We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Monique Russell. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Monique below.
Monique, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
I went to college to pursue studies in Communications, and left with three degrees. One undergraduate in Broadcast Journalism, and 2 graduate degrees– Public Relations and the other in Advertising.
I had a hard time securing a suitable job in the field and started my professional journey supporting executives in Fortune 100 companies. While I was there, I observed many opportunities to make the work environment feel more connected. I was bubbly, energetic and eager to contribute.
One of the earlier teams I supported was dispersed throughout the country, and I would listen and watch the leaders visit and leave. It was not a negative or toxic place, but it was a place I observed could go from good to great.
I was often asked to share my thoughts on employee issues, engagement challenges, ways to better communicate messages, and for advice in general. Supporting executives gave me an insider opportunity to see how they showed up behind the scenes and when they faced the public. I could not have asked for a better hands-on practical training into what made leaders effective and what made them fail.
I would write down instances of what could be better, training that could improve the outlook of certain members on the team, and I found myself sometimes facilitating clarity for people after meetings.
I went to another company and I noticed their meetings had no recorded actions, people would talk and no one would remember what anyone agreed to in the meeting and progress could not be tracked. I started documenting, dispersing and creating some accountability for the senior leaders. It was a huge success.
Suddenly, I thought to myself, I am going to provide training and advisory solutions for companies. I sat down at my desk, looked at my notes and drafted the training topics. My company would be called Island Communication because I figured I was from the beautiful islands of The Bahamas so I had to represent. That idea did not last long because when I asked people what they thought of when they heard the name, they would get confused with something it wasn’t…telecommunications or something of that sort.
When I said I was going to create a logo, the designer, who was also from The Bahamas but who had years of business experience told me I should change the name. We discussed my intent and I had a Eureka moment…C.L.E.A.R Communication! She helped me add Solutions and that is how Clear Communication Solutions was born. It accurately describes what we offer and provide.
For years, I freelanced on the side. I saw this as a passion project and something I could do to bring me fulfillment. I took on projects that I would execute while still working a full-time job until I was exposed to other professional business groups and communities. This exposure made me think differently about business and imagine myself as a business owner and “real” entrepreneur.
I knew I was on to something because I had visibility into many organizations between my working experiences and the freelancing projects I completed. I worked in government organizations, academia, tech and innovation companies, healthcare, and retail. It did not matter what industry I was in, I observed the same opportunities to facilitate connection in the teams through communication skills development. I saw misunderstandings, gaps to set clear expectations, cultural gaffes and more. The fact that I had a multi-cultural background just made it even more exciting.
What got me most excited was the outcomes people experienced from me teaching them how to learn something new about themselves. Over the years, I developed more of an expertise in this area having taught at the University level for over 7 years before being asked to become a Subject Matter Expert. What’s unique about what I offer is the way in which I blend Emotional Intelligence and Public Speaking modalities into the solutions offered.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My team and I provide training workshops, keynote speeches, and group and private coaching.
We teach leaders and teams how to keep their top talent engaged, and feel confident when they deliver their message at home and work. We provide support, encouragement and accountability for them to do so. The leadership system we use involves Public Speaking + Emotional Intelligence.
Sometimes private clients work with us when they want to upskill in Communication and Executive Presence areas to feel more confident in their abilities.
Corporate clients work with us when they want to maintain a competitive advantage and be more impactful with their teams. They want to find better ways to gain buy-in, engage and develop their employees, and provide communication skills to foster connected spaces and work life integration.
One of the most beneficial aspects clients report of working with us are the long-lasting results and immediate impact of practical tips they are able to implement. They say they feel seen, understood and alive!
What I am most proud; however, of is the level of self-trust clients develop during the process because they learn to challenge their paradigms and explore multiple ways to look at a situation. They leave with not only frameworks, and positive results, but they leave with the intangible power of strengthening self-confidence, and a commitment to displaying the best version of themselves.
As a multicultural professional and Global consultant, clients love knowing that we have experience in cross cultural communication to support their global workforce.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
There are many lessons I had to unlearn, but one I really want to share is the belief that all you need to do is work hard and the rest will follow is dangerous. It is a belief and mindset that should be banned from every learning institution because it is not accurate. Many of us bought into the myth, followed the blueprint and it didn’t work. This is true for academic pursuits, and entrepreneurial ones.
Being an entrepreneur requires commitment, discipline, passion and strategy. But the story about working hard and the rest will follow is a scam. Without building relationships and making connections with people, you can be the smartest, most intelligent person in the room, but you will not experience success only on merit.
My greatest opportunities came from direct referrals, connections and support from others. It was not only because I was an expert in my field, or that my clients received long lasting results.
On the contrary, I often come across people who are not great at what they say they do, lackluster even, but because of their network, their business thrives.
My advice to entrepreneurs is to develop the skills of effective communication, specifically, networking, leading with influence, and public speaking.
Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?
What I have seen as someone who has spent nearly 2 decades supporting various leaders either administratively, executive coaching, or training, I can tell you with surety that people love following someone who is clear in who they are, and where they stand on issues. Nothing is more disruptive to a team than a leader who is indecisive, cannot make up their mind, or plays on neutral ground. My advice for leaders is to develop self-awareness and presentation skills so they can articulate and deliver their messages with confidence.
What I have done
Personally, in addition to the 12 formal years of study, and 10 + years of facilitating training in the science of Communications, I’ve taken additional time to learn and immerse myself in topics related to sociology, psychology and mindfulness to help me communicate with more empathy when leading. Any leader who can add these tools to their toolbox will maintain modern relevance.
What I have learned
The majority of people leading teams want to be magicians. They do not really want to do the work required to effectively lead their people; however, they want an excellent output. Sometimes this is because of a lack of time, and other times they have unrealistic expectations and are looking for supermen and superwomen to lead. This is one of the most genuine reasons people leave their jobs. And to be honest, it’s not an easy thing to do. I understand and this is why we teach leaders how to deliver their messages in a way that people will want to listen.
What I now realize
Managing a team and boosting morale is a team effort. It’s not just the leader’s job to motivate and inspire. Employees must also take personal responsibility in getting the most out of their days at work. Learning skills together that will help the leader and team be effective, prioritize tasks, and practice permission, control and boundaries is a win-win-win solution.
What leaders need to do know
Having a team of trusted advisors whose primary job is to disrupt, challenge and expand your mindset is not a nice to have, it is a must have. Gaining attention and trust is hard to maintain and it is going to get worse. Not only will employees leave, they will walk out of your virtual meetings, they will give the bare minimum, and will simply not want to listen to you. You’ll end up with a revolving door, and a poor reputation making it harder to recruit and retain people. Sooner or later, those you are able to recruit will require three times more pay because of the company reputation. Either way, you’re losing money, and if you are not careful, the business will simply close down. Modern corporate leadership requires entrepreneurial advisement.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.MoniqueRussell.com
- Instagram: @clearcommunicationcoach
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/clearcommunicationcoach
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjZpmFziJHN9xkz7UlzJgAQ
- Other: Podcast – https://bridgetou.buzzsprout.com/1239038