Welcome, everybody back for another edition Today we have with us one of one of my favorite people because I love other people from South Carolina, of course. But we have Valerie Ashford Brown, who is a transition coach and a change management consultant. Thank you so much, Valerie, for joining me today. Thank you for having me, Michelle. So can you tell us how did you get into change management and what is change management?

Yeah, that’s an interesting question. Thank you so much again for having me. today. I got into change management by, I guess, mistake, for lack of a better term right now. I was supporting a federal government client in financial management. And honestly, I grew Tired of Excel spreadsheets. Because of that, I moved to another project and learned about change management. So I was kind of thrown in there and was able to successfully help clients to make changes in the organization. The thing I did begin to learn is that change management, runs the whole gamut with federal government clients is one of the things that they need a lot of help with. And I was happy to serve in that capacity. So I went from finance my undergraduate degrees in finance. I thought I loved it. But then when I began doing the consulting piece of that, I wanted to do something different. And I saw a need there. My career manager said to me, Well, why don’t you try change management, and that’s what I did and I took off with that, I enjoy it. I enjoy helping the clients to navigate changes in individuals and also within their organization, so I kind of got in it by happenstance. But this happenstance is really happening for me now, I’m enjoying it. 

So the saying goes, change is very difficult. And I’m thinking US federal government and change management. They do not sound like they go well out there. Because just change is very, very difficult and government is very traditional. So, in your experience, what has what have been some of your successes in working with government with change management?

Yeah, that’s another good question. Change Management is the discipline that guides how we actually support and how we equip and prepare individuals to make changes. And when they are able to make changes successfully, then the organization is successful and the organization has successful out outcomes. So with that said, one of my successes has been in helping senior leaders hone in on the change that they want to make. For instance, in working with organizations I help division leads and directors realize that just because we change a name on an organizational chart, or just because we change seats, that does not constitute change management. There is a current state, there’s a transition state, and there’s a future state that we should go through a process and of course, in working with the clients, you go in a little little deeper than that, but holistically, that’s what we have. There’s a current state of transition state and a future state. And what I like to do and what I pride myself is on is helping my clients see that this is where we are right now. This is the change that we need to take take place. that transition state. And then I like to get them to see and have that vision of how they want their organization to look. So I challenged them on that. If it is looking where you’re not meeting your your, let’s say, your product levels, or whatever the case may be, if that’s the current state, what changes are you going to make for you to measure your success that you want to see at the end of the day at the end of the quarter, at the end of whatever it is that you set forth to do? So I pride myself on challenging leaders to see that to have a vision, have a mission, have a purpose, and not only change seats or change names on the org chart because honestly, of course, that is change. But that is not the change that they really want to see. So I pride myself on challenging them to really think deeply about that vision that they have for their organization.

I love it. Yeah, definitely. Definitely it’s much deeper than than that. Now, we talked about change management what it is you do how you got into it. Mm hmm. But now your brain change management in with diversity and inclusion. Mm hmm. What does that look like?

Yeah, that that’s what I am working on now with with another client in in making sure that we have a diverse workforce because diversity, the thing about it with diversity, it brings different perspectives. And the inclusion part is a whole nother piece of that as well because people want to feel included and improves engagement. And just from research I’ve done it also the DNI piece also improves the bottom line and particularly for companies that are for profit. They want to have a great bottom line. Now I’m not saying that That should be the main goal. But that is a goal when you are for profit, you want to make a profit you want to make an income so forth and so on. So that whole harnessing change management to change DNI means that you put procedures in place to manage the change when you are having diverse people and having a diverse workforce come into your organization. For instance, I like to take clients through the Add car process. And that’s that’s from Pro site, pro site is organization that certifies people in in change management. So it’s awareness, desire, knowledge, ability and reinforcement. So we go through that process of looking at the awareness of change what needs to needs to be changed when it comes to diversity and inclusion like setting up your strategy, setting up a roadmap, and really having a detail roadmap a strategy as to how you want diversity. Add inclusion, to look, again, looking at that mission statement, looking at that vision statement, and making sure that you work with your HR or human development department as well to to be inclusive and to be diverse. But I truly believe that it is with the change management piece of it. It is developing that strategy, that roadmap because what do you think of when you when you have a roadmap, you have a place to go, let’s say with a map, if you’re trying to go to let’s say, drive cross country to California, most of the times when you get in the car to do that, you just don’t get in the car and just start driving. You have your phone, you may have your your manual map, but you have a roadmap to take you from point A to point B and I like to strive that with clients when it comes to DNI, to have a roadmap to have a strategy of how you’re going to to engage your work. force, how are you going to engage? You’re an organization? How is that all going to come into play? Do you understand?

Yeah, that makes complete sense. And along that journey, what are your stops? Or what are your milestones and goals along to get to that destination? We’re about to hear. Right.

Right. That’s right. That’s right.

I love it. So we’re in a mess of a lot of change right now. So this must be a truly exciting time for you.

Yeah, we are a bit a lot of change. Yes.

Well, how are you using change management right now with clients in the midst of COVID 19, especially how it impacts or includes diversity and inclusion?

Yeah, one of the things that I’m working with clients on is to make sure that they’re reaching out to their employees and making sure that they have the power proper equipment, proper technology to do their work. A lot of times we assume that people have some place in their home, they have a computer, they have a laptop. And that’s, that’s not something that a lot of people have. So one of the things that we’ve been doing or I’ve been doing with the team is making sure and, and challenging senior leaders to make sure that their workforce has what they need to properly execute, because it seems like this is going to be a long process for us with COVID-19. So that’s one thing making sure that they have the proper technology to do their work to the best of their ability. Another thing is looking at performance reviews and looking at mentoring because for a lot of the clients that are going through the process of where they’re they will have the performance reviews, this is April so in the next few months, I would say like by September, October time frame And if we were, let’s say if this were last year where things were, quote unquote, normal, and I have it in air quotes, so they were normal, you’d be going through the process you will be, you will be meeting with manager, your manager, your your upper level, so forth and so on. So you’d be meeting with them, and probably doing that face to face. But now that has changed. So we have to change. The way we’re doing that to now is through zoom meetings is through WebEx wouldn’t say zoom so much, but through WebEx, and those meetings so what what I’ve been trying to do is have seniors to make sure that they provide their workforce with I would say, like calming, calming them down and letting them know that this is not going to impact the performance because we have to change the the path and their trajectory of how we’re doing things. And the third thing I was saying it’s a whole lot to it. But the third thing I would say that is really important is the whole month piece of this as well, because we are grieving. We are grieving, we’re grieving, potentially not because we’ve maybe lost a loved one, or let’s say, a friend has lost a loved one or something like that you do have that piece, you have that tangible piece of this whole process. But we also have the, the intangible, where we’re grieving, not being able to see our colleagues, not being able to see our friends not being able to see our family, then also not being able to go like to our gyms and to the malls and do all of the things that we normally do to go grab that coffee and things like that. And again, as it applies to DNI, to have those mentor relationships and those sponsorship relationships, so been trying to, to have them have senior leaders and managers to really get with their workforce and let them know that it is going to be okay and of course, and always welcoming at inclusion, that’s the whole inclusion piece of it, making them still feel included. Another thing too, is with with meetings that we have over over WebEx is to make sure that let’s say not not for someone to be on camera, because they’re not accustomed to that you you, you know people are different. We’re all different and someone may not want to be on camera for whatever reason, but also provide an alternative for that as well let them down in so there there are a number of things but those are just a few that that come to mine.

Where do you see change management with DNI bridge with change management. Five years from now, repost. COVID What do you foresee that looking like?

Yeah, yeah, post COVID. I think that there will be a lot of Other things that changed now will remain the same, honestly believe that this probably is our new normal. What what has happened now is that organizations see that a lot of the work that we’re doing, they’re doing it does not have to be in an office. I believe that the technology will become more robust you your tech tech woman, and you’re probably seeing this too, that technology is going to be more robust. The virtual meetings that we have, they’re probably going to be more platforms to help us with this change. And to help us along the way with diversity and inclusion there gonna be a lot of rules and and i would say legalities and things like that, that will come based upon what is happening now in the next five years because it just reminds me of, of 911 when 911 happen. We did not go back to that same way. We didn’t things forever change for us with travel. And I believe the same thing is going to happen for us with COVID-19. And all that has changed with us being in the office with how we do diversity and inclusion, it’s going to be even more because there’s so many different things that are being birthed out of this time that we’re we’re home and social distancing. And, and quarantine.

I agree. I think education is going to change as well. Yes. Because you’ve seen a huge disparity on schools and families that like you said, need computers, and they have 23,000 students and 7000 tablets, right. Laptops available. So there’s a huge disparity, even if you did it by family, they were still you know, a shortage.

Yeah, yeah, that’s true. That’s true.

What what are common myths about change management that that you You’d like to tell us about Andy buck them?

Yeah, yeah, one of the things that I’ve seen is organizations, individuals teams seem to confuse change management with communication. Now, don’t get me wrong communication is an important piece of the pie. It’s an important piece of change management. But it is not the only piece and it plays a big piece of it. But communications is just they can be verbal, it can be written, it can be oral, but the change management process is really getting you to adopt the change that you are that you want to see. Communications on the other hand, is just communicating that change but the whole change management process is going through a process so I find that even in in finance, in finding jobs, and I look at job descriptions every now and now and then, and they will have communications, well, I’m sorry, they will have changed management specialists or whatever. But then they will list a lot of comms things. And they’re not the same. It’s a very important piece, but it’s not the same. So I find that that’s, that’s a myth that we need to, to debunk because change management, it includes sponsorship, it includes the resistance to change, it includes so much more than what communications is, but again, communications is part of it.

What have what are what’s the common myth around DNI?

Yeah, the common myths that that I find around around DNI is and as it relates to change is that people are not necessarily I should say maybe teams and organizations are not necessarily taking that close close look at DNI as I think they should. And as far as, as far as engagement, engagement is a big piece of that improving engagement, and one of the myths there is that they don’t believe that engagement needs to be improved. Another piece of that is also the unconscious bias, part of that, that there are no biases. And unfortunately, I just read something from HBr Harvard Business Review that that said that millions of dollars are spent on these trainings, but the trainings don’t necessarily don’t necessarily help. So that was kind of disheartening. But those are those are two things like the engagement piece of that and then also the unconscious bias. Part of it and I haven’t figured out I haven’t thought long enough on it on how to to solve those issues, but those Some of the myths that we don’t have to be engaged we don’t have to include. Yeah. So and again, I need to think longer on that, or how do we really handle that, especially after getting that stat that millions of dollars, I think it was like $8 million is spent on those trainings. And they really don’t help. Yeah.

When you’re thinking about DNI and change management, what do you think, is a unique skill that you have that helps you become successful in this in this space?

Yeah, yeah, one of the things that I think I bring to the table is the ability to really connect with clients really connect with clients and become that trusted advisor advisor. as a consultant. You need to be able to win over and influence people and I’m thinking about that book, How to Win and influence people I forgot who is by Dale Carnegie, maybe, but um, that book just comes to me Mine. So one of the things that I think I bring to the table is being able to be trusted. And then the way that you build that trust is by doing what you say you’re going to do when I’m given a deliverable. I typically go over and beyond that deliverable and get it done prior to the due date. Because I believe in what is it under, under I forgot what it was, what it actually is, but really, like, over over deliver, yeah, exactly.

Oh, that’s what I’m thank you in over delivering, and in that, making sure that the client gets what they they need prior to so another thing is that I believe in knowing knowing like my strengths, like for me, I’m an extrovert. So I, I like to know, like, how, how am I working with my client and before I start working with them I liked it, they actually they even do this. They said they set up a or have the admin to set up a 15 minute meeting. So we can meet. And what I find from that is not only how they work in the organization, but I may find out what they do outside of work. Because a lot of times what a person does outside of work, tells you a little bit about them and how they may work. In an organization like what what they did, they may have been former military I worked for a lot of people were former military. And for those who are former military, they’re pretty organized and you can go in their office, you can tell where they have everything kind of lined up that some of them so that tells you a lot too, but I like being that trusted adviser, and I bring that skill with me and being that trusted adviser also communications is another thing that I think is really important and I bring that too and then also being innovative. Like for instance thinking outside of the box, helping them to think outside of the box, because what I’ve learned about senior leaders and managers is that they have a lot on their plate. They have a lot on their plate. If you look at their calendar and you’re trying to schedule a meeting you you they have a lot of meetings on the calendar. But what I try to do is be innovative too. And when they’re thinking, like inside the box, so to speak, I like to expand their horizons and give them them. Yes, so you were asking about change management and how it relates to diversity and inclusion. One of the things that I want to add the last thing I want to add as far as DNA is concerned is that it’s important for us to know ourselves, to know what drives us to know the trends and then also know the leaders in diversity and inclusion. I think that’s really important for an options.

I love it. So lettuce was in the future for you what what is Valerie working on next?

Well, what I want to continue doing is building the change management skill set and also building diversity and inclusion skill set. I’m working on a certification now from Cornell, that will be done in May. And I want to bring that to my clients as well really helped them to get to a point where they are solid in their DNI practices, and help them set up a mission, a vision of how they want to see DNI. We’ve looked at some other organizations like the Lloyd and then also add, I think it’s Hilton Hotels, and just looked at a number of them and how they set up strategies and I want to bring that same thing to my clients. So overall, looking for more clients to impart change management skills and also DNI and go from go from there.

How can people connect with you.

Yeah, I am on LinkedIn is Valerie Ashford Brown. I also have email there I am at info at Valerie Astrid brown COMM And if you’re on Facebook, I do post on Facebook as the same name Valerie Astrid Brown is where I am and I’m active on those platforms.

Michele:
Okay, great. It has been a pleasure, Valerie to have you on today. Everybody be sure if you’re looking at change management using change management with your DNI goals, be sure to reach out to Valerie. She will definitely be one of your go to people to get it done. Thanks so much, Valerie, who joining me.

All right. Thank you, Michelle.