure that the infrastructure that I have in place is solid. So that when the economy does move, again, because I do transformation work, right. So I should be booked and busy for a long time. Right? That is the goal. So making sure that I have the right things in place so that not only can I have continuous work, but also expand in the next couple of years. But you know, my goal, really, is to prepare the workforce of the future, which I feel like we’ve been thrown into already. The future is now right. So that is our goal. And it’s it’s prime time for the type of work we want to do. So I’m excited about what’s to come. Because I feel like we’re already aligned.

 

Michele:
I do too. So how can our listeners get in touch with you?

Lekisha:
Okay, so, um, most of my information is my website, I can share a slide
that will show
how they can get connected.
Let me know if you can see it.
Yep, you can see it.
Yeah, so I’m good success. network.com is our website. You can connect with us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. And that’s the place where you can follow us. We try to be interactive, so not just follow just to follow but actually to join in, in the conversations tell us what kind of information you want to hear what are the things that are keeping you up at night, right. And we can provide those kinds of resources as well as thought leadership. But this is a way that you can stay connected as well as I’m the people techie on both Instagram and Twitter. And my LinkedIn is also listed here. Lt. Middleton.

Great. Thank you so much Lekisha really fantastic. Yes. Yeah. And it’s we’re definitely in the midst of change. disruption, for sure. And I can’t wait to see what sort of others I’m liking some of the things that are going on right now. But I can’t wait to see some of the results and changes that come from, from COVID-19. Yes,

Lekisha
I mean, there’s a lot I always say there’s, there is opportunity in every obstacle, right. So, you know, although some of us are literally just trying to function on a day by day basis. And that’s fair. I do believe that. Again, there’s a lot of opportunity. And I’m actually excited to see, you know what’s on the other side of this.

Michele:
So thanks for joining everybody. Have a great day and we will be back for another episode.