Branding Room Only Interview with LaTanya Langley: Taking up Space

Hi Paula, it's just a pleasure to be sitting here with you having a conversation. Although we have many conversations, this one is one of my most exciting ones because we're talking about branding.

Well Paula, for me the personal brand is how do I communicate my unique values and gifts to the world. So I think it's a mix of my personality, my skills, my reputation, my expertise, my heart, and then how that translates in a way that helps me achieve both my personal and professional goals.

I'm an impact player, an influencer, and a disruptor.

Well, I am a preacher's kid, and so most of the quotes that I grew up with were from the Bible. So I guess I have to do two. One is from the Bible, Philippians 4:13: 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.' And then the other one is by David Thoreau: 'If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music he hears, however measured or far away.'

So hype song is two things. It's either this is what I need to go into a room and I know I'm about to kill it, with the song playing in my head, or I feel like crap today and I need something to lift me up. And it could be the same song or different. So what's your hype song? Believe it or not, I do not have a hype song. Yes, believe it or not, I am one that needs to be in total silence when there is a challenge or when I need to be hyped. I just total silence. So I would say that my hype song is white noise.

So most of the networks that I work on are LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X, but also the National Bar Association Commercial Law Section has a wonderful site where they give out information, and I'm very active on that site as well. And then also my internal company site, Yammer, is also another way to ensure that the brand is out there. And then frankly, I speak on a number of panels, I am very active in volunteerism and community service, and keynotes, articles, podcasts. Those are ways that I continue to build my personal brand.

Volunteerism is so critical because that is the opportunity for you to actually live your brand. You're going into your community, you're going into these organizations and places to serve, and that's the only place where people actually really understand who you are as a person because you're giving, you're giving back, you're taking the time to be involved in community initiatives. So I love volunteerism. I remember one special event for one of the community centers in my hometown. We had a game day where we literally just went, my company and a couple of leaders came with me, to go and just play with the children. And you could see the personalities and the brands come out immediately when you're playing dodgeball or you're playing basketball with the kids. And for me, just loving on them and spending time with them and seeing the joy on their faces really made me want to get back and spend more time and find opportunities to help support these programs. So again, volunteerism allows me to live my values.

Mistakes and learning and failing and trying again, and falling down and getting back up. I've evolved because I've gone from trying to prove myself to having a proven track record. And so I've gone from trying to create a brand to my brand speaking for itself. But that came over time. I had to make a lot of mistakes along the way, and I've had some amazing mentors and friends like you along the way who were willing to give me real feedback and to really help me recognize my brand at the time and where I needed to evolve. So that's how I got here.

I will tell you, I was amazed. My head of communication had to come up with language that described me for the press release that recently came out announcing my new role. And I had a conversation with her, and it just amazed me that she was able to describe me in the way that I would like to be viewed, again without a conversation. And the enduring themes were integrity, authenticity, trust, credibility, caring about people, and innovation. So again, to be able to have someone speak about you without even speaking to you is an indication that your brand is speaking for itself.

As it shifted. So when you went from company to company or from role to role, is there anything in that that you have a specific thought about the shift that occurred? I've had the opportunity to work with people from various cultures, religions, backgrounds. From my prior roles, I've traveled to uncharted territories and I practice law in high-risk markets. As a woman serving in these markets, I experienced a number of challenges that I had to manage. I've experienced hostility in a fraternity culture. I face explicit and implicit bias on a daily basis. So as a woman, especially a woman of color, I had to learn how to manage situations where my mere presence was being policed and tempered. And I also had to learn how to pivot in those markets and allow my teams to lead, and I become the support. So just as I had this brand as a trusted leader, I had to learn how to be a strong follower, and I had to be humble enough to allow my team to speak when I was in places where I could not speak. So of course I've had to pivot from being the lead, the head, front and center, to being able to fall back and allow others to lead. And I think that it takes a strong skill to be able to not only lead but to also be a strong follower.

I believe that being genuine is critical. No matter who you touch or talk to, they should always walk away feeling as if they had an opportunity to meet you, the real you. Teams need to trust you, they need to feel like they understand what's driving you. So I think your reputation alone will help you build the brand with your teams. So I always tell my teams to live your brand, whatever that is. And branding is reciprocal, so others will tell your story. So a lot of times, even before I enter the room, people at least have an idea of what they're going to get. So you have to be very clear and consistent about how you are landing with others, how you are showing up. And if you show up as yourself every time, then it's easy.

Some examples that I've seen even most recently is, I see a lot on LinkedIn a lot of times people post things that really reveal that they're actually tone-deaf, or they will post things that actually makes others think that they could potentially be racist, and if they're not. There's a lot of narcissism that I see on many social media arenas. And I've even seen people who are just not honest about their skills and their experience, and it's very easy to see through it. So again, I really stress how important it is to be sure that you're being authentic. Integrity goes a long way. And a real example, I spoke to someone most recently because I do mentor a lot, and I mentor people that I don't know, but if they reach out to me, I'm going to tell them the truth. One recent example was someone who, as soon as we started to talk, I could tell that they were trying to show me who their representative was, and it was very obvious that there was something more and something special about that person, but they were so guarded that it just didn't come out. So I just said to them, 'Who are you really? Tell me who you really are.' And they were shocked, like 'You really want to know who I am?' And it was at that moment where the person became vulnerable and shared their innermost thoughts and what drove them and what excited them, and that's when there was the connection. So I do think that some mistakes are written, but then there's also mistakes that you can see when you're talking and interviewing or just having a conversation with people about their brand.

Absolutely, absolutely. And people can see through the mask if they are connected, if they pay attention, if their spirit beings, they're going to see the mask.

Exactly. It's amazing how life can change your 'who you are,' not at the core, but how you would answer that question.

Ask questions. Go out and ask others what they think your brand is, and be willing to hear the answer because it's not easy sometimes. When you ask, you get feedback, and you should be getting feedback not only from colleagues and co-workers but ask your friends or ask the people that you grew up with from around the way. Ask maybe people that support you, and see if there's some consistent themes there, see if there's opportunities for growth and improvement. But be willing to ask for feedback and to listen, and address the good, the bad, the ugly.

Absolutely. So I'm a 20-plus year experienced global exec. I worked at both publicly traded and privately held companies. But I'm strategically focused, results oriented, I have deep experience in cross-border teams, I'm an engineer of people processes and programs. But the one thing that I've done that connects all of those roles is I've worked with brands, brands that people love, brands that people connect with, and in particular brands that involve wellness, making people happy and joyful. And that's been the theme from all of my companies, from Diageo to BIC to Edgewell. Joy has always been a theme and an experience for all of these companies. So for me, I'm very much attracted to, passionate about, and connected to companies where wellness, personal care, and joy are a part of their values. So that's my connection to these companies.

Joy for me is waking up every morning alive. But I also think that it's important to ensure that we are managing physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual stress. Stress is killing us. So for me, attending retreats, working out as much as I possibly can, it used to be every day, but now that I've become a new mom, I try to get a workout in at least three times a week. I make sure that I spend a lot of time unplugging and going offline so that I can reset and recharge. And I try to make sure that I tap into mindfulness and remaining centered and focused on faith-based therapy. So for me, happiness is about being healthy, learning when to draw the line when it comes to mental health and well-being, and then living my best life, being around people that I love and having fun with those that I'm very close to. And for those I don't know, that's what brings joy to me, is that balance and wellness.

Integrity, authenticity, credibility, and caring about people.

I think people will always come to hear me talk about taking up space and about owning it. I always talk about you are where you're supposed to be, and so when you walk into that room, you take up space and you own the fact that you're supposed to be there. And I do talk about that a lot, and I think people like to hear me talk about leaning in and owning your superpowers and the fact that you are where you belong. So I think that's my 'Standing Room Only.'

You can find me on LinkedIn. I respond to everyone who reaches out to me because I think everyone matters. So you can find me there.

This is what I'm talking about.

Thank you for having me.