Speaker 1: HEYBA fan, and happy New Year. It's officially twenty twenty five.
Speaker 1: It is a new season for Brown Ambition. You see,
Speaker 1: we have a little mysterious look. Now, as far as
Speaker 1: the show logo goes, I'm taking my time. I'm not
Speaker 1: trying to come out here with a brand new Luke
Speaker 1: just yet in my new season as host of the show,
Speaker 1: solo host of the show. So for now, we're going
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Speaker 1: I don't know if y'all saw, but on TikTok we
Speaker 1: went a little tiny bit viral and it was one
Speaker 1: of those moments where you just can't plan for it,
Speaker 1: and I'm not gonna lie. I really needed a reminder
Speaker 1: that not only I believe in our show so much,
Speaker 1: right Like, I know we're providing so much value, and
Speaker 1: I know our BA fan that y'all always ride for us,
Speaker 1: and you've been so incredible through this transition. But it's
Speaker 1: never enough, Like it's never too late or too much
Speaker 1: to just tell the you know, the people that you
Speaker 1: love and that you turn to that they're doing a
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Speaker 1: Ambition through TikTok this past week, welcome. You are right
Speaker 1: where you need to be a likely the right time.
Speaker 1: We're going to take real good care at you. And
Speaker 1: this is the Baqa. So every Friday we take questions
Speaker 1: from our listeners. And I told y'all, I am emptying out.
Speaker 1: I am dusting out, dusting off, and getting rid of
Speaker 1: all the old, dusty questions in the inbox that we
Speaker 1: have been collecting for years and I'm starting from scratch.
Speaker 1: So I need some new questions. Y'all hit me up
Speaker 1: Brand Ambition Podcast at gmail dot com or slide into
Speaker 1: my dms. I'm at Brand Ambition Podcast on Instagram. You
Speaker 1: can send us a DM, a voice memo, whatever works
Speaker 1: for you. Okay, we'd love to get your questions career, finance, investing, relationship, help, health,
Speaker 1: whatever it may be, whatever's on your spirit. And to
Speaker 1: kick off the new year, we are going to take
Speaker 1: a question from a listener who is doing what I
Speaker 1: think a lot of us are looking at for the
Speaker 1: new year. Is how the hell am I going to
Speaker 1: get this raggedy job to give me a promotion? Honey? Right?
Speaker 1: So I'm going to take a question from a listener there,
Speaker 1: and I hope you guys enjoy happy, happy New Year again.
Speaker 1: This is Mandy with Brown ambition. Aba fam, It's time
Speaker 1: for the ba qa a, the ba qa what to say,
Speaker 1: the ba qa with manday the ba qa a. I
Speaker 1: am here to answer one of our beautiful ba listeners
Speaker 1: career questions. I can't believe you guys trust us like
Speaker 1: you do, and we love that. But I will just
Speaker 1: go ahead into the mandatory obligatory disclaimer so that you
Speaker 1: can listen, but you can't sue us because we are
Speaker 1: your financial besties. I am a career coach, but I'm
Speaker 1: not your career coach, which is really important, and ultimately,
Speaker 1: you got to do what you gotta do with the
Speaker 1: information that you have. We're not your lawyer, we're not
Speaker 1: your financial planner, all of that good stuff. So this
Speaker 1: is just for funzies, just what basically your financial bestie
Speaker 1: slash big sister, big sis would say to you. And
Speaker 1: today we aren't jumping in with a really juicy career
Speaker 1: question from listener Bri. Thank you, Bre, and let's dive
Speaker 1: on in because this question is really really good. All right,
Speaker 1: Bree says, Hey, Mandy, I'm looking for some career advice.
Speaker 1: I am a program manager at a mid sized nonprofit
Speaker 1: and I've been with this organization for almost four years.
Speaker 1: In the last year, I've seen a lot of staffing
Speaker 1: changes happen at the organization. Various people have been let go,
Speaker 1: while others have chosen to leave on their own. I've
Speaker 1: been trying to keep my head down and not get
Speaker 1: too shaken up by this, because the job itself has
Speaker 1: pretty good benefits. However, two weeks ago, I was informed
Speaker 1: that my supervisor was let go for legal reasons. I'm
Speaker 1: trying to figure out what this means, what this means
Speaker 1: for me. There has been no decision yet about whether
Speaker 1: they will fill my old manager's position. Currently, I'm reporting
Speaker 1: to his old supervisor and managing some of his responsibilities.
Speaker 1: My question is how patient should I be with waiting
Speaker 1: to hear the direction of our department and my decision.
Speaker 1: Should I suggest a promotion for myself or wait to
Speaker 1: see what they decide. If I should assert myself, how
Speaker 1: should I go about it? And if I should wait
Speaker 1: for how long? Thank you both. Oh, I really love
Speaker 1: this question, and it's multifaceted, multi layered. And the first
Speaker 1: thing I'm going to say is you may think that
Speaker 1: the word nonprofit is not you personally breathe, but just
Speaker 1: the listeners like y'all may think that nonprofit world and
Speaker 1: the nonprofit space in general is I don't know, some
Speaker 1: sort like on a different level than the for profit
Speaker 1: corporate space. But I have said it once, and I'll
Speaker 1: say it, and I've probably said it more than once.
Speaker 1: I say it all the time. Nonprofits can be just
Speaker 1: as janky, just as dysfunctional, just as greedy and toxic
Speaker 1: as name the most toxic company you can think of,
Speaker 1: Like why is Tesla coming to mind? I don't know,
Speaker 1: maybe because I read things. So think about a nonprofit
Speaker 1: like you would any other job. I don't care what.
Speaker 1: I don't care how sanctimonious your causes or what your
Speaker 1: mission statement is, and all the incredible work you do
Speaker 1: for the world. Some of the best businesses do incredible
Speaker 1: things for their customers, for the people who purchase their products.
Speaker 1: That's the same thing as customers, you know what I mean,
Speaker 1: but for the world. But they can still be really
Speaker 1: effing toxic inside. Who doesn't love Amazon, But y'all have
Speaker 1: heard the worst things about working there. Okay, the same
Speaker 1: things can be true for nonprofits. And I just want
Speaker 1: to like preface my answer by saying that don't let
Speaker 1: them get away with toxic shit, and don't fool yourself
Speaker 1: into thinking that you will be treated anymore you know,
Speaker 1: I don't know generously or uh yeah, just treated any
Speaker 1: differently than you might in the corporate world, because at
Speaker 1: the end of the day, they also have money to make,
Speaker 1: funds to raise and the level of toxicity really is
Speaker 1: like a people thing, right, So if they hire the
Speaker 1: person who is more toxic or a leader who is
Speaker 1: more toxic, then it can be quite toxic. They could
Speaker 1: also have free organizations. They can also have cuts to budgets,
Speaker 1: like the same stuff that happens in the for profit world.
Speaker 1: So first, Brie, I want to commend you because you
Speaker 1: are not keeping your head down. You are keeping in
Speaker 1: the loop about what You're not trying to ignore what's
Speaker 1: going on, like you are seeing the signs of dysfunction
Speaker 1: and seeing the signs of the boat is rocking. And
Speaker 1: then where do I fit. The first thing I'll say
Speaker 1: is this doesn't necessarily have to mean that your job
Speaker 1: is on the line, although you know that ultimately could
Speaker 1: be the case. But in this case, you might find
Speaker 1: an opportunity for yourself, like you say, to move into
Speaker 1: a different role or at least present yourself or position
Speaker 1: yourself as someone who can be relied upon, can be
Speaker 1: counted on during these times of a little bit of chaos,
Speaker 1: all these different fluctuations when companies nonprofit or for profit,
Speaker 1: when they are going through reorganizations, there is that level
Speaker 1: of what on earth is going on, and it seems
Speaker 1: like the leaders kind of sometimes know what's going on,
Speaker 1: but it doesn't really trickle down, and that causes a
Speaker 1: lot of misinformation. It can cause a lot of stress
Speaker 1: and anxiety just from the lack of understanding. And I
Speaker 1: will tell you as a former corporate leader myself, what
Speaker 1: can be really frustrating is when you have direct reports
Speaker 1: or team members who are very, very antsy and don't
Speaker 1: really do well in times of uncertainty, and they start
Speaker 1: like losing their and they start getting really stressed, and
Speaker 1: their work products starts to get affected. If you can
Speaker 1: prove and show by your actions that you are someone
Speaker 1: who is steadfast who can get the shit done and
Speaker 1: still show up and be reliable the holes and the
Speaker 1: gaps that are being created as they shift things around
Speaker 1: and as people leave for whatever reason, whether it's like
Speaker 1: just personnel cuts or like in the situation with your manager,
Speaker 1: sounds like they were fired for cause. When that happens,
Speaker 1: if they can turn to you and they can say, Okay, Brie,
Speaker 1: we don't know what's going on with this particular project,
Speaker 1: but we know that you're a really good program manager,
Speaker 1: so we're going to put you on it, and then
Speaker 1: you just take the ball and you run with it.
Speaker 1: Like that can actually open you up to additional opportunities
Speaker 1: for promotion raises down the line because they rely on
Speaker 1: you all of a sudden, someone who like, maybe you
Speaker 1: were a really important team member, but you become even
Speaker 1: more important during times of uncertainty like this because they
Speaker 1: start to rely on you for the knowledge you have
Speaker 1: from working there for as long as you have. Maybe
Speaker 1: you were the only person who knew what the f
Speaker 1: your supervisor meant by the emails they were sending in
Speaker 1: the plans that they had, and you know basically where
Speaker 1: all the bodies are buried, Like that institutional knowledge makes
Speaker 1: you important, makes you special, Okay, so as far as
Speaker 1: your decision and as far as their decision or whether
Speaker 1: or not they will fill your old manager's position. I
Speaker 1: myself was in this exact same situation about a decade ago,
Speaker 1: when I was a writer for a big publication and
Speaker 1: my editor was fired and I was maybe there for
Speaker 1: a little over a year, and I didn't waste any time.
Speaker 1: And I don't think you should either going up to
Speaker 1: leadership whoever's there and telling them, hey, you know, I'm
Speaker 1: really sorry about what's happened with so and so. I
Speaker 1: just want to let you know that I feel more
Speaker 1: than capable of taking on additional responsibilities, taking on this position.
Speaker 1: So please consider me if you were looking to feel
Speaker 1: that manager's position. I believe the word that one would
Speaker 1: use to describe this kind of tactic is opportunistic. But
Speaker 1: like so what I don't know. I feel like opportunistic
Speaker 1: is the same as ambitious, where when you put it
Speaker 1: in the same sentence as a woman at work, it
Speaker 1: has this like connotation of negativity. But girl, be opportunistic.
Speaker 1: That's what a career is. You got to take your chances,
Speaker 1: and you know you don't have to feel or I
Speaker 1: hope you don't feel you know, some type of way
Speaker 1: about Oh this was my old manager's job. Am I
Speaker 1: being disloyal? Like, it is what it is. You're still there,
Speaker 1: you have a long career ahead of you, so I
Speaker 1: think it makes perfect sense for you to just go
Speaker 1: and tell them, like, hey, i'm here. You know, feel
Speaker 1: free to ask me questions, feel free to rely on me, like,
Speaker 1: let them know they can count on you in there. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and your manager's absence. Okay, Your next question is should
Speaker 1: I suggest a promotion for myself or wait to see
Speaker 1: what they decide? Like I just said you should go
Speaker 1: in there. You don't have to suggest a promotion, but
Speaker 1: you should just say, hey, i'm here, here's what I understand,
Speaker 1: here's what I can do. I know that this person
Speaker 1: is left. I want to throw my hat in the
Speaker 1: ring if you're looking for someone to take that place,
Speaker 1: and let them decide. Now, if you're they may have
Speaker 1: certain levels, even at a nonprofit, there's like levels, you know,
Speaker 1: and job levels and job titles and like, if it's
Speaker 1: too far of a jump for them for you to
Speaker 1: go from program manager to like, I don't know, director
Speaker 1: of programs or whatever. Your manager's title was maybe there's
Speaker 1: another title they can give you and give you a
Speaker 1: bump up and give you more responsibility. So I think
Speaker 1: you should even if they even if they say, hey,
Speaker 1: we're working on a plan, we'll get back to you,
Speaker 1: you should schedule some time chat to them candidly and say, hey,
Speaker 1: I'm ready for more responsibilities. I don't know what it's
Speaker 1: going to look like in the future here, but hey,
Speaker 1: I'm not going anywhere. I'm down. Okay, maybe don't say
Speaker 1: you're not going anywhere, because you know you might, but
Speaker 1: at least let them know that you're around, your available,
Speaker 1: like reach out. All right. Now, you also ask if
Speaker 1: I should wait for how long? I don't think you
Speaker 1: should wait, So that's an easy answer, don't wait. All right.
Speaker 1: I'm going to take a quick break and be right
Speaker 1: back and we're going to talk about, Brie, what else
Speaker 1: you can do to become professionally resilient in how to
Speaker 1: not let this situation hinder the rest of your career.
Speaker 1: All right, be right back, and I am back to
Speaker 1: answer Bree's question. Brie has a very juicy question about
Speaker 1: what's going on at her nonprofit right now. Manager has
Speaker 1: been quit. There's been staffing changes. Things are in flux.
Speaker 1: It's all Shenanigan's all right, Brice. So we already said
Speaker 1: that you should assert yourself. You should go for the
Speaker 1: open opportunities if you want them and if you feel
Speaker 1: like you're a good fit for that. However, I think
Speaker 1: you would be wise to make sure that your LinkedIn
Speaker 1: is updated, that you are contacting your network and staying
Speaker 1: in touch with your network so that they know what's
Speaker 1: going on and you can kind of keep them on watch, like,
Speaker 1: hey guys, it's a little funk you over here. I
Speaker 1: might be reaching out in the future, but if you
Speaker 1: know of anything that's open, here's the kind of role
Speaker 1: I'm looking for. Feel free to, you know, reach out
Speaker 1: to me, make connections with your network, just to start
Speaker 1: warming them up. On the off chance that you also
Speaker 1: are affected by these staffing changes, because you know, we
Speaker 1: all know shit can happen. On top of that, I
Speaker 1: would say, while you're making those connections, what I want
Speaker 1: to caution you against is talking being like overly candid
Speaker 1: about what's going on at at your nonprofit. This kind
Speaker 1: of goes in the same category as like what to
Speaker 1: do when you're interviewing for a job and you're leaving
Speaker 1: a really shitty experience where you're currently at. You don't
Speaker 1: want to spend a lot of time in an interview
Speaker 1: or in a conversation with someone from your network who
Speaker 1: can potentially lead you to another opportunity, like bashing your ex. Okay,
Speaker 1: it may feel good, but save that conversation for happy
Speaker 1: hour with your BFFs. Don't take it to a professional conversation.
Speaker 1: Why because maybe they'll understand where you're coming from, but
Speaker 1: it's going to leave them with like an impression of
Speaker 1: you of being someone who's negative, being someone who's going
Speaker 1: to gossip and talk smack behind their backs if you've
Speaker 1: decided that they are toxic and that you want to
Speaker 1: share what's been going on. So I would just keep
Speaker 1: a professional You can say, hey, you know, I've been
Speaker 1: at this nonprofit for a few years now as a
Speaker 1: program manager. Just a lot going on right now. There's
Speaker 1: staffing changes, my supervisor has been let go, and it's
Speaker 1: just made me sort of reevaluate where I'm going in
Speaker 1: my career. And so I'm you know, reaching out to
Speaker 1: you to have a discussion about potential opportunities at your firm.
Speaker 1: And you can like insert the name of the firm
Speaker 1: there and just leave it at that. And if they
Speaker 1: want you to like spill the tea, then you got
Speaker 1: to make a call, like is it worth sort of
Speaker 1: like loosening your professionalism just to kind of give someone
Speaker 1: else a little kiky and give some Everyone loves a
Speaker 1: little gossip, right, but it could actually do more harm
Speaker 1: than good if you kind of take that path and
Speaker 1: follow the like ooh, let me tell you every lie
Speaker 1: detail of what's happening here, Like keep it professional and
Speaker 1: just keep focused on the value that you can bring
Speaker 1: and the work that you have done. Yeah, so that's
Speaker 1: what I'll say, Brie. Thank you so much for your question.
Speaker 1: Good luck. We love updates, y'all. So if you have
Speaker 1: a if we answer a question and you have an update,
Speaker 1: feel free to hit us up again. We are broad
Speaker 1: Ambition Podcast on ig or you can email us broad
Speaker 1: Ambition Podcast at gmail dot com. All right, until next time,
Speaker 1: Byeba fam