Joan Wright-Good is an award-winning CEO, international speaker, author, and personal and business leadership coach. She is a minister of the gospel, a dynamic leader and a strategic thinker.
Rolling out had the pleasure of speaking with Wright-Good about her work.
As a Black woman, what do you consider your superpower?
As a Black woman, my superpower is Godfidence, which is really the ability to transform others through my light and confidence in God. I allow those who come in contact with me to become wealthier, happier and fulfilled.
What key skills or qualities makes you unique as a Black female leader?
There are a few: my faith, consistency, dedication, hard work, love for people and growth. It’s these skillsets that motivate me to intentionally impact people positively. I am naturally a problem solver, who is always looking to find a solution to problematic situations — finding the beauty in everything.
What thoughtful or encouraging piece of advice would you give to your younger self?
It’s OK baby girl, wipe your tears, God will make you into the woman and mentor to others you wished you had for yourself.
Why is it important for Black women to lead or work in leadership roles and decision-making capacities?
It’s a numbers game. In 2016, Forbes announced the 50 most powerful women in business which was 99 percent white, with only one sister represented. Ann-Marie Campbell ranked No. 18, as the EVP of the Home Depot’s U.S. stores. Yes, we talk about the Oprahs, the Maxine Waterses, etc., however, the lack of Black women in top jobs stands out in corporate America. As a matter of fact, according to “Deloitte and the Alliance for Board Diversity, women and minorities occupied about 31 percent of the board seats of Fortune 500 companies in 2016.” I believe since women are by nature nurturers, it makes us some of the best mentors, leaders, and decision makers. To add to that, Black women are known for their survival skills and tenacity despite rejection which I believe is a perfect balance that makes us great leaders. While we wait for corporate America to catch on, I’m elated to see reports like Nielsen’s who in their latest consumer report revealed that, “despite institutional barriers that disproportionately separate Black women from venture capital, Black women-owned businesses are growing at a higher rate than other groups of women.” I am glad to be among that group. This was one of the reasons that I was inspired to create the Good Life Global Business and Relationship tour to educate, empower and build up new entrepreneurs who are mentored on winning both at home (in their relationship) and in the boardroom.
Why is it important for seasoned and experienced Black women to reach back and help younger women of color?
I think is important for this to happen because we learn from each other and learning produces growth. As women we share more likes than dislikes, our experiences create a common ground. Time, seasons and trends are the only lines of demarcation that separate us. As a matter of fact, there is a scripture in the Bible, Titus 2, which implores the older women to teach the younger women to be a woman of noble character. We become a stronger force when we apply the knowledge learned from those who’ve paved the way.
How do you feel about the hashtag #CollaborationOverCompetition? What qualities or values do you deem indispensable in your business partners and collaborators?
For me, collaboration is the mother of all successes while competition is the death of dreams and purposes. Unless you are the Golden State Warriors and the Lakers team, your objective should be to build others up not tear each other apart. The values that are indispensable to a business partner for me are trust, loyalty, and consistency.
What are your thoughts on taking risks? Making mistakes?
Nothing happens but stagnation in a comfort zone. In order to grow and achieve the success of any kind, we must take risks and one of the side effects of taking a leap and taking risks oftentimes is making mistakes. However, if we look for the dopeness in every situation we experience we will use our mistakes as learning lessons that will help us to win on our next attempt.
As a successful woman in business, what is your greatest or proudest achievement?
There are a few but a great way to incorporate them and amalgamate them into one is, turning my living room and $125 into a globally recognized business which allows me to make lots of money doing what I love to do. This allows me to leave track marks of hope and dopeness in everyone I meet, thrusting me into places I only dreamt of including standing in front of a US President and other great leaders, being honored by him in 2016 for impacting the community as a business leader while being a wife, mother, student and minister.
Who is your biggest inspiration? Why?
I think my biggest inspiration was my grand aunt who I grew up with, Aunt Ethel. She was my first example of a powerful superwoman. She was a Christian, an entrepreneur, owner of properties, a wife, a mother, and a mentor. She was black excellence. She taught me how to be cute handling the business while running my business. She was the first person to tell me that I had greatness in me.
If you could have any person in the world become your mentor, who would it be and why?
I have some of the best mentors in my life right now so unfortunately if I wanted another mentor it would not be a sister. If I could have any person in the world to mentor me, it would be Denzel Washington and it’s not for the reason you may be thinking. I have long admired how dedicated he is to his faith, his passion and gift of acting, and his financial consistency. While we can never truly know someone by what we read or see on the surface there is a certain assurance about Denzel’s stability as a husband and father and how he supports a charity that is easily detectable by his fruit. Washington supports roughly 19 charities globally and continues to support education and youth philanthropic endeavors annually.
