Increase Your Corporate IQ with Tangil Johnson | Ep. 269

Intro/Outro: You know what it is, that’s right. It’s time to talk money with your money, nerd and financial coach. Now tighten those purse strings and open those ears. It’s the money talk with Tiff podcast.

Tiffany Grant: Hey everyone. I am so excited because I have a very, very, very. special guest on today, um, Tangell Johnson. And if you’ve listened to the podcast for quite some time, I’ve talked about my career coach, um, quite a bit, and this is her.

So I’m so excited to have her on the line with me today and go over just. Some, uh, ways to navigate corporate and how she’s helped me and, you know, in her coaching business, um, navigate corporate pretty quickly and, you know, get raises and get promotions and just. Excel. Um, and so thank you so much, Tanjil, for coming on the show

Tangil Johnson: today.

Oh, thank you for having me. I’m super excited and terrified all at the same time.

Tiffany Grant: I know. I know. And y’all, this is her first time being interviewed on a podcast. So I am very, very honored to be the first one to present you to the Miss Tanjil Johnson. So let’s go ahead and hop right in for the audience.

So. You helped me tremendously in my corporate career, and I attribute a lot of my success to you, um, in that regard. And so, I just wanted to go over just some things that you’ve helped me with. So, for instance, the Smitty plan, the circle of five, you know, some of those concepts. So if you can share that with my audience, I think that would be very helpful.

Tangil Johnson: Sure, sure. No problem. So these are specific components to, um, a, um, eight week program that I have. Uh, it’s all based on something called the DN ontogeny, where we cover self awareness, self development, and self actualization and practice. Um, I originally had a business called dream makers. LLC. I have now reorganized that to become a program instead.

And my new company is Tandil Johnson Network, um, career by your career advising consultants. So to answer your question, Tiffany, um, a couple of the components to that program, uh, would be the circle of five. Um, you’re, have you heard that, you know, we’re only a few degrees, uh, separate from. Someone else, um mm-hmm.

what we say, um, here, that you’re only as good as your circle of five. So if you take a look at your current circle, um, let’s look at their finances and then examine your finances. And some cases you’ll find that y’all are about the same. So if they’re thriving, you’re probably thriving too. If they’re broke.

It probably broke too. So it’s important to build a circle of five and so what that means is first figuring out Who’s closest to you that provides you information that helps you excel normally when I ask that question in a coaching setting? They’re naming their parents, their best friends, because these people are closest to them.

And I always say, you never get rid of your circle of five, but you have to expand it. Almost like a tree, with branches. So, uh, a great example I have, um, in that regard is, I, um, have a son, one son. And when I moved to North Carolina, I was without my parents. My friends, my family, uh, and I had, I was married, but I had no support, and I ran across a young lady by the name of Phyllis Branch Thompson, and she was a phenomenal parent, and so, though I had my mom, I had my girlfriends from back in California, I now created another branch, uh, of parenting and I watched her, I asked her questions.

She invited me into her circle of parents and I became this super parent. Um, and what I took from that is not only could I do that with parenting, but Hey, I might want to finance friend. Now all of a sudden where I was maybe a little illiterate when it comes to finances, I knew more about finance. About budgeting.

Um, so I found another person I could do that with and her name is Kelly Griffey Rambo So she helped me get out of debt in two years. I was debt free. I could not believe it Um, right. So this is the importance of circle of five and I have transferred that information to those that are in corporate.

You’re trying to get somewhere in corporate. Maybe you’re, uh, at an entry level role and you want to get to middle management. There’s a way to do that by building your circle of five.

Tiffany Grant: Yes. Yes. And y’all, this has taken me back down memory lane. Cause I remember when me and Tangell did this exercise and I wrote all of my friends and she said, okay, now how much do you want?

to make. And so I put that number down and she’s like, now look at your circle. None of these people are making that much. And I was like, okay, light bulb moment. Because usually in my circle, I was the one that everybody was coming to. So then it’s like, okay, who do I go to when I have these questions and I need help?

And so, um, that was very transformational for me. And I share that whole circle of five concept. With everybody that I can in my class, on the podcast. If you, if you’ve been a long time listener, you’ve heard me say that before. And so, um, yes, I fully believe in that ism. It

Tangil Johnson: works. It works people. Try it.

Tiffany Grant: It does.

It really does. Okay. So we got the circle of five. So let’s talk about one of your other hallmarks as part of your program. And that is the Smitty plan. Um, I still have, yes, I still have my Smitty plan that we wrote way back when. And when I look back at it, I accomplished pretty much everything on it. So let’s talk to the audience about what a Smitty plan is and how they kind of construct that.

Tangil Johnson: Sure. So first, let me say. My maiden name is Smith and, uh, I’m two years married now, um, and loving it. Um, but the Smitty plan truly is based upon some principles that I. I got from my parents, to be honest. And so here it is. I’m putting it out there for the world and know that a book is coming on the Smitty plans.

So my parents, my father dropped out of high school at 9th grade. My mom, she completed her high school, but didn’t go any further, but they were some of the wisest. Mississippians that I know. And so, um, my father, very, very self confident, even with his ninth grade education, eventually he got his GED, but, uh, my father worked in transit for 35 years as a, uh, foreman for mechanics.

My mom was a dental assistant, uh, for many, many years until she retired. So what I’ve learned from my dad is to. always be confident. And starting with the Smitty plan, my mother gets credit for the first step, which is put God first and be positive. Some people that choose not to believe in God or they have other things that they glean from spiritually or whatever, put that there.

Um, but being positive is really where it starts. So many people will come up with the obstacles, uh, of what they can’t do and why they can’t do it. Instead of starting with a I’m going to believe that I can. I just need to know what to do. So, first step, be positive. Put God first. Number two, define your what.

This is one of the hardest steps for everyone. Why? Because they don’t want to make a mistake. What if I choose the wrong thing? What if that’s not what I really want to do? And so they sit there and fester on the what. You remember this Tiffany? And so what I say here is give yourself permission to explore your what.

Pick one thing, even if it seems ludicrous, even if it seems unreachable, choose it. Once you define what that is, step three is to do the research, do the research on what is required of you to achieve the what, you know, and honestly, this is where my dad gets credit because. I had this exact conversation with him when I was nine, and I was like, Dad, I’m never going to be anything.

Blah, blah, blah. And he said, you could be whatever you want to be. And he truly believed that. And I’m like, all right. I will say I want to be an astronaut. Okay. Um, and cause that’s far fetched. Right. And he said, okay. So do you know the requirements of what it takes to be an astronaut? No, Lisa, we’ll go and do your research.

So, hey, there’s my step three. Um, so I did the research. After you do the research, you got to have a plan, and that’s step four. This I attribute to my mother because my mother is the type that says, I don’t care what it is you’re trying to do. You got to have a plan. You got to write it down. And yes, there will be obstacles, but, you We know that life brings obstacles, so who cares?

We’re not going to focus on that. We’re going to focus on how do you execute your plan. So, um, how do you get around the obstacles? That’s the important thing. So, how do you get around obstacles? You plan it. You got a plan and you have to have a contingency plan. If this goes south, where do I go, you know, to get north and make my circle, whatever you got to do.

So, you got to write down your actionable steps. And then lastly, both parents have just, uh, with this. MJ term and Nike term and that’s just do it, just do it, quit procrastinating, get up off your panty and just do it. And that is it, in a nutshell. Yes,

Tiffany Grant: yes. And I will say so, Tangel took me through this whole process of everything that she just laid out.

And I had made a list. Oh, so back then I was like, Ooh, I want to be like the black Susie Orman, you know, a Dave Ramsey, so on and so forth. And so she’s like, okay, so read their books, figure out their story. And so that’s what I did. Now, of course, today I have different aspirations because yeah, but, um,

Tangil Johnson: Redefine her what?

Tiffany Grant: Exactly, exactly. So, um, but all of that to say. That is how I got, you know, on this trajectory of being a rock star and doing what I love to do, um, whether it was in corporate or out here as an entrepreneur, all these tangelisms,

have put me on this trajectory. And so, Y’all I’m telling you do exactly what she tells you to do. She does not miss, um, everybody that she has coached that I know of, um, has excelled tremendously, whether it was in career or in entrepreneurship. And so all of these things that she’s telling you free game, um, go ahead and do it.

Tangil Johnson: Go ahead and do it. Can I add one more thing? Because I do want to give a specific shout out one to my mom, Katherine Smith. And my dad, Harrison Smith. Thank you guys for the Smitty plan. For years, um, the guys in the yard called my dad Smitty, so that’s where it comes from. And if you guys do me one favor, if you take this…

And you do this with Tiffany’s teaching you all, um, when you walk by her or you walk by me, just yell out, Smitty, and we’ll know that you’re doing a Smitty plan. We know you’re working it. So, I just want to

Tiffany Grant: say that. Yes, yes, that would be so awesome if you all. If you all see me out and about, just be like, Smith.

Hey, first of all, I’ll know that you listened to this episode. And then second, second of all, I know that you’re taking the steps that you need to do in order to excel, whether it’s career or entrepreneurship. So with. That being said, though, um, let’s do one more thing. One more thing that if people are listening and they’re like, I want to make it to the next level in corporate, or I want to make it to the next level in my business.

What is something that they should be thinking about? Sure.

Tangil Johnson: So when coaching individuals, they always come with, Hey, can you do my resume? Hey, I want to go here. Um, I have to back people up, Tiffany, and start with who are you, you know, do you know who you are and do you know what your passions are? Do you know what your intrinsic rewards are?

Um, it is important for you to understand the whole you. You are the CEO of you. And if you treat yourself as a business, before you can make a plan, you got to understand what makes you tick, what makes you, Get excited and it goes beyond money. So that’s where I’m going to tell people to start do an inventory Do some introspection and do some inventory of who am I?

What do I enjoy? What are my passions? Okay, that’s the first place you

Tiffany Grant: start. Amen. Amen Yeah, and

Tangil Johnson: then the second thing is take a look at the playing fields you are now on life is They say life is but a dream, but life is really a game. Uh, we all out here trying to play the game in hands that we are dealt.

And so you gotta look at the field, the playing field that you are currently on. Are you in corporate? Are you in… Uh, manufacturing, are you in a plant environment? Are you in food service? Are you in hospitality? And then, if you are, once you pick whatever that is, the next question is, how does it operate?

How does that machine, that industry operate? So that you have a full view of Where you are kind of like the mall, Tiffany, you know, when you’re in the mall and you see the map and it says you are here and then they give you a whole map of the mall from top to bottom. You got to do that with where you are, where you work, because the tactics.

that you take or the plan that you make has to fit within the field that you’re on. So, once you determine your field and where you are, then you can figure out where you want to go. And maybe what you’ll find, let’s say the organization is flat. Maybe you’ll find there’s nowhere for you to go. So if you can’t navigate up and you can’t navigate across, Then the next step is you got to navigate out.

Tiffany Grant: That is a word. I’m over here and I’m feeling like I’m in church. I’m like,

but yes, that is so real though. That is so real. And you know, when you look at your environment, uh, whether that be in whatever industry you’re in and you see that this is not. Where like, there’s nowhere to go. I know. I remember you had coached me through an interview situation. Um, I was trying to get a position and one of the things I said in the interview was, you know, um, this is one of my goals.

I want to be a VP of HR. Like, I want to move up. And it just so happened that that particular position was looking for someone that was just going to stay in one position. And so I am so glad that they didn’t pick me for that reason, but it goes back to what Tangell said, and that is know where you’re trying to go, know who you are and stand firm on it.

Um, I was not heartbreak. Broken about not getting that position if there was going to be nowhere to go, you know Um, and so just stand on that information once you figure it out Uh, so i’m so glad that you said that now we can’t give people all the gems here today Okay, so if people were interested in finding out more about you or your podcast Uh, where could they find you?

Tangil Johnson: Well now that you mention it. Yes I’m going to actually do a podcast and it is called Your Corporate IQ. It was birthed with the idea that what I’ve done for the past 40 years from coast to coast and globally has been to try and help. All people, but with a special interest in people of color, helping them to get their foot in the door, how to navigate, how to move upward across or outward to their view of success.

I’ve been doing that my entire career and this podcast is really. an opportunity for me to do it publicly, uh, bring along some really powerful friends of mine, um, to help share their stories as well, because I’m not the only one, but it takes, they say a village, it does, it takes a village to help, help everyone, and as a person of color.

No one helped me In my years and when I say that I truly don’t mean no one but I didn’t have a coach. I didn’t have a mentor Um to help me Navigate so everything I learned I learned the hard way And so that is the purpose of this podcast so you can reach me at your corporate iq

At gmail dot com and simply tell me that you heard about me through Tiffany grants and then I will know where to go from

Tiffany Grant: there. Yes. Yes. Thank you so much. And y’all, I will have all of that information in the show notes. I highly, highly, highly recommend anything that Angel puts out or says, because like I’ve told y’all time and time again, every time I say career coach, this is who I’m talking about.

So now, you know, now the secret’s out. This is my plug. No.

Tangil Johnson: Oh my God. Thank And you know what’s scary about this, Tiffany, is as a coach, you’re happy to work behind the scenes, behind the scenes. So now, I’m coming out. I mean, I think we need to play a little, uh, what’s her name? Uh, Diana Ross. I’m coming out.

I’m coming out. Here it is.

Tiffany Grant: Right. Right. And I am so here for it, um, because I know that you can help so many people. So thank you so much for coming on the podcast today and coming out, um, with my audience. I am so honored. I appreciate it. Yes. And so, um, like I said, y’all, I will have all of that in the show notes.

So check those out and make sure you tap into her podcast and hit her up if you need help. So thank you so much, Tan Jill. And I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day. Thank

Tangil Johnson: you. And I have to say, Tiffany, I’m so proud of you. Oh my God. So proud of her. I remember I remember when she when she had her first job.

I’m just the tears are flowing. Don’t make me cry for the people. Yeah, I’m so proud of her. She is a powerhouse and equally. Let me say, if you haven’t hired her. Hire her and pay her type billing because she deserves it. Oh,

Tiffany Grant: thank you. She does. Thank you. And I’m like, don’t make me cry in front of the people.

But I appreciate you so much. And this was awesome. And I am so honored to be part of your circle. Um, thank you, Danjel. Bye. Bye. All

Tangil Johnson: righty, Tiffany. Bye bye.

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