Tamica Williams went from relying on food pantries as a kid to leading the largest food bank in Georgia as CFO. She shares how she made the jump from teaching to accounting, built her career and why leadership is about showing up 100% no matter where you start.
00:00:03 --> 00:00:07 Welcome back to the diary of the CFO. Today I'm
00:00:07 --> 00:00:10 super delighted to have with me Tamica Williams.
00:00:11 --> 00:00:13 She is the chief financial officer of the Atlanta
00:00:13 --> 00:00:16 Community Food Bank, where she leads efforts
00:00:16 --> 00:00:19 to modernize financial operations and drive strategic
00:00:19 --> 00:00:22 growth. With other two decades of experience
00:00:22 --> 00:00:24 in accounting and finance, Tamica has built a
00:00:24 --> 00:00:27 reputation for her expertise in developing high
00:00:27 --> 00:00:30 -performing teams, improving processes, and aligning
00:00:30 --> 00:00:33 financial strategies with organizational goals.
00:00:33 --> 00:00:37 As a CPA and a certified internal auditor, CIA,
00:00:38 --> 00:00:40 Tamica has held leadership roles in banking,
00:00:41 --> 00:00:43 private wealth management, and private equity.
00:00:44 --> 00:00:46 Bring a wealth of knowledge to the nonprofit
00:00:46 --> 00:00:50 sector. Welcome to the show, Tamica. Thank you
00:00:50 --> 00:00:54 so much. I'm very happy to be here. Thank you,
00:00:54 --> 00:00:57 thank you, thank you. I love your experience
00:00:57 --> 00:01:00 and how you have worked in for profit before
00:01:00 --> 00:01:03 now coming into not for profit. So what initially
00:01:03 --> 00:01:07 draw you to accounting and then to not profit?
00:01:07 --> 00:01:10 How was your leadership journey until now? I
00:01:10 --> 00:01:14 started my working career in my 20s as a math
00:01:14 --> 00:01:17 and science teacher, and I thought that it was
00:01:17 --> 00:01:20 the right path for me at the time because I love
00:01:20 --> 00:01:24 information. But I soon found that I like information
00:01:24 --> 00:01:28 and I like utilizing information. So I found
00:01:28 --> 00:01:31 my way into accounting somewhere in my mid -20s.
00:01:31 --> 00:01:34 I all but scrapped a bachelor's degree in biology
00:01:34 --> 00:01:37 and a master's in education that I had and went
00:01:37 --> 00:01:39 back to school for a bachelor's in accounting
00:01:39 --> 00:01:42 and a master's in accounting. But I have worked
00:01:42 --> 00:01:46 in a few organizations over the years and I love
00:01:46 --> 00:01:49 accounting and finance at its core. In my private
00:01:49 --> 00:01:54 life, I had done volunteer work over the years
00:01:54 --> 00:01:58 with food pantries in my local area. And so that
00:01:58 --> 00:02:01 was a big part of my community work. And the
00:02:01 --> 00:02:04 opportunity at the food bank just seemed to bring
00:02:04 --> 00:02:07 both of those worlds together, my career world
00:02:07 --> 00:02:12 and my personal endeavor world. Wow. That is
00:02:12 --> 00:02:15 amazing. Such a, like, that's like matchmaking.
00:02:16 --> 00:02:18 Now, tell me why were you... first involved with
00:02:18 --> 00:02:20 the food bank? Because, you know, when we think
00:02:20 --> 00:02:22 about volunteer work and non -for -profit, I
00:02:22 --> 00:02:25 always find out that the cause you volunteered
00:02:25 --> 00:02:28 with and for over a long period of time probably
00:02:28 --> 00:02:30 have something to do with, probably resonate
00:02:30 --> 00:02:33 with something in your life. So why volunteer
00:02:33 --> 00:02:35 with food banks in the first place? Well, I'm
00:02:35 --> 00:02:38 a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated,
00:02:38 --> 00:02:40 the noon and graduate chapter, and we do a lot
00:02:40 --> 00:02:43 of volunteer work in the community. And work
00:02:43 --> 00:02:45 at the food pantries is just a piece of that,
00:02:45 --> 00:02:50 but Going back in my life, I come from what you
00:02:50 --> 00:02:52 would call a disadvantaged background. And my
00:02:52 --> 00:02:56 family in the late 80s, early 90s took advantage
00:02:56 --> 00:03:01 of opportunities to obtain food from food pantries,
00:03:01 --> 00:03:05 from churches, et cetera. That has remained with
00:03:05 --> 00:03:08 me over the years. And now that I'm in a place
00:03:08 --> 00:03:10 in my life to give back, I like to give back
00:03:10 --> 00:03:13 to those types of causes, like you said, that
00:03:13 --> 00:03:16 resonate with something in my past. the food
00:03:16 --> 00:03:21 bank does. Wow, that is so inspiring because
00:03:21 --> 00:03:24 coming from a place of needing a food pantry
00:03:24 --> 00:03:28 service, so now leading finance, not just any
00:03:28 --> 00:03:31 area, finance at a food bank, that must be full
00:03:31 --> 00:03:34 circle for you. It does feel full circle and
00:03:34 --> 00:03:37 I'm very excited about the opportunity to do
00:03:37 --> 00:03:39 that, to lead the food bank in the area of finance.
00:03:40 --> 00:03:43 Like you said, it's kind of a match of both worlds.
00:03:43 --> 00:03:48 Yes. Yes. So what would you say if someone feels
00:03:48 --> 00:03:51 like they also come from a disadvantaged background
00:03:51 --> 00:03:54 and they may not have the right connections or
00:03:54 --> 00:03:57 background to move in your career, to take the
00:03:57 --> 00:03:59 steps you took, right? Because I'm originally
00:03:59 --> 00:04:03 from West Africa, Ivory Coast. And sometimes
00:04:03 --> 00:04:06 when you don't see that model in your family
00:04:06 --> 00:04:09 and around you, it's hard for you to... see yourself
00:04:09 --> 00:04:12 and then start moving toward those things. So
00:04:12 --> 00:04:15 what would be your advice for someone like that?
00:04:16 --> 00:04:19 You know, it took me many years to kind of come
00:04:19 --> 00:04:22 to this conclusion. And when I went to college,
00:04:23 --> 00:04:25 you know, it was a huge eye opener for me. You
00:04:25 --> 00:04:28 know, I came along in the 90s and at that time,
00:04:28 --> 00:04:30 you know, the Cosby show was on television, A
00:04:30 --> 00:04:33 Different World. And there was this big push,
00:04:33 --> 00:04:35 you know, college was the answer, you know. So
00:04:35 --> 00:04:37 when I went to college, it really was a different
00:04:37 --> 00:04:41 world for me. And I was able to be exposed to
00:04:41 --> 00:04:44 different people. And I realized that, for the
00:04:44 --> 00:04:48 most part, your background is irrelevant. Everything
00:04:48 --> 00:04:51 that you want to accomplish, those things that
00:04:51 --> 00:04:54 you want to have, that you want to achieve, are
00:04:54 --> 00:04:57 really dependent on what you're willing to do
00:04:57 --> 00:05:00 in your present and in your future. No matter
00:05:00 --> 00:05:04 your background. Focus on your present and your
00:05:04 --> 00:05:06 future. Start making those changes. And that's
00:05:06 --> 00:05:08 what I did. I had to make small changes in my
00:05:08 --> 00:05:12 life over time that built into a different set
00:05:12 --> 00:05:16 of habits that eventually got me to a different
00:05:16 --> 00:05:20 place in life. That's amazing. And I like how
00:05:20 --> 00:05:23 you said, you start pretty small, right? You
00:05:23 --> 00:05:27 start with a different set of habits, right?
00:05:27 --> 00:05:29 Because that's really what will help you do the
00:05:29 --> 00:05:32 long -term change we all want to see. So what
00:05:32 --> 00:05:35 would you say are some of the habits that helped
00:05:35 --> 00:05:38 you in that way? Like I said, it's going to be
00:05:38 --> 00:05:41 starting with the small things. Whatever you're
00:05:41 --> 00:05:45 doing, do it 100%. Do not do it 80 % and stop.
00:05:45 --> 00:05:48 Even if it's just cleaning up around the house,
00:05:48 --> 00:05:53 100%. Everything at 100%, the smallest task.
00:05:53 --> 00:05:56 If you're outside and you see trash on the street,
00:05:57 --> 00:05:59 and you walk by it. If it's something that you
00:05:59 --> 00:06:01 can pick up and easily throw away, then do that.
00:06:02 --> 00:06:06 Just the smallest habits. And those small habits
00:06:06 --> 00:06:09 turn into bigger habits that can really impact
00:06:09 --> 00:06:12 your life. Wow. And now that you're a CFO of
00:06:12 --> 00:06:15 the Atlanta Community Food Bank, what's the most
00:06:15 --> 00:06:17 exciting part about the role so far? Or maybe
00:06:17 --> 00:06:20 what was the biggest adjustment? You know, the
00:06:20 --> 00:06:23 most exciting part about the role is... The same
00:06:23 --> 00:06:26 thing that has excited me throughout my accounting
00:06:26 --> 00:06:30 career. I love information and I love problem
00:06:30 --> 00:06:33 solving. And every day that I wake up, I feel
00:06:33 --> 00:06:37 like I'm ready to solve a challenging crossword
00:06:37 --> 00:06:42 puzzle or a challenging Sudoku puzzle. And so
00:06:42 --> 00:06:45 I walk into work ready for those puzzles, ready
00:06:45 --> 00:06:48 for those problems, and I leave every day with
00:06:48 --> 00:06:51 a sense of accomplishment. That is the excitement.
00:06:51 --> 00:06:55 Each day of more than 20 years, I still approach
00:06:55 --> 00:06:59 each day of work with that problem solving puzzle
00:06:59 --> 00:07:02 mindset. And it's exciting for me. That's awesome,
00:07:02 --> 00:07:04 because I used to think that accounting was going
00:07:04 --> 00:07:09 to be boring. And 15 years later, I'm still looking
00:07:09 --> 00:07:13 to be bored. Yes, it's definitely not boring.
00:07:13 --> 00:07:16 There's a huge misconception out there for those
00:07:16 --> 00:07:19 that do not work in accounting and finance. They
00:07:19 --> 00:07:21 think that you're kind of just sitting there
00:07:21 --> 00:07:24 crunching numbers. And for the most part, you
00:07:24 --> 00:07:27 might do some of that in the beginning, but that
00:07:27 --> 00:07:31 is the preparation for the problem solving, the
00:07:31 --> 00:07:35 solutions oriented roles that you will move into.
00:07:35 --> 00:07:40 And that is very much what the CFO role is. It
00:07:40 --> 00:07:44 is a solutions oriented role. Wow. And for you
00:07:44 --> 00:07:47 getting to the CFO level, what would you say
00:07:47 --> 00:07:51 was the biggest adjustment for you? So between
00:07:51 --> 00:07:55 working in accounting and all the compliance
00:07:55 --> 00:07:57 and stuff, what was the biggest adjustment for
00:07:57 --> 00:08:01 you? I think the biggest adjustment was time
00:08:01 --> 00:08:06 management. There is a different level to the
00:08:06 --> 00:08:09 time management skills that you must have when
00:08:09 --> 00:08:13 you work in accounting. I think when I was a
00:08:13 --> 00:08:17 freshman in college, my first semester was horrible.
00:08:17 --> 00:08:22 I had no time management skills and I approached
00:08:22 --> 00:08:24 everything with the same mindset that I did in
00:08:24 --> 00:08:27 high school and at the end of that first semester
00:08:27 --> 00:08:30 I realized that you know what got me here won't
00:08:30 --> 00:08:33 get me there. I was in the bookstore one day
00:08:33 --> 00:08:37 and there was a huge stack of calendar planners
00:08:37 --> 00:08:40 just there for free so I took one and began to
00:08:40 --> 00:08:44 use it and that planner changed my life and I
00:08:44 --> 00:08:48 have used a paper calendar over, gosh, 20 plus
00:08:48 --> 00:08:51 years. I still use one today. But in addition
00:08:51 --> 00:08:54 to that, I use my Outlook calendar for work.
00:08:54 --> 00:08:58 And I approach my time management in much the
00:08:58 --> 00:09:01 same way that a nonprofit organization would
00:09:01 --> 00:09:04 approach zero -based budgeting. I zero -based
00:09:04 --> 00:09:06 budget my time. So if you open my Outlook, you
00:09:06 --> 00:09:10 will see that almost every block of a 30 -minute
00:09:10 --> 00:09:13 segment is booked towards something, whether
00:09:13 --> 00:09:17 it be... a report that I need to work on, follow
00:09:17 --> 00:09:21 up on a task, a meeting. I try to utilize all
00:09:21 --> 00:09:25 of that time and calendar, calendar, calendar.
00:09:25 --> 00:09:28 If you ask me something now and I say, oh, I'll
00:09:28 --> 00:09:31 look into that next week, I will go out to my
00:09:31 --> 00:09:33 Outlook and put a 30 -minute block out there
00:09:33 --> 00:09:36 to look into whatever that is so that I don't
00:09:36 --> 00:09:39 forget it and make sure to get back to you. I
00:09:39 --> 00:09:42 do the same. And a couple years ago, I discovered
00:09:42 --> 00:09:46 how you can drag an email into your calendar.
00:09:46 --> 00:09:49 Oh my God, that's like my favorite friend. Yes,
00:09:49 --> 00:09:53 it's a game changer. Now you mentioned you approach
00:09:53 --> 00:09:56 it as zero -based budget as non -for -profit
00:09:56 --> 00:10:00 do. Can you please speak more to that? Because
00:10:00 --> 00:10:03 sometimes I think that not many people realize
00:10:03 --> 00:10:06 the difference between corporate finance working
00:10:06 --> 00:10:08 for a for -profit versus a non -for -profit.
00:10:09 --> 00:10:11 especially when it comes to budgeting and planning.
00:10:11 --> 00:10:15 So since you work in both sectors, what are the
00:10:15 --> 00:10:19 key differences? How is the budget different
00:10:19 --> 00:10:21 when you're dealing with a not -for -profit versus
00:10:21 --> 00:10:24 a for -profit? I think the key difference lies
00:10:24 --> 00:10:29 with your stakeholders. So in a for -profit organization,
00:10:29 --> 00:10:32 of course, the goal is always to maximize profits.
00:10:33 --> 00:10:37 And in a non -profit organization, the goal is
00:10:37 --> 00:10:41 to maximize mission and impact. When it comes
00:10:41 --> 00:10:44 to the finances of a nonprofit organization,
00:10:44 --> 00:10:49 you want to manage your budget so that you can
00:10:49 --> 00:10:55 maximize your mission and impact while minimizing
00:10:55 --> 00:10:59 expense. Because a nonprofit organization is
00:10:59 --> 00:11:04 going to have just so much revenues coming in
00:11:04 --> 00:11:07 from grants, from donations, from whatever other
00:11:07 --> 00:11:12 sources. And the goal is to maximize the use
00:11:12 --> 00:11:15 of that revenue towards your mission and your
00:11:15 --> 00:11:18 impact. And so it's a delicate balance. The budget
00:11:18 --> 00:11:23 process is it can be a tedious process, but you
00:11:23 --> 00:11:27 have to keep that delicate balance in mind. And
00:11:27 --> 00:11:30 something that we're doing at the food bank right
00:11:30 --> 00:11:35 now that's fairly new is somewhat of a more inclusive
00:11:35 --> 00:11:38 budgeting process in which I am working directly
00:11:38 --> 00:11:41 with my stakeholders within the business, so
00:11:41 --> 00:11:46 to speak. So my ELT, my managers, my directors,
00:11:46 --> 00:11:50 I am working with them hands on for the next
00:11:50 --> 00:11:56 fiscal year budget. And so far so good. You know,
00:11:56 --> 00:12:00 it has been an eye opening experience for them.
00:12:01 --> 00:12:02 those that have never been involved in the budgeting
00:12:02 --> 00:12:06 process before. However, it gives them an opportunity
00:12:06 --> 00:12:10 to be hands on with the finances that they will
00:12:10 --> 00:12:14 be held accountable to as we work through the
00:12:14 --> 00:12:18 next fiscal year. And I think that that experience
00:12:18 --> 00:12:22 is going to motivate them to adhere to the budget,
00:12:23 --> 00:12:27 to maximize our revenues, minimize expenses,
00:12:28 --> 00:12:32 to make a greater impact. on our community. That's
00:12:32 --> 00:12:36 awesome. And I think now, especially with the
00:12:36 --> 00:12:38 political climate, the things that are changing
00:12:38 --> 00:12:41 in the economy, the policy changes, it's so important
00:12:41 --> 00:12:44 to be in tune with what the programs, the businesses
00:12:44 --> 00:12:47 are, whether you're in a not for profit or not.
00:12:48 --> 00:12:51 So what you're doing is so important. But what
00:12:51 --> 00:12:53 would you say are some of the things you kind
00:12:53 --> 00:12:57 of had to educate or lead change for them? Because
00:12:57 --> 00:13:00 it's like from finance handling all of it, now
00:13:00 --> 00:13:02 I'm involved. So maybe I'm scared. Maybe I don't
00:13:02 --> 00:13:05 know how to do it. Maybe I don't want to do it.
00:13:05 --> 00:13:08 Like how, what has been your experience? What
00:13:08 --> 00:13:10 may be some best practice you want to share for
00:13:10 --> 00:13:12 somebody starting something like you do it now?
00:13:12 --> 00:13:16 I think the best practice would be to approach
00:13:17 --> 00:13:21 what you are doing with a mindset of innovation
00:13:21 --> 00:13:25 and adaptability. And innovation, of course,
00:13:26 --> 00:13:30 includes technology, but I think the use of technology
00:13:30 --> 00:13:34 is much broader or can be much broader than it
00:13:34 --> 00:13:37 used to be. So, for example, if you had asked
00:13:37 --> 00:13:40 me in the early 2000s when I started my career,
00:13:41 --> 00:13:44 kind of what would be the most important skill?
00:13:45 --> 00:13:48 or non -financial skill for someone in accounting,
00:13:48 --> 00:13:51 the default answer would be technology. But now
00:13:51 --> 00:13:54 technology falls under a much broader umbrella
00:13:54 --> 00:13:59 of innovation. And so the key is to use technology
00:13:59 --> 00:14:04 as a tool to solve problems, to implement new
00:14:04 --> 00:14:08 ideas, to implement new ways of working and doing
00:14:08 --> 00:14:12 things, new ways of providing information, and
00:14:12 --> 00:14:16 Working in a nonprofit, I have found that being
00:14:16 --> 00:14:19 innovative with the technology that you have
00:14:19 --> 00:14:23 is probably the greatest skill that you could
00:14:23 --> 00:14:26 bring to an organization. You know, as you know,
00:14:26 --> 00:14:29 as we all know, nonprofits could have limited
00:14:29 --> 00:14:33 resources, limited technology. And so your innovation
00:14:33 --> 00:14:37 around the way that you use that technology to
00:14:37 --> 00:14:39 support the mission, to support the business
00:14:39 --> 00:14:43 is a valuable skill that any organization could
00:14:43 --> 00:14:46 benefit from, but I think it's especially valuable
00:14:46 --> 00:14:49 with a non -profit organization where your resources
00:14:49 --> 00:14:53 might be limited. Yes, and when your resources
00:14:53 --> 00:14:57 are limited, how do you advocate for more resources
00:14:57 --> 00:14:59 for your department? Because, like you said,
00:15:00 --> 00:15:02 technology is great. Technology is not free.
00:15:02 --> 00:15:05 You probably have the low tier, high tier, mid
00:15:05 --> 00:15:07 tier, but at the end of the day, it involves
00:15:07 --> 00:15:10 spending. And a lot of times, the grants may
00:15:10 --> 00:15:14 not have room for infrastructure or capacity
00:15:14 --> 00:15:18 building. So how do you advocate for more resources
00:15:18 --> 00:15:21 for your accounting and finance team? I think
00:15:21 --> 00:15:24 the simple answer is to do just that, to advocate
00:15:24 --> 00:15:27 for it. Lots of times, you know, with accounting
00:15:27 --> 00:15:31 and finance, you're not necessarily or well,
00:15:31 --> 00:15:34 not necessarily, you're not a revenue generating
00:15:34 --> 00:15:36 part of the business. And so you're kind of in
00:15:36 --> 00:15:39 the background and accounting and finance leaders
00:15:39 --> 00:15:44 will often forget to advocate for their teams,
00:15:44 --> 00:15:47 to advocate for resources. So I think it's important
00:15:47 --> 00:15:50 to do just that, to advocate for them. Now, as
00:15:50 --> 00:15:53 I mentioned, there's a delicate balance. And
00:15:53 --> 00:15:57 so when you advocate for those resources, you've
00:15:57 --> 00:16:00 got to find a way to sometimes maybe shift the
00:16:00 --> 00:16:03 focus of resources that you already have to meet
00:16:03 --> 00:16:07 your needs. And again, there's that innovation.
00:16:07 --> 00:16:10 You know, how do you Maybe use the technology
00:16:10 --> 00:16:12 that you have, the people that you have, the
00:16:12 --> 00:16:15 resources that you have to do something different,
00:16:16 --> 00:16:21 to fill that gap that you feel you need to maybe
00:16:21 --> 00:16:24 have a different resource to fill. Maybe you
00:16:24 --> 00:16:27 can fill that in a way that you already have
00:16:27 --> 00:16:29 and you're just not doing that. It's also good
00:16:29 --> 00:16:34 to kind of partner with your CIO or other technology
00:16:34 --> 00:16:37 professionals in your organization. because they
00:16:37 --> 00:16:40 may be able to help you fill that gap with existing
00:16:40 --> 00:16:43 technology, then there's always the option to
00:16:43 --> 00:16:47 get new technology, to get new resources, but
00:16:47 --> 00:16:50 it may not be when you want them. So you may
00:16:50 --> 00:16:52 have to make do until you can get that resource.
00:16:53 --> 00:16:56 And the food bank has done that for a long time.
00:16:56 --> 00:16:59 We are working to implement new technology right
00:16:59 --> 00:17:03 now, but I understand that my predecessor, Deborah
00:17:03 --> 00:17:07 Shope, she made do with a lot of the technology
00:17:07 --> 00:17:11 that she already had, innovative ideas around
00:17:11 --> 00:17:15 Excel, things of that nature. And often, being
00:17:15 --> 00:17:19 a nonprofit, you are able to get consultation
00:17:19 --> 00:17:23 from other experts at a reduced cost, maybe even
00:17:23 --> 00:17:26 free. And you have to take advantage of that
00:17:26 --> 00:17:29 to maybe get resources that you do not have.
00:17:29 --> 00:17:32 Yes. I know it's hard, like you said, in that
00:17:32 --> 00:17:36 period of you advocated for it. and the time
00:17:36 --> 00:17:39 you actually get it. So in that time, how do
00:17:39 --> 00:17:42 you manage your team? How do you maintain morale?
00:17:42 --> 00:17:45 How do you get motivated when they all have to
00:17:45 --> 00:17:49 be, you know, maybe stretched at some point or
00:17:49 --> 00:17:51 just like, ah, I don't know if I can still do
00:17:51 --> 00:17:54 it. How do you manage your team and lead your
00:17:54 --> 00:17:59 team in those times? I'll say this. Positivity
00:17:59 --> 00:18:05 and optimism is my default setting. Every day,
00:18:05 --> 00:18:07 no matter what is going on in my life, I walk
00:18:07 --> 00:18:11 in, well, not walk in, I actually wake up with
00:18:11 --> 00:18:16 a mindset of positivity and optimism. And what
00:18:16 --> 00:18:21 helps with that is that I'm a very quick problem
00:18:21 --> 00:18:24 solver. And so, as you mentioned, when the team
00:18:24 --> 00:18:28 is stressed, when the team feels that they do
00:18:28 --> 00:18:31 not have the resources that they need, I'm able
00:18:31 --> 00:18:35 to quickly think of a way to supplement what
00:18:35 --> 00:18:38 they have, supplement those resources, think
00:18:38 --> 00:18:42 of a plan B, help them think in an innovative
00:18:42 --> 00:18:45 way about the problem that they're facing. And
00:18:45 --> 00:18:48 I do that while maintaining this default setting
00:18:48 --> 00:18:55 of optimism and motivation. And so it is contagious.
00:18:55 --> 00:18:59 It is contagious. And even in the most difficult
00:18:59 --> 00:19:01 times when you can quickly problem solve, when
00:19:01 --> 00:19:05 you can quickly pivot to an innovative solution
00:19:05 --> 00:19:09 for your problem and you can do it with optimism
00:19:09 --> 00:19:14 and motivation and you can relay that and your
00:19:14 --> 00:19:17 team sees that in your face every day and they
00:19:17 --> 00:19:20 see that you're not stressed and that you are
00:19:20 --> 00:19:23 not unmotivated, even though sometimes I am,
00:19:23 --> 00:19:28 but I never show that. then they know that they
00:19:28 --> 00:19:31 can do it too. They can approach those problems
00:19:31 --> 00:19:36 with that same optimism and motivation. That's
00:19:36 --> 00:19:39 great. And it reminds me of something a former
00:19:39 --> 00:19:41 guest says, Cindy Wilson, about leadership being
00:19:41 --> 00:19:45 a lifestyle, but then being aware that how your
00:19:45 --> 00:19:49 personal life is. can affect how, what kind of
00:19:49 --> 00:19:51 leader you show up to at work. So you said you
00:19:51 --> 00:19:54 wake up motivated, you wake up this way. What
00:19:54 --> 00:19:56 are some things maybe in your personal life and
00:19:56 --> 00:19:58 what you do outside of work that allow you to
00:19:58 --> 00:20:02 be the leader you are at work? You know, it's
00:20:02 --> 00:20:04 funny because my daughter asked me a similar
00:20:04 --> 00:20:07 question not too long ago, but over the years,
00:20:07 --> 00:20:12 I have just developed the ability to turn off
00:20:12 --> 00:20:17 home to Mika and be work to Mika. And when I
00:20:17 --> 00:20:20 leave work, I turn off work to Mika and I become
00:20:20 --> 00:20:23 home to Mika. And I just, I don't know if it's
00:20:23 --> 00:20:27 a gift or a curse, but when I'm at work, I very
00:20:27 --> 00:20:32 rarely think about anything personal. Very rarely.
00:20:32 --> 00:20:38 I am in a zone of organization, the organization,
00:20:38 --> 00:20:42 the organization. I am in that zone. And when
00:20:42 --> 00:20:48 I leave that zone, I leave it. And so I can very
00:20:48 --> 00:20:52 easily just separate the two. I want to know
00:20:52 --> 00:20:55 more. So give me some example of what work Tamika
00:20:55 --> 00:20:57 does that may be home to Mika does not. Like
00:20:57 --> 00:20:59 now I want to know the difference between the
00:20:59 --> 00:21:04 two. Well, you know, working 20 plus years and
00:21:04 --> 00:21:08 now being in my early 50s, I have had a life
00:21:08 --> 00:21:13 of challenges just as anyone has. And... I think
00:21:13 --> 00:21:18 I had to train myself early in my career to just
00:21:18 --> 00:21:22 leave personal matters at home. And so, gosh,
00:21:23 --> 00:21:25 when I get to work, I can literally just turn
00:21:25 --> 00:21:29 it off and be focused on the task at hand, the
00:21:29 --> 00:21:33 mission at hand. And it's actually good for me
00:21:33 --> 00:21:36 because if I am dealing with something personal,
00:21:36 --> 00:21:39 I can shut that off and not have to worry about
00:21:39 --> 00:21:42 it. not have to think about it for eight, nine,
00:21:42 --> 00:21:45 10 hours. And it gives me a mental break from
00:21:45 --> 00:21:48 that, actually, whatever the issue might be that
00:21:48 --> 00:21:50 I'm going through personally, it gives me a break
00:21:50 --> 00:21:54 from that. And so it's good for the organization
00:21:54 --> 00:21:56 because I can be super productive, but it's good
00:21:56 --> 00:21:59 for me because it gives me a little bit of an
00:21:59 --> 00:22:02 escape. And so I've dealt with lots of things
00:22:02 --> 00:22:06 over the years, death in the family, raising,
00:22:06 --> 00:22:09 I've raised a daughter. All of those things that,
00:22:09 --> 00:22:12 you know, and every mother knows. And I only
00:22:12 --> 00:22:15 had one child, so I only know what it's like
00:22:15 --> 00:22:18 for mothers of only children. But if something
00:22:18 --> 00:22:21 is going on with your child, something is going
00:22:21 --> 00:22:25 on with you. One thousand percent. Yes. And so
00:22:25 --> 00:22:28 that is a struggle. When you're trying, you're
00:22:28 --> 00:22:30 working early in your career, you're trying to
00:22:30 --> 00:22:32 build a career and you have a small child, that
00:22:32 --> 00:22:35 is a struggle. You have a school -aged child
00:22:35 --> 00:22:38 and they go through the ups and downs that school
00:22:38 --> 00:22:41 -aged children go through, the things that children
00:22:41 --> 00:22:43 go through in middle school, the self -esteem,
00:22:43 --> 00:22:46 the bullying, things of that type. Those things
00:22:46 --> 00:22:49 impact you as well and you carry them with you.
00:22:49 --> 00:22:52 And I think learning to turn those things off
00:22:52 --> 00:22:57 when I work has been maybe an escape and an adaptive
00:22:57 --> 00:23:01 mechanism for me over the years. And I just still
00:23:01 --> 00:23:06 utilize that adaptive skill. That's amazing.
00:23:06 --> 00:23:09 So what would you say maybe made you start in
00:23:09 --> 00:23:12 the first place or maybe is it mentors or leaders
00:23:12 --> 00:23:15 you saw like what got you to be the leader you
00:23:15 --> 00:23:18 are today? Because I like how you said I'm mindful
00:23:18 --> 00:23:20 basically of how I show up and I want to show
00:23:20 --> 00:23:23 up in a positive way because you know it's going
00:23:23 --> 00:23:25 to rub off on your employees. So you make that
00:23:25 --> 00:23:29 mental decision, probably automatic now without
00:23:29 --> 00:23:31 you realizing because you've done it for so long.
00:23:31 --> 00:23:33 But what are some of the things that helped you
00:23:33 --> 00:23:37 become the leader you are today? Realizing early
00:23:37 --> 00:23:41 in my career that leadership exists at every
00:23:41 --> 00:23:45 pay grade. If you look around in your role, no
00:23:45 --> 00:23:47 matter where you are in your career, there are
00:23:47 --> 00:23:51 opportunities to lead. And if you want to be
00:23:51 --> 00:23:53 in leadership, so to speak, if you want to have
00:23:53 --> 00:23:59 that leadership title, you must first make the
00:23:59 --> 00:24:02 skill sets of a leader, the actions that a leader
00:24:02 --> 00:24:05 would take. You must first make that part of
00:24:05 --> 00:24:09 who you are. And you can start that at any level
00:24:09 --> 00:24:12 of your career. And that is what I did. So when
00:24:12 --> 00:24:15 I started my career as an accountant, one, there
00:24:15 --> 00:24:18 were opportunities for leadership. They may not
00:24:18 --> 00:24:22 have been as big or as visible. as they would
00:24:22 --> 00:24:26 be as you progress higher in your career, but
00:24:26 --> 00:24:28 those opportunities are there and you have to
00:24:28 --> 00:24:33 start where you are. And so once you do that
00:24:33 --> 00:24:35 and take advantage of leadership opportunities
00:24:35 --> 00:24:38 that are available to you, as you move up the
00:24:38 --> 00:24:41 ladder, so to speak, then you will find that
00:24:41 --> 00:24:46 leadership becomes innate. And so when I am working
00:24:46 --> 00:24:49 every day, I do not consciously think about being
00:24:49 --> 00:24:52 a leader. It is now innate in what I do every
00:24:52 --> 00:24:57 day because I have taken advantage of leadership
00:24:57 --> 00:25:00 opportunities all the way from the bottom of
00:25:00 --> 00:25:03 the ladder to the top. Oh, wow. And that goes
00:25:03 --> 00:25:07 back to what you said earlier, your 100%. Yes.
00:25:07 --> 00:25:11 You're doing it 100%. Absolutely. I learned that
00:25:11 --> 00:25:13 early on. And, you know, I can remember thinking
00:25:13 --> 00:25:16 to myself when I was about 18 or 19, as a matter
00:25:16 --> 00:25:19 of fact, it was around... that same time of my
00:25:19 --> 00:25:22 first awful semester in college, you know, when
00:25:22 --> 00:25:25 I realized that I had to make a change or I would
00:25:25 --> 00:25:28 soon be out the door on academic suspension because
00:25:28 --> 00:25:31 my problem was not the learning. It was not the
00:25:31 --> 00:25:33 education. It was not the classes. My problem
00:25:33 --> 00:25:37 was time management. I can remember a specific
00:25:37 --> 00:25:40 incident in college in which my English 101 professor
00:25:40 --> 00:25:43 said, OK, turn in the papers. And, you know,
00:25:43 --> 00:25:45 this was the early 90s. So we were literally
00:25:45 --> 00:25:49 turning in physical papers. And Tamika did not
00:25:49 --> 00:25:51 have her paper because Tamika forgot all about
00:25:51 --> 00:25:56 the paper. And so I realized then that I had
00:25:56 --> 00:25:59 to make some changes. And I said to myself, OK,
00:26:00 --> 00:26:03 when I go to the doctor, I am dependent on that
00:26:03 --> 00:26:07 doctor to give me 100 % of his efforts or her
00:26:07 --> 00:26:11 efforts. If I am sick, I am dependent on them.
00:26:11 --> 00:26:16 to show up and give me 100 % of everything that
00:26:16 --> 00:26:20 they know as a doctor to help heal me. Why am
00:26:20 --> 00:26:25 I not that same way in my everyday life? Why
00:26:25 --> 00:26:28 do I expect that from my doctor, from my teacher,
00:26:29 --> 00:26:33 from my lawyer, from any other professional whose
00:26:33 --> 00:26:37 services I would need in my life? I expect that.
00:26:37 --> 00:26:39 But am I doing that in my own life? No matter
00:26:39 --> 00:26:41 what career I'm in, no matter what I'm doing,
00:26:42 --> 00:26:47 am I giving people or am I giving this task 100
00:26:47 --> 00:26:50 % as I would expect someone else to do? And that
00:26:50 --> 00:26:53 is what I began doing. And when my daughter came
00:26:53 --> 00:26:57 along, that is what I taught her. And if we were
00:26:57 --> 00:26:59 walking in a store, if we were walking in TJ
00:26:59 --> 00:27:03 Maxx and there was a sweater, that had fallen
00:27:03 --> 00:27:05 on the floor and it was just sitting there and
00:27:05 --> 00:27:07 everybody's kind of walking by that sweater right
00:27:07 --> 00:27:09 up against the rack on the floor and I would
00:27:09 --> 00:27:12 say to my daughter you see that don't walk by
00:27:12 --> 00:27:16 that don't be like everyone else pick it up and
00:27:16 --> 00:27:19 just place it across the rack don't walk by it
00:27:19 --> 00:27:23 and leave it there and I raised her with those
00:27:23 --> 00:27:26 types of tidbits I guess you could say over the
00:27:26 --> 00:27:30 years it paid off and so now my daughter is now
00:27:30 --> 00:27:34 27 and She has her master's and her master's
00:27:34 --> 00:27:37 and she works as a therapist and she gives her
00:27:37 --> 00:27:42 100 % every day and she approaches her work with
00:27:42 --> 00:27:47 a mindset of positivity and enthusiasm and motivation
00:27:47 --> 00:27:51 and she's really making a difference in the lives
00:27:51 --> 00:27:56 of her clients with her therapy. That's so inspiring.
00:27:56 --> 00:27:59 Wow. Congratulations to you and her. Definitely.
00:28:00 --> 00:28:02 But at the same time, I'm wondering in my head,
00:28:02 --> 00:28:05 like, if I try to give 100 % to everything that
00:28:05 --> 00:28:09 I do, will I not burn out? Like, how do you know
00:28:09 --> 00:28:12 what to drop, what to let go? Because sometimes
00:28:12 --> 00:28:15 it's hard to do everything at the same time.
00:28:15 --> 00:28:18 How do you give yourself grace? Even at work,
00:28:18 --> 00:28:21 right? Your team cannot do every project at once.
00:28:21 --> 00:28:25 Like, how do you find that balance? Well, 100
00:28:25 --> 00:28:30 % doesn't have to be in one city. Mmm. OK. I
00:28:30 --> 00:28:34 may do 20 % now. I may calendar 20 % for next
00:28:34 --> 00:28:37 week, 20 % for the week after until I get to
00:28:37 --> 00:28:42 that 100%. And like you said, you know, everything
00:28:42 --> 00:28:44 you may not be able to give 100%. Everything
00:28:44 --> 00:28:46 may not work out the way you want it to work
00:28:46 --> 00:28:49 out. And that's fine too. And so you say, okay,
00:28:49 --> 00:28:52 I put 30 % into this, but this isn't working.
00:28:53 --> 00:28:56 I'll have to shift to plan B and see if I can
00:28:56 --> 00:29:01 get to 100 % on that one. In my early career,
00:29:01 --> 00:29:03 I started out as a teacher. I wanted to give
00:29:03 --> 00:29:06 it 100%, but I realized that it wasn't for me.
00:29:06 --> 00:29:09 And so I had to find that career path in which
00:29:09 --> 00:29:12 I could put that 100%. And I did with accounting
00:29:12 --> 00:29:14 and finance, and I'm very happy with that. Never
00:29:14 --> 00:29:18 look back. You have to remember that with anything,
00:29:18 --> 00:29:22 you have to be flexible, agile with your 100%.
00:29:22 --> 00:29:26 Maybe 100 % for this particular task is 80%,
00:29:26 --> 00:29:28 depending on what you can do. You have to think
00:29:28 --> 00:29:32 about it with that mindset. Love it. Love it.
00:29:32 --> 00:29:34 And how do you think, you just mentioned again,
00:29:35 --> 00:29:38 how do you think those early days as a teacher
00:29:38 --> 00:29:42 helped you in that transition? Because it is
00:29:42 --> 00:29:45 quite a pivot to move. And I have such an admiration
00:29:45 --> 00:29:48 for teachers after COVID. And I was stuck with
00:29:48 --> 00:29:52 my own two kids and I was like, oh my God, can
00:29:52 --> 00:29:55 you make it my kids? And so. What are some of
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 the things that you think helped you in that
00:29:56 --> 00:29:59 transition and maybe the background, maybe the
00:29:59 --> 00:30:03 work ethic, like what helped you in that pivot?
00:30:03 --> 00:30:07 Yes, two words, emotional intelligence. That
00:30:07 --> 00:30:10 is something that I would say. I would say that
00:30:10 --> 00:30:14 is the most valuable skill that I gained from
00:30:14 --> 00:30:17 being a teacher. Emotional intelligence, how
00:30:17 --> 00:30:21 to read people. Is this child experiencing something
00:30:21 --> 00:30:24 that has him off today? Is he not in the mood
00:30:24 --> 00:30:27 for learning? Do I need to pivot? Is the class
00:30:27 --> 00:30:31 as a whole not with it today? Can I sense where
00:30:31 --> 00:30:33 the mood is? What's going on? Do I need to pivot?
00:30:34 --> 00:30:36 Maybe this lesson that I had in mind for today
00:30:36 --> 00:30:39 isn't going to work because they're too energetic.
00:30:40 --> 00:30:42 They're too active. I need to pivot to a different
00:30:42 --> 00:30:43 lesson that's going to help them utilize some
00:30:43 --> 00:30:48 of that energy. And so just learning to utilize
00:30:48 --> 00:30:51 emotional intelligence and build those skill
00:30:51 --> 00:30:55 sets. prepared me for the shift from education
00:30:55 --> 00:30:58 to the corporate world because in the corporate
00:30:58 --> 00:31:01 world, I'm dealing with a group of people just
00:31:01 --> 00:31:05 like a group of kids in the classroom. And I
00:31:05 --> 00:31:08 have to use those same emotional intelligence
00:31:08 --> 00:31:13 skill sets to read the room, to read my team,
00:31:14 --> 00:31:17 to read the board, to read the executive leadership
00:31:17 --> 00:31:21 team so that I can perform. in a manner that's
00:31:21 --> 00:31:25 going to be most effective for what's going on
00:31:25 --> 00:31:28 right now. Wow. I had to learn this the hard
00:31:28 --> 00:31:31 way, and I almost feel great that you started
00:31:31 --> 00:31:35 your career in a field that helped you build
00:31:35 --> 00:31:37 it. I realized when you start right away in accounting
00:31:37 --> 00:31:40 and finance, you're not prioritizing those softer
00:31:40 --> 00:31:42 skills, the human skills, however you want to
00:31:42 --> 00:31:45 call it, because you go straight into debits
00:31:45 --> 00:31:48 and credits, straight into Excel, straight into
00:31:48 --> 00:31:51 compliance and tying the numbers to the penny.
00:31:51 --> 00:31:55 and you don't necessarily spend time on your
00:31:55 --> 00:31:57 emotional intelligence, which, like you said,
00:31:57 --> 00:32:00 it helps you read the room, read the people you're
00:32:00 --> 00:32:02 with. It doesn't matter what age, it's still
00:32:02 --> 00:32:05 important because we're human beings before being
00:32:05 --> 00:32:08 business leaders. So what would you say to someone
00:32:08 --> 00:32:11 that started in accounting and finance and not
00:32:11 --> 00:32:14 necessarily like you did as a teacher, what would
00:32:14 --> 00:32:17 you say can help someone build that emotional
00:32:17 --> 00:32:20 intelligence, build those kind of skills? Let
00:32:20 --> 00:32:23 me go back to something I said about leadership
00:32:23 --> 00:32:27 earlier. I said that leadership opportunities
00:32:27 --> 00:32:32 are at every pay grade. And no matter where you
00:32:32 --> 00:32:34 are, you want to start now with those leadership
00:32:34 --> 00:32:37 skills. Same thing with emotional intelligence.
00:32:37 --> 00:32:41 You want to start now. Get to know the people
00:32:41 --> 00:32:45 that you're working with. Network. Join those
00:32:45 --> 00:32:48 professional organizations and get that exposure
00:32:48 --> 00:32:50 to different types of people. different types
00:32:50 --> 00:32:55 of personalities, different work styles, and
00:32:55 --> 00:33:00 understand the broad scope of the type of professionals
00:33:00 --> 00:33:04 that you will work with. Understand how those
00:33:04 --> 00:33:08 people think. You can get that experience from,
00:33:08 --> 00:33:11 you know, cross -functional tasks or projects
00:33:11 --> 00:33:14 within your own company. Work with people in
00:33:14 --> 00:33:18 IT. Work with people in sales, in marketing.
00:33:18 --> 00:33:21 Just those cross -functional relationships will
00:33:21 --> 00:33:24 give you that exposure to people of different
00:33:24 --> 00:33:27 personalities, different mindsets, different
00:33:27 --> 00:33:30 ways that they approach things. And it will take
00:33:30 --> 00:33:34 time. And everyone has to develop those skills
00:33:34 --> 00:33:36 around emotional intelligence in their own way.
00:33:37 --> 00:33:41 But I think the similar base of developing those
00:33:41 --> 00:33:46 skills is to get out there and get that exposure
00:33:46 --> 00:33:49 to different types of people. within organizations.
00:33:50 --> 00:33:53 Yes, get out there, be exposed, right? Because
00:33:53 --> 00:33:55 some things you will only learn with experience,
00:33:56 --> 00:33:59 not the textbooks or the courses. Right. And
00:33:59 --> 00:34:03 if you spend your day every day kind of heads
00:34:03 --> 00:34:06 down with similar people in accounting that are
00:34:06 --> 00:34:09 heads down, you're not going to develop those
00:34:09 --> 00:34:13 skill sets that you would need to read people
00:34:13 --> 00:34:17 of various professions, various personalities,
00:34:17 --> 00:34:21 various dynamics, expose yourself to what's different
00:34:21 --> 00:34:24 out there. Cross -functional exposure is probably
00:34:24 --> 00:34:27 one of the best that you can do because throughout
00:34:27 --> 00:34:29 an organization you'll run into different types
00:34:29 --> 00:34:31 of people that are in different parts of the
00:34:31 --> 00:34:34 company that are totally different from accounting
00:34:34 --> 00:34:38 and finance and you have kind of opportunities
00:34:38 --> 00:34:41 right there at your feet to gain that exposure
00:34:41 --> 00:34:44 to different types of people. That's so good.
00:34:44 --> 00:34:46 That's so good. Thank you so much for all these
00:34:46 --> 00:34:50 gems. I'm loving it. And I can tell the breadth
00:34:50 --> 00:34:53 and the wealth of your experience and your perspective
00:34:53 --> 00:34:56 and everything you said. So I have two last questions
00:34:56 --> 00:35:00 for you. One, what's the best career advice you've
00:35:00 --> 00:35:03 ever received? You know what? The best career
00:35:03 --> 00:35:07 advice that I've ever received was really a corporate
00:35:07 --> 00:35:09 slogan that someone said to me. And that's just
00:35:09 --> 00:35:13 do it. Just do it. The best career advice that
00:35:13 --> 00:35:17 I can give anyone is to just do it. There are
00:35:17 --> 00:35:21 a lot of tasks, a lot of projects, a lot of things
00:35:21 --> 00:35:25 that will come your way that you may not feel
00:35:25 --> 00:35:30 are in your job description or at your pay grade
00:35:30 --> 00:35:35 or at your skill set. But I find that if you
00:35:35 --> 00:35:39 just do it, if you're just willing to do more
00:35:39 --> 00:35:41 than you're getting paid for. If you're just
00:35:41 --> 00:35:44 willing to do more than you would get recognition
00:35:44 --> 00:35:48 for, if you're just willing to do that, at some
00:35:48 --> 00:35:51 point, you will get that pay. At some point,
00:35:51 --> 00:35:55 you will get that recognition. So don't be afraid.
00:35:55 --> 00:35:58 Don't be reluctant. Don't be adverse to just
00:35:58 --> 00:36:02 doing it. Do what you have to do. Just do it.
00:36:02 --> 00:36:04 Yes, it will all come found in the end. Yeah,
00:36:04 --> 00:36:07 now I can't believe I'm saying that I'm grateful.
00:36:07 --> 00:36:10 for some things I did earlier in my career, and
00:36:10 --> 00:36:16 I was like, I remember doing it mad. Like, wow.
00:36:16 --> 00:36:19 But you did it. I did it. Like, really. Like,
00:36:19 --> 00:36:22 I felt overworked, underpaid, what the heck,
00:36:22 --> 00:36:25 and today I'm like, thank God I did this, but
00:36:25 --> 00:36:29 it's hard to believe. Yes. Just do it. You know,
00:36:30 --> 00:36:34 I was approached when I was... I was an accounting
00:36:34 --> 00:36:37 manager, and I was approached with an opportunity
00:36:37 --> 00:36:43 to travel and work weekly from Atlanta to Baltimore
00:36:43 --> 00:36:47 for work, to fill in for a controller that left
00:36:47 --> 00:36:53 a subsidiary company unexpectedly. And the assignment
00:36:53 --> 00:36:56 was to be two to three months. I love corporate
00:36:56 --> 00:36:58 travel. I love to work with new people. So I
00:36:58 --> 00:37:01 said, sure, I'll do it. Well, three months turned
00:37:01 --> 00:37:04 into a full year of flying to Baltimore every
00:37:04 --> 00:37:09 Tuesday and back to Atlanta every Friday. A full
00:37:09 --> 00:37:13 year. And my daughter at the time was about 14,
00:37:13 --> 00:37:16 15 years old. And luckily I had relatives that
00:37:16 --> 00:37:19 would take care of her during the week. And the
00:37:19 --> 00:37:20 relatives lived in my school district, so it
00:37:20 --> 00:37:24 was easy. But after about the fifth or sixth
00:37:24 --> 00:37:27 month, I said, wow, I'm doing this. There's no
00:37:27 --> 00:37:31 additional pay. This is stressful. I'm an accounting
00:37:31 --> 00:37:33 manager. I'm filling in for a controller. This
00:37:33 --> 00:37:37 is a skill set stretch. And no one has offered
00:37:37 --> 00:37:41 me any additional pay, no promotion, no nothing.
00:37:41 --> 00:37:44 But I stuck with it. I did it for a full year.
00:37:44 --> 00:37:48 And after that year was over, the pay came. The
00:37:48 --> 00:37:52 promotion came. And I don't think, if I had not
00:37:52 --> 00:37:55 taken it, if I had not said yes to that opportunity,
00:37:55 --> 00:37:59 I don't think that I would have progressed further
00:37:59 --> 00:38:01 up the ladder into roles that got me where I
00:38:01 --> 00:38:04 am today. And because I was willing to do that
00:38:04 --> 00:38:07 at no extra cost to the company, other than the
00:38:07 --> 00:38:09 travel expenses, you know, I didn't say, well,
00:38:09 --> 00:38:11 I'll do it, but I'm going to need, you know,
00:38:11 --> 00:38:13 30 more dollars. You know, I'm going to
00:38:13 --> 00:38:15 need an increase. I'm going to need this. I'm
00:38:15 --> 00:38:18 going to do that. I just did it. And in the end,
00:38:18 --> 00:38:21 it paid off. It was hard work. It was a challenge.
00:38:21 --> 00:38:25 My family suffered, so to speak. It was a huge
00:38:25 --> 00:38:28 challenge, but it paid off in the end. So sometimes,
00:38:28 --> 00:38:30 like I said, sometimes you just have to do it.
00:38:30 --> 00:38:33 Sometimes you just have to do it. That's so true.
00:38:34 --> 00:38:36 Yes. And people would say, people would say,
00:38:36 --> 00:38:38 why are you doing this? Why are you? And I said,
00:38:38 --> 00:38:40 well, it will pay off whether it pays off here
00:38:40 --> 00:38:43 at this company or at the next company. This
00:38:43 --> 00:38:48 experience will pay off. And it did. Yes. Kudos
00:38:48 --> 00:38:50 to you. Congratulations for that. Now, my last
00:38:50 --> 00:38:54 question. What's your favorite quote and why?
00:38:54 --> 00:38:57 Oh, my favorite quote is something I found on
00:38:57 --> 00:39:00 the internet years ago, and I wrote it down and
00:39:00 --> 00:39:03 I used to have it taped to my monitor. And it's
00:39:03 --> 00:39:06 often attributed to Abraham Lincoln, but I read
00:39:06 --> 00:39:09 that it's not a quote of Abraham Lincoln. I don't
00:39:09 --> 00:39:12 know, but it's a really good quote and it reads,
00:39:12 --> 00:39:18 Good things may come to those who wait, but only
00:39:18 --> 00:39:21 those things left behind by those who hustle.
00:39:23 --> 00:39:27 So do you want to hustle or do you want to wait
00:39:27 --> 00:39:31 for the leftovers? Wow. Drop the mic. I choose
00:39:31 --> 00:39:40 to hustle. Yes, 100 % all the way. Wow. Thank
00:39:40 --> 00:39:43 you so much, Tamica, for being on the show. Oh,
00:39:43 --> 00:39:46 my. Thank you so, so much. Thank you for having
00:39:46 --> 00:39:50 me. I've had a lot of fun. Thank you. And that's
00:39:50 --> 00:39:53 it for today's episode of the Diary of a CFO.
00:39:53 --> 00:39:56 Thank you so much for tuning in. If you enjoyed
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00:40:32 --> 00:40:32 See you soon.
