HIMPower Magazine January/February 2019 | Page 26

Marion Brooks: It’s exciting to help drive the people development, retention and recruitment strategy for so many people and to be in a position to help people maximize their impact, performance and potential. HimPower: What are your key messages to people when you promote diversity and inclusion? Marion Brooks: I coach on the impor- tance of emotional intelligence that accepts feedback, engaging mentors who will become sponsors, engage in an authentic way, finding someone who has done what you want to do. HimPower: What’s at the core of EI and why is it important for them to understand? Marion Brooks: Emotional intelligence is the key foundation to their success. According to research, 80% of your success will be based on EI and 20% on IQ. Think of this way, there are a lot of smart people out there, but not a lot of emotionally intelligent people. My definition of EI is “the ability to manage yourself and your environment more effectively to get better outcomes. HimPower: What You Don’t Know Is Hurting You is an extraordinary book and a lot of people are benefitting from what you’ve shared. Is there a way for them to get coaching and additional tools? Marion Brooks: I do 1:1 coaching with clients, teach workshops, and do key note speeches. I’m also launching an e-course in the first quarter of 2019. I’ll get back to you on when. 26  HimPower January/February 2019 HimPower: You must have a lot of people to look at your life and ask how you did it. How do you respond? Marion Brooks: I’ll tell you a short story. I was doing a presentation for executives and during the Q /A, one of them said he was so impressed with how successful I had become, that he hadn’t gone through a half of what I had gone through and he wanted to know how I had accomplished so much in spite of my experiences. I explained it was not in spite of, but because of what I had to go through that I had been able to accom- plish all that I have. If my parents had been the parents I wanted them to be, I wouldn’t have been raised by my grandparents. HimPower: Any parting thoughts for our readers? Marion Brooks: Always look for opportu- nities and lessons in your obstacles. What you focus on grows, the more you focus on the obstacle the bigger it gets. Shift your focus to what you learned from the situation, and you will move from what happened, to making things happen! HimPower: Is there anything we haven’t covered that you would like our readers to know? Marion Brooks: If it’s possible for me, it’s possible for them. Sometimes they just need access to information that will help them.  For more information on how to connect with Marion or purchase What You Don’t Know is Hurting You: 4 Keys to a Phenomenal Career, go to https://marionebrooks.com .