Monique S Pearson Of Soaring Without Limits Enterprises (SWOLE) On How We Can Increase Women’s Engagement in Leadership and Management
An Interview With Vanessa Ogle
You have to have diverse hiring panels. There needs to be fair and equitable representation within those hiring for positions at any organization. For example, for government positions, it’s required to have at least one woman and one minority on every hiring panel. This is something that would be helpful for more organizations in the private sector to implement.
Despite strides towards equality, women remain underrepresented in leadership and management roles across various sectors. In this series, we would like to discuss the barriers to female advancement in these areas and explore actionable strategies for change. We are talking with accomplished women leaders, executives, and pioneers who have navigated these challenges successfully, to hear their experiences, tactics, and advice to inspire and guide the next generation of women toward achieving their full potential in leadership and management roles. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Monique S. Pearson.
Monique S. Pearson is a mindset coach, international motivational speaker, best-selling author, and travel guru. She is on a mission to impact audiences and train women leaders across industries to set aside their self-imposed limitations and confidently lead in predominately male spaces and environments. Her expertise and military background have earned her invitations to speak and make guest appearances on major platforms across the globe. Monique has unlocked the magic of international and solo travel to become her most confident and empowered self. She now helps others ignite their courage and change their lives by changing their perspective and thought processes.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
I have always been a woman in male-dominated spaces. Starting when I was in the military and then in corporate America. What I found once I entered the mindset coaching space is that women who fell within those parameters didn’t have a community or bridge to help them transition and thrive in those environments. Hence, I formed a community that caters to the Gen x woman in business called “The Triple E Tribe.” It stands for Elevate, Expand, and Explore not only their mindsets but their personal and professional lives.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I came into this career path by default as a result of working with women in my travel agency. I found that before I could get them to explore the world, we first had to explore their mindsets. One example is a client who at the age of 60 decided she no longer wanted to be bound by her fear of traveling internationally. Finally facing that fear empowered her to not only travel outside of the U.S., but to pursue other long-held dreams including becoming a restauranteur.
Can you share a pivotal moment in your career that significantly influenced your path to leadership?
As a military veteran, I’ve been a leader since I was 21 years old. So for me, leadership has been a part of my path from early adulthood. I think having the military experience set the tone for me being an advocate for women in leadership because at that time DE&I wasn’t top-of-mind the way it is today. I had to continually prove that I had a right to be in the positions I was in.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I have been fortunate to have always had informal mentors who saw the potential in me and helped me see it in myself. As a result, they challenged me to take on higher levels of responsibility throughout my career. This groomed me to embrace challenges instead of running from them.
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey definitely had an impact on me. It changed my perspective about how to approach a problem and come up with effective solutions. Also, it’s applicable to all aspects of life. It helped me harness the power of mindset and now, that’s what I do for other women like me.
Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?
One of my favorites quotes is “Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear” by George Addair. Facing fears has always unlocked the next level of my capabilities. In my experience, you don’t grow in your comfort zone. It takes facing the unknown and all the fear and uncertainty that comes with that and then being willing to do it afraid.
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
Because I’ve been fortunate enough to find my own levels of success, I’m now in a position to help other women find theirs. I founded Professionistas, a charity organization that provides professional attire to disadvantaged women as well as informal mentorship.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. According to this report, only about 31.7% of top executive positions across industries are held by women. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women. In your opinion and experience what is currently holding back women from leadership and management?
This may sound surprising, but the first thing that holds women back is confidence. A Harvard Business Review study found that women are obstructing their career progression due to a lack of confidence. It prevents them from pursuing higher-ranking positions even if they’re highly qualified. In stark contrast, the men interviewed did not even mention confidence as a factor in their career trajectory.
This might be intuitive to you but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become leaders and managers?
The first is I believe that women have very strong soft skills. In general, women are good at multitasking which is critical because typical leadership roles require you to look at situations through multiple lenses and engage multiple skillsets to resolve complex issues. It also puts you in a position to not become overly stressed by high demand work environments because as women, we’re more adept at juggling multiple priorities. We’re already wearing multiple hats at home as well as in the workplace. Female leaders often promote a more inclusive and equitable workplace. They tend to emphasize collaboration, mentorship, and work-life balance, creating a healthier and more supportive work environment for all employees. Women in leadership roles serve as role models and inspire the next generation of female leaders. Seeing women succeed in these positions encourages young women to pursue their own leadership ambitions, helping to balance gender representation over time.
Can you please share “5 Things We Need To Increase Women’s Engagement in Leadership and Management?”
1 . Creating mentorship opportunities for women in upper management. An example would be giving women the opportunity to shadow and learn from the experience of those in management positions. Getting a close behind the curtain view of what that entails is so helpful. When I went through an executive leadership program, I had the opportunity to shadow three seniors executive service members. They were at the highest levels of government, and this helped me envision myself in those positions. I was able to consider if I had what it took to be in the upper echelon of leadership. More women could benefit from experiences like this.
2 . You have to have diverse hiring panels. There needs to be fair and equitable representation within those hiring for positions at any organization. For example, for government positions, it’s required to have at least one woman and one minority on every hiring panel. This is something that would be helpful for more organizations in the private sector to implement.
3 . Leadership development trainings for women is also very important for the future of women in leadership. Here are three training areas I believe are crucial:
How to negotiate our salaries. For some reason, women tend to take what is offered to us rather than negotiate for what we deserve. So many of my friends in leadership find out too late that men in similar or lesser positions are making more money. But they did not negotiate their salaries.
Next is strategic thinking. How to navigate and lay out a global vision for a corporation or organization is a critical skill for leaders. Without a seat the table when the strategies are being developed, women aren’t getting exposure to the process. To contribute to the goals of an organization, it helps to be a part of setting those goals and the strategy to help achieve them.
Also key, is developing communication skills. As women, we often feel we have no voice and haven’t learned to speak up with confidence in leadership settings. We need to develop our confidence in this area and allow our voices to be heard.
A final barrier that needs to be addressed is a lack of flexibility in work schedules. Leaders don’t always have set hours, so a lot of women won’t put themselves up for advancement because they don’t have the same level of flexibility in their lives as their male counterparts. So, by being more creative with work hours, such as working some days from home or working outside of typical business hours, it would allow women to apply for and succeed in more leadership positions.
4 . Teaching leadership skills to young girls in middle and high school is lacking. Young girls need to begin to see themselves in management positions early in their lives. All the things I’m working to help women realize in their lives and careers now as adults would be a non-issue if it had started when they were young. Not having to play catchup as an adult would level the playing field with our male counterparts.
5. Networking Opportunities. Facilitating networking opportunities for women within and outside the organization can help them build valuable relationships and access new opportunities. This can include women’s leadership groups, industry conferences, and professional associations that focus on women’s advancement.
In your opinion, what systemic changes are needed to facilitate more equitable access for women to leadership roles?
I think I’ve covered a good deal of the barriers to women being placed in leadership positions and being set up for success. So, here are a few of the changes I believe need to be implemented on a broad scale:
Increased accountability and transparency within the ranks of leadership is key. We need to put systems in place that hold leaders accountable for meeting diversity goals through regular reporting and transparency in promotion and hiring practices.
There needs to be a transparent process for promoting executives from within the company ranks. It helps to establish and share the criteria for advancement making sure that it is clearly communicated throughout the organization and at all levels.
The final area where a wholesale change needs to be made is for corporations to implement bias training as part of their onboarding process. It’s incredible how much we learn about ourselves and our own implicit biases once we’ve had them identified. The goal is not to call out or target anyone, but to educate everyone about how their perspective on work and life is impacted by unconscious bias. Whether it’s gender, age, race, size, or so many others, we all have biases that can be eased if we are made aware of them.
What strategies have you found most effective in mentoring and supporting other women to pursue leadership positions?
There are a number of strategies I find effective and that help me with my clients and women I mentor. Here are a few:
The key to digging deep to unlock mental blocks that are holding women back is to build trust. Women who work with me need to be comfortable sharing their goals and dreams as well as their challenges. This way, we can create an action plan to move out of their fears and barriers and move into realizing their goals. It’s also helpful to establish trust so my clients will be open to constructive feedback and willing to make the changes necessary to improve.
As I mentioned earlier, leadership training for women in the corporate arena is critical. Providing opportunities for women to tackle their fears and build the essential skills to succeed as leaders is an important responsibility of decision makers at any organization. This will help women who aspire to be leaders build the necessary skills such as communications skills and strategic thinking skills for example.
I often help my mentees find networking opportunities that will allow them to connect with people in their industry. I also encourage them to join professional organizations that can create community and help them elevate their skillset.
Finally, I do what I can to help them increase their confidence. It could be encouraging them to take on challenging projects or increased leadership roles at work. As a result, they can continue to increase their confidence and self-esteem.
How would you advise a woman leader about how to navigate the challenges of being a woman in a leadership role within a male-dominated industry?
Navigating male-dominated industries as a woman is definitely challenging. Here’s what I would say to a woman I’m working with. First, I would encourage her to take stock of where she is in her life. To look back and see that she is worthy of where she is in her life and career. I would also make it clear to her that she has every right to be proud of herself and her accomplishments. This will help her continue to take on new challenges rather than run from them. Additionally, I would encourage her to seek out or build a network of other women professionals for support and community as she continues to grow in her life and career.
How do you balance the demand for authoritative leadership with the stereotypical expectations of female behavior in professional settings?
First and foremost, I practice authenticity and remain true to who I am regardless of the setting. I am confident, decisive and openly share my ideas and opinions. It is also essential for me that I lean into my strengths. For example, I am collaborative, empathetic, and detail oriented, so I use those attributes when I’m navigating personal and professional spaces. I’m also a good listener because it helps me understand and address any concerns my team members bring up. Finally, I try to lead by example. I never ask of anyone else something I would be willing to do myself. I’ve found that this approach helps me stay grounded while aspiring to continually grow and improve as a leader.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I would create the Community Champions Program. The goal would be to integrate volunteering into students’ education by making it a requirement for graduation, starting from elementary school through high school. This would instill a sense of civic responsibility, empathy, and community involvement among students. These are all the key elements needed to be an effective and fulfilled leader.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Email: info@soaringwolimits.com Website: www.elevateexpandexplore.com, Social Media Handles: https://www.facebook.com/monique.pearson.7
https://www.linkedin.com/in/monique-pearson-b4118b208/
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
About The Interviewer: Vanessa Ogle is a mom, entrepreneur, inventor, writer, and singer/songwriter. Vanessa’s talent in building world-class leadership teams focused on diversity, a culture of service, and innovation through inclusion allowed her to be one of the most acclaimed Latina CEO’s in the last 30 years. She collaborated with the world’s leading technology and content companies such as Netflix, Amazon, HBO, and Broadcom to bring innovative solutions to travelers and hotels around the world. Vanessa is the lead inventor on 120+ U.S. Patents. Accolades include: FAST 100, Entrepreneur 360 Best Companies, Inc. 500 and then another six times on the Inc. 5000. Vanessa was personally honored with Inc. 100 Female Founder’s Award, Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and Enterprising Women of the Year among others. Vanessa now spends her time sharing stories to inspire and give hope through articles, speaking engagements and music. In her spare time she writes and plays music in the Amazon best selling new band HigherHill, teaches surfing clinics, trains dogs, and cheers on her children.
Please connect with Vanessa here on linkedin and subscribe to her newsletter Unplugged as well as follow her on Substack, Instagram, Facebook, and X and of course on her website VanessaOgle.
