Talking Leadership With Yashima White AziLove

Yashima White AziLove, Brandologist
is the founder and manager of Magnate Marketing & Consulting, LLC, a brand strategy and communications solution firm that builds powerful businesses one brand at a time.

With nearly 20 years of combined journalism and executive-level corporate marketing communications experience, Yashima now serves her corporate and solo-service small business clients as a brand consultant , professional coach and impactful speaker.

What Is Your Leadership Style?

That is a really interesting question.  I am a Wharton Grad – so when I think of leadership styles my first reaction is to consider the text book answer.  The different versions, philosophies and mantras of leadership.  However, in going deeper I am thinking more in laymen’s terms and there are a few words that embody the spirit of my leadership acumen.  First I am a MACRO MANAGER; a high level visionary leader.  I completely believe in empowering people through the power of duplication.  Funny, some people will say that they think Yashima is a Micro Manager turned Macro Manager once you have proved yourself to her. 

You Mentioned The Power of Duplication…What Do You Mean?

When I say duplication process, I really mean the maturation process.  Some people believe the power of duplication is to duplicate themselves, which means create mirror images of themselves as a leader. That’s not what I mean.  Maturation is first developing the greatness of what’s on the inside of whomever that individual is, and lastly duplicating a skillset, a proficiency and a “spirit” in them that will live thru their authentic self.

Maturation in the meaning of nurturing…like a mother and their child.  As a parent, you don’t attempt to make that child you, you want the child to exceed you.   As a parent, you identify what your child’s gifts and talents are, and infuse them with the spirit and core values of the family and they go onto live that thru whoever their authentic self is.  

My leadership style is not to make more Yashima’s…the world doesn’t need more Yashima’s – the world needs people to be who they are with the spirit that is infused of Yashima.

Why Do Leaders Try To Duplicate Themselves In People?

Ego, insecurity and/or lack of know how.  The lack of know how in knowing how to develop people. So, as a leader, we tend to think we (leaders) are the best at what we do, and therefore, when we develop people, we want them to be more like us and therefore, they will be great too. Ego plays in that as well.

The real power of a leader is not in multiplying your assets, the real power is the ability maximize whatever the skill or talent is in others and having them work collaboratively to bring about the vision that you have created as a leader.  The ability is to get the right people on the bus and have them maximize their skillset and put them to work on whatever the vision you have as a leader – that is success. 

Define The Transition Of A Micro Manager Turned Macro Manager?

What is true of me, and what I want to believe is true of good leaders is that you know them that labor with you…that work with you.  For me to be a Macro Manager, I have to believe and know that I can trust someone with the task.  I only know that I can trust you with the task because I know of your work, of your character, of your work ethic so it takes time to develop that trust. So, I like to say it is more of a tiered process of leadership that says you will know me first as a Micro Manager, and note that as you prove yourself I return to my greatest sweet spot and allow you to do what it is you do autonomously. This allows me to be a visionary again and take back the place where I maximize my greater self. 

How Important Is Trust When Leading?

Build trusting is very important to a leader.  I grew up in a Pastor’s household and my very earlier understanding of leadership has that context.  The core values of trust, loyalty and honesty are infused in my being – they are 3 of my highest ranked core values.  I look for that essence in other people and  it is the foundation in all of my relationships.  It rests in “Can I trust you…”   “I trust you because you are honest  - and that honesty in you speaks to a loyalty that transcends anything that happens.”  A lot of stuff happens in the business world, but I have got to believe that my team is loyal to me.  That they will not throw me under a bus.

It starts with loyalty to the company.  Then, loyalty to the department, and finally, loyalty to me as a leader…in that order.  The company’s mission and Yashima’s mission should be synergistic.  My motives are to propel the company and propel the department.  Your own goals, plans strategies are to excel the department and when your department is successful, it will only help the success of the company. 

Is A Leader’s Job Ever Finished?

That’s a loaded question…  Here is what I believe - in every human there is a spirit that speaks to you, that tells you if your work is  done.  The WHY becomes the question I think.   Either my work is truly done or I feel ineffective and it is time for me to change strategies.  You see - the WHY is the core of your question. 

You also need to ask yourself, “How much of how I’m feeling is about me, the work, or the organization?  Is it totally an ego thing – I am not getting my way.  You have to start asking yourself those introspective questions.  Am I being that bratty kid that can’t get my way? 

I also believe leaders need to define success for themselves at the start of role so when they get to a crossroads they can ask themselves – have I actually fulfilled my intention? – have I achieved success in this environment?  If that checklist has been fulfilled, then I probably fulfilled my task. 

The work of leaders is never done, but the role will absolutely have an expiration date.  Few CEO can be a CEO for a company from beginning to end.  No creative person still has the fire or creative ingenuity for an organization from beginning to end.  People take you from one season to another.  You should always be asking yourself, “What is my next big bang/impact?  “What else can I put my hands to that will define success in my life and fulfill me?”

What Are Some More Attributes Of A Good Leader?

Good leaders are visionary but are not void of understanding practicality.  As a visionary, you are supposed to know the forecast, what, the big goals and strategies are  3 and 5 years from now   However, you can’t be so ‘Big Picture’ focused that you fail to understand the practicality of things that need to happen in order for your vision to take place.  Visions can be so stretched that they are no longer practical.   I believe you have to live in two realms – the realm of tomorrow but be grounded in the absolutes of today.  Be a leader that inspires people without frustrating people.  We have to be inspirational in ‘the stretch’, but not frustrating as in unattainable.

Leaders need to be strategic, but understand tactics.  You should understand the forecast – but you need to understand what you are asking others to do.  We pay people to do tasks and have answers, but as leaders we need to understand the basics.   Is that a one day task or a 5 day task?  What resources are needed to complete the task? Not to have a foundational understanding of your request and be responsible for delegation and timelines can be dangerous for a leader.

Good leaders hire what they are not.  You don’t hire what you are the same way you don’t duplicate who you are, as I mentioned earlier.  You hire your weaknesses – you hire your deficiencies – that’s how you manage to appear excellent all the time, because what you don’t know someone on your team should know.  You hire people to fill in your gaps – be what you are not. And allow them to do what they are supposed to do! 

How Did You Develop Your Leadership Style?  What Did You Learn Early On In Your Career In Leadership?

You learn leadership in two ways – first by watching it, being under leaders and then by trial and error, by your own experiences. In other words, experiential and observation.  I learned under leaders who were  really good role models and some who were  really bad at it.  And I will tell you that I probably learned more about leadership from the bad leaders than I did the good ones.  Observe but don’t absorb.  All the things that managers did to me that made me feel stifled, dehumanized, unappreciated, underdeveloped, underutilized, misunderstood – all of those things impacted me.  There was a season in my career that was quite rocky before I came to myself and committed that what I was experiencing is  exactly what I would never become and do to others.   So I went to the extreme of what I didn’t want to be – learned the lessons, and came to a sweet spot of where I wanted to be - the balance between a people manager and a project manager.  Every leader has to figure it out.  We become so functional as leaders that we forget that our first job is really leading people.   People are the job.  People will do the function. I want to manage by consensus but not by default.  I am not afraid to make a decision when a decision has to be made, but I want to take you on the journey with me.    

You Said You Grew Up In A Pastor’s Household.  What Effect Did That Have On Your Leadership Style?

My father being a preacher was highly impactful on my life.  Watching his innate ability to meet people where they were and bring them to where he was – simply  incredible .  A leader is not someone who sits behind their desk in the corner office,  but a leader will meet them where they are so there is a feeling of collaboration - taking them through the process.  My father taught me to never throw a person away because there is always some value in every human being. The leader’s job is to find it.

I didn’t have significant challenges in my career with turnover because I really believe there is something special in every employee and I owned  the job to find it  and bring the best out of them.  Making a people connection does not mean making a familiar or common connection – I want to make a personal connection.  I need to know you enough that I can see the gift inside of you.  I need to know the gift inside of you so I know how to apply it to meet my goal, my plan, my vision, etc..  How do I bring the best out of you, to get what I need from you.  That is business and business is about people.  There is no such thing as doing business without doing people! 

What Is More Important To An Individual’s Success, Personal Brand Or Company Brand? 

Personal Brand – I am going to scream “Personal Brand!”  Here is my logic, companies are inanimate objects, they are things.  The thing that makes a company a living breathing organism is people.  There is no corporate culture or corporate brand without the people that run it. The leader’s brand is what makes that department feel a certain way – it will take on the persona of its leader.  The leadership demonstrates how we are going to function, here is the story we are going to tell, here is how we are going to go about our business.  You don’t start with the way you do business – you hire the right people, and then they start developing the business and its brand.   

Magnate Marketing & Consulting specializes in brand strategy and communication solutions for corporations and small businesses through consulting, coaching and training. Yashima, a brand expert and strategist, is often referred to as a Brandologist not only due to her nearly 20 years of brand experience, but the creation of propriety systems to assess corporate brand and communication challenges, BrandScan™ and a coaching model Brand-O-Nomics™ to help small business owners establish profitable brands through marketing, sales and a renewed mindset.