Embrace Your Uniqueness! As I stood in front of the “Old Tree” at Hudson Yards in New York City recently, I was struck by its vivid pink colour and how it demands attention. You just can’t miss it! As I was reflecting on this striking tree, I thought, “This isn’t just a beautiful piece of art; it could be a powerful symbol of personal branding and career growth.” In a crowded job market, much like a forest of trees, it’s…

🔥𝐃𝐄𝐈 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞 – Even Though You 𝐃efinitely 𝐄arned 𝐈t! I couldn’t help but say something on this topic. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, once at the core of corporate social responsibility, are now facing a growing backlash. What was once a celebrated movement aimed at creating more inclusive workplaces has become a polarizing topic, with critics questioning its effectiveness and even its legitimacy. Some organizations have even eliminated their DEI departments. It’s like one step forward, two steps…

📚 What’s on your reading list for the summer? I have always been a book nerd! As a child, my Mama knew she would find me under the bed reading when I didn’t want to do my chores. Here are some recommendations straight from the library of the Aspire to GROW Leadership Academy. I have not yet read them all, but page-by-page, am getting there. Here goes: 📖”Speak” by Tunde Oyeneyin is a motivational memoir and guide that combines her…

🪜How to Influence Up, Become Visible at Work and Earn that Coveted Promotion! Over the past several weeks, I have been scheduled time to engage in some learning and growing: Attending the annual virtual Summit hosted by Coaching.com ; the 2024 Ontario Labour Market Conference, and popping in on webinars and podcasts. Two weeks ago I dropped in on an impactful conversation between Ileana Musa (she/her/ella), Managing Director at Morgan Stanley and Mariela Dabbah (she/her/ella), CEO & Founder of the…

How Emeline King Made History Have you ever heard of Emeline King? Me neither! Emeline King was Ford Motor Company’s first Black female car designer. Why am I writing about her? It’s Juneteenth, a federal holiday commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. It’s a bit ironic that my friend sent me the link to Emeline’s story today, and am sharing it here too. After all, her story contains some career advice that resonated with me: ☑️”I  didn’t let their comments…

🪜Promotions are Hard to Come By 🚀 🗞 Bloomberg News reported this week that “Promotions are Hard to Come By” (https://bit.ly/45mop98 ). Although the focus is on entry-level roles, the fact is that people are not quitting their jobs as before. This leaves little room for others to move up. The article states, “Among 68 million white-collar professionals, just 1.3% were promoted in the first three months of the year, the lowest rate for any first quarter in data going…

📢 Ready for that Promotion? 🚀 Here are some answers I get when I ask this question: “My work should speak for itself.” “I am afraid to start the conversation with my manager.” “I am tired of hearing that I am not ready.” “They have asked me to re-apply in a few months.” “I have been rejected so many times that I have given up.” Does any of those questions resonate with you? Have you been waiting around believing that…

📌”I Didn’t Get the Job!”😭 Ouch! “𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘋𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘺, 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘫𝘰𝘣. 𝘐𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘦-𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 ‘𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦’ 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘙 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭. 𝘐𝘧 𝘐 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥, 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩…

🙋🏽‍♀️👷🏽‍♂️Is a Good Worker Really Hard to Find❓ “When I get to work, the first thing I do is hide… …because they say a good worker is hard to find!” Is that true? Is a good worker really hard to find? Don’t know who came up with this quote, but my family and I had a good laugh when we read it over the weekend. As humorous as this sound, the serious part is that buy into what polls, statistics…

⁉️Are you an Introvert, Extrovert or Ambivert❓ Earlier this week, I posted a video of me dancing after receiving some good news. Someone sent me a DM after seeing the post: “Daisy, I am such an introvert, I could never do that!” I responded, “So am I, and am still not comfortable putting myself out there on video!” She wrote back, “I can’t believe you are an introvert!” I told her that most people are introverts parading as extrovert, and…