We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dr. Jana Haywood a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Dr. Jana, thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?
Having grown up in St. Louis, MO it would be expected that being a black woman and being the only one in the room would be an early life lived experience. That was not true for me having been raised in north city and north county in the 80’s/90’s. My home life was definitely a cultural black experience. We worshipped at a predominantly black church and my family unit lacked racial diversity. The music we listened to, books read and movies viewed were all my peoples’ favorite artist and writers. My mother was super intentional about exposing me and my brother to the arts more specifically immersing us in black history. Crazy thing is that in all of those experiences it never felt like to the exclusion of others. She understood that we were learning about European America at school every day. I attended racially diverse schools all throughout my time at the K-12 level. My high school, Lutheran High School North was recognized for intentionally seeking to ensure a 1 to 1 racial demographic. It was such a progressive approach in St. Louis at the time that a national news outlet covered the story. I found that to be odd because it was the public life I knew until things changed rapidly. After high school, I enrolled at Saint Louis University. This would be the first time that I would be confronted by the reality that black women were not present in all rooms. It was jarring to meet people who had never had an interaction with a black person beyond their television screen. One of my teammates confided that she was nervous to come to Saint Louis because she feared black people. Her willingness to be vulnerable opened space to have a conversation about the mental models and stereotypes that were false. We spent time unlearning those models some through conversation but mainly over time a rich, healthy relationship was established and built on a foundation of trust. The eye opening experience at SLU taught me not to shy away from those who have a different lived experience but to lean in when welcomed. It is through our human exchanges that our differences fade and our commonalities step to the forefront. I must be honest that the weight of being the only black woman in the course and major came with additional stressors. Each time I responded in class to a question whether voluntarily or involuntarily my response was not solely my own and I knew it. I was answering and questioning for “black” women. For some of the people in the room, this was the opportunity to either affirm or dispel their limiting beliefs of black people. Understanding this I worked and studied to always be prepared to respond correctly. My answers often referenced the experts in the field that would give credibility to what I was saying and comfortability because the known expert that I referenced would be white, males who my classmates were familiar with. I disarmed their pushback using that technique as a strategy. Since graduation, for some reason, I keep finding myself as the only one in the room who looks like me. It could be while traveling around the world, attending conferences, going to support my children at a school event or daily on the job. I now celebrate the opportunity to challenge the ignorance of others and take these rooms/opportunities to introduce myself and culture to them. We fear what we do not know. My existence is a chance for those in the room to learn anew and for those like me to enter together.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am the Chief Executive Officer/Co-founder of Illumine Solutions Group, LLC. Illumine Solutions Group is a coaching and consulting company that ignites, inspires and empowers individuals and groups to reach their potential pulling out the genius that is within. Prior to establishing the business in May 2024, I have worked in education for twenty years serving students, staff and community. Taking my experiences and background in athletics, education and human resources the business was birthed. We wanted to increase our impact and make a difference in our community. Having been the only one in the room like me way too many times, I know how isolating it can be to feel alone. I wrote the book, Move Without the Ball: A Playbook for Success in Sports and Life, in response to some of those moments as a way to share with women and girls tips, tools and plays to survive those moments and get in position to thrive. This is our time. Illumine Solutions Group held a Women in Leadership Summit in August 2024 that was sponsored by Saint Louis University, 25 years after me having had the “othering” experience on that same campus. Over 350 women attended which made it clear that this type of community of support is needed for women. Love and Leadership is the community that has now been created in response to the spoken need. We are excited about the upcoming event, Love Letters: Leader to Leader, A Masterclass on Mentorship. It will take place on February 22, 2025 at Delmar DivINe. The day will be one of storytelling, strategy sharing and action planning. Details about the event can be found on our website www.illuminesolutionsgroupisg.com or Eventbrite. Staying true to our core values and roots, Illumine Solutions Group offers individual and/group coaching services, keynote speaking, workshop delivery and small business human resource consultation
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?
Design your own destiny. My life has been intentionally created following what I now have coined the Move Without The Ball (MWTB) Framework. A teacher taught me to plan my work and work my plan. My basketball coach insisted that if you want to be the best then you have to surround yourself with and compete against people who are better than you. Finally, my faith dictates through the example of Christ that we are all saved to serve. The MWTB Framework can be applied to your personal and professional life. It has 5 parts: 1. Name your ball (What is your why?, Mission and Vision and/or Personal Commitment)
2. Make a plan (Who do you need on the team? What are the goals? How long do you expect it to take to accomplish the goals?)
3. Get moving (Execute the plan)
4. Monitor the plan (Are things going as expected? Do you need to modify the plan?)
5. Keep moving (Cycle of continuous improvement)
None of us are successful alone. I encourage everyone to hire a coach, have a mentor and learn from the people they serve. A coach is able to look at the goals you have set for yourself and provide immediate, objective feedback. Coaches push you to level up. A mentor offers insight and wisdom that you don’t even realize you need. They can see things in you that you don’t yet and provide lived experiences and knowledge that accelerates your personal and professional growth. Finally, the best teachers learn from their students. What is the data telling you about the results you are seeking? How do we make our work mutually gratifying? Taking a people centered approach will prevent pitfalls that are easily avoided when we listen to our clients.
Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?
I am definitely an assets based leader. None of us are great at everything but the areas of our lives that are strengths are the things that make us uniquely special. It is what business leaders call your unique value proposition. What will the organization gain from entering into a relationship with you? I want the applicant to tell me why I should hire them. No one would go into an interview sharing all the reasons they should not get the job. As a basketball player, I was never the most skilled player on the floor but I was extraordinarily athletic and willing to out work my opponents. Utilizing my speed to beat someone to a loose ball or jump off the floor quicker and higher for a rebound allowed me to contribute to my team and compete at high levels. Focusing on areas of deficit can cause you to miss your moment. It distracts you. I do believe in participating in professional learning experiences for growth and development purposes. I also highly recommend that leaders build teams that are complementary. If my strength is in a certain domain, I need to have people on my team who are strong in the other domains. In between every game, I worked on becoming a more skilled player so that coupled with my athleticism I became a really good basketball player. As a coach, I encourage my clients to practice and train to strengthen areas of opportunity but when the game is on the line be it in sports or life-go to your bread and butter.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.illuminesolutionsgroupisg.com
- Instagram: illuminesolutionsgroup
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/jana-haywood-edd-15a20429
- Twitter: @IlluminesgLLC
