Early career professionals face a challenging paradox: they need experience to get hired, but they need to get hired to gain experience. At Zayo, Early Career Program Manager Domonique Yarbrough has made it her mission to break this cycle and create pathways for emerging talent to thrive.
Domonique’s approach to talent development goes far beyond traditional internship programs. She focuses on three core principles that have transformed how Zayo nurtures its future leaders: authentic collaboration, holistic professional development, and empowering individuals to become the best version of themselves.
From Entrepreneur to Corporate Leader
Domonique’s journey to Zayo began with an unconventional path. After graduating from high school early and completing college in just two years, she was eager to climb the corporate ladder, but soon realized she needed to define what success meant for her personally.
“I was in a rush to grow up and be successful, without really having identified what success meant for myself,” Domonique explains. “At a really early age, not having the words to articulate what I was trying to build, I created my own space.”
This led her to become certified in teaching entrepreneurial mindset, academic, career, and life coaching. She started her own coaching business, driven by a desire to learn from others’ experiences and apply that entrepreneurial spirit within corporate environments.
The Power of Authentic Leadership
One of Domonique’s most distinctive qualities is her commitment to authenticity in leadership. Her colleagues consistently note how she brings her genuine self to every conversation, creating an environment where vulnerability becomes a strength, not a weakness.
“Early on in my career, I wasn’t honest about the challenges that I was having and being vulnerable about it. I thought it was a weakness,” she reflects. “Now in my role, I just like to show up authentically. If I need time to process a conversation, I’ll say that. If I don’t have the capacity for a project, I have to say no.”
This authentic approach extends to her work with early career professionals. By modeling vulnerability and boundary-setting, Domonique teaches emerging leaders that:
- Honesty about limitations builds trust
- Setting boundaries protects mental health
- Vulnerability creates deeper connections
- Authenticity inspires others to be genuine
Building Community Through Individual Connection
As a self-described “people-loving introvert,” Domonique has mastered the art of building meaningful stakeholder relationships across Zayo’s diverse teams. Her secret? Getting to know people holistically.
“I want to know who they are, why they are here, how long they’ve been here, what kind of work they do, what excites them,” she explains. “I want to know their dog’s name. I want to know their cat that fights plants during meetings.”
This personal approach transforms group dynamics. When Domonique enters cross-functional meetings, the pressure is reduced because she’s already built genuine connections with individual team members.
The Strength-Based Development Model
Central to Domonique’s internship program is the use of a strengths finder assessment for each participant. Every intern receives:
- A comprehensive strengths assessment book
- One-on-one coaching on their top five strengths
- Guidance on leveraging their strengths throughout their career
- Recognition of their innate abilities
“A lot of times we recognize our weaknesses and not so much our strengths,” Domonique notes. “Really just seeing that light bulb in their brains to recognize their own innate ability to be great is really fun.”
Transforming Corporate Culture Through Leadership Development
Domonique’s impact extends far beyond individual development. She’s working to bridge the gap in Zayo’s employee lifecycle by ensuring early career professionals receive the same caliber of leadership training as executives.
“My goal throughout my entire career has really been to bridge that gap and teach executive leadership skills to early career leaders,” she explains. “There should be no difference between the strategy of what we’re teaching early career and what we’re teaching our executives.”
Measurable Success
The results of Domonique’s approach speak for themselves:
- 16 interns extended to part-time positions while completing their education
- Visible transformation in intern confidence and capabilities from week one to week ten
- Executive leadership engagement with intimate conversations about their journeys
- Community building through activities like baseball games and driving range outings
The Future of Talent Development
Domonique’s vision for Zayo’s future extends beyond traditional internship programs. She’s focused on creating comprehensive development pathways for emerging leaders throughout the organization, from those with zero to ten years of experience.
“It’s one thing how do you bring an intern through the doors, but how do you keep them? How do you engage them? How do you help them move from an individual contributor to a director level role?” She asks. With these questions in mind, Domonique is furthering her program’s goals to encourage continuous development, create clear advancement pathways for emerging leaders, and transform organizational thinking about talent development.
Essential Advice for Leaders and Emerging Professionals
Domonique’s experience has taught her valuable lessons about effective leadership and career development:
For Hiring Managers and Leaders:
- Understand individual goals: Development isn’t one-size-fits-all
- Create growth opportunities: Stretch projects and executive presentations build confidence
- Be authentic about your journey: Share struggles and lessons learned
- Communicate openly: Early career professionals thrive with structure and frequent feedback
- Lead with servant leadership: Invest in people’s potential, not just business outcomes
For Interns and Early Career Professionals:
- Be curious: Ask questions and seek to understand
- Build your network: “Your net worth is your network”
- Maintain relationships: Follow connections on LinkedIn regardless of whether you stay
- Leverage opportunities: View each experience as a career catalyst
Your Network Is Your Net Worth
Domonique’s philosophy centers on the transformative power of authentic relationships and continuous development. By focusing on individual strengths, fostering genuine connections, and creating opportunities for growth, she’s not just helping early career professionals grow; she’s cultivating the next generation of leaders.