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Today’s post is for sharing. If you’re anything like me, you may have spent hours on the internet searching for “a day in the life of XXX,” looking for some idea of how to better plan your day. Throughout my working years, I searched for many “days in the life.” Whether I was working full-time while getting a degree, working full-time with a newborn, taking … Continue reading Day In The Life Of . . .
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It’s my last full day of vacation and I am listening to the waves crash onto the shore as I write this post. For the past six days, I have played on beach with my family, gotten water up my nose in the pool, played mini golf, eaten way too much ice cream, and laughed with my family daily. I still cooked meals and occasionally … Continue reading Take a Vacation!
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Earlier this month, I read an article about employees quitting their jobs. The past year of the pandemic and world being on locked gave a lot of people time to think. According to the article, all of that thinking had people make a tough decision: whether to continue at their jobs or leave. Many chose to leave and the prediction is that many more will … Continue reading “Work” Has Changed
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*Featured photo by Joel Muniz on Unsplash. It’s the last day of school in my area, and I was thinking about all of the activities the kids have done this year (remotely and in person). It got me thinking about the activities I had to complete throughout the various leadership programs in which I’ve participated. I noticed something about those moments: as soon as the … Continue reading A New Challenge
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Find out how literature and leadership connects. Continue reading Literature and Leadership
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Many of people saw the Gayle King interview with R. Kelly, as I did. Some people were shocked by the “explosive” part of the interview, and there were many analyses of what took place during that segment. As I watched it, I actually did not pay close attention to R. Kelly. I paid attention to Gayle King. I watched her basically remain still and composed, … Continue reading Handling Conflict
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“Our companies have not fully evolved to the point where they are willing to work with what we have to do.” That’s one of the many points that I made in this conversation with financial expert, Devora Ascott Black. I had a great time talking with her about women changing careers. In this podcast, Devora Black and I had a chance to discuss what it’s like … Continue reading Starts With a Dream: Career Change
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I recently recorded a podcast on helping women transition careers, and it made me think of a few points. We (society) still talk about women transitioning careers or advancing in work in a way in which we do not talk about men. While I believe that it has become easier for women to change careers than our mothers or grandmothers (for instance), it is still … Continue reading Working Women and Careers
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As the world becomes more fixated on dimensions of leadership, I began noticing the headlines suggesting ways in which leaders were thinking outside of the box. With one news article after another about a leader of an organization implementing the latest eye-catching policy, one major theme struck me. These weren’t leaders just doing things to make the front page. These leaders were doing things that … Continue reading Change, Improve, Thrive
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Stop the press! Did you know that people spend approximately 30% or more daydreaming? Let’s take it a step further: Did you know that daydreaming can be helpful to leaders? You read that right. Daydreaming. Letting your mind wander and create a new world of its own. Getting lost in your own thoughts. All of that can be helpful as a leader. Here’s why. . … Continue reading Do You Daydream? Good!
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Sleep. Rest. Often used interchangeably, most people understand what is meant when a person asks if you’ve had any sleep/rest? When someone uses one of these words, it is mainly to ask if the body, mind, and spirit has had a chance to relax (uninterrupted) in order to rejuvenate. We all know what rest/sleep looks like when we hear it. I can picture it now. … Continue reading When Do You Sleep?
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*Featured image by Pinterest Good morning leaders! I wanted to share one of my other writings with you. I regularly write for Triad Moms on Main and today’s post is about getting activities ready for St. Patrick’s Day for the kids. If you’ve got kids in the house, take a look at ways to get them active, while also learning about the holiday (truths, legends, … Continue reading St. Patrick’s Day Ideas
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If your dreams don’t scare you, then they’re not big enough. Have you ever heard this quote? I know I’ve heard this saying too many times to count, but to be honest with you, I never really knew how to dream big. Well last week I attempted an exercise that showed me just how big I could dream. Now, I didn’t get this exercise from … Continue reading Dream Big
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It’s month 10 of working from home (WFH) for me, and I believe that I have tried just about everything in order to make it fruitful. Unfortunately, life happens and when I think of a system that works, I have to change it again. Feel familiar? Paperwork gets mixed with laundry laying around. In the middle of making dinner, you get a phone call from … Continue reading Working From Home
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Recently, I was thinking about the hardest assignment I ever had and what it taught me. Have you ever had one of those? I compare those moments to my high school biology class. It was the hardest class for me, and I received the worst grade, but I ended up learning the most from that class because the teacher challenged me like no other. Well, … Continue reading Give Them What They Need
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*I am not being paid to review these products. These are all products that I have tried on my own and recommend. I recently wrote a piece on the ideas for Christmas gifts, so I decided to look at productivity tools this time. I’m usually a paper and pen person, but every now and then, I stumble across items that really change the way that … Continue reading Hooray for Productivity Tools!
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When it comes to solving a problem, there are various methods that a person can take. I would usually take a walk around my building and talk to myself about the issue. If anyone viewed the security cameras, they’d think I was talking to a ghost or an imaginary friend. I’d usually walk until I solved my problem or (if it was complex enough) came … Continue reading Virtual Problem-Solving
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I work in the field of adult education, overseeing a program that offers Adult Basic Education, Adult High School, and an ESL program. The majority of my students are Hispanic/Latina and African American women between the ages of 34 and 45. They work, take care of their children, and many of them care for elderly parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. Since my program, like most, … Continue reading Economic Equity & Fairness
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“I don’t want to do this anymore! I’m ready to plaaayyyyyy!” My son was no longer on the edge of a tantrum; he had fallen into the abyss. He was there. He had 20 minutes left until his schooling was finished and I just watched him fall out. Then I laughed. I know that sounds horrible as a parent, but that’s just where I was, … Continue reading You Have Permission
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How do you solve problems? I never really thought about it before, until I encountered a problem that I couldn’t solve on my own. That’s when it all changed for and it involved some trial and error. Before this happened, my problem-solving methods were pretty simple, but problematic. I encountered a problem, solved it without really talking to anyone, and moved on. If a problem arose … Continue reading How Do You Problem-Solve?
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Seven years ago, I interviewed for a job and was asked about my leadership beliefs. I began listing my beliefs, one by one, and the interviewer beamed from ear to ear, until I hit my last belief. I stated was that a leader should be transparent, and then I saw that smile get smaller and smaller. When I finished, the interviewer asked me to clarify … Continue reading The Transparent Leader
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*I am not paid by any organizations or businesses mentioned in this post. I enjoy discussing leadership from the perspective of it being a way of life. I remember being taught that leaders were “born, not made.” That seemed to be the motto of everyone I listened to throughout my childhood and teenage years. Then I began to meet people who were of a different … Continue reading Leadership for Life
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I did something on Friday (coffee and cake were included). I rested – on purpose. It was the most amazing feeling. For the past year, I’ve been working nonstop. When I’ve taken a day off of work, it was do something other than rest: take care of sick child, be with ill parent, or simply get my house in order because it was becoming chaotic. … Continue reading Time for Rest
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I recently gave a webinar on being an ethical leader during crisis. This was available for people in various positions, but the best part was that this webinar focused on practical steps to prepare oneself for leading during chaos. To be honest, leading ethically during a crisis isn’t too different from leading every day. One has to be intentional and strategic about it. As a … Continue reading Ethical Leadership Workbook
*a repost by Dr. Sydney Richardson from Triad Moms on Main I come from a family of entrepreneurs. My grandmother decided that she no longer wanted to be a maid, so she got her cosmetology license and opened her own salon. She retired when she was around 80 years old. My mother loved decorating and making flower arrangements, so she opened her own decorating business. … Continue reading How I Started My Business After Having Kids
Practical Of or concerned with the actual doing or use of something rather than with theory or ideas. (of an idea, plan, or method) likely to succeed or be effective in real circumstances; feasible. Whenever I presented seminars or workshops in the past, I was always complimented on how “practical” my methods were. As a matter of fact, “practical” is the one word everyone who … Continue reading Reintroduction
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I recently conducted a webinar on what it means to be an ethical leader during a crisis. The participants were engaged, questions were asked, and we focused on practical steps to take, ensuring that the tenets of ethical leadership and crisis management become one. It was great to think about how these characteristics get implemented every day. From the small decisions to the large one, … Continue reading Ethical Leadership: AHHH!
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Mentoring is a topic near and dear to my heart. I wish I could say that it’s important to me because I had a great mentor, then learned how to mentor, and have been a successful one ever since. However, that’s not the case. In the words of Sophia from The Golden Girls, “Picture it, Greensboro 2004.” I was asked to be a part of … Continue reading Establishing a Mentoring Program
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I had a conversation with a good friend of mine about the wonderful world of adulting. It’s so interesting how that word turned from a noun to a verb. Adulting is something that we actually perform. It’s a task or a set of tasks that we choose to do, or choose not to do every day. After performing a series of tasks everyday for an … Continue reading Do it scared
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Is there such a thing? There might be. I met with a good friend years ago who told me to end my work days at 5 pm and make sure to have a life after that. He had a good point and talked about doing things for myself after work and on the weekends. Early in my career, I worked on following his advice; however, … Continue reading Work/Life Balance
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A while ago, my daughter decided that she wanted to try knitting. I should have known that this would mean that she really wanted me to do it with her. I never had an interest in knitting, but many people in my family have a gift of crafting with their hands. Things like sewing, doing calligraphy, crocheting, cross-stitching, painting, etc. all came naturally to them … Continue reading What I Learned Through Knitting
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For a while now, I have joined two organic groups. We meet virtually every week and sometimes every two weeks. One group is with two other professional women (Dr. Krishauna Hines-Gaither and Dr. Shana LeGrant). We all work in some part of education and we all have side businesses (aka “side hustles”). From our virtual conversations, we give each other ideas on ways to move … Continue reading Practice Gratitude
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So, we’re going to go in a different direction today and focus on taking some semblance of control in the house. When it comes to leadership in the house, I always think of ways to make things easier and give myself some peace. During this year with COVID, jobs adjustments, children doing school from home, and limited options for going places, easy is important. First, … Continue reading Home Life
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I kept trying to think of appropriate titles for this post: Leading through Discomfort; Dealing with Disruption; and Leadership and Disruption. Nothing fit. I finally settled on Leading and Discomfort because, regardless of the fact that we are living through a pandemic, that in itself is not the discomfort (it is but it isn’t). The truth is that leading in general causes discomfort. Keeping up … Continue reading Leading and Discomfort
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I knew it was going to be a problem soon after I announced my pregnancy. A colleague made it clear that I could not have it all: motherhood and career. This has to change. Continue reading Challenging the Norm
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Mentoring and mentorship have long been a part of career growth. From entry level jobs through executive roles, mentorship was something that either happened naturally or was built into a job. In many of my roles, a mentorship either happened through connecting with someone or happened through a mentoring program (which was a little more formal). However, now it seems to be harder for newer … Continue reading Invest in a Mentor
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Dear fathers, Today is the day to celebrate you. Thank you to . . . The ones who make life fun. The role model, working to improve himself every day because he knows the little ones are watching. The ones who coach sports just to spend time with their children. The ones who give great advice late at night and early in the morning. The … Continue reading A Tribute to Fathers
Dear leaders, As work through the rest of the year, it’s important to think about our priorities for the rest of the year. Whether you’re a leader in your home, in the community, at work, or elsewhere, it’s important now more than ever to stop doing things that are unnecessary. Now, this has nothing to do with what you like to do. There are many … Continue reading Purpose Over Time
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Over the course of my life, I have received some great advice from a variety of people. However, there is one piece of advice that I have received over and over, at different points in my life. It was often worded differently depending on who said it, but it was essentially this: Stop waiting for someone to create the thing that you’re looking for. If … Continue reading The World Is Waiting on You!
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Don’t you just love surprise posts? This topic is too good to miss. With women businesses on the rise, especially minority women businesses, it’s important to know the who’s, why’s, and what’s. Let’s talk about women owned full-time and part-time (aka “side hustle”) businesses. Continue reading Let’s Talk Women Owned Businesses
For those of you who know me, you know that I’ve always wanted to play the piano. If ever there was an instrument that I loved, it was the piano. I loved the way a person, with just two hands, could create an orchestra. What intrigued me even more was the way a musician’s eyes would close as they felt the music and played flawlessly. … Continue reading Piano Playing and Leadership
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In light of recent (and collective) events, it’s important to know how to be a supportive leader. Oftentimes, support is seen as something a leader does to help an employee. However, the situations are pretty common: letting an employee leave early to attend a parent/teacher conference, allowing an employee to flex their time during a time-crunched week, helping a team member with his work when … Continue reading Be a Supportive Leader
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For this week’s post, I’ve decided to focus on leadership within parenting. My post below was originally published on Triad Moms on Main. It was 2 am when my eyes popped open. I could hear a faint moan coming from the other room and I knew that I had to get in there quickly. If I waited too long, that moan would turn into a … Continue reading Quality Time is Everything
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In our next feature of everyday leaders, I had the pleasure of interviewing Mrs. Wanda Allen-Abraha, JD. Mrs. Allen-Abraha serves as Director of Human Relations for the City of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She has served in this role for 19 years and works in legal areas such as Fair Housing Law, Landlord/Tenant Mediation, and Title VI (Limited English Proficiency compliance), in addition to the program … Continue reading A Leader in Her City and Community
Dear Mom, This isn’t a letter about your wonderful attributes during a pandemic. As a matter of fact, this is the last sentence you will read from me that references COVID-19. This is simply an appreciation letter to you and all that you do. A dear friend of mine once told me, “You are exactly the mother that your children need,” and it made my … Continue reading Happy Mother’s Day!
“Another way to be prepared is to think negatively. Yes, I’m a great optimist. but, when trying to make a decision, I often think of the worst-case scenario. I call it ‘the eaten by wolves factor.’ If I do something, what’s the most terrible thing that could happen? Would I be eaten by wolves? One thing that makes it possible to be an optimist, is … Continue reading Be Prepared
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I shared this same post on my RokAdviser blog and found it to be beneficial for career transitioners and leaders as well. Many times, as professionals move forward in life, they decide that it is time for an advanced degree. Regardless of the profession, there seems to be a rise in talk about getting doctorate degrees. Everyone has his or her own reason for getting … Continue reading Doctoral Studies Checklist
