- 2 hours ago
Career reinvention is not an event you prepare for; it's an attitude you maintain.
Most people treat career transitions like exams: something to cram for once the need is obvious. You hear the buzz of a layoff that is coming, you don’t get the promotion, or something disrupts the industry of the economy. By then, the runway is short and the options are limited. This panel will help you explore a different mindset. Start building the habits, networks, skills, and self-awareness continuously, so when change arrives (invited or not), you're already positioned to move. Part of that self-awareness is giving yourself permission to actually explore what you're curious about, not just what looks safe on paper. Passions and side interests aren't distractions from the ""real"" career path; they can often be the early signal of where your next reinvention is already taking shape.
Most people treat career transitions like exams: something to cram for once the need is obvious. You hear the buzz of a layoff that is coming, you don’t get the promotion, or something disrupts the industry of the economy. By then, the runway is short and the options are limited. This panel will help you explore a different mindset. Start building the habits, networks, skills, and self-awareness continuously, so when change arrives (invited or not), you're already positioned to move. Part of that self-awareness is giving yourself permission to actually explore what you're curious about, not just what looks safe on paper. Passions and side interests aren't distractions from the ""real"" career path; they can often be the early signal of where your next reinvention is already taking shape.
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00:00Career invention is not an event you prepare for, it's an attitude you maintain.
00:06Please welcome to the Global Black Economic Forum stage,
00:10Chief Operating Officer of GBEV's Academy for Advancing Excellence, Aaliyah Haack.
00:18Chancellor for Southern University at Baton Rouge, John K. Pierre.
00:24CEO and Founder, Right-Sized Consulting, Mellie Miller.
00:29And Managing Partner and Co-Founder, Northview Company, Ryan Smith.
00:48Alright, good morning everyone. First of all, thank you to my panelists for being here.
00:52I'm so excited to have this conversation.
00:54We know that the data and statistics that we've been hearing about, black women in the workplace especially,
01:01it looks like there's about 600,000 people who are out of work, black women who are out of work.
01:06We know that there's a comparable number for black men who are out of the workplace as well.
01:10And I think it's always been important to not just have to get ready for a transition, but really to
01:16stay ready.
01:17My grandfather retired from GM, he worked 42 years at the same job.
01:2342 years.
01:25And that does not happen right now.
01:27I can't think of any one of my friends who have been at a job longer than maybe 10 or
01:3111 years.
01:32And I'm a Gen Xer.
01:34So we grew up kind of with that mentality of you get a job, you stay there, you're loyal, etc.,
01:39etc.
01:39And now we know from all of the shifts in the marketplace that that just doesn't happen as much anymore.
01:45So when we were thinking about how to address this issue, we've been addressing it in a couple of ways.
01:51We had a job fair that concluded yesterday.
01:55We've got a pillar centered around the future of work.
01:57But I thought it was really important to get this type of panel together to have a conversation about how
02:03do you get ready for transitions and shifts because we know that they're going to happen.
02:08And we've got diverse perspectives up here, which I'm really excited about as well.
02:13So Chancellor Pierre, I'm going to start with you first.
02:17Tell us about a time, a moment when you didn't see a change coming.
02:21What did you learn from watching that change?
02:25Well, thank you for that question.
02:27The time was the pandemic.
02:30And there's no way I could have imagined that it would happen in the way it did.
02:35In fact, I was traveling when it really hit me what was going on.
02:41And when I got back to Louisiana, we had to do a whole shift of how we operated in order
02:46to continue the institution from an educational standpoint, but also face a new world where the rules of the game
02:54had changed.
02:55So the pandemic was clearly something I could not foresee.
02:59That's a really good one.
03:01And I think all of us were kind of got the proverbial punch in the face with the pandemic.
03:05And we were forced to pivot.
03:07And I use that expression.
03:08If you know the Mike Tyson expression, everyone has a plan until you get punched in the face.
03:12So I think the pandemic was that proverbial punch in the face.
03:15And we really did have to shift and pivot and do something differently.
03:19Mellie, I'm curious to ask you the same question.
03:22Tell us about a moment when you didn't see change coming.
03:24I actually want to hear from all of our panelists on that.
03:26What did you learn from that experience?
03:32You know, after hearing Chancellor Pierre's response, it occurred to me that I experience a great amount of change almost
03:42every day in the financial services industry and business.
03:46And I have to stay ready and remain agile for it because there are so many shifts and financial trends
03:56that are unexpected that come out of left field.
03:59And our organizations and our leaders need to not just adapt in the moment, but create a plan where they
04:06are ready and accepting and not spending a ton of time wiping tears or reacting to it, but rather activating.
04:16And one thing in particular, having grown up professionally in the banking and finance industry, I've been laid off three
04:24times.
04:26The one time that I sort of anticipated, I came home and I shared the information with my husband.
04:34And when I was done, I was ready to be hugged and supported.
04:41I was hoping to be hugged and supported, I should say.
04:44I was hoping.
04:45And instead, he responded with, me too.
04:51That was an interesting Friday in our home.
04:58While we didn't expect to have that conversation right before dinner, right before paying for a number of things for
05:04our teenage sons,
05:05we did recognize that our careers aren't guaranteed, our jobs aren't guaranteed, very little is guaranteed.
05:13And so we were in a position where I was prepared to launch my own business and he was prepared
05:20to reenter the job market.
05:21But we saw it as an opportunity and we learned that what the worst that could happen is, sometimes isn't
05:30the worst.
05:32Absolutely.
05:32I want to come back to something that you said in just a moment around, because you two were ready,
05:38sounded like you had a plan B.
05:39But before we go there, Ryan, I'd like to get your response from, tell us a moment that you didn't
05:44see change coming.
05:45What did you learn from that moment?
05:49This question is very, very close to my heart.
05:52First of all, thank you all for coming out.
05:54Thank you, Aaliyah and GBF for giving us this opportunity to be here and share our stories.
06:022008.
06:042008, when the market crashed and we were in one of the worst recessions in this country,
06:10that was the time that I was caught flat-footed.
06:15I was working in a job where I was continuously outperforming and growing.
06:20And all of a sudden, I became a math problem.
06:23And they decided to downsize me.
06:27What I found during that time was titles stay with companies.
06:33Relationships carry on.
06:35Your skills, your ability to transfer those to other companies is what continues to go with you.
06:44I was grateful that I had the time to learn those skills, but I also figured out that I need
06:50to have a plan,
06:51because this isn't going to be the last time that something like this may happen.
06:55So I'll tell you, 2008 was a great learning experience.
06:58It was the beginning of my commercial real estate career.
07:01But it also taught me that I need to make sure that I stay ready and build relationships,
07:08hone my skills, and sharpen them, so that if there is another rug pulled out from under me,
07:15that I'm prepared for the next move.
07:18Thank you so much for that.
07:19You just mentioned the word skills.
07:21And actually, I'm going to segue to another question.
07:23And Chancellor Pierre, you're in higher education.
07:29And you are working with students and people who are at, you know, it's a transformational time in their career.
07:36It's when they're making decisions about what careers could look like.
07:39Talk to us a little bit about the skills that you would advocate that students and others invest in,
07:45just so that they can always have options.
07:49Well, one of the things that we talk about is it doesn't matter what your degree is in.
07:54It's the skills that you use each and every day.
07:58AI has made skill attainment and skill diversification so very, very important.
08:06That's number one.
08:08Number two, I think when we talk about skills, we have to talk about the ability to connect with people,
08:15the ability to be able to relate to people so that individuals really develop a very positive attitude about you.
08:23And the other thing with respect to skills is being able to communicate.
08:29You can know a lot, but if you can't communicate, no one will know that you know a lot,
08:34and you can't be effective in what you do.
08:37Yes, yes, and yes.
08:39Communication, you know how people say communication rules the nation?
08:42It truly does.
08:43And, Ryan, I want to come to you because I know that you mentor quite a few younger or more
08:50junior brokers,
08:52and critical thinking skills is something that I know that you really do a lot to showcase, influence, amplify, et
09:04cetera, et cetera.
09:05So talk to us a little bit about critical thinking skills and some of the tools that you use to
09:10help develop those critical thinking skills.
09:13Some of those aren't ready for TV.
09:18I believe that critical thinking is one of the most challenged things for our young people today simply because everything
09:26is at their fingertips.
09:28That oftentimes they do not have the fundamentals that much of us from the baby boomer and Gen X group
09:35had to go through because we didn't have everything handed to us.
09:39So, with my company, I'm training several young brokers at the moment.
09:44They're not allowed to use technology for the first 90 days.
09:48They can't look up something on the Internet.
09:50They've got to pick up a phone.
09:52They've got to look at AutoCADs.
09:54They've got to look at DCAD results.
09:57They have to pick up the phone and talk to people because, back to the chancellor's original point, communication is
10:06critical.
10:07But being able to think on your feet.
10:09I have instituted several things where I would just literally drop them off in a sector of town that they've
10:16never been in,
10:16and their job is to come back with five pieces of business.
10:20And they ask me, well, what should I look for?
10:22And I tell them the same thing every time, FIO.
10:25Figured it out.
10:27Figured it out.
10:28Figured it out.
10:29Because I understand that to move forward, there are going to be so many people that are going to lean
10:35on AI.
10:36They're going to lean on someone else's expertise that they don't develop themselves.
10:42Everyone in my company understands this is not a job.
10:44This is a career.
10:45And there's a difference between the two.
10:48A job is in one place at one point in time.
10:51It is a lease.
10:53A career is your livelihood.
10:55It is your life.
10:56And that transfers further than anything else.
11:00So critical thinking is what's going to differentiate all of us from the next person.
11:06Thank you for that.
11:07You mentioned career.
11:08And I think sometimes people are just looking for a job, and they're not necessarily looking for a career.
11:13And there's this phrase, you know, career ready.
11:16So, Mellie, I want to throw it to you.
11:18And I would love for you to address the difference between someone who is career ready and someone who is
11:24just employed or just has a job.
11:28I really appreciate that question, Aaliyah.
11:32A job is surviving.
11:36It's bringing in a paycheck.
11:38It's meeting a core level of skills that that single position, that point in time requires.
11:45Whereas career readiness is a longer-term investment.
11:49You're investing in you.
11:51You're taking a chance, not on this one company, not on this one employer, but on you.
11:57You're building your expertise, your knowledge, your book of business.
12:01Whether it's real estate or relationships, like Ryan said across the board, you're investing not only in subject matter expertise,
12:09but how to use it, when to use it, who to use it with, and why it matters.
12:15I feel very strongly, so I'm just not going to tamper the passion.
12:20I'm just going to unleash it.
12:21It's, what, almost noon?
12:23Close enough.
12:25I am so, so frustrated when I meet with or interact with professionals that will tell me what jobs they've
12:34held in the past.
12:34I'm not interested in what jobs you've held.
12:37I'm interested in who you are, what skills and abilities you bring to the table, how you've invested them and
12:44applied them to drive impact in different spaces, and how it's going to translate to what you are going to
12:50do in this current scenario.
12:52So, when we talk about being career ready, career ready is knowing who you are, what you bring to the
12:58table professionally, as a human, being able to effectively communicate that and apply it in multiple situations.
13:06That's career ready.
13:09A job, a role is surviving.
13:12It is bringing in a paycheck.
13:15A career is thriving and investing and getting paid to live your purpose.
13:21There's a difference, and we all have a chance to activate that.
13:27That is beautifully stated.
13:29Really, really beautiful.
13:29Yes, please clap it up for that.
13:34Chancellor, I'm curious, from your perspective, in your capacity, what's Southern doing to help people become more career ready and
13:43not to just look for jobs?
13:45Well, one of the things we're doing is we're supplementing a degree program, what we call industry-based certifications.
13:53So, for example, we have a project called LabSec, and during the course of a year, we put students in
14:01boot camps.
14:01So, they'll learn about cybersecurity.
14:05They'll learn about coding.
14:07They'll learn about all kinds of things, what we call IoT, Internet of Things.
14:12So, they're learning all these things that are necessary.
14:15It doesn't matter if they're a liberal arts major, computer science major, a business major.
14:22These are the kinds of things that they need to do.
14:24So, what we look at is this, the degrees are designed to help you think and to give you core
14:32knowledge, but the industries in which people are operating in are changing so much.
14:38And then the other piece of that is we're helping develop entrepreneurs because individuals have to be entrepreneurial not only
14:46within corporations but outside of corporations.
14:48That's very, very important.
14:50Absolutely.
14:51And we have two entrepreneurs on stage, and I can see both of you.
14:54I'd love for both of you to kind of tag in on that.
14:57What does entrepreneurship mean in the workplace?
15:00Because some people are like intrapreneurs, right, because you have to have that owner's mindset, and other people are entrepreneurs
15:06outside.
15:06So, Mellie, I'll start with you, and then Ryan, I'll follow.
15:10I think all leaders need to find their inner entrepreneur.
15:15When we talk about subject matters being promoted into positions of leadership, they are limited if they do not have
15:23the entrepreneurial or enterprise-level perspective on how to be successful across an organization.
15:29I think it's so critical that we all lead to a degree with entrepreneurial thinking and skills.
15:36It's one thing to be able to operate a machine or build a division.
15:40It's an entirely different topic and area of expertise to understand how that impacts the overarching mission of an organization,
15:48how that translates to revenue trends, what type of risk it presents across the organization.
15:56All of these factors are so important in effective leadership, and so I genuinely believe and appreciate, Chancellor, what you
16:03are executing in your teams because that is what has been missing.
16:08As an executive coach, as an executive coach, as a strategic advisor to varying sized financial institutions and non-profits
16:15that shape our communities and our nations, I've found that when I walk into the C-suite and boardrooms, I
16:23can tell very quickly if it's full of subject matter experts or folks that truly have entrepreneurial skills or enterprise
16:33leadership skills.
16:34Without those, there's a lot of coaching and training that needs to be done before we can even begin to
16:40have effective conversations and problem-solving conversations.
16:44So I believe that that is most critical and one of the things that's missing, and I couldn't encourage entrepreneur
16:50thought leadership more.
16:52If you do not have a side hustle, go get you one because it's going to make you a better
16:57leader and a better professional in any industry.
17:01Totally agree with her.
17:04For me, when I thought about being an entrepreneur, I went back to my childhood.
17:09I saw it.
17:10And most of the people in this room, you saw it.
17:12If you came from any type of socioeconomic family where you had to make ends meet, you got creative.
17:21Your family got creative.
17:22You saw it from an uncle, a father, a grandfather, a grandmother, and that's in our DNA.
17:30It's always been in our DNA.
17:31We called it side hustles for so many years.
17:34I remember when I was in college, I was building computers just for a little extra money.
17:40I learned the skill from a couple of classmates that I had.
17:45And I kept saying, I want to build.
17:47I want to build.
17:48I want to build.
17:50And part of that is I want to create something that lasts longer than I am going to be around.
17:55And even with my company now, we started off as just a broker's firm.
17:59But now we've gotten into development.
18:01We're doing consulting work throughout the country.
18:04We're doing, as well as that, we're doing so many other advisory services with cities, finding those partnerships.
18:13So one thing that I would encourage anyone is to utilize your skills and figure out other ways that you
18:19can use them in other capacities.
18:23Another word that people need to understand, too, when it comes to entrepreneurship, you can be a solopreneur, but you
18:29can also be in a partnership with someone else who has skills that also marry yours, but they also cover
18:37up your weaknesses.
18:37And finding those relationships will allow you to go further with your entrepreneurship journeys, and you're not in it alone.
18:47That's really good.
18:48Thank you for that.
18:49I want to, before we get into staying ready, what does it look like?
18:53Because I think it's important that we give tangible guidelines, you know, something tangible for people to take with tangible
19:00takeaways.
19:01But before I ask that question, I think a lot of times people get caught flat-footed.
19:07So COVID was a time that we were just all flat-footed.
19:11We did not know that that was going to happen, and many people were not prepared.
19:15And the purpose of this panel is for us to really change our mindset so that we're always prepared for
19:20change, for shifts, for something that's likely to happen.
19:24But a lot of times people don't want to do that work.
19:27They're very capable, but they wait to get, they wait for the crisis instead of thinking about what's next.
19:34So, Mellie, I'd love for you to jump in, and then, Chancellor, I'll come to you.
19:38But why do you think people wait before they start thinking about what's next?
19:47I can only speak directly for myself and for those that I've partnered with in the past.
19:53I think fear of change, the discomfort of change, there's that saying that you're inspired to do something differently when
20:02the pain of staying the same outweighs the pain of change.
20:07And pick your pain.
20:10Your pain might be not being accepted, respected, perhaps discriminated against at work.
20:16I repeat, I've been in banking and finance for over 30 years.
20:20That pain every day was pretty tremendous.
20:25I'm going to be really honest.
20:26The industry wasn't good to me.
20:28But guess what?
20:29I wasn't in the industry for them to be good to me.
20:33I was playing the long game.
20:34I was in the industry so that I could be good to you, to my people, and do it better.
20:39And I had to learn.
20:40So, I knew why I was there.
20:44And when I engage and coach others, I recognize that sometimes money is the motivator.
20:51Maybe the pain is my lifestyle is not, the needs of my lifestyle are not being met by this salary.
20:57Maybe it's the schedule.
21:00When we look at choosing something new or different, that pain is uniquely yours.
21:06And in order to identify what that pain is and what those triggers are that would encourage you to change
21:12or to be ready,
21:14I would encourage you to truly think about what you care about more than anything else, what you value, what
21:20matters to you.
21:21COVID taught us a lot.
21:22It taught us that we value our health and our loved ones.
21:25It told us we value sweatpants a lot.
21:29Ooh, I like a good pair of sweatpants with a blouse on top.
21:31Let me tell you.
21:32I value a lot of things, but we were forced to put things in perspective and categorize.
21:39And that preference hierarchy, it matters.
21:44So, I know what matters to me, providing for my children as a single mother.
21:48I know what matters to my long-term mission.
21:52And when that is not being fulfilled or met with whatever total compensation we're being provided,
22:02it's time to make a decision.
22:03So, if you're uncomfortable and feeling pain, that's your sign.
22:11So, just before I go to the chancellor, just I want to spend a little bit of time there because
22:17people are often in toxic workplaces.
22:19I was in a toxic workplace for way too long.
22:22I mean, and all the signs were there.
22:24And for me, it was the comfort of, well, at least I know who these people are, right?
22:30It was the devil I know versus the devil I didn't know.
22:33And it kept me in an organization that I was tremendously unhappy.
22:38But I was like, well, at least I know what to expect and what to anticipate.
22:42So, it was like picking your, it was, I picked that pain.
22:45And looking back, I also had catastrophic thinking because I was like, oh, if I don't have this, then, you
22:51know, I'm going to, all these bad things are going to happen.
22:54And I think something else that's really important is I don't think that people always bet on themselves.
23:01They don't bet on themselves.
23:02And for me, I had to make the decision to bet on myself so that I could always have that
23:07plan B.
23:08And not, I'm not going to call it a plan B.
23:09I could just always be ready.
23:11Because readiness for me is not just about if something happens, it's also about having the options to say I'm
23:20ready for something to be different.
23:22So, Mellie, I noticed you picked up your mic.
23:23So, go ahead.
23:24And then I'll come to the chancellor.
23:25I love everything that you said.
23:27And, Chancellor, I promise I'll keep this short.
23:30They know I'm lying.
23:31That's why they're laughing right now.
23:32I'm going to try so hard.
23:34I love that you said that.
23:36And thank you for being so comfortable and sharing that with us.
23:39Toxic is real.
23:42So, this idea that we might not know what's on the other side, we have all the tools in the
23:47world in 2026 to know what other professional environments are like.
23:51Because our friends work there.
23:52Because there are reviews online.
23:54Because there are networking groups and ways to explore other spaces.
23:58So, please, please, please don't let fear of the unknown be a greater fear than the fear and the discomfort
24:05that comes from staying in a place that does not treat you with respect.
24:09Because to be completely honest, that negative energy you're getting in that workplace, people are talking about it.
24:20But you might not get to show up as your complete self.
24:23It might be harming your brand or your reputation.
24:26It might be impacting the way that you see and feel about yourself or even your desire to pursue a
24:33particular industry.
24:34So, don't let those spaces be so damaging that they permanently impact your sense of self and purpose.
24:42Because that is hard to get back.
24:44And that is worth so much more than we can put a price tag on.
24:48So, when you're afraid, that's pain, too.
24:51And that's pain that you can solve without changing a job.
24:55You just need to pick up the phone, go surf the internet, go to a different networking event, talk to
25:00somebody you don't know.
25:01Or even explore local institutions and find out what type of courses or opportunities to exist that might introduce you
25:09to something that is just the right level of different.
25:17So, I want to go back to the question, just why do people stay, wait for crisis before they start
25:23thinking about what's next?
25:24Well, I think most times people get into a comfort level.
25:28It's almost like a malaise.
25:30And so, one of the things that I always think about is this.
25:35In higher education, people are slow to change.
25:39But circumstances over the last seven years have forced us to change in so many different ways in order for
25:48us to thrive.
25:49And if you don't make the changes, you won't be around.
25:54But one thing that I will say that is very, very important is that our ancestors understood the power to
26:04change and to be flexible.
26:06And they had faith that they would succeed no matter what they did.
26:11Come on on this Sunday.
26:12Stay on that.
26:13Let's go.
26:15Because you can't, you know, when I talk about the history of historically black colleges and universities in this country,
26:22it was by faith that individuals who could not even be allowed to read or write by law dreamed of
26:32a day that their descendants would be able to access higher education.
26:37And they put in their blood, sweat, and tears to make sure that it would happen, even if they didn't
26:42know the outcomes.
26:44And sometimes we can't stop worrying about what the outcome is going to be.
26:47We've got to engage in the process.
26:49Yes.
26:50Yes.
26:51Give it up for that.
26:52Yes.
26:53Absolutely.
26:54Okay.
26:55I want to make sure we give, again, some tangible, tangible options for folks.
27:01So I want to go to this question.
27:02What does staying ready actually look like from week to week?
27:05What are the small habits that add up?
27:07And Ryan, I'll come to you first.
27:11That's a very good question.
27:13I practice this on a daily basis, an hourly basis.
27:18I never get comfortable with my relationships or my clients.
27:23And I do check-ins, number one.
27:26I do check-ins with my clients often where I'll just pick up the phone and just say, hey, how
27:32are you doing?
27:33And they'll say, I'm fine.
27:34What do you need?
27:35I said, nothing.
27:36I was just saying, how are you doing?
27:37They're like, okay, but what do you need?
27:39I said, I don't need anything.
27:41I'm being a human being and I'm checking on you because I've decided to invest my personal time and my
27:48professional time into your well-being.
27:50I want this to be a well-rounded relationship.
27:53You'd be surprised how many people look at me differently from that perspective.
27:57And it allows us to deepen our relationship because I actually see them as a human being, sometimes even a
28:05friend.
28:06And that's been something that I have an ongoing thing about.
28:09I just give calls to people that are clients, former clients, and I make sure that they know that I'm
28:16thinking about them and that I'm conscious of their lives both personally and professionally.
28:21I think in that you really do stay ready because you're always tending to relationships.
28:27Absolutely.
28:27And for people who are in the workplace, I think it's important that we're always tending to our network.
28:32Yes.
28:32So we have our, in the Academy for Advancing Excellence, we have something called a personal board of directors.
28:38And those are people who are going to tell you the truth.
28:41They could be a mentor, a coach, a sponsor.
28:43And it's important, really want to put a fine point on what you said, Ryan, because it's about tending to
28:48those relationships so that you can get ready for opportunities.
28:52Mellie, I want to come to you.
28:53Same question.
28:54What does staying ready actually look like week to week?
28:58What are the small habits that add up?
29:01I really like what you said, Ryan, because I think it's true picking the right partners, picking the partners that
29:08value what you value, execute at a level of excellence that you respect and honor because they will mention your
29:14name when you're not in the room.
29:16And they will do so with excitement and enthusiasm and accuracy, right?
29:21So tending the partners but picking them right out of the gate.
29:25I had to learn that the hard way many times, personally and professionally.
29:31Side eye.
29:32Personally and professionally.
29:34I also have a little folder.
29:36It's in my personal email.
29:38It's called my kudos folder.
29:40It's the good job folder, the big up Mellie folder.
29:42Any time I collect data from a program or an event or get a compliment or a letter of recommendation,
29:51just something where a partner or an organization or even a client, a mentee, has something to say about what
29:59I've done or how I've supported them, I save it for myself.
30:02And I tuck it away in that kudos folder because there are going to be moments where I need to
30:07remember who I am.
30:08And I'm not in a position to remind myself, so I might need to call upon something.
30:12And so I do look at that during rough times during the week, and I remember to fill that bucket,
30:17right?
30:18As they come in, it also is an amazing recognition folder when it's time to request a promotion, ask for
30:25a raise, update your resume.
30:27All those things that you can't remember in the moment, guess what?
30:30But you have a folder that you put it in, you're welcome.
30:36So we call that an MVP sheet at the academy.
30:39So it's called measuring value proactively because part of what's really important is making sure that your value and impact
30:47is always documented.
30:48And I love that.
30:49I used to pull it into a folder until we came up with this MVP so we could show, you
30:53know, value, et cetera, et cetera.
30:55Chancellor, I'm coming to you.
30:56What does staying ready actually look like from week to week?
30:59What are the small habits that add up?
31:01Well, for me, it's always being open to innovative ideas.
31:05I find myself getting into the habit of taking the time to read so many different things that are outside
31:12of the world that I'm in so that I can really begin to see how other people are thinking about
31:18how we process stuff.
31:21And because of that, it allows me to think outside the box.
31:25It allows me to connect, meet different folks who are doing some things or bring ideas that we hadn't thought
31:33about before.
31:34Because right now we live in a world where data is, so much data is being generated.
31:40And we've got to figure out what that data really means for us.
31:45Some of it is relevant.
31:47Some of it is not relevant.
31:48We've got to be able to discern which is good data, what is bad data.
31:53And that's the kind of thing that helps us proactively make the right kind of move.
31:59Because what we've got to do is then we've got to make a decision about a direction we're going in.
32:06You see, you've got to make decisions.
32:08You can't just sit still doing the same thing over and over again.
32:12It's not an option.
32:13You've got to make decisions.
32:15Very good.
32:16Thank you for that.
32:17You mentioned something that I want to actually ask a question about.
32:20You talked about innovation, and when I think about innovation, it's because someone was curious about someone.
32:26Someone wondered about something like, huh, I wonder if this could happen or I wonder if that could happen.
32:31And, Mellie, I want to throw this to you.
32:32What does it mean to give yourself permission to explore curiosity?
32:36And why is that so hard for people to kind of get outside of their normal boxes, if you will?
32:44We're all out here turning a crank on a daily basis.
32:46I mean, obviously not today.
32:48Welcome to Essence.
32:49But I will say that we can get in a rut in the habit of checking the boxes of the
32:54things that we must fulfill on a daily basis.
32:57And we do not always leave space for ourselves.
33:01And not just the self-care where we're taking a bubble bath or working out.
33:06But the type of self-care that invites a safe place to explore, feel forward, foster our curiosity and our
33:17ability to create.
33:19You know, we watch kids play.
33:21But what about us grown folks?
33:23Playing is important.
33:24And when you forget to laugh and play, we forget to dream.
33:29And so one of the courses that I teach, I actually have titled Permission to Dream.
33:38Because we forget that element of ourselves.
33:41And we sometimes rob ourselves of the ability to flex and soar and explore.
33:48So, you know, I'd ask everybody in here to talk to their friends and their family and their colleagues and
33:55spend some time building something or playing a game together.
33:59Chess, Monopoly, Play-Doh, I don't care.
34:04Do something that's different and outside of the scope of what you're supposed to do or supposed to be.
34:09Play a little bit.
34:11Give yourself permission to laugh or have fun.
34:13And, this is my favorite, ask yourself the most ridiculous questions.
34:19Look at a problem at work in a different way.
34:23Slow down and ask yourself, well, why do we behave this way?
34:26Do we need more signs or do we need to recognize that we're humans and we're easily distracted and we
34:32need something else?
34:33Ask ridiculous questions.
34:36That would be my recommendation to get you outside of your box.
34:40And more than anything, we're tired.
34:46Checking every box we can, there's very little energy left.
34:49But you do have energy to surf the Internet and look at TikTok.
34:53So, maybe put TikTok aside for five minutes and play for a little while.
34:59That's my thought.
35:00So, I just want to notice something is, what I want to notice is that what we're talking about, it's
35:07about a mindset shift.
35:09So, it's about encouraging different parts of our brain to work differently and not just staying in routines.
35:18Because when we get into routines, I think a lot of times people mistake a routine for certainty.
35:25And it's not the same thing.
35:27There's nothing certain.
35:28And it's so important, again, that we can have these different mindsets, being curious, being more innovative, tending to networks,
35:36et cetera, et cetera, so that we can be, again, more ready.
35:40I want to shift and I'm also noticing the time.
35:43Ryan, I want to throw it to you.
35:45We just talked about curiosity and Chancellor opened this up really nicely talking about innovation.
35:51Mellie just talked about different practices, asking yourself different questions, really repositioning how you think about something.
35:57I know that you're a big user of artificial intelligence.
36:02And artificial intelligence, I definitely think it has its way in our lives or has a big purpose in our
36:07lives in a lot of different ways because it allows, for me, it allows me to, you know, save time.
36:12It allows me to gather information in a very different way, et cetera.
36:16But talk to us a little bit about how you utilize AI to really interrogate different parts of a problem
36:24that you may have or a solution that you're seeking.
36:30We're in a time where AI is not going to do anything but get better and more prevalent in our
36:36lives.
36:37That's just the facts.
36:38Unfortunately, we're going to have to understand that.
36:40What I've tried to do with my company is utilize it as a thought partner rather than the lead thinker.
36:50So I utilize it in a way where I will come to it with a problem and I'd look for
36:57a council of solutions that I can then take from that and find the ultimate outcome that is the best
37:05for my clients and the company.
37:07We started using AI four years ago to help us shrink the entire country.
37:15From Dallas, Texas, where my company is based, we can now look at the entire United States and see every
37:24corner of real estate and what's active due to our integration of AI.
37:30That's a really big tool that we've been able to utilize it for.
37:35However, it's not the end-all be-all.
37:37I still have a gut.
37:38I still have experience.
37:40I still have a team of well-qualified, highly skilled people that I rely on more than AI.
37:46But when we're looking for another level of confirmation, another level of depth in our knowledge, we will utilize it
37:54no different than the encyclopedia, no different than Google after that, and no different than what AI is now.
38:01It is a resource, it is a reference, but it is not to replace your own critical thinking.
38:09So that's good.
38:09I just want to say thank you for that answer.
38:13You mentioned something, and I just have to bring a little bit of levity to the panel, but you don't
38:18let your junior brokers use it for how long?
38:2190 days.
38:2290 days.
38:22Yes.
38:23Okay.
38:23So after 90 days, like a world opens up to them, essentially.
38:27Okay.
38:28So I love to hear that because it brings me to – oh, go ahead.
38:31No, no, go ahead.
38:32So it brings me to one of our final questions, which is really centered around – which is really centered
38:40around habits.
38:41So you help your brokers build better habits so that they're not dependent on AI.
38:48I'm like, hi.
38:50Dependent on AI.
38:52So what's one habit that each of you wish you would have started a little bit earlier?
38:58Well, for me, I think learning about all the creative things that are happening – I never thought of myself
39:09as being creative, okay?
39:12But I've had to really engage with creative people.
39:16And so they bring a different perspective because they're thinking about things, and then you have to say, wow, I
39:25hadn't thought about that.
39:26So creativity is maybe an attribute that we don't think about because we're so busy doing the work that we
39:35don't assess our own creativity.
39:40So one habit to build, assess your own creativity, brings about innovation, curiosity, et cetera, et cetera.
39:46Mellie, what's one habit you wish you would have started five years earlier?
39:51I'm introducing myself early and often and on repeat.
39:56And I don't just mean my name.
39:58I mean the way that I think, how I operate, how I can help show up and support, the way
40:05that I partner.
40:05That piece of my identity and my working, my approach to success invites others to do the same, and it
40:14breeds very successful partnerships, creative projects, connections, and an authentic space for folks to lean in and want to partner
40:26together.
40:26So, yeah, I find every possible way to introduce who I am, not just what I am, which is oftentimes
40:35when I enter a room, the first thing they see.
40:38So, signature line of an email, all the different platforms, in advance on the agenda, just making sure folks know
40:47how I'm showing up.
40:51For me, it was strict time blocking.
40:54I would be all over the place early in my career, not really giving a disciplined amount of time towards
41:01specific tasks, and things that I wanted to accomplish in the day did not get done.
41:06Much of what we talked about this morning is our creative time, and for me, that's at 6 o'clock
41:12in the morning when I'm exercising, and if I don't do it then, it's not going to happen.
41:18If I don't exercise in the morning, it's not going to happen, because the demands of my job and my
41:24career are going to take precedent over everything else throughout the day.
41:28So, I wish I would have had that skill earlier on.
41:31I probably would have had a much bigger platform than I have now.
41:38All right, so I just want to put, I want to say thank you, first of all, for all that
41:42you just gave us.
41:44Thank you for really giving us so much wisdom.
41:46Your generosity has been fantastic.
41:48I just want to make sure I put a fine point, because as a facilitator in me, I have to
41:53make sure that they're notes, that people have something to take away with them.
41:57So, remember, this was all about career reinvention, and different skills that we talked about to make sure that you
42:03have so you're not scrambling when change comes.
42:06You just mentioned time blocking.
42:07So, when we are organized, it helps us to stay on point.
42:10It helps us to stay focused.
42:12Something else that we mentioned early on was really knowing who you are and what it is that you want,
42:17your values.
42:18I really, I often talk about with my clients dignity and how important it is to maintain our dignity.
42:24And I can go on and on about a longer story for another time about what that looks like when
42:30we put our dignity, you know, on the table, which we, I would advise that we never do.
42:36Something else that we talked about is really evaluating fear and considering, you know, why am I thinking about the
42:42devil I know versus the devil that I don't know?
42:45We really have to be thinking about what's possible at all times.
42:48The next thing here is tending to our networks, because when we're ready to make a move, we need people
42:54in our corner that we can reach out to.
42:56So, we've got to make sure that we're maintaining those relationships so that when we are ready, we can make
43:02that call.
43:04Next is making sure that we stay sharp, curiosity, learning.
43:09I want to give a big shout out to continuous learning and making sure that you have what you need.
43:14We've got EHBCU here represented, so I think it's important that we do more classes if we need them.
43:20We do those certifications because if we have a plan in mind, we need to make sure that we're evaluating
43:26what skills we need to get there.
43:29So, again, the facilitator in me has to give notes and has to say make sure that these are some
43:35of the processes and practices that you're doing.
43:38Because when change arrives, whether or not you want it or not, you have to be on solid ground.
43:43And we want you to always be ready so you don't have to get ready.
43:48So, thank you so much.
43:50Really appreciate you coming out.
43:52And enjoy the rest of your Essence Festival, everybody.
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