Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nona King. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Nona, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

One of the common career development mistakes is not being intentional about building and maintaining a network. Early in my career I focused on being the best employee who did their job, was a team player, worked long hours, and met/ beat my performance objectives set by my manager. Honestly, I shied away from networking because I felt like it was fake, uncomfortable, and I didn’t want to feel like I was brown nosing, so I didn’t do it. I felt like people should notice my strong work ethic and the quality of my work to recognize the value that I was adding to the organization. The reality is that I stifled my career growth because people outside of my department weren’t advocating on my behalf because they didn’t know me. Oftentimes the people who get job offers, promotions and pay advancements are the ones who have built meaningful relationships and have made their value known to influential people within the organization. Once I overcame that obstacle, it was critical to my career growth and success. In fact, my career trajectory exponentially grew when I started seeking out new connections with people outside of my work organization.

To give you an example, I was working at Coca-Cola and my career stagnated. I wasn’t up for a promotion, I didn’t know what other roles might interest me, and I didn’t enjoy what I was doing. I enrolled in a leadership program with the local chamber of commerce. This was a 9-month program, there were about 50 people in the class, and I thought this would be a great opportunity to meet new people outside of the organization. We would travel on a bus each month to different facilities in our county, so I made a point to sit with someone new every time I got on that bus, to build those one-on-one connections. One of the people in my class connected me with the lead HR person for an open role that I was interested in. Within a couple of months, I started a new role as VP of Marketing at a new organization. This all started because of intentional networking.

Nona, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m an executive career coach. I had an impactful and fun career as a senior executive in brand marketing, but I wanted to close the knowledge gap experienced by underrepresented communities when it comes to career development and network connections. My ‘business why’ began June 2020, when the light shined bright on the social and racial injustices and racial inequities that were being discussed in the media and among my colleagues, it forced me to think about my life and my career journey as a Black woman and the challenges that I experienced trying to establish and grow in my career. It also did not help that in that same year, my manager decided to restructure the department and change the reporting structure so that I would report to someone else. The problem is that this new manager was the same person that I brought into the organization, trained, and promoted years prior. This experience was a huge ‘slap in my face’ because I helped to build the organization. This left me questioning my abilities and I lost my sense of self.

One of the first things that I did to rebuild my self-confidence was to invest time and money in myself. I did this by reflecting on my past accomplishments, took inventory of my strengths and my passions, and I rediscovered parts of my identity that I stowed away for so long that I forgot about them. One of my rediscoveries was that I have consistently coached colleagues into leadership positions throughout my career. This was when I realized that although I liked marketing, I was climbing the wrong ladder of success because I had this strong passion to help develop professionals on a full-time basis. Since I started the business in 2020, the results have exceeded my expectations. Most of our clients increased their average rate of pay by $40K and landed roles that they love in less than 60 days. What makes me proud is when clients have that aha moment; when their self-confidence is regained, and they rediscover the excellence that is already within them!

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

This advice is relevant to anyone who leads a team, whether you are an entrepreneur or manage others within an organization. The way to build and manage high performance teams is to focus on everyone on your team as individuals. It starts with onboarding. Most managers/ business owners onboard by focusing on the role responsibilities and organizational goals. I encourage you to set aside 1-2 hours to learn about this new person on your team. Ask them about their childhood, high school, and college years, learn about their background and upbringing, ask them what attracted them to prior roles and why they left, explore their side passions and professional goals. Listen for patterns in their story, as it will uncover who they are at their core, their dreams and what motivates them. This information could provide you with insights on how to leverage their natural strengths, support their professional growth, and strengthen your connection with them. I believe that when people are growing and feel valued in their work environment, they develop a sense of purpose and are more fulfilled and engaged.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I grew up around entrepreneurs. My father had a photography & videography business, my uncle owned several business ventures, and a couple of aunts owned daycare centers. I saw firsthand the amount of time and hard work they invested in the business, along with the financial challenges and wins they experienced. I never had a desire to become an entrepreneur because it seemed like the return on investment was too low for the time required.

Believe it or not, I ended up starting a marketing consulting business at age 24 because I was unsuccessful in obtaining a job after graduate school. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed running my own business, but I didn’t know how to find new business opportunities and I didn’t have any money. My experience reinforced my belief that you can’t make a comfortable living as an entrepreneur.

Although I admired others who followed their entrepreneurial passions, I would give excuses on why I was happy working for ‘the institution’. I focused on my salary, great benefits, flexible work schedule, and travel perks, even when I was unhappy at the company.

My mindset started to shift about entrepreneurship once I realized that I had the skills to be successful, including my knowledge of how to grow brands (which are like businesses), my unique skillset, vast network, and a passion for helping people grow personally and professionally. It was truly a blessing that my past company went through a reorganization. It was the ‘push’ that I needed to rediscover and follow my passions through my own business. :-)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://careercatalystgrp.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/careercatalystgroup/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/careercatalystgroup/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/nonaaustinking
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@careercatalystgroup

Image Credits
Rashid Tillis, Right Time Solutions Photography Nathan E. Horton, Photo Authority