Daphne E. Jones shares how you can break through to success in 2023 and beyond, and it's about to get inventive

"No matter where you are in your life, you can level up.?You don’t need to wait for winning to come to you from above, nor do you need to get permission to prosper from someone else—you just need to give yourself permission." In this special New Year's installment of You've Got This, Founder of The Board Curators and author?Daphne E. Jones discusses what's shaped her dynamic career, the EDIT process as outlined in her new book Win When They Say You Won't , and her best advice to kick off 2023. Enjoy her incredible answers below, along with announcing our next guest, Founder and CEO at Voyage Foods Adam Maxwell .

Victoria: "Can you share with us the pivotal moments that have helped define your career?"

Daphne: "I'd say the overall moments included either expectations that were set, instructions provided to me by others, and exposure to career enhancing opportunities.

My mother, a Jamaican immigrant, told me several things while we lived in one of the poorest towns in Illinois:?1)?that education was everything 2) leaders read and readers lead, and 3) that I should put my mind on things that are better or higher than my lived circumstance.?That expectation she had of my life was set from a very young age.?So impactful she was that I ended up skipping first grade.

Another expectation that was set was opposite of my mother’s teachings.?My high school counselor said that Black girls like me don’t go to college, and if for some reason?we make it in, we will still not be successful.?He put limits and labels on me, told me that I should become a secretary, and defined how high I would not go, and encouraged me to dream of things that black girls dream about, so I would know and stay in my place.?I soon realized after working as secretary at Woman’s Day Magazine that I should not BE a secretary, I should HAVE a secretary.?And the best way for me to have a secretary would be to defy his words and go to college.

As a result of his failed expectations of my life,?I learned that the word ‘impossible’ is just someone’s opinion, as it was his.?But his opinion turned out to be wrong – so the word that I began to use whenever I was told ‘impossible’ was ‘inevitable’.?It will happen, it’s just a matter of time.?My mindset as my mother told me was to think above the current real situation and position my mind on things above, not things below.?

I went to college and, like my skipping of first grade, I graduated with a BS in 3 years instead of 4, and received my MBA in 1 year instead of 2.??

My next pivotal moment was when I learned how to win by following others.?I took my first?post college job with IBM as a systems engineer—I had no one that looked like me (a Black woman) in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering Math).?But?I wanted to learn and grow and win.?I saw people getting awards, and trips to 100% clubs, and briefcases full of cash, etc.?and I had never known that was a thing.?I didn’t have anyone in my family as a role model to show me that was possible.?So I began to do pattern recognition and followed role models.?I saw how they dressed (or I was told to dress differently), I saw how they approached clients,?who they ate lunch with, and how they won.?From there, the role of mentors became real and I was able to learn not only by following winners, but by having a few mentor me along the way.

When I was at a high point in my career, I learned about the need for balance across what I now call the 5F’s.?I was flying high in my career, but was letting my family, my fitness (health) and my faith flounder.?I ended up getting a divorce, was subsequently downsized, relocated to New Jersey and had to raise my son on my own.?I had to reflect deeply on what mattered most to me, and how that would be reflected in the choices I made.?

That final pivotal moment was when I learned about the glass cliff.?We often hear about concrete/glass ceilings, but a glass cliff is the introduction of a new challenge, often ‘reserved’ for people of color, or women.?You are considered for an opportunity, and the opportunity is often fraught with career risk.?The opportunity is very visible, very important, and supposedly impossible.?IF you get it done successfully you’re a shero, but if it is not done successfully you and your career come crashing down from the cliff and it can have a near fatal impact on your career.?I decided to take a few of those, and I was able to land on my feet with some near misses.?Taking opportunities to win was really critical for me and set me up to remind myself that not much is impossible, but merely inevitable."

Victoria: "In your new book,?Win When They Say You Won't, ?you combine personal experience with insights such as the EDIT process, with EDIT standing for?Envision, Design, Iterate?and?Transform,?to help readers upgrade to the best versions of themselves. What do you hope readers take away from the book, and can you share with us an example of the EDIT process in-action?"

Daphne: "Winning is RECEIVED at the end (when you take your company public, or you go live with your new app, or you learned how to be a better public speaker), but it is CONCEIVED in the beginning, in the mind.?

"No matter where you are in your life, you can level up.?You don’t need to wait for winning to come to you from above, nor do you need to get?permission to prosper from someone else – you just need to give yourself permission.?You will learn how to?call your own plays and define your own narrative."?

EDIT is a four step lifecycle that provides a framework for how to drive a new mindset, a vision for your future, a plan to help you get there, and how to live in a transformed manner.?Envision, Design, Iterate, Transform empowers and instructs you on how to win, and how to win continually.

Think like a product or product manager and manage how you present & impart value to your market.

1. Know your market—each of us have a market that consumes what we offer. Is your market a supporter of your product or a detractor of your product?
2. Be aware of competition and allies – there are people who want your seat at the table, or want to win your client away from you.?Lowes has Home Depot, Apple has Samsung, Pepsi has Coke. How do you stack up against your competition? ??
3. You must have a value that exceeds your price (aka your total salary/compensation), else your market will find someone else (ie competition) to take your place.?
4. You must continually improve your product and drive its relevance to your market, to avoid having an ‘expiration date’ like a carton of milk.?Your product should never expire, but should be evergreen and continuously improve.?

When you think like a product, and get feedback from your market, don’t take the feedback personally, but rather, take it strategically.?Use it as data to help inform your next move.?You don’t quit, but rather you find a way to reframe the problem, or make adjustments to the plan, so you can find a way to win.

Additionally, keep in mind the 5F’s.?We often focus on only one or two dimensions of our lives – but there are more that make up who we are.?Faith, Family, Finances, Fitness and Furthering Career all play a role in our success.?Some may take the back seat from time to time, but they all contribute to and should be considered as we define what winning means to us.?

As far as an example of the EDIT process in action:

• Envision: As a new author, I wanted to promote my book in some of the most effective ways I could.?I Envisioned that one of the ways to get visibility was for my book to be in the Barnes & Noble window during the Christmas holiday.?This would inspire shoppers to see the book and consider it for Christmas gifts to loved ones.
• Design: I sought input on what it would take to make my vision come to life and Designed my approach via using stakeholders, identifying the steps required to get in the window (including number of book sales required, target dates to hit sales number, PR contacts, publisher support, Barnes management interest, etc)
• Iterate:?During my plan execution, I had some sales that fell through, but rather than getting discouraged or quit, I used that as information to figure out what I can do to hit my book target.?I sought an angel book investor that helped me make up the gap.?
• Transform:?I transformed from being an author that was not in the Barnes & Noble window to having a prominent place in the window from Dec. 13 – Dec 26. I now am sitting with the excitement and knowledge that my vision has been realized, and I am looking at what I can further do to capitalize on that success.?As a result I will have a new Envision in mind to take me to another level of success."?

Victoria: "A quote you share in the book is that?'There's value in your vision: hold onto it!' What words of wisdom would you be able to share for those who are looking to strengthen, develop or re-envision their careers as we approach the New Year?"

Daphne: "Whatever has your mind has you.?If you have a growth mindset, you will grow.?If you have a fixed mindset you will not.?

"Decide if you feel you are walking in your purpose.?Your purpose is the combination of your passion (what you love) and your capabilities (your innate abilities).?When those come together, you are more likely to be successful and happy than if you are merely doing what you feel you have to do."?

Set a goal that is important and worth achieving.?Defining your why is critical, because it is your why that will continually motivate you, and help you stay focused and finish what you started.?

Know that life will happen—you cannot control it, but you can control how you respond to what life brings you.

"Don’t try to change everything at once.?Winning is ok if it is incremental & not exponential."

Learn all you can from everyone you can. And learn about the power of P.I.E.?(Performance, Image, Exposure). Performance is necessary, but not sufficient alone for you to win.?Image (your brand, what you are known for), and your Exposure (who knows you, who will speak up for you when you’re not in the room or on zoom, and who you know).

Remember when you were successful in your life or career.?What were you doing? How were you doing it??Reflect on and remember what winning looks like and feels like to you."

Follow Daphne on LinkedIn.

________________________________________________________________Our next guest: Adam Maxwell

If you're interested in the future of food, you'll want to join in the conversation with our next guest, Adam Maxwell. As the Founder and CEO of Voyage Foods , Adam and his team are looking to 'future-proof' such beloved foods as peanut butter, chocolate and coffee. With that in mind, here's what I'll be asking Adam:

• Can you share with us your approach to building your career? Why did you decide to specialize in food science?
• What inspired you to take those crucial steps towards starting Voyage Foods??How do you approach innovation in a space that’s been established for hundreds, if not thousands, of years?
• What advice would you have for fellow founders and entrepreneurs who are tackling unique challenges?

Ask your own questions for Adam in the comments below—and thank you for joining us in the New Year as part of You've Got This.