The Aloha Friday Newsletter

Happy happy Aloha Friday!

First off, Dana Mahina and Phoenix5th are now officially 8 YEARS old! Woo!

How cliched is it that I, as a solopreneur, only realized that I hit a major milestone of 8 years because a slew of friends and followers sent me congratulations via LinkedIn messages! I was too bogged down running an executive and leadership coaching business, running my women's coaching group Bloom, sitting on amazing and inspiring boards, and writing books like B is for Burnout, Not B*tch.

But all jokes (and shameless self-promotion) aside, thank you. I see you and I appreciate you all.

Remember fellow founders, when you are so head down in your business, even when you love what you do and do what you love, like I do, it's good to come up, look out and down and all around at all that you have achieved and take a moment to just be proud. Be proud of yourself! This sh** is not easy.

With that, I want to sincerely and profoundly thank all of you for believing in me, supporting me, and allowing me to help you accelerate your own life's transformation across your vital 5 facets: career, family, friendships, community, and wellbeing. It is truly an honor and privilege to be a little gust of wind beneath your wings. And to those of you who have referred your friends, family, friends, family, and trusted people to me to help guide them on their path, an especially deep and Hawaiian-style, Mahalo Nui Loa (Thank You Very Much). Helping women get to where they are going brings me so much joy and fulfillment. And I am so grateful that you believe in me and my work enough to entrust me with those people in your life.

So, here's to the next 8 years! May they be as inspiring and inspired as my first 8.

And a special shout-out to the incomparable Sonia! My right-hand for 8+ years. From our corporate days then to our wild out-of-the-box creation days now, we are truly a 1-2 punch.

I am forever grateful for you.

(Editor Sonia's note: My absolute pleasure. Here's to 8 more kick-a** years! 🎉🥂)

Dear Aunty Dana Mahina...

…I am starting to wonder, am I a project manager, a people manager, or both? I used to be a PM (project manager) only and was thriving. But now that I’ve been promoted, I’m not doing great at either and my employer isn’t happy with my performance. Should I not have taken the promotion?

Dear PPM, (Project and People Manager), thank you for asking this. I have seen this hundreds of times throughout my career as a people leader and as a leadership coach who develops high-performing leaders and teams.

Signs Point to Yes (maybe)

First, the hard truth. The answer is possibly, yes. Yes, you may have made a mistake taking the promotion. But before you close out this newsletter angry and dejected, this is not where my answer ends. 

Here’s the deal. Most humans are NOT good at both. In fact, from my experience, many salespeople, who are top performers, get promoted and start leading other salespeople, and guess what? They fail! (This is a little f in failure versus a big F here.)  

If you thrive on project management, most likely, you have an incredible and unique skill set, education, and credentials already. Although this is a little late now, but for the future and other readers who may be facing this type of dilemma, before you take the promotion, ask yourself, is it worth the extra money to have added stress, work hours, and people headaches that aren’t your jam? 

People are NOT projects and vice versa. Projects are great on deadlines, with milestones, and key deliverables, even changes managed by change orders and adjustments along the journey map with agility. So scrummy!  

People are chummy! They tend to like some structure and some looseness for creativity, individuality, and social connection time. We need to be motivated and clued in as to why the change needs to occur and the risks of not making said changes must be communicated early and often to us or we get spicey or sullen. Here, you are responsible for caring for and developing other human beings. 

Promotions Don’t Necessarily Move You Forward (Just Up)

Next, don’t assume that a promotion is an inherently good career move or trajectory for you. The fact that our modern corporate structure is built in a way that, oftentimes, the only way to move up the ladder is to become a people manager is so broken and dumb. But that is a rant for another time. 

Just because you move up the corporate ladder doesn’t mean that you are moving forward in a career that makes sense for you and what you want out of your life.

For those of you facing this dilemma now, if there isn’t any sort of advancement in your company that allows you to grow both professionally and financially without forcing you into a role that you know will hit all of your blindspots, leave! Start looking for a similar PM role at a different company that can offer you what you need while allowing you to grow and thrive in a way that makes sense for YOU.

Too Late? (Never)

But for you, dear PPM, you have already taken the promotion. What do you do now?

Well, you can also look for a new job at a company where you will be able to grow without being a people manager. But let’s say you like your company and your team or you can’t seem to find the sweet spot of pay, culture, and job description, so you’re deciding to stay. 

Ask for training! 

Leadership can absolutely be taught. However, if you’re already struggling, understand that this will be hard work and you will need to dedicate yourself to doing something that is not easy or natural for you. Still here? Okay. Then talk to your employer, boss, manager, or whoever makes sense and see if your company offers any stipends or coverage for taking leadership seminars, joining coaching groups (oh, hello Bloom), or hiring a leadership coach to help you grow as a leader in a way that makes sense for you! (And if money is tight, I have a plethora of free tools here.)

Be As Authentic as You Can

In order to thrive in today’s complex and over-scheduled world, we must stay true to ourselves and recognize our true gifts. The ideal, of course, is that we can advance in our careers in a way that makes sense for us, not in the way the corporate ladder forces us. By growing in a way that is authentic to us, we are set up for sustainable success which includes joy, productivity, and a healthy exchange of giving and receiving value for all that we do at work and in every other facet of our lives.

Have a question you’d like me to answer in the next newsletter? DM me or leave your question in the comments!

Tools to Embrace Your Joy and Lead Your Life

Until Next Time,