Today we’d like to introduce you to Laurel K. Rutledge.
Hi Laurel, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’m Laurel and I am lifelong learner who happens to do some pretty cool things. It is only in hindsight that we can see how moves were orchestrated to take us where we are in the present moment. I am running my own business now after following the corporate career path until I just couldn’t anymore. The toll on my physical, mental and emotional wellbeing was just no longer tolerable. And while finally acknowledging that fact was critical to the move, what was the MOST impactful in the decision to step away was the realization that I had a CHOICE.
Despite what organizations tell you or goad you into feeling, we ALL have a choice. AND we are more than that company, title or paycheck! I knew I could do so much more by giving light to my voice and my perspective so no other woman of color would feel the way I felt in those spaces that are not only not designed for us, but in some cases actively work to denigrate, disparage and destroy us.
Every experience I had and every lesson I learned, prepared me for just this time. While the initial change was quite simple – I had just had enough and if I wanted to survive, I had to take the leap; the journey from there to now has been anything but. And it is still going.
I’m still learning. I’m still growing. Every day gets clearer and clearer and the work I’m doing with others continues to remind me of why I took the leap. Every time I see and hear a client have their “aha” moment, it reinforces why I am here fighting the good fight for those who have just gotten too exhausted to fight on their own. Been there. Done that. And I want women, especially women of color, to know that my Village is open. Welcome. You are safe here.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Very few paths we travel are smooth. In fact, as the saying goes, “if the road you are traveling is smooth, you must be on someone else’s.” There is nothing like entrepreneurship to call up and make you face demons you didn’t even know existed. It is a constant mindset battle. I am blessed to have an amazing personal Village and a phenomenal therapist to work through all of the head trash.
And, despite what you see on social, EVERYONE is working through something. One of my favorite quotes about that is we have a hard time because “we are comparing our behind the scenes to someone else’s highlight reel.” That hit home! Let’s be clear – the struggle is REAL.
On the tactical side, it is easy to forget to seek clarity. Corporations and organizations have a language. That language is not necessarily the language of entrepreneurship; especially in the digital age. I just knew I would leave corporate and have my business up and running in 3 months. No problem! Talk about naïve – at least for me. And it was the simple things, too. Like the difference between boosting posts and creating ads. They both cost money but are for totally different purposes! Who knew??? (I am on social media out of necessity NOT desire so I never took the time to dive into how it actually worked until I started my business) I had coaches and business partners and we would have lots of conversations and make plans, but things didn’t “work.”
It finally dawned on me to put a pause on the process and go to some folks and say, “let’s start from the very beginning. I know tons about corporate structure and how businesses work and what levers to pull to make things happen. I know next to NOTHING about entrepreneurship. So when we talk “funnels”, “client journey”, “engagement” and other activities, I know what that looks like corporately, but it is not the same here. So, going forward, I want you to assume I know absolutely nothing about what you are going tell me. All I know is what outcome I want. I’m relying on your expertise to show me how to make it happen. If you start down a road where I am already clear, I will say so; but let’s assume that is not likely to happen.”
That is when the game finally changed for me. I had to listen to myself to understand what the real issue was as opposed to just jumping into solution mode. I also had to decide to do what I wanted to do, not what other folks said I should be doing because of an area of expertise I had (zone of excellence work). If you have been building a “side hustle” while working for someone else, your journey may be different. Or if you are going to build a business doing for yourself exactly what you were doing for someone else, the transition may be cleaner.
I was “all in” in the corporate climb so this idea of leaving and doing my own thing was an idea bred from a need to make a significant change if I wanted to keep my health and sanity (or get them back). It was not, as I realize now, from a place of clarity about how I wanted to serve and the best way to do that. I had spent years making sure my teams and my organizations were being developed and had neglected my own broader need and desire for learning and development. My business has changed over the last 5 years.
As I’ve gotten clearer and more willing to actually OWN my own zone of genius (thank you Gay Hendricks, author of The Big Leap), the business has moved in a direction that is tied directly to visions I’ve had all along, but buried because they didn’t seem “real” or “possible.” Well people plan and God laughs. And here I am!
Which leads to the mental/mindset side. Mindset matters. When you have lots of time with yourself, all the things come up: imposter syndrome, analysis paralysis, visibility challenges, authenticity and transparency challenges. You name it, it comes up. And here’s the deal – we have to own our own sh*t. I have always been really self aware.
That is a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing in that I can manage my interactions to convey messages I want to convey in ways that increase the likelihood they will be heard and I can protect and preserve my energy. I understand my lack of tolerance for intellectual laziness and lack of integrity so I can decide how I will respond according to the situation. I know I don’t have a poker face, so I make sure my words don’t reflect the look on my face. (“Bless your heart” is a perfect example – it conveys all sorts of things just by tone) All of this means that I have to decide when and how I show up. Always true to who I am, but there is still such a thing as appropriateness for a situation. And let’s be clear: everyone’s story matters and there is someone who can likely be truly uplifted by mine; but that doesn’t mean that everyone needs to know ALL of my business. I also have to be very aware of living up to my own expectations.
Ensuring my words and actions are aligned. Acknowledging when I am wrong or have hurt someone unintentionally because intended or not, the impact is the same. Knowing which hills I am willing to die on. Gathering reliable information to help education and push conversations forward. KNOWING that while we are all entitled to our own opinions we are NOT entitled to our own fact. And finally, being very clear that I am not for everyone. And, honestly, my introverted yet professionally extroverted self is ok with that!
I believe that if I overcome my tendency to stay in the background supporting and uplifting others without tooting my own horn, those that need to hear MY story will find me and my greater purpose will be served. At the end of the day, it’s not about me. Stepping fully into servant leadership is about those I serve. And when that happens, abundance will come.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about LaurelRutledge.com & The Rutledge Perspective(TM)?
I LOVE hosting my podcast and radio show – who knew?!! I am also a career and leadership transformation coach and an HR strategist. The fundamental premise of all the work that I do is whether you are building a business or building a career, it all comes down to 2 basic things: strategy and people. If you don’t know where you are going, how do you know who needs to be on your team?
I know credentials are important for many as they explore options. I have a graduate degree, I’ve worked nationally and internationally (working on getting my Spanish and French language skills back). I’m a certified HR professional and have assessment certifications. My LinkedIn profile has more information on those details if they are critical for you. But here is what I want you to know about me: I’m just me. I’ve done lots of stuff and been in lots of places.
I’ve had some amazing successes and some incredibly hard and public failures. And I survived them all. I have climbed the corporate ladder leaving as one of only two black female senior leaders in a global company of 17,000. I’ve paid my dues and I have lots of receipts. But what is more important is that I know that when I work with someone it is NOT about ME it IS about THEM. I’m merely the facilitator. I have been gifted with an ability to see and connect dots that others don’t even know exist.
I can reframe in ways that bring clarity and focus. I am an expert facilitator of difficult discussions and I can work with folks from the plant floor to the boardroom because we are all just people. And I am ADAMANT that space with me is a safe space and a place of no judgment. What we will do in that space is:
– Ask the hard questions – and get answers
– Speak truth to power – and to ourselves
– Challenge our perspectives with no judgment
– Give ourselves grace
– Believe that all things are possible
Just know that if you cry, so will I. No one cries alone in my presence!
I work with business (small and large) in the HR space on customized projects. I work with individuals and groups on career and leadership strategies. I’m all about an initial conversation to see if it makes sense. And if it does not, I am not offended. In fact, because I’m clear that the work I do is about the other person and not me, I’m happy to tap into my network of amazing people and make connections where possible.
I am extremely proud of – and still shocked by my excitement about – my podcast and radio show. While I say I never would have thought this would occur, in my own discernment, I am reminded about the visions of that younger me and this is completely aligned. I just wasn’t willing to see it…for YEARS. Through these platforms, I try to educate on societal and business issues that are important. I will ALWAYS address voting and voting rights on my radio show and I will ALWAYS call out untruths and speak about fact – even if I don’t personally like them. On both the radio show and podcast, I will call us all to be more mindful of our own actions and to own the impact of those actions regardless of intent. All of my spaces and interactions demand that we are honest with and about ourselves. By doing so, we can be honest with others because when we know better, we do better.
You can easily connect with me through my website or social media and keep up to date on all things Laurel Rutledge and The Rutledge Perspective. I will re-launch the group programs for 2022 as I revamp my website and backend technology so stay tuned (whew…who knew I’d be talking about such things???!!!)
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I grew up hearing, “proper prior planning prevents poor performance.” So I thought I wasn’t a risk taker. But, when I look back over the things I have done so far, I’ve done some risky things. The most recent, of course, was quitting my job to start my own business. No back up plan. No specific safety net. But an awareness of what my worst case scenario was.
Another risk was my MBA. One of the key deciding factors in where I applied and attended was whether they had an exchange program because I wanted to be functionally fluent in Spanish by the time I left. So, I applied for the exchange. Was accepted. And, I started learning the language about 2 months before heading to Barcelona to finish my degree at ESADE. It was my very first trip to Europe and I would be there for about 6 months. Three of my four classes were in Spanish (one actually in Catalan) and I was in language class 5 hours a day for the first few weeks. I don’t know how I did it but I think the pressure of not actually getting the degree if I failed had something to do with it! Sometimes fear of failure can work in our favor, but I don’t recommend it as a regular practice.
What is wild is that I ended up working in Enterprise Risk Management for Deloitte not long after finishing my degree. We built the practice that would become the premier response to Enron/Sarbanes-Oxley and I got to be in charge of delivering services in Brazil and Mexico for my client.
At my core, I’m a planner. But I also believe that we have to take action. We plan for what we can, build in flexibility and adaptability and move. Nothing we do comes with zero risk. NOTHING. Even getting out of bed in the morning can be a risk – especially if you have kids or pets or other random items that seem to not quite find themselves in their proper place at the end of the day. I believe taking risks, or good risk management, is about recognizing the risks you are taking and moving accordingly. Failing to move means relinquishing what little control we have over our circumstances. The one thing we can control is our own actions. And we must act in order to grow.
Contact Info:
- Email: welcome@laurelrutledge.com
- Website: laurelrutledge.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurel.k.rutledge/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/therutledgeperspective
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLAyej4mTn5UKrfSgkfBKQg
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/the.rutledge.perspective/
Image Credits:
Keer Orr
CoLap Production House
Laurel K. Rutledge
