Meet Alexia Ferrari

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alexia Ferrari a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alexia , so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I’ve found my purpose by leaning into the things that bring me great joy. I’ve found that when we follow joy, our greatest gifts in life are revealed to us. It’s in a space of joy that we can connect to the greater calling of our life – “our mission work”.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’ve spent the past decade as a Human Capital and Corporate Communications leader within the defense industry, helping professionals develop a professional brand in the workplace to create the career they’ve always dreamed of.

My approach embraces an entrepreneurial mindset in the workplace, helping employees become the architect of their career. Through my corporate leadership development programs, I guide individuals in discovering their unique “x factor” – that special something that sets them apart. My brand strategy implementation is rooted in servant leadership, focusing on lifting others while solving problems that deliver impact. Using this method my clients experience rapid career growth in alignment with their goals.

This work is not about achieving a specific corporate title; It’s about building meaningful connections and winning with people. My programs focus on cultivating strong business relationships and increasing trust, ultimately helping individuals gain influence. I’ve developed a special blend of high-performance training and neuro-linguistic programming techniques to help professionals visualize the leader they want to become and equip them with the tools needed to turn that vision into reality.

Currently, I lead Corporate Communications for JRC, a top-rated defense contracting firm. I am also the founder of The Ferrari Factor, a Talent Development Company dedicated to professional branding, talent development, and high performance. I’m best known for my corporate training series, “The Power of Developing a Professional Brand,” where, I share 5 essential “brand ingredients” used to build a lasting career legacy.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Lead with Service

Leading with service is a fundamental quality I reinforce with my clients. Building a professional brand is a deeply introspective process, requiring a lot of self-reflection. It’s crucial to develop a brand with a clear sense of purpose. Establishing a personal MVV (Mission, Vision, and Values) helps us understand that the work we do is not just about ourselves, but about something greater. A key piece to this is identifying the greater mission of our industry or organization; I like to call this, “the big flick”. Developing a micro mission supporting the greater mission, helps to create the foundation for one’s professional brand. When we have a strong MVV, it guides our decisions ensuring we prioritize the needs of our people before our own.

By leading with service, we set off an energetic domino effect in our organizations, creating an environment where everyone can thrive. If the brand we create is driven by self-interest and ego, our impact will be short-lived. We might achieve our immediate goals, but our true motives and lack of genuine leadership will eventually be exposed. And when people need a true leader, they won’t turn to us.

Sharpen Your Blade

One important aspect I emphasize in my work is the concept of “sharpening your blade”. It’s a simple idea that holds significance in staying relevant as a professional brand. Just like any successful brand in the market-place, if you’re not actively addressing a problem or meeting the current needs of your audience, you become irrelevant and risk becoming extinct.

To maintain brand relevancy, it’s crucial to keep an eye on the horizon and constantly identify how you can provide the most value as your industry evolves. It’s about consistently asking yourself, “How can I improve, expand, and adapt my support to address new challenges and priorities within my organization”? This mindset of continuous learning and adaptation is what helps us develop a strong career brand that stands the test of time.

Move with Speed & Accuracy

Throughout history, effective leaders have harnessed the power of moving with speed and accuracy to drive transformative change in both life and business. It’s the art of combining our intuition and creativity with decisive action. We must recognize our ideas have a limited lifespan, as someone else will seize the same opportunity if we fail to act. By leveraging our business intelligence and proceeding with bold and audacious ideas, we can effectively contribute to solving some of our world’s greatest challenges. Unfortunately, if we allow fear to paralyze us, an idea that could change the world is never realized. I suggest capitalizing on ideas with precision, taking calculated risks and gathering all the necessary information to craft a winning execution strategy.

Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?
Over the past 12 months, I’ve experienced tremendous personal growth with respect to nurturing and growing my family. As a mother, it has been a profound experience honoring the dreams of my heart while being fully present to teach, love, and care for my precious babies. Building a career that I love while mothering two small children has been incredibly rewarding while also a deeply challenging pursuit. Navigating the beautiful chaos of motherhood with grace, while changing the dynamics of how I share my expertise has made all the difference.

During the height of the 2020 pandemic, as a brand-new mother, I found myself feeling isolated, scared, and disconnected from the way I used to approach life and business. However, this difficult time turned out to be the greatest blessing of my life. It forced me to redefine how I wanted to serve the world, realizing I had the power to change the game. I knew I wanted to continue doing meaningful work while also being fully present to raise my children. The daily commute to Washington DC’s Capitol Hill was not aligned with the life I envisioned for myself and my little ones.

Instead of returning to the traditional workplace after having babies, I chose to deepen my expertise in human capital and expand my reach through the virtual arena. I took my leadership programs online, reaching more professionals than ever before. I transformed my shed into a virtual office and just like that, my backyard became the hub through which my expertise could reach the masses. This experience reinforced my belief that we have the power to change our career circumstances at any point. We can pivot to a new role, learn a new skill, or even start a business of our own. The way we choose to experience our career truly matters. When we honor this calling within ourselves, we unleash our potential for greatness. And when we pursue our dreams, our children witness the possibility of their own dreams.

Throughout this journey of motherhood, I’ve become deeply passionate about supporting women in launching their professional brands online, helping mothers monetize their expertise and passions all from the comfort of their home. Today’s career woman no longer needs to sacrifice her role as a mother to build a career; her impact can be felt both at home and across the world. I believe the most important work we can do happens within the four walls of our home. When I look back, I want my children to truly know me and remember the beautiful memories we created together during a magical time in their life.

I am a mother, a homemaker, and a business pioneer, committed to changing the way women build compelling brands that generates scalable income for their families. I am here to support and guide women in harnessing the power of their personal brand to create the career of their dreams.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Tiffany Noone Tessa Crabbs Meghan Bowen

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