Written in partnership with Kody BoyeWorkforce transformation expert Hanaa Jimenez, explains how her consulting firm is empowering employees across America.
Image Credit: Hanaa Jimenez
It is common for employees to feel dispirited and powerless at work – just a small cog in a big machine – but one woman is setting out to change that. With a Doctor of Education degree in Transformational Leadership and a Prosci certification in change management, Hanaa Jimenez, Founder and CEO of Gold Cardinal Consulting, started her business with authenticity and empowerment at its heart.
Jimenez’ passion for empowerment is reflected in her own life. As a single mother before college graduation, she knew people believed the cards were stacked against her and that she wouldn’t be able to accomplish her goals in life. “I didn’t want my son to ever feel his existence kept me from doing something,” she says. “Rather, the birth of my son, and later my daughter, gave me the courage to pursue all that I wanted in life. I knew I had to show my children how you can be anything you want to be, not just tell them. People believe what you do rather than what you say.”
As a first generation American, daughter of two immigrants, Jimenez had to have vision and drive to make her life what she wanted. “My Mom was the first person on her side of the family to even graduate from high school,” she says. “The thought of owning your own business, especially as a woman, was just not on my radar growing up, but I got here.”
“There will always be naysayers who don’t support you, but don’t listen to them,” Jimenez says. “Their remarks may even be well meaning at times but more a reflection of their limiting beliefs. It’s absolutely possible to come from a very difficult upbringing or background and overcome those challenges. I believe pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and not being afraid of failing can make a big difference and creates the foundation for you to live a life of impact in a way that is meaningful and personal to you.”
The empowerment that Jimenez created in her own life is something that she takes into her business. “We want to empower our clients and their employees in a way that’s meaningful to them, not in a generic tick-the-box type way,” she says. “Real change in business comes from people thriving in their roles and feeling valued. This leads to increased staff retention, engagement and professional development, as well as process improvement and organizational efficiency and performance.”
Image Credit: Hanaa Jimenez
Founded three years ago, Gold Cardinal Consulting is named in homage to Jimenez’ native state Virginia’s state bird. “Yellow cardinals are also incredibly rare, one in a million, like us standing out from the competition,” says Jimenez. “I also wanted gold in the name to illustrate the golden standard we hold when acting for clients and providing highest quality service.”
These services range from DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility), change management to organizational design and employee professional development. It is a personalized approach that begins with a discovery phase, learning about the client and their needs. “Our change leadership program that we offer is always really transformational,” Jimenez says. “Employees like visibility and action on the part of their leaders so we provide some quick actions that leaders can take to enhance the overall experience of their employees and the organization as a whole.”
The people aspect is one of the most important to Jimenez. “We want the overall employee life cycle goals to be consistent and clear and understood, while offering support through programs and opportunities for growth too. We have an end vision that we co-create with each client and learning and development plays a hugely important role in getting there.”
“Sometimes learning development programs or courses can be very siloed and not necessarily cohesive. This means they can fall short when it comes to impact and then the top levels decide it wasn’t worth the investment. We design courses that are part of a bigger picture, tying employee goals to the company vision and making sure they feel like an integral part of the company journey.”
Jimenez often sees where current programs are falling short. “With employee development courses, the key part that is often overlooked is application,” she says. “An untapped potential that we notice is employees aren’t given the opportunities to apply what they’ve learned after the course is finished. Follow-through is key, to put new skills or practices into action and make a difference in their roles. Companies can really build application into the overall process to ensure people thrive and build on the skills they learned.”
As a role model to her children and own employees, Jimenez is embodying her message of empowerment. Instigating collaboration and coordination in companies across America, she is improving the lives of employees everywhere. Creating organizational and government diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility strategies and cross-government leadership programs are some of her proudest accomplishments. “We supported our clients with their diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility plans as well as implementation,” she says. “Addressing those systemic issues and making a difference at the individual, personal level was so rewarding.”
To find out more about Gold Cardinal Consulting, check out their website.
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