Campus Series: Faye Hall Jackson – CEO of Self
Faye Hall Jackson formed a core value early in her life: regardless of where you are, you are always CEO of yourself.
It’s a belief her parents instilled in her. Passing that life ownership lesson on to her sales students is a major part of her mission as a Professor in the Department of Management, Sales, and Marketing at Tuskegee University. She helps students understand that you can fail, make mistakes, get back up, and even fail again. But if you constantly put in the work to make it better, the sky is the limit. That is what it means to be the CEO of your life, and that is precisely what it takes to succeed in professional sales.
On the latest Tech Sales is for Hustlers: Campus Series podcast, sales educator Faye Hall Jackson joins hosts Kristen Wisdorf and Libby Galatis for an engaging conversation. She reveals why she teaches students to value so much more then compensation in an initial sales job, how she teaches the concept of consultative sales, and why sales is not just about selling any longer.
Guest-At-A-Glance
Name: Faye Hall Jackson
What she does: She’s a Professor of Marketing and Sales at Tuskegee University.
Company: Tuskegee University
Noteworthy: Faye has a degree in food service management, an MBA in marketing, and a Ph.D. in nutrition and food science, emphasizing hospitality management.
Where to find Faye: LinkedIn
Key Insights
⚡ Regardless of where you are, you are always the CEO of yourself. How did Faye end up teaching sales and marketing at a prominent university? No, it wasn’t luck. It was hard work and dedication. Faye says that everyone is in charge of their own trajectory. You have to communicate your desires, your goals, your plans with others. Don’t be afraid to share your worth and flaunt your talents.
⚡ Why is consultative relationship-building important for sales? Luckily, the era of traditional door-to-door sales is now behind us. Faulty representation of sales has led many people to believe that selling is a bad word. But the negative connotation of sales is no longer valid because we are now in the space of consultative relationship-building sales. Rather than focusing on selling, we’re focusing on sharing value. Faye explains the importance of this approach, “There is a great deal of competition, and we do have to identify and define our points of differentiation as points of uniqueness, and we have to do it in such a way that is meaningful and value-creating for others.”
⚡ Learn as much as possible about a company before your job interview. To ensure a company falls in line with your personal values, always do your research before your interview. Faye asks all of her students to do a deep dive into the company’s website prior to every interview. Additionally, Google is a goldmine when it comes to value and mission statements, but also in case of any lawsuits. You can find out a lot about an organization in less than two clicks.
Episode Highlights
How to pick yourself up when you’re down? Just do it!
“Perfection is something that we constantly aspire towards, but we never reach. I think for me, the big thing is to share with the students that it’s okay not to be perfect every time, but it is not okay to refuse to grow and learn from the missteps. If we try something and it fails, and then we throw up our hands and give up, we’ve wasted time, we’ve wasted energy. If we take that challenging area and tweak it, assess it, reprove it and redo it, then what we have is not a waste of time, but an investment, a forwarding motion.
And so I like to teach, let’s invest in forward motion. Let’s constantly try. It’s okay to have a challenge, but we need to go back and look at how we can turn this into success. But it is not okay to give up.”
Choose a company that fits personal values
“It’s not just about a GPA and what is the compensation package. It also is about, ‘Is this company a good fit for me? Am I a good fit for them?’ Because for the company, they’re investing in, pouring into the student they’re hiring. This student, they’re giving up opportunities to go somewhere else, and they’re giving up two or three years of their lives.
And so we don’t want them to look as they’re giving it up, rather I want them to look at it as they’re investing. And the only way they can invest is to do their due diligence on the front end.”
Sales is not just about selling anymore
“I see now in my local area more positive consultations or applications of upselling functions. So with this new restaurant, the proprietor didn’t pass out flyers in the marketing spaces and stuff like that. Instead, the proprietor chose to practice his sales by partnering with other new businesses and then selling his product at their space. And I thought what a wonderful way not only to sell your business but to sell the community.”
The concept of sales for social impact
”However you define community, be a good citizen in that space. When we look at sales for social impact, we look at identifying who all of our stakeholders are. My place is in a rural economy. I’m very interested in bringing all folks, whether you’re in the city center or a rural community. So when we look at this social impact, sales for social impact, we look at diversity, we look at inclusion, we look at innovation, we look at ways to do good for ourselves while doing good for the community.”
Transcript:
[00:00:03] Libby Galatis: [00:00:03] Welcome back, hustlers, for another episode of memoryBlue’s Tech Sales is for Hustlers podcast Campus Series. I’m Libby Galatis, and I’m here with Kristen Wisdorf and today we have an exciting guest joining us, Dr. Faye Hall Jackson at Tuskegee University.
[00:00:48] Welcome Dr. Faye.
[00:00:50] Faye Hall Jackson: [00:00:50] Thank you.
[00:00:51] Libby Galatis: [00:00:51] So, today we were hoping to pick your brain a little bit, discuss a variety of different topics. But to start things off, we’re going to ask you the question that we ask all of our [00:01:00] guests and actually all the candidates that interview for memoryBlue. And that’s give us your 60-second snapshot.
[00:01:07] Tell us a bit about yourself and your elevator pitch. And we’ll start there.
[00:01:12] Faye Hall Jackson: [00:01:12] Okay. So, I am Faye Hall Jackson. I’m a full professor here at Tuskegee University, and I enjoy working with students getting them career ready. So, in a nutshell, that’s, that’s me. Tuskegee is home, been around the block a bit and settled right back in my native land to, to help the students here move forward.
[00:01:37] Libby Galatis: [00:01:37] That’s awesome. Well, you and I have that in common. I love working with students as well, and as a recruiter, giving them career opportunities. I’m interested to get to know your background a bit. Can you walk us a bit about how, you know, you landed in the role that you’re in today and a bit about your professional background prior to you starting?
[00:01:56] Faye Hall Jackson: [00:01:56] Okay. So, actually I am a foodie by [00:02:00] training. My undergraduate degree is in Food Service Management. My MBA is in Marketing. The PhD is in Nutrition and Food Science with an emphasis in Hospitality Management, and it really, everything connects together. You know, I’m an eclectic beam.
[00:02:19] And I think that that sales is for everyone. Everyone has the seller within and, and the way that we operationalize that really helps to define who we are. So, my background is very eclectic, but at its core is the human function, in that the function of meeting people, where they are and helping people to move forward and get better, whatever, getting better means to them.
[00:02:49] So, how I ended up teaching teaching sales really falls back to that MBA in Marketing. I’m part of the Sales and Marketing Faculty here, at Tuskegee was introduced to, to sales as a profession, actually through one of our corporate partners. And my brother is an entrepreneur and another brother is an entrepreneur.
[00:03:15] And then my parents always instilled in us that regardless of where you are, you are always CEO of self. And being CEO of self, really means that you are in charge of your trajectory. You are in charge of what mission accomplishment means for you. And in that there is a degree of establishing the face time and letting other people know your credentialing, your goals, your objectives, your talents, and the value that you add for them.
[00:03:52] So, a little bit about me in that round about way of how I ended up teaching sales. So, sales was not something that I just said, ”Ooh, me, me, me, me sales, sales.” No, that really wasn’t me. But in moving from opportunity to opportunity, the thing that was underlying that the current that still guided everything was that no one knew what I had to offer, unless I told them, unless I shared it. And that sharing, that telling that story is the marketing function. That’s the sales function.
[00:04:36] Libby Galatis: [00:04:36] I think about is a really incredible perspective because sales, I mean, this is a theme of, of obviously that the nature of the podcast is discussing professional sales, but sales is everywhere on an individual basis. I love that idea of you are in control of yourself. You’re the CEO of self. Tell us a bit about what it was like teaching your first two sales course You know, walk us through what that experience was [00:05:00] like and maybe what your goal was, what you wanted your students to walk away from after that first class experience with you.
[00:05:07] Faye Hall Jackson: [00:05:07] So, the first class, quite frankly, didn’t really go well. Yes, I could tell stories. We had a textbook. But the thing about sales and selling is that we can read a roadmap, but it doesn’t really gain appreciable value until we implement the roadmap. We follow the processes. So, the first time I taught it, it was very linear, very, very sequential chapter one, chapter two, chapter three, and so forth.
[00:05:41] We went through the, the selling process. When I taught it again, we were fortunate enough here in Tuskegee to, to have a retired alumnus, join us as an executive in residence who was a retired executive vice president in charge of [00:06:00] sales for a major company. And so, the two of us then team taught the course the next time. And when I tell you that there was a 180-degree difference, it was amazing because I could bring in the content curricular piece, and my counterpart could be in, bring in those other elements that said, ”You know, something. In real life, this is what happens.” In all the time, everyone doesn’t play fair. And, and, and here are some things that, that you can do to mitigate on the front end what this potential objection will be. So, that was great. And, and then, some of our corporate partners also offered a lot of sales education opportunities. I affiliated with facilitator Educator Association. And that was, that was wonderful.
[00:06:58] So, [00:07:00] but the class now has, has morphed. And the thing for me that, I think in, in all of this evolution that has been great, is that I have come to see that my passion place is in the sales for social impact space where, how can we use sales as a tool to positively engage and assist groups of individuals that perhaps have been disenfranchised individuals that are existing at the base of the, of the pyramid, so to speak.
[00:07:45] And so it doesn’t say that that everyone is going to be a millionaire. But it does say that particularly in some of our rural communities, we can equip individuals with technical sales [00:08:00] skills that will help them to reach a broader audience, and then also help them to sustain lifetime value of customers. And that’s important in, in that to me has been personally gratifying.
[00:08:19] Kristen Wisdorf: [00:08:19] Such a good lesson. The first thing you said, Faye, was that the first time you taught the class, it didn’t go well as your quote. And I think it’s a good lesson for any student or someone getting into sales to remember that the first time it might not go well, your first sale or your first prospect things might not go well. And that’s okay. It’s more about what are you going to do? Are you going to use your resources like you did to make it better the next time and not give up? And so you, yourself, are you, you’re such a good lesson and I guess an example of what to do when you just want to constantly work at things to make it better.
[00:08:58] So, how do you [00:09:00] prepare your students for those challenges that they’ll ultimately face? How do you prepare them to know that, ”Hey, not every sales process is going to go well.” And I guess, get them ready for that. I guess you could call it ”rejection” or “the tough side of sales”.
[00:09:17] Faye Hall Jackson: [00:09:17] I think preparation is, is just in planning and practicing. It’s, it’s a wonderful thing to, to be able to experience the challenges in the safe environment of the, of the classroom, through the class project, through the, through the, the small group case study that didn’t, that had some twists and turns.
[00:09:40] So, perfection is, is something that, that we constantly aspire towards and train for, but we ultimately really never reach. And, and, and so I think for me, the big thing is to share with the students that it’s okay [00:10:00] to not be perfect every time, but it is not okay to refuse to grow and learn from the missteps because if we simply try something and it fails, and then we throw up our hands and give up, we’ve wasted time.
[00:10:23] We’ve wasted energy. If we take that challenge area, and tweak it, assess it, reprove it and redo it, then, what we have is not a waste of time, but in investment, in forward motion. And so, I like to teach, ”Let’s invest in forward motion. Let’s constantly try.” So, it’s okay to, to have a challenge. But we need to go back and look at what’s going on with [00:11:00] this challenge, and how do we turn this into success. But it is not okay to just give up. In the classroom, to me, give students a safe Haven to try, be challenged, to fall, to fail, to get back up, try and try again. And the classroom is also a place where some students may come to the realization that this is not quite for me. And, and even when they come to that place and say, ”It’s not quite for me,” my counsel to them really becomes, “How can you fit yourself into this space” versus “Take your talents and go to a new playground.” And for everybody this is not the [00:12:00] profession to be in, but for those that persevere, it truly has great rewards. So long, a long answer to the question of how do you pick yourself up and do it, do it again, you just do it. I mean, that’s that’s just it. You, you just, you just do it.
[00:12:24] Libby Galatis: [00:12:24] That’s a great advice. I mean, with memoryBlue’s training program, it’s, it’s a combination of classroom style and application based, which is very similar to most sales courses, I would say. You know, you learn a concept and then you actually do an exercise, and you have to throw yourself in there. You have to get uncomfortable because in that discomfort that’s where growth happens.
[00:12:43] And I think your perspective just kind of your, your perspective on sales being an extremely practical and just, I mean, it’s just part of reality, you know? And I love that that’s kind of the energy that your students are receiving and getting that education from you and perspective [00:13:00] from you. What I’m curious about is prior to you, beginning your journey as a, as a sales professor and a sales educator, did you have any misconceptions or maybe negative ideas regarding the profession prior to that light bulb going off ,when you realized that that was what you wanted to pursue and what were those? You know, what, what walk us through kind of how you were able to break them down if you did have any.
[00:13:29] Faye Hall Jackson: [00:13:29] I’m pausing for a moment because we’re all very familiar with the Jim Carrey ”Liar, liar” persona. And you, you know, the, the story of the vacuum cleaner salesman who visits a house that’s two stories and sales a vacuum cleaner for the first floor and the second floor. So, you know, we’re already kind of familiar with, with those things that, that give the profession negative, negative [00:14:00] standing and negative of commentary. But, I think, now, we truly are, are really in this space of true consultative relationship building, selling. And, and, and so while the illustrations, the negative illustrations exist, I think the, the more positive illustrations are overpowering them. In, in, in the rural community where I live right now, there is a new restaurant that just opened and this restaurant is trying to provide healthy or healthier alternatives. So, no French fries were sold there. It’s going to be vegy reps and turkey this, you know, this, this kind of thing. And, and, and so the facility that it’s in, it’s okay. It’s [00:15:00] nothing spectacular. But the proprietor had to really decide how can I sail healthy living? And, you know, I just got distracted because something just stopped up here.
[00:15:35] Libby Galatis: [00:15:35] Oh, my goodness. Everyone’s dropping.
[00:15:43] Faye Hall Jackson: [00:15:43] So, I got disconnected and I don’t know really if I’m back yet.
[00:15:50] Libby Galatis: [00:15:50] Well, I can give you great. If you want to just start where you feel you left off, or maybe begin the answer over, they’re just going to cut out the part that fell through. They [00:16:00] edit it beautifully. You would never guess, you know, once they’re able to predict what happens.
[00:16:04] Faye Hall Jackson: [00:16:04] Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay, ’cause I actually gives me a second to, to really collect my thoughts there. But so, so to the, to, to the, to the point of, of how we move from the negative connotation to the more positive connotation in my personal experiences with it. I see now in my local area, more positive connotations or, or applications of upselling functions. So, if this new restaurant, then the person, the proprietor didn’t really pass out flyers in the marketing spaces and
[00:16:39] Kristen Wisdorf: [00:16:39] Caroline, could possibly
[00:16:40] Faye Hall Jackson: [00:16:40] stuff like that. And instead the proprietor chose to, to practice his sales by partnering with other new businesses. And then, selling his product at their space. And I just thought what a wonderful way, not only to sell [00:17:00] your business, but to sell the community.
[00:17:03] So. So, yes, some of these negative things did exist. I was exposed to them. I had to overcome them. But as, as I have evolved in, in, in this space, I truly see that if you learn to sell it, whether it be a soft sale or a more aggressive stance, if you aren’t, if you aren’t creating value, that’s it, then you aren’t selling. And so my perspective then has really changed from “Push, push. Sale, sale,” to value creation, to draw individuals back.
[00:18:03] [00:18:00] support-memoryblue-motionagency-io_2_05-25-2021_112648: [00:18:03] Well, continue on mute now.
[00:18:08] Faye Hall Jackson: [00:18:08] Okay. So, let me see, where did we go? Okay. So, the restaurant is just, it’s, it’s a new thing. And so the challenge there is positioning it to sell value instead of a “Push, push. Sale, sale.” And so, I think that’s making progress. And so we’ll just wait and see if the six months milestone and the end of the year milestone.
[00:18:30] If it’s still here, I hope it is because they make great food.
[00:18:34] Libby Galatis: [00:18:34] Yeah,
[00:18:39] Kristen Wisdorf: [00:18:39] So, Faye, in the interest of something you said earlier today, you said ”It’s an investment in forward motion.” You’ve mentioned now that when it comes to students or people in sales, not giving up. And I really liked that I want to circle back to what you said, ”Your passion is sales for social impact.”
[00:18:57] So, can you tell us a little bit about what that [00:19:00] means and what advice you might give to companies or people who are interested in working for, you know, companies and in a space where, you know, they can have some sort of impact in that way, whether it’s diversity and inclusion or, you know, moving forward?
[00:19:15] I’m very curious how you’re prepping the next leaders of sales and what advice you have for both companies and, you know, students alike?
[00:19:24] Faye Hall Jackson: [00:19:24] Yeah. Yeah. You know, my, my big thing, there is, ”Be a good citizen in, in whatever, however you define community for you. Be a good citizen in that space.” And so, when, when we look at it sales for social impact, we really look at identifying who all of our stakeholders are. So, you know, my, my places is in a rural economy.
[00:19:52] And so, I’m very much interested in, in bringing all folks to the, to the table, whether you’re in [00:20:00] city center that means you’re in a city with a big population of about 10,000 people, or you’re in a rural community that has population of about 300 people. They are still part of the part of the community.
[00:20:17] And, and so when, when we look at this social impact, then sales for social impact, we look at diversity, we look at inclusion, we look at innovation, we look at ways to, to, to do good for ourselves, while doing good for the community. So again, in, in the, in the rural community that, that, that I live in the interstate is far away.
[00:20:46] People deliberately come to our town and so we sell the history. We sell the culture of the town and we invite people to, to come in. When we [00:21:00] extend that invitation and people come in, we have then a duty is being a keeper of the, of the local culture to help them experience something genuine. We also have a duty to train them on what expectations are in this particular space.
[00:21:22] So, we have to sell the culture. And, and, and, and sell social responsibility in a space that creates value for them and creates value for us. Because when we look at this whole notion, and it’s not a notion, it’s who we are. When we look at this thing of, of, of all of us being together in every one getting there their part, we look at opportunities to, to share and sale. We also look at opportunities [00:22:00] to, to share the uniquenesses of who we are and to learn the uniquenesses of who others are. And so that’s why to me the whole realm of consultative relationship building sales is really, really important because there is a great deal of competition, and, and, and, and we really do have to identify and define our points of differentiation, our points of uniqueness. And we have to do it in such a way that is meaningful and, and value creating for, for others. So, just because I look and my passion place is, is, is social, social impact, it doesn’t mean that I get to thrust my values on you, but it does mean [00:23:00] that I get to share my values and hope that you then feel comfortable and confident enough to share yours with me.
[00:23:12] Libby Galatis: [00:23:12] I mean, your, your perspective is just so incredible. When you’re coaching your students, I’m not sure what, what level of seniority the students that you’re typically teaching are. But for those that are going into graduating, they’re considering and weighing out their options, what questions do you think they could ask an employer, a recruiter about their organization to ensure that the values that you’ve shared about diversity inclusion and making sure that that’s a focus? What questions do you think students should ask throughout their interview process to ensure that the companies are looking at fall in line with their own personal values?
[00:23:49] Faye Hall Jackson: [00:23:49] So, you know, what I, how I coach my students on that particular point truly is, before you even ask a question, [00:24:00] look at the websites, really troll down deep into it, flip through everything, because the, the, the value statement and the mission statement will be printed. But as you really do a deep dive into the website, you will be able to determine if that value and mission state, if those value and mission statements are lived, if they’re actualized. Because it’s one thing to have the flowery words to say it, and that’s a nice sound bite, but it is a another thing to truly, truly live it and demonstrate that yes, it’s so ok for us to make money because of we’re not doing that, we’re not in business. Right? But while we’re doing that, it also is a wonderful, personal expectation that you do no harm [00:25:00] to your community. And in fact, you make it better. So, even before we get to the real interview space, where I can ask questions, I ask my students to really do a deep dive on their website and then to actually go out into the internet and just google it.
[00:25:20] Because so much information is there. We’ll see information on, on the rosy things that the organizations are doing. We also see information on the lawsuits that are pending and, and, and, and we need to really look at that to help frame a holistic perspective on if this company is a good fit for the individual, because it’s not just about a GPA. And. What is the compensation package?
[00:25:58] It also is [00:26:00] about, ”Is this company a good fit for me? Am I a good fit for them?” Because for the company they’re investing in pouring into the student that they’re hiring. For this student, they’re giving up opportunities to go somewhere else and they’re, they’re giving up two or three years of their lives.
[00:26:24] And so, we don’t want them to look at they’re giving it up, rather I want them to look at it as they’re investing. And the only way they can really invest is to do their due diligence on the front end. And so, after they have all done all of that. And now we truly are at the at interview time, we are past the screening process. We’ve passed the first round. We’re now at the, at the meal function, you know, or where we’re now at the, at the, [00:27:00] we’re having this activity come in and see again. I encourage students to do the real-time look to see how individuals are engaging with one another. And then at this point, ask specifically, ”Your company is really great. And I’ve done this research and I see this accolade, this accolade, this accolade. How does that translate into good for your base, this community where you are now located?” And everybody should have an answer for it. And I see absolutely no harm and in asking that type of question and letting it open up another discussion, because again, remember the interview is two ways.
[00:27:53] The company is learning about them to see if they’re a good fit and the students now [00:28:00] it’s learning more about the company to see if they are a good fit for them. And so, I think our students that are moving into position to hire, should realize that they are more powerful than they think. And I think that they should, should own the power of the choice that they have to accept an offer or not. In part of that acceptance is figuring out if they’re a good match for each other.
[00:28:46] Libby Galatis: [00:28:46] I mean everything that you just shared, I related to it so much. Because as a recruiter, I mean, I work almost exclusively with undergraduate students, and I think this is a challenge that our entry-level representatives face when they first begin the role because they’re talking to [00:29:00] C-level executives. They’re trying to pitch solutions that they barely know themselves and, and speak at the same level and, and have the pride, you know, to see themselves in their role as equally important, you know, to any executive that they’re speaking with. But your anecdote that students as students have a lot of power in this relationship, as you’re interviewing a company, you’re, you’re getting to know them as much as they’re getting to know you.
[00:29:22] And the advice that I give students is, “Go into those interviews with two or three non-negotiables in mind for yourself, what needs to be in place within a company for you to know that it’s a fit for you and get all of the information that you can to ensure that those qualities exist in that position.”
[00:29:36] But going through that process with intention and preparing beforehand and you know, taking the advice given by leaders such as yourself, we’ll set them up for success in the future. And it’s a huge reason why this podcast exists to begin with. So, very helpful information.
[00:29:55] Kristen Wisdorf: [00:29:55] So, Faye, you started at Tuskegee as an undergrad, [00:30:00] and now you’ve been teaching there for going on 13 years, it looks like. So, it really is full circle for you. What do you think the future of you and Tuskegee University and teaching sales to your students is? What’s next for you and Tuskegee?
[00:30:18] Faye Hall Jackson: [00:30:18] Right Now I am a professor in the Department of Management Teaching and, and Sales and Marketing. And I really enjoyed this space. I’m a former department head and associate dean. Even served as acting dean for for a time here in the, in the college. But my passion place is working with our students.
[00:30:41] And so, I want to actually continue to, to work with them as I am kind of in the, in the fall season of my academic teaching, teaching career. I do look and ask the question, ”What’s next?” Well, I’m a new grandma now, you know, and I’m just like, ”Wow”. I am just [00:31:00] so, so ready to, to go in and love up on the love upon the grandbabies.
[00:31:05] I also am a primary caregiver for, for my parents. Both are in the winter of, of their lives. And so, there are several life things that, that took it. You, you know, I’m a mom and, and, and a wife. And so all of those things I do, and I live in addition to the work that I do with the students. So, so what’s next?
[00:31:34] I’m in such fertile ground here. In this, in this community. Rural access to rural healthcare is important to me. I work with the diabetes support group that my mom started. Diversity, inclusion innovation is critical to me. I’ve worked with a, you may have heard the name Carrie Broussard of, of cinderellaceo.com.
[00:31:57] I’m working with her on, on building [00:32:00] some, some, some virtual coursework that, that centers in this space. So. I think, how do we say what’s next proverbially? The sky is the limit. But when we tie it all up with a bow and we come back to the core, my core is people-centered and people-focused. My students are people. My grandbabies are people. My siblings are people.
[00:32:31] My husband is, is a person. Cinderellaceo is a group of people. The diabetes support group participants are individuals living with or nurturing individuals with this chronic disease all in this rural community. So, what’s next is nurturing my center in my core, which is people.
[00:33:02] [00:33:00] Libby Galatis: [00:33:02] We have a couple of fast questions to throw at you to wrap up the podcast today. The first one, that the first one I’m curious, what is your favorite book?
[00:33:16] Faye Hall Jackson: [00:33:16] I try to, I’m trying to think. Because see, I don’t do a whole bunch of of, of novels. I do, I do a lot of, of self-help. And, what if, you know. I’m, I’m looking at this book, that’s sitting it’s, it’s, it’s a Maxilla ”Keto Book” that I’m reading right now, that was gifted to me by, by my heart friend. And I have absolutely drawn a blank on it. That that just means I’m behind in my reading.
[00:33:51] Libby Galatis: [00:33:51] Well, that’s right.
[00:33:56] Kristen Wisdorf: [00:33:56] Next question. If you could [00:34:00] a billboard, if you could have a billboard anywhere in the world, where would it be and what would it say?
[00:34:10] Faye Hall Jackson: [00:34:10] Wow.
[00:34:15] A billboard anywhere in the world, what would it be in? What would it say? My billboard would, so I don’t know where it would be. It would be off the beaten path, but my billboard would say, ”You are prepared for such a time as this.” That’s what it would say. You know, most people and that’s wordy for a billboard.
[00:34:58] But most people [00:35:00] have like favorite colors and things. I have favorite words. And my favorite words are “simplicity,” “enjoy” because I don’t think it requires a lot to be fulfilled. And I think that when we find our center, we find our joy, even in the midst of chaos and confusion. If we can come back to center, we have joy and wherever we are, we are prepared for such a time it’s this.
[00:35:49] Libby Galatis: [00:35:49] I would love to drive by that billboard. Great suggestion. And our final question, we’re going to wrap things up now is what is the best advice you’ve ever been given and who gave it to you?
[00:36:10] [00:36:00] Faye Hall Jackson: [00:36:10] So my, my father has this. We have a family motto and it is, ”Do the right thing.” And, and so he would say to us, and he’s 91 now with advanced dementia, but his core is still there. And, and, and he would, he would say to us growing up, you know, ”Do the right thing”. When you do the right thing, the outcome will be okay.
[00:36:43] So it doesn’t mean that everything is rosy. But it does mean that it’ll be all right because you did all you could, you could do. And so I carry that. I carry that piece with [00:37:00] me and, and, and, you know, ironically, I will say to you I didn’t realize that I said this to my students, but one of my students who has achieved some deal of success and is ready to give back now to the University, calls me and says, ”Dr. Jackson, you know, I always wanted to be an entrepreneur. And you said to me, ‘Go get some experience first. Go train, and then do your thing.”’ And I was like, ”I said that?” You say, ”Yeah, you said that. And it’s paid off.”
[00:37:34] I was like, ”Wow. Okay. Okay.” So basically, I’m telling you, ”Keep learning, keep striving, keep doing, keep achieving.” And, and so that really just, it, it gave me the mama heartbeat and just made me make me burst open a little bit.
[00:37:56] Kristen Wisdorf: [00:37:56] That’s amazing. You’re preparing a whole, you know, [00:38:00] crew of students who are going off to do the right things. So, that’s great. Thank you for your your, I guess, stories today and your background. We really appreciate it.
[00:38:12] Faye Hall Jackson: [00:38:12] Thank you. This was fun. Let’s do it again.
[00:38:15] Libby Galatis: [00:38:15] Well, thank you so much again, Dr. Jackson, for joining us on the podcast. Hustlers big, be sure to download like, share and we look forward to the next episode here.