Women of Color Rise Analiza Quiroz Wolf

Who is your sponsor?
For this Women of Color Rise Podcast, I talk with Sheila Duke, CEO of Roads to Success, a New York City non-profit with the mission of empowering young people to take control of their future through after-school and summer programs.
Sheila and I discuss how key to both of our careers was having sponsors, particularly White sponsors. Unlike a mentor who shares guidance, a sponsor actively promotes growth and provides access to opportunities and advocates for career advancement. 
In the non-profit world, most leadership, fundraising, and decision makers are White, despite often serving Black and Brown communities. For Sheila and me, our White sponsors prepared us and advocated for us with decision makers to get the CEO seat. 
Sheila and I share advice for how to find a White sponsor.
1. Know there are White leaders who understand why having leaders of color matters and are eager to sponsor leaders of color. In Sheila’s case, her CEO believed that leadership needs to reflect the community they serve. Look for these White leaders at your organization or at DEI conferences or ask your network for leads.
2. Build a relationship. Build a genuine relationship and establish a connection. Set up time to meet where you can ask for advice and also offer support. Remember that a relationship is a two-way street.
3. Ask for what you need. As you build the relationship, you can then ask for help, perhaps an introduction to someone in their network or feedback on how you navigated a leadership situation. You can also ask if they would be willing to sponsor you as you seek career advancement.
4. Stay true to yourself. Sheila has a saying, “Code switch, not soul switch.” Make sure to stay true to your values and your authenticity. As you get advice and learn how to maneuver in different rooms, stay clear on who you are.
Get full show notes and more information here: https://analizawolf.com/ep-77-why-getting-sponsored-by-white-leaders-matters-with-sheila-duke

How do you strategically build relationships?
 
For this Women of Color Rise episode, I talk with Stacey Chavis, Managing Director of Campaigns Academy, where she trains leaders to serve in elected office. Having spent her entire career in politics, Stacey points out the challenges women of color face but makes an adamant case about why women of color need to be at the decision making table, 
 
We discuss how being liked matters to rising in your career and how to strategically build relationships.
 
Begin with the end in mind. For example, Stacey knew that for her next role, she wanted to transition to fundraising. So she identified people who had jobs she wanted and strategically built relationships with them.
Build relationships up, down, and across. Ideally, you want to know people two levels above you, two levels below you, and people who are peers. This will help you gain perspective about your organization and flag any opportunities or challenges ahead of time.
Reciprocate. A relationship is not a one-way street. Make sure to offer value - for example, sharing expertise or information that can be helpful to them.
Be intentional and efficient. Given our online work environment, we have less opportunities to casually run into each other at the water cooler. Be intentional in setting up time to connect with people. This could be as quick as a 15-minute zoom call to get their input on something.
When in doubt, ask them about themselves. It may sometimes be awkward to get a relationship started. But a fool-proof way to get and keep the relationship going is to ask them about their favorite topic - themselves.
 
Get full show notes and more information here: https://analizawolf.com/ep-76-how-to-strategically-build-relationships-with-stacey-chavis

Are you living your resume or eulogy life?
 
For this Women of Color Rise episode, I talk with Irma Shrivastava, Co-Founder of India Rooted and former Chief Marketing Officer of Randstad, the world’s largest human resources services firm. Irma and I discuss David Brooks’ advice to live your eulogy life, not your resume life.
 
How can we live our eulogy life?
Know that your career is not one path but multiple paths. Early in your career you might focus on skill building. But as you progress, you’ll want to learn more about yourself and your purpose and lean more into this.
Given the choice between courage and comfort, choose courage. This might mean being uncomfortable, but discomfort is often a sign of growth.
Consider your legacy and how you want to make a difference in the world. Irma and I discuss our shared legacies of helping others be at the table. This includes being on boards and our gratitude for being part of the Stakeholder Leadership and Governance Institute.
 
Irma’s eulogy life includes co-founding India Rooted. It is a two-week experience that takes Indian-American teens to India with the objective of engaging them in cultural experiences that will connect them to their ancestral roots. The inaugural cohort launches in June 2024. More information can be found at indiarooted.com.
 
Get full show notes and more information here: https://analizawolf.com/ep-75-live-your-eulogy-life-not-your-resume-life-with-irma-shrivastava

Are you a good listener?
 
For this Women of Color Rise episode, I talk with Radha Ruparell who heads the Global Leadership Accelerator at Teach For All and is the author of Brave Now. Radha and I discuss how leaders often focus on communication but don’t give attention to the art of listening. In these times of polarization, listening is especially important because it can help us build relationships and understand other points of view, so that we can move forward together.
 
We discuss three steps to help us be better listeners:
Develop self-awareness of our filters. We may think that we are listening with an open-mind when in reality we are listening with established filters. These filters are often formed when we are young, for example the filters of not feeling like we are smart/good enough. These filters keep us being judgmental instead of truly being open.
Put our filters aside. Having self-awareness of our filters allows us then to deliberately put our filters aside so we can be open to the other person. We are no longer planning our response about why they are wrong and why we are right. We are present.
Set an intention to be a listening. Once we are able to release ourselves and our judgments, we are more able to be fully present for the other person. We set an intention to be a listening (a noun) for the other person, a vessel open to their perspectives, feelings, hopes, and dreams. 
 
It’s such a rare gift to listen to others without any hidden agendas. When was the last time you were listened to with genuine curiosity and openness without judgment? Imagine what is possible when you can truly listen to others.
 
Get full show notes and more information here: https://analizawolf.com/ep-74-the-art-of-listening-with-radha-ruparell-head-of-the-global-leadership-accelerator
 

What percent of your job is office politics?
 
Dolores Johnson says 60%. For this Women of Color Rise episode, I talk with Dolores, a former Vice President of International Marketing at Fortune 100 tech companies. In her current chapter, Dolores is a writer focused on race and recently wrote her award-winning Say I’m Dead, A Family Memoir of Race, Secrets and Love. 
 
Dolores shares gems about how to fast track your career, including how to navigate office politics.
 
Understand office politics - Your job is 40% work and 60% office politics. You need to understand people’s hidden agendas and what is in it for them. This will help you understand how to persuade them to your ideas. Take advantage of pre-meetings to sell and get buy-in for your ideas before the actual meeting.
Take time to build relationships - It’s not your work that will get you ahead. It’s your relationships. Take initiative to seek mentorships. Take initiative to network outside of your company. Your job is not guaranteed - and these relationships will help you bounce back when you need a new opportunity.
Speak up - Do not fall prey to being quiet. Share your ideas. For Dolores, she needed to learn how to speak more directly, with less detail and more in headlines. 
Come up with innovative ideas that drive the bottom line - If you want to accelerate your career, be on the lookout for ideas that the organization has not yet tried. You want to be seen as someone who is innovative with ideas that can drive results.
Keep your eyes on the prize - If people make comments that question your worth, believe in yourself. Instead of focusing on just this moment, look forward and remind yourself of where you are headed
Take care of yourself - The company is not responsible for your career progress or your care. Take care of your mental health, speak up for your pay, negotiate, and also be aware of the risks. Know that the extra hours, trips, and work won’t provide you job security. 
 
Get full show notes and more information here: https://analizawolf.com/ep-73-how-to-play-the-office-politics-game-with-dolores-johnson

How does a person of color get more comfortable with telling their story?
For this Women of Color Rise episode, I talk with Arshiya Kherani who is a Coach, Facilitator, and Co-Founder of Potluck Stories, a LA-based community organization that hosts monthly interactive storytelling events that amplifies underrepresented voices. Arshiya shares how she is often in white male dominated spaces. Being a Muslim woman who wears a hijab has given her the choice to either assimilate into what is expected of her or empower her to share her identity and culture with others. Arshiya chose empowerment
We discuss 3 steps people of color can take to tell their stories:
Step 1: Be vulnerable, and narrow down to an experience that matters to you. Sometimes people of color feel that their stories need to be their resume. Instead, think of an experience that shaped your life (could be from childhood, young adulthood or even recently). This could be a moment of fear, calling, or overcoming a challenge. Brainstorm for a few minutes, and choose one.
Step 2: Pick a specific moment in that story and bring us to that moment. Paint the details. What did you see, smell, taste, hear, feel? Help us be in your shoes.
 
Step 3: Speak it aloud and get out a SFD, shitty first draft. Don’t spend so much time writing and rewriting and trying to make it perfect. The more you do it, the better you’ll get, and the more you’ll be able to tell that same story from different perspectives based on the audience.
Get full show notes and more information here: https://analizawolf.com/ep-72-3-steps-to-storytelling-for-people-of-color-with-arshiya-kherani