Ask Your Fairygodmentor®

If you're looking to advance your career and become a successful leader you've come to the right place. In this advice column, I'll cover a range of topics related to career and leadership development.

If you’re looking to advance your career and become a successful leader, you’ve come to the right place. In this advice column I’ll cover a range of topics related to career and leadership development: networking, personal branding, effective communication, and team management.

But, who am I? My name is Joyel Crawford, MBA, PHR, CPCC, and I grow leaders for a living. I am an award-winning leadership development consultant, best-selling author, TEDx Speaker, and certified professional career coach with over two decades of corporate experience in human resources and career development. I’ve had the honor of coaching and mentoring thousands of individuals at the request of executives in a number of industries. I also wrote the Amazon bestseller, Show Your Ask: Using Your Voice to Advocate for Yourself and Your Career.

My assignment as a Fairygodmentor® is to provide practical advice on how to succeed in your career and to achieve your professional goals. Think of me as the Iyanla Vanzant for all things that relate to career and leadership development.

One of the most common questions I get asked is, “How do I become a better leader?”

One thing I’d like to point out is that you don’t have to be a manager to be a leader. Whether you’re just starting out in your career or you’re a seasoned professional, there’s always room for growth and improvement. With the fast pace of today’s global business environment, it’s more important than ever to develop the skills and qualities that make a great leader.

I’d like to introduce you to my 4-step coaching framework. It’s called RISE: Reflect, Identify, Strategize and Execute.

Where do you start?

The first step is to reflect by doing a personal SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis. Take note of your strengths and weaknesses and identify areas where you could use some improvement. It’s hard to do this type of introspection on your own so you might need to seek feedback from colleagues, mentors, or take a self-assessment to better understand your own leadership style.

When receiving that feedback, understand that this information helps you grow and glow in your career. Is there anything that you can put into action? If you need help, ask for it. Asking for help is a sign of strength not weakness.

From there you can strategize by setting goals and creating a plan for how you’ll execute them. This might involve taking courses or attending workshops to develop specific skills or seeking out new challenges and opportunities to put your leadership abilities to the test.

But it’s not just about your own development – effective leadership also involves building strong relationships and teams. This might mean learning how to communicate more effectively with your colleagues, or developing strategies for motivating and inspiring your team to achieve their goals. One great way to find out what your team members need is to ask them. Having regular one-on-one conversations is paramount to building trust and a solid working relationship.

If you have questions about career and leadership ask here.

Joyel Crawford of Crawford Leadership Strategies grows leaders for a living. Joyel hosts a podcast called Career View Mirror®. She also holds PHR, DISC, and Birkman Assessment certifications. She’s a member of SHRM, the National Black MBA Association, and a legislative advocate for NAAF. Her career advice is featured in Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Essence, Newsweek, and many more outlets.