Leadership Reimagined: Doris Jackson-Shazier’s Faith-Based Approach

[00:00:00] Ellington Brown: Welcome to SpeakUP! International with Rita Burke and Elton Brown! 

[00:00:13] Rita Burke: On SpeakUP! International, we find ourselves scooting around the world to find the people to have our conversation with. And the theme is usually community builders, and today the woman we have with us is such a person, and her name is Doris Jackson-Shazier.

She is a leadership coach, people management consultant, author, accomplished and an accomplished leader. Now, for over two decades, Doris has been dedicated to fostering organizational growth, transformation, and excellence. Her book, Rising Justice, will be released soon. In this book, Doris draws from her own experience as a mother and daughter, weaving together personal stories and reflections.

As a Christian woman in leadership, Doris often shares with women how to apply biblical teachings to contribute high level at home, in the workplace, and in the community. And to our leaders, I I would like to introduce you now to Doris Jackson-Shazier ., welcome!

[00:01:37] Doris Jackson-Shazier: Thank you. And I appreciate such a wonderful introduction!

Thank you so much! 

[00:01:44] Ellington Brown: What inspired you to become a leadership coach and people management consultant? 

[00:01:50] Doris Jackson-Shazier: So, um, I feel like I've been a leadership coach my whole life. I'm the oldest of all my siblings. So I've always been aware that there's always someone looking up to me.

And it's important for me to, you know, model good behavior. Um, over the last 20 years, I've worked in, um, several different kind of industries, but in corporate America, managing people, I started managing others at 19,20 years old. And so I've spent years in a role where I, again, was responsible for managing and leading people, um, in that corporate or operational setting.

Um, in the last year or so, um, well, after COVID, you know, COVID. Sat everybody down with enough time to really think. And over the past two years, I really just started to think about are my actions aligned with my purpose and what I really want to be doing. And I found that yes, developing people is what I want to do.

However, I didn't want to be restricted to one company or one brand. I wanted to be able to have the mobility to lead others, um, help develop people across different industries. Thank you So a year ago, I made the big, brave decision to walk away from corporate America to start my own coaching and consulting business, where now I'm able to support executives, small business owners, medium, large size corporations.

And then I facilitate, you know, soft skills, leadership training, and I offer one on one or team coaching groups to help develop leaders everywhere. 

[00:03:28] Rita Burke: That is quite a leap from corporate. America to running your own organization, your own company. It must feel really good. 

[00:03:40] Doris Jackson-Shazier: It does. I have, I've always had an entrepreneur spirit and I think you become limited and stifled when you're in a corporate infrastructure.

They kind of respect the innovation and the tenacity, but then it's like you can't be too innovative or, you know, have too much ownership. Um, and so I found myself feeling like I was being stifled a little bit. So now I get to live in full creativity. I get to represent my brand and I get to really support others in a more authentic manner.

And so, um, entrepreneurship, it has is, you know, it has this down part, like it has this trials, um, but the triumphs are amazing!

[00:04:22] Ellington Brown: Tell us about your journey working for someone to working for yourself and how does it feel , supporting, up to 10, 000 people in an organization and your words matter. So how do you go about. providing support verbally and in written format. 

[00:04:46] Doris Jackson-Shazier: So, um, when you have teams that large is really important and I've had the opportunity to work in the learning and development department of a 70, 000 plus employee company.

And so what you say, what you write, that communication, it takes a lot of consideration. Um, you have to often think outside of yourselves. You have to think of how this could be perceived and interpreted. You have to bring partners alone. Um, in terms of, you know, a 2nd set of eyes, even a 3rd set of eyes is really, really good before you're sending out this mass communications.

Um, when I was in a regional position where I had over 90 locations across 5 states, and I needed to rally the team and the troops to achieve goals. I was very careful to number one, be myself because you can't pretend very long. So I've always, I've always slid in authenticity and I've struggled in moments when I've had to be different than who I am naturally.

Um, and so I, that's a challenge for me. Um, so leading with authenticity, I think was really key, bringing a friend along, meaning, um, I'm humble enough to say, hey, can you look this over for me and tell me how this sound. Um, I don't, um, you know, just get so, you know, full of myself that my words, um, um, that I don't become overconfident is what I would say and, and how my words may be interpreted.

I'm very conscientious in terms of, Hey, can you look this over for me? Um, I, I read information in different voices. So I say, Hey, if I say it in this tone or if a person perceives it in that tone, what, how, how may that land, maybe changing that word from can to will, you know, would make a difference. So being very conscientious about it and then being authentic.

Cause whatever I say, I can stand on it then because nobody, you know, I'm not a puppet and nobody put those words in my mouth. Um, and so, yeah, those are things that I, I really considered when I was in those spaces and I'm communicating to a lot of people. Um, yeah. 

[00:06:56] Rita Burke: Those are truly amazing. notions, authenticity and humility. And I have no doubt what that one one. One requires those tools in order to succeed anywhere in this world. Yes. Now, you said in your, in your bio that you are a speaker. I'm curious as to what kinds of topics you talk about. 

[00:07:23] Doris Jackson-Shazier: So, the topic I specialize in the most is, I teach others how to create high accountability, high morale environments.

So, over the course of my career. Um, I've noticed that that's really where people struggle the most. And when I came out and started consulting for different brands, I realized that it wasn't just in my industry. It was everywhere. People struggle with setting expectations, um, how they follow up on them and then how they reward or recognize progress.

And then balancing a relationship with that, they think that I can't have a relationship with you if I manage you because some way you're going to take advantage of me. And that may be true in some cases, but it's all in how you build a relationship and how you set the expectations and coach others. So I spend most of my time really speaking to others of how to create high accountability and high morale, um, in the business world, but also in life.

I believe that the same characteristics that make you a great business leader. Also makes you a great leader in your home. I speak a lot to women and mothers and young women about high accountability and high morale in the home. I often tell people that my first leadership position or leadership title was mom.

Because I think sometimes people forget that being a mother is a leadership role.

[00:08:50] Ellington Brown: I definitely agree with you, being a son. of three boys and single parent, my mom and so for her to be able to raise us, which I know it was difficult looking back now and, , to be a nurse for her to balance these two Demanding roles, she should have received, some type of huge recognition.

Can you give us an idea of what Neuro Logistic Programming Coaching is? I know that's one of your specialties. 

[00:09:29] Doris Jackson-Shazier: Yes, so I am certified in neuroloquence programming and what it is again, it was something I was really curious about it. I had never heard of it more than maybe three, four years ago and I landed on it and I was like, man, this is this is pretty interesting.

And I guess in short. It is really the study of how we communicate and so neuro linguistics programmers really focus in on the tone, the diction, the words that you use, the way you describe, um, a situation to better understand, um, your perspective or, you know, more about who you are. And then what we do is once I can understand, maybe if you're a, um.

A kinesthetic person, meaning it's about how things feel for you, or if you're audible, it's about the way things sound for you, or if you're a visual type person, then I'm able to help you reframe and focus and kind of remove some of those limited belief systems in a way that feels more natural to you because I understand the way you think in that linguistic area.

I think that's the best way I can describe it, but it was really fun learning it and I think that it helps me to build established rapport faster because I'm a little bit more intuitive and aware of certain language or body language. That a person displays 

[00:10:54] Rita Burke: Marvelous explanation of NLP in the 80s, I worked with a woman who specialized in that and she tried to introduce it to us the staff.

So marvelous, marvelous. So nothing goes away. Isn't that fascinating? Nothing goes away. Now you are a leader. You talked about leadership in the home and how one leads in the home very often is akin to leading in the workplace. How does your leadership, how does your leadership style or strategy differ from everybody else's, so to speak?

[00:11:32] Doris Jackson-Shazier: Um, I think what makes my strategy different, again, is What I've noticed very often is people think that there is this big difference between how you lead at home and work. And I am over here raising my hand. Like, it's really not that different. Um, I think that I have a little bit more, um, focus to soft skills that sometimes people or in the past, uh, people have looked at as maybe weaknesses in the workplace.

Uh, being a person who maybe you listen more than you speak. Um, being a person who seeks to understand, um, sometimes in the corporate infrastructure, there's this command and control attitude. The leader has to be the smartest. The leader can't make mistakes. The leader can't show vulnerability. You know, no, no, no, no, no.

I, I believe the opposite of all those things. I believe it's important to be vulnerable as a leader. Your team should know the things that make you happy and the things that don't. Now, I believe in composure and professionalism, but I believe there's a way that you could be vulnerable with others. And so I think my leadership style really focuses on, um, people's strengths.

And it focuses a lot on those natural instincts and how to, uh, hone those in a professional manner. But I believe that the same things that you do in the home, now there are some differentiators, but the core things that you do at home, grace, forgiveness, empathy, love, that if you institute those things in the workplace, You get retention.

You create safe spaces. You have people who are, um, psychologically safe around you. It makes for a different level of, um, of relationship with the people who work for you. 

[00:13:22] Ellington Brown: It sounds like you are steadfast in terms of what you know about yourself and being authentic when you're going in to support these companies, regardless of the size, the purpose, their direction.

What issues have you encountered being who you are? Working in executive coaching and how do you go about addressing them? 

[00:13:51] Doris Jackson-Shazier: Yeah. So you don't get this steadfast without it being tested. Right. Like, so, um, I think one of the challenges that I face again, sometimes I'm a little different than what the norm is in terms of my coaching style.

And what I've learned, and I think what God has strengthened me in is Is knowing that I may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I'm somebody's flavor. Like, that's what I tell myself. Um, I, um, I think that there's an audience specifically for me. I'm not necessarily offended when I am not the, the person of choice for certain people, because I wasn't designed for them.

My audience is my audience. I feel good about who I am purpose to lead. And so sometimes when I'm in spaces where people, um, you know, I'm not their cup of tea, you know, I'm human. It may, you know, land in my spirit, but for, but it's not discouraging. It doesn't break me. I move on to the people who, um, again, that I feel that I'm designed to lead.

Yeah, one of the biggest challenges is, you know, you're not, I'm not everybody's cup of tea. Sometimes I'm a little bit too direct. I don't, um, I notice sometimes in, in leadership, we think that leadership has to speak a certain way. Um, I've been criticized by the way that I speak. I have a southern draw.

I'm from Miami, Florida. Um, I use a lot of Ebonics and I'm okay with it. Some people aren't. But I'm okay with it. 

[00:15:29] Rita Burke: That being okay with it, to me, is equivalent with self love, with liking oneself, with confidence. And I do believe that as a people, in order for us to maneuver our way through the world and to thrive is that we need to be okay with those kinds of things.

[00:15:52] Doris Jackson-Shazier: Yeah. 

[00:15:53] Rita Burke: Now I want to hear about your involvement with the restaurant industry. 

[00:16:00] Doris Jackson-Shazier: Okay. So I've worked for a large company restaurant, you know, 750 stores across the U. S. Um, so large restaurant retail company, so, uh, interesting dynamic where we have two industries coexisting under one roof. And so the restaurant industry gets pretty, it's pretty interesting.

You're talking about a, you know, a white male driven environment, um, competitive. Uh, and so it has all the interesting elements of an action movie. I would say in a restaurant. 

[00:16:36] Rita Burke: Yeah, 

[00:16:37] Doris Jackson-Shazier: I mean, you're leading people. I think one of the most interesting things about leading in the restaurant industry is the vast size of a range of the people that you lead.

You have your people who are first time. This is their first job. They're coming in at 16 years old. And in my oldest employee that I've had, it was 83. and so we would get a lot of people that they're retired and they come back and want to have something to do just on the weekends and things like that.

So, you really have to have good situational leadership and adaptability because you're managing people, you know, young enough to be your children and old enough to be your grandparents. And so how do you navigate in this space where they all feel included and respected because it's multi generational? 

[00:17:24] Ellington Brown: That must be like putting on different hats depending on the individual that you are talking to . Can you give us a brief overview of the key themes and messages that are in Rising Justice? 

[00:17:40] Doris Jackson-Shazier: Oh, okay. So Raising Justice 

[00:17:42] Ellington Brown: raising. Sorry. 

[00:17:43] Doris Jackson-Shazier: Yes. Um, so this is my 1st published book. I'm super excited about it.

I started writing at 15 years old, and I've started about 9, 10 books and hadn't finished 1. And so in my, um, I like to say promotion to being my own boss. I was able to allocate the right amount of time to completing my first book. So I'm super excited about it. Um, Raising Justice is really, um, a collection of very, very, again, God orchestrated experiences with my firstborn, my daughter, Justice.

And so in raising her, so in the book, I talk about how in raising her, it raised me and the different things that I've learned as a parent. Or in situation. So it has all the good elements. Again, you have the biblical truths that are going to be mentioned there. You have great storytelling. You have, um, uh, good reflection moments, really good questions that acts as a parent.

Um, and I talk about the times where I had to pause and really think about what I was doing and how I was doing it. And if it was in alignment with the type of parent that I really wanted to be. I like to tell people Raising Justice is the story of the 19 year old college girl that got pregnant who produced the 19 year old college graduate.

My daughter graduated from college a few weeks ago at 19 years old, and it's a full circle moment of me kind of, you start off the book and my experience as, you know, I'm finding out I'm pregnant my sophomore year of college and I'm a first generational college student and how I felt about myself in that moment.

And then you get to end this book knowing, you know, you go through the journey of those 19, 20 years and get to see how, again, the 19 year old pregnant college student produces the 19 year old college graduate. And the things that I feel are differentiators in the type of relationships I was able to build with my daughter and, um, the things that I think I did that were pivotal to her success now.

[00:19:55] Rita Burke: Raising Justice sounds like a, an interesting, an intriguing title for a book. And you, you refer to the fact that you are a Christian woman. 

[00:20:11] Doris Jackson-Shazier: Mm hmm. 

[00:20:12] Rita Burke: How does that help you as you coach others? 

[00:20:17] Doris Jackson-Shazier: Um, I think that I'm able to, first of all, as a Christian woman, I understand the power of faith and hope. And I think when people get down on themselves, they get, you know, just in depression, they start losing sight of hope.

They lose sight of faith. So I think that I'm able to encourage others more. And if I could go back a little bit, Raising Justice, the title has a dual meaning. So it's literally me raising Justice. But raising Justice is also about this pursuit of righteousness and excellence in motherhood. So it's a parenting style.

So everyone can raise Justice, honestly. Um, but that's kind of who I am as a person is this pursuit to do things in a manner that honors God. And so as a coach, um, as a Christian, I'm able to again, help others quickly establish hope and, and, and, and, and restore faith. And even if it's a non Christian person, cause I have, um, uh, led people that was not of Christian faith.

Hope is a human element. Hope is something that all of us can do. Um, it's something that, uh, that can help anyone. And then I will also add gratitude. One of the things you learn as a Christian is the important, the importance of gratitude and grace. And again, that's another element that's not bound by any religion.

Hope, grace, gratitude, um, is important to anyone. And so I share in that capacity.

[00:22:02] Ellington Brown: We had this topic in another interview , as well. And the statement was that there is no real book to raise kids but. Really, now after talking to you, there is one. It's the Bible. And if you use the Bible to raise the kids, then you should probably be, okay. And if you're using the Bible for , Your family, then what advice would you give to other women in leadership who are balancing professional responsibilities and family life?

[00:22:39] Doris Jackson-Shazier: Um, so I would, I think I would double down on use those characteristics that you use in the home to help you with leading others. Um, don't go into don't, you know, be or interchangeably because I've seen people that use certain skills at work that they don't bring home. They're able to forgive and and show grace and mercy to the people they work with.

And then they come home and they're not able to do the same for the people they live with. And real balance understands that it applies in both situations. I think high accountability and high morale is important in both spaces. How do you set expectations with great clarity, um, so that people do what you need them to do around you or they know what they expect with you and then balance that with rewarding and recognition when people do what you want them to do and it works in both spaces.

And lastly, the advice I would give is prioritize. Um, oftentimes when I look back at my career, I can think of the moments when I lost alignment in the things that really meant the most to me, but my actions weren't indicative of the things that meant the most. So if you consistently reflect and make sure that you are in alignment with the things that and prioritize the things that mean the most to you.

Just make sure your actions follow that.

[00:24:11] Rita Burke: I like that because I think the first tool, the first skill that I think we need to learn as adults moving our way through a very complex world is to prioritize. First things first. As the saying goes. Tell us about, tell us about Doris at 15 years of age. Um,

[00:24:43] Doris Jackson-Shazier: Ah, Doris at 15. So I've been mature beyond my years, like I grew up with my grandmother and, um, and we had a lot of, you know, I had a lot of responsibilities, especially as the oldest child. So at 15, I was in Miami, Florida. I lived again in Liberty City, inner city. Miami, I had made the choice at that time.

I was going to Coral Gables High. So I left my house about 5:30 every morning to catch a bus and a train and walk to a school and a different environment each day. I was well aware that I knew that I was not going to live in that neighborhood forever. I had, I had been on a field trip to Atlanta at 13.

And it was my first time that I really saw black people dressed up nice and driving big cars and I was inspired. So I already knew at that young age that I needed to make choices in order to change my environment. And one of the 1st ones was I elected to not go to my home school, but to go into a school that I thought would give me a better opportunity with a more rigorous program.

And that led to my full scholarship to college Doris at 15 was ambitious. I knew that I wanted out of my environment. Um, I was a little boy crazy too, now that I think about it, but they're very focused on, um, changing my circumstances. 

[00:26:11] Ellington Brown: I want to go back to Raising Justice. What do you hope readers will take away from your book? I'm sure that there's this message, regardless of how much of this book they read or not. There's this one thing that you want them to take away from the book.

What is it? 

[00:26:31] Doris Jackson-Shazier: Don't give up hope. I think that's the most important thing. Um, don't give up hope. You'll see in that book, there are many times that I was faced with a difficult challenge. And I share how I could have thought about it in one way. But again, because I'm just ever so hopeful. Um, I never got stuck because I believe that yeah, it could go that way, but it could also go this way too.

And I think that just having that, that audacity of hope, really just have an audacity to say that, well, it could be different, or it is going to be different, or just because it looks that way today. Yeah. Doesn't mean it'll look that way tomorrow has allowed me to continuously progress. And so I think that that's a huge, huge element of the book.

And I think the other thing that's really important in this book is grace. Grace, I've told my friends, I've warned him like, um, there's not perfection in this book at all. You learn about the pursuit of excellence among imperfection.

[00:27:49] Rita Burke: You're talking a lot about hope and about grace, and you quoted Mr. Obama's book about the audacity of hope. What a powerful book. 

[00:28:03] Doris Jackson-Shazier: It is. 

[00:28:03] Rita Burke: So tell our listeners, where did you learn about this thing called hope? 

[00:28:09] Doris Jackson-Shazier: I mean, I don't know if I can identify when I first learned about it. I think I've always had again, that audacity of hope.

I was the person in middle school that tried things. I was the person that made the decision to go to the high school, you know, and have to leave at 5:30 in the morning because of hope. You know, and that was a, that was a decision I made at 14 years old that ended up being a game changer. Um, but I would have to say, you know, maybe it's the tenacity of my grandmother.

I was able to observe and watch someone who never gave up. Um, and so I don't know, it's in the blood. Like, I couldn't possibly, like, identify the moment, but I know that I come from a long line of people who are survivors, who are overcomers. And, um, who have instilled in me, I guess, in such a young age that I can't recall the power of hoping and not giving up.

[00:29:09] Ellington Brown: So where do you see your role that you are doing now and supporting large and small companies? Where do you see leadership coaching and people management five years from now? 

[00:29:24] Doris Jackson-Shazier: I think that we're going through evolution right now and I like it. I think that, um, I, I hope to be among the leaders in this space of thought leaders in this space as we are.

Looking at people in a more empathetic way as we are servicing, because here's I'm guilty because I grew up in an infrastructure where you leave your baggage at the door. You come into work, you put on a smiley face, you do all of that stuff, but whatever you're going through. You leave your luggage at the door, and then you can pick your luggage back up when you clock out on your way out.

Like, I grew up in that infrastructure, and I think the space that leadership coaching is going to is we understand that you, you're human. You can't leave your, your, your, your baggage at the door. What you go through, what you experience, the things that happens with you are a part of who you are. So how do we teach you to work through that?

How do we build your resilience? How do we teach you composure? How do we encourage professionalism? But to say that a part of you has to stay outside in order for you to come in doesn't work anymore. And so I want to be among the leaders. And that's where I see leadership coaching going. It's about addressing the whole person.

And I'm happy that there is a wave and a desire, like an appetite, for that type of coaching now. 

[00:30:51] Rita Burke: That type of coaching that's transformed, more transformative thinking and not just thinking, but behaving, because I think we live in a world where sometimes we talk, we talk, we talk, but we don't walk, walk, walk.

So that is a completely radical way of looking at life. And I know that it could work. I'm with you. When it comes to that way of looking at life. Now, could you think of a time when you had to say enough? 

[00:31:28] Doris Jackson-Shazier: Oh, yeah, definitely. I mean, that's a part of that balance between accountability and in the morale. So yes, it's accountability means that you understand or you take responsibility for the outcomes of what happens.

So, well, let me rephrase that. Responsibility is the task that you do, but accountability is ownership over the outcome of those responsibilities. And so there is a time where you have to say enough. Um, there's a time where you have to draw the line. And we learned, we learned it in the Bible also that this is not a free for all either.

And so, yes, I, I have very firm boundaries and I mean, I've had to fire people and I've had people get up and I hugged them because they needed a hug. That's the balance. Is you, you broke the rule. We knew what the rules are. And now I have to do the natural consequence for I have to execute the natural consequence for your behavior, but I can execute that in love because you're still a human and you still just lost your job and you needed a hug.

So, I'll hug you and I keep in touch. I'm willing to do a reference if it's appropriate, but I'm also going to follow the rule that was established and that we both agree to. 

[00:32:50] Ellington Brown: I think that's, fair. I remember one time I think I was about 17, 16, 17. And I got a speeding ticket. I was upset.

I said, I'm going in front of the judge. I'm going to fight this thing for all it's worth. It wasn't fair. What threw me was the fact that the judge was so nice. He actually took on like a father role and before I knew it I was paying the ticket, but he was so loving about the whole thing.

He left me no choice, but to smile and to say thank you and to accept my punishment for speeding. So yes, love can be used to deliver the worst news ever, but you're able to, you're able to do it with a smile and a pat on the back. 

[00:33:42] Doris Jackson-Shazier: Yeah, so when enough is enough, yeah, when enough is enough, I have no problem doing it because I know that I've been fair and I know that I set the expectations properly.

And so at this point, it's just a natural consequence. 

[00:33:55] Ellington Brown: Have you ever had to initiate this type of consequence with someone that you considered a close relative, I won't say relative, but someone that you worked with for a long time, maybe close friends, and all of a sudden you've reached this point where, okay, we've talked about this three times, it's been documented.

Okay. That we've talked about this three times and so now we're at the step at step four, which is , don't let the door hit you in the back. How did you move forward with that? It must have been difficult. I don't know. 

[00:34:33] Doris Jackson-Shazier: It is difficult. Again, I'm human. Um, and so it's difficult to have to apply consequences.

So it's one of those battles of the heart in the mind. And so my heart, um, was compelled in that situation, but my mind knew about I had to think outside of just that situation. What am I saying to the rest of the team when I don't hold this person accountable? You know, what does this look like for, for others?

So it's bigger than my relationship with that person. And if I have the type of relationship that I believe I have, then we'll still have a relationship afterwards. They'll respect the fact that I have to execute because of my role. I have to do what's necessary. And that's the way it played out. I've had someone that I really like that.

I had to let go and we're still in touch today. Actually, I'm in the pre sales of my book and I noticed that they bought 1 of my books and I haven't, you know. Talk to him in a little bit now. So I was like, Oh my. So I know we really good, you know, cause they show love. Right. I've had someone that I really, really like a lot of charisma and spunk.

And I demoted the person and I told them, look, you are prematurely promoted. And if you continue in this role, I'm going to end up having to fire you. Like I'm, however, I like you. I think you have all the potential. How about this? Let me back you up. Let me demote you, continue to work for me. I promise you, I will continue to develop you and we will get you to the next position.

And that person believed me. They trusted me. I demoted them. They worked for me for another, maybe five years. Um, and they're still, you know, they were able to get back to that level again, but because of that relationship and rapport that I established with them, they trusted me. They took the demotion and I took care of them.

And we've worked together very well for like the next almost five years. Um, and I could text that person right now and I know that we're good. 

[00:36:37] Rita Burke: It sounds to me as if you operate from a space, from a place of genuine caring about other people, which is synonymous with authenticity, as you mentioned that.

Yeah. But you also spoke a lot about grace. Yes. And I think it's so important for that grace to begin with self before it could be extended to others. Are you good at giving yourself grace? 

[00:37:13] Doris Jackson-Shazier: I haven't always been in this season of my life. I am the best that I've probably been at grace. Now, some days I think I'm a, I'm a interesting boss to myself.

Like I said, sales goals and marketing goals. And I, you look at the analytics and I'm like, okay, you got to step it up here, you know, because, and so I get, I'm kind of interesting with myself, but man, I'm probably the best I've ever been. It is something that I've struggled with in the past. with how I extend grace for myself because I hold myself to a very high standard.

Um, but I mean, God has been giving me a lot of practice. And I'm pretty, I'm pretty good at it now.

[00:37:54] Ellington Brown: I think we are our worst critic. Yeah, I really think that we are, and I think also because of it generates that imposter syndrome. Yeah, because, you put yourself all the way up there , and, and why it's not really. Yeah. Necessary, , you can come back down a couple of notches and it'll still be, it'll still be okay.

So how do you take your coaching strategies and use them when you're dealing with DEI? 

[00:38:31] Doris Jackson-Shazier: All right. So in a DEI space, I think, and I would say the DEI B. Because I do focus a lot on belonging, I think that it's super important. I think people don't realize the difference sometimes and inclusion and belonging.

And so I'm always very sensitive to ensure that I'm doing it. So, in my corporate, one of my roles, when I was working for a corporation was, I was a diversity council member a vice president. And then at the time of my departure, I had been the president of the diversity council for the company I work with. And the best way I can describe it is inclusion is about making sure that every person gets an invitation.

So it's like, okay, everybody here, y'all can come to the dance. Like, I make sure everybody gets an invitation to the dance and belonging is about someone asking you to dance when you get there. And so I am very, very focused on, okay, you've checked the box of inclusion or equality. Everyone had the same opportunity to be here.

But how do you treat people once they show up? How do you make them feel a part of the team? How do you make it okay for them to be themselves while they are among the team? There are times where I felt lonely in a room full of people. Because I was the only woman, or the only black woman, or the only black woman under 40, or the only black woman with kids under 40.

So I had a millennial perspective, along with, you know, my perspective as a mother, or a parent, or the primary kind of parent. Because, you know, most of the people I sat around, they were the husbands and the wives were there to take care of the responsibilities that I'm responsible for taking care of for my kids.

So I have to offer that different perspective in the room. And I know what it feels like to feel like you're in a room that you don't belong or you don't fit in. So when I am coaching from a DAIB space, I'm very, very sensitive to the belonging part of the leader. 

[00:40:39] Rita Burke: It's, uh, there's no doubt that it's a critical aspect element to functioning in a world.

Yes. And feeling as if you're being treated as another valuable human being. 

[00:40:59] Doris Jackson-Shazier: Yes. 

[00:41:00] Rita Burke: I want to know, and I want you to share with our listeners, the genesis of your Christian belief. 

[00:41:09] Doris Jackson-Shazier: The genesis of my, Christian belief. So I grew up in the church. Um, now I didn't grow up like, like a PK, like a preacher's gate, but I grew up with, um, a grandmother who did our best, her best to expose us.

I'm not going to say we were probably the most consistent all the time, but we had those moments where, you know, New Year's Eve watch Easter. Um, we had a home church. I participated in a choir as a child, but I think as her journey went in and out, I kind of what the church ours did too. So I grew up with a certain level of, you know, inconsistency.

Um, however, my grandmother is still such good core values. I knew that the church was a hospital. Like I knew that if. If I was sick, if I was hurting where to go, um, that was instilled in me at a very young age. Um, again, the power of hope, um, the power of forgiveness. You know, so I think that the exposure that I got growing up, although sometimes inconsistent were profound and meaningful and they were great seeds that planted and now they've taken root.

So now, you know, I, I've been a member of my current church for 7 years. My husband, I lead the marriage ministry of the church. I consult and coach the leadership team, you know, leadership members at my church, and I'm pretty active. Um, there, and I think again, the Genesis are the seeds that my grandmother planted a long time ago.

[00:42:39] Ellington Brown: You've worked with so many people, I'm sure at some point that kind of like a blur. You have all these people that you work for, and you're trying to differentiate them which. in itself can be difficult, especially if you're going from one company to the next or you're juggling with more than one company at a time.

It can be a challenge. That's the word I'm looking for. A challenge. Yes. Can you give us another success story where you've been able to transform an individual or individuals In the workplace, 

[00:43:15] Doris Jackson-Shazier: so I'll talk about 1 story that I'm I'm 1 person that I'm particularly proud of. Uh, she had been with the company for quite a few years.

And she had worked on our restaurant side of the business and transition over to the retail side of the business, which again, um, it's people management, but it requires a different type of skill set. And how you lead the people restaurant is a little bit more technical. Retail is a little bit more soft skills, especially when you're a retailer inside of a restaurant because everybody's coming there to eat.

And now you need to convert them into purchasing something that they didn't necessarily come there for. So it's a different type of talent. And so, um, this, this person, um, she. Was transitioning from the restaurant industry over into our retail side, and she moved states to come and work in Florida. So she moved from Texas to Florida to be able to work under my leadership.

And so I'm training her, I'm developing her, I'm helping her to transition and to be an excellent retailer as opposed to a restaurant manager and developing those those people skills. And so I remember standing with her and she's in the right store at the right time, and she is so coachable, most coachable person I've worked with really, and everything I told her, every advice I got, she quickly applied.

And I remember telling her, man, you're going to be the store of the year. But you're going to be, you know, the manager of the year because it's just all the right conditions. We fast forward a year out and she's not only the retail manager of my district, she's the manager of the region. She becomes the manager of the company.

And I'm just, so I cried like a proud mama at the conference, but to see someone who literally switched, uh, pretty much industries, I mean, same company, but switched her role. Um, so coachable and adaptable and flexible and a solid learner. And then to be recognized as the number one in the company a year or so later was just amazing.

Amazing. And she did it the right way. She didn't do it through, um, exuding fear or, or any type of shady tactics or something. She genuinely identified the right type of talent, developed them, established the right type of relationships, you know, surrounded herself with a team of people who would go to bat for her and executed the plan the way it needed to be executed.

And so, um, it was awesome for her to now be rewarded with The manage the recognition of manager of the company and a couple of weeks ago when I launched my book, her and I both have now moved on. So, I no longer work for the company and she works for a different company and she drove about 3 hours to come to my book launch.

And so it's like, what are you doing here? You know, and just to know that. Um, that relationship is still there that the impact I made in her life and helping her to reach a goal like that was not it was a shared success. And when she noticed that I was doing something that I had said one day, I'm going to write a book.

She wanted to be in that space and, and, and, and, and support me. So, it was really, really wonderful in a professional and a personal space to win with her. 

[00:46:41] Rita Burke: Do, you know. Doris Jackson-Shazier, you've dropped a lot of nuggets during this conversation today. And there are many of them that I know I will remember by choice, intentionally.

But the one that I am most impressed with is that the church is a hospital because I have said that throughout my life. That is why people go because they need healing. They go to church because they need healing. Isn't that amazing that somebody's actually voicing that language that I have always.

Felt and internalized. The church is a hospital. Speak a little bit more about that term, what it means for you. 

[00:47:27] Doris Jackson-Shazier: Oh man, so I learned that at my current church because You know how you, you get caught up in church hurt, like you go somewhere and again, in, in the duty of, I guess, correction, sometimes church folk can be very unloving and they will hurt you.

Church folk will hurt you all in the guise of love sometimes, like all in wanting to save your soul. And I get it. Like, I really, really get it. But the church that I'm with now. Has such a great balance and a job in teaching you and doing life with you and extending and demonstrating grace that you really, really understand the concept that, there's no room for any of us to judge each other because we're all coming into a hospital. There are people here with problems. Like, don't be surprised when you see people in the church having problems. That's why we're all here. 

[00:48:23] Rita Burke: That's why they come! 

[00:48:24] Doris Jackson-Shazier: Yes, that's why we're all here. And I think people think that you have to dress up and look nice and come in perfect.

No, it's, no, that's not why you're here. We're all here for it to be healed. Some of us are a little bit further along in our healing, but I mean, you can see the doctor come in, you know, with an IV in their arm here, you know, like we all go through things in this life that hurt us. And this is supposed to be a place that helps us to heal. And so I'm always, you know, flabbergasted when people come in and expect church people to be perfect. 

[00:49:03] Rita Burke: To be perfect at all, we're not, you're not perfect. They're hypocrites. And I said, it's okay. We're here because we're hypocrites. That's why we're here. 

[00:49:12] Doris Jackson-Shazier: Yeah, we come here to get our dose, you know, twice a week or so, um, to help us to do this walk that we have to do every day.

Now, we can't just be a certain person in the church, and then we're a different person outside the church. That's not the purpose is you're coming to get your refueling so that you can be who you need to be when you leave. But yeah, like it's a hospital and we're coming here for healing and for grace and to experience his mercy and then to carry, you know, that, that residue of, of, of that experience throughout the rest of the week.

Um, so yeah, I firmly believe that. And I've learned that in my current church 

[00:49:49] Ellington Brown: . 

You are a. beautiful African American woman And I can't imagine living in Florida of all places and having to deal with individuals that are not your color. How do you deal with individuals? And that could be white, that could be brown. Yeah. You know, language differences, cultural differences. You run up against someone who just does not like you for the color of your skin, and maybe they don't have a problem even telling you that.

You know, very politely. 

[00:50:30] Doris Jackson-Shazier: It happened! , 

[00:50:31] Ellington Brown: But you get it! So how do you deal with these individuals in an organization that feels that way. 

[00:50:37] Doris Jackson-Shazier: So a couple of different ways. Most people aren't very forward. I have met the forward type that will say things to you and give you clear indications that they have a problem, you know, with you.

What I have found sometimes is sometimes it's not just color. It's just ignorance. I have a big philosophy of loving people to life. Um, I'm a, I like to say I'm a thermostat, not a thermometer. Like a thermostat adjusts the temperature of the room, and a thermo thermometer takes the temperature. And so when I'm faced with situations like that, I take a deep breath and I say, okay, so am I gonna allow them to adjust my temperature or am I gonna adjust the temperature of this room?

And so what I do is most of the times, again, most of the times. I'm gonna make you love me. You know, you don't love me. Anyway, you're gonna get over yourself. If you thought a certain way about people who look like me, then I'm going to be the person that perhaps introduces you to something different. Um, I've had people compliment me in a way, you know, it's kind of like a backhanded compliment.

Like, Oh, my God, like, you're so articulate, like, you know, for, you know, and I'm like, for what, you know, I'm particular for what, um, you know, it's their ignorance, you know, sometimes and so. I think of it sometimes as an education or a teaching moment. Versus offense, I do believe that someone can try to offend you, but it's up to you to be offended.

And so as much as I can, I try and own offense in terms of. You can try, but I don't have to be offended. And, um, again, it works a lot of the times I have my moments where they throw it and I catch it. Um, but I try and stay in a space where I am, um, not easily offended and I see it as a teachable moment. 

[00:52:37] Rita Burke: We spoke with a woman yesterday. Elton, I'll hang on and let you speak. Go ahead. 

[00:52:42] Ellington Brown: No, no, no, go ahead. 

[00:52:43] Rita Burke: We spoke with a woman yesterday. And she exuded such confidence. We're speaking with you today and you are enshrouded with this thing called confidence. Where, where, where do you learn how to become confident?

Because that is a skill that you need. I don't have to tell you that to survive and to thrive in this world. Where do you learn to be confident? 

[00:53:13] Doris Jackson-Shazier: I think you learn confidence is a, it is an inside job. It really is an inside job. And I'm going to take it back to faith. It's knowing where, know who you are and who God says you are.

If you're a person that gets really caught up in what other people say about you, or other people are, is the root of your bucket being filled, The other people can sway you, they can make you feel up and it can make you feel down because they kind of control, you know, they feel your cup when you're a person that your cup is filled by God is filled through the promises and what he says and who he says you are, then you're not as easily moved is, you know, if God is for me, then who can be against me?

And so I think that's where it comes from. That's so it's an inside job. It's a belief system. 

[00:54:13] Ellington Brown: Understood. This has been one marvelous discussion this morning. This is like having your very first cup of coffee. We covered major points with you. We talked about your career and experience, your coaching skill and your specialization.

We talked about your, your book just on the brink of coming out and that's, Raising Justice. 

[00:54:45] Doris Jackson-Shazier: Yes, 

[00:54:46] Ellington Brown: I got it right that time and then your personal insights and experiences to all of this, and then we actually got to talk about your impact your skills, your book that's coming out.

You are so well rounded and I'm sure that our readers are going to readers and listeners are going to be impacted positively for what you are doing, and they're going to definitely be inspired and I want to thank you so much for being with us this morning! 

[00:55:19] Doris Jackson-Shazier: Thank you guys. You guys are wonderful conversationalists. I appreciate it! 

[00:55:24] Rita Burke: Well, Elton said chatting with you is like having your first cup of coffee. If you're looking at it from the lens of DEI, I'm excluded and I don't like that because I'm not coffee, I'm tea.

[00:55:40] Doris Jackson-Shazier: I'm actually not a coffee drinker either. 

[00:55:42] Rita Burke: But I will add that it's not just having your first cup of beverage, but it's having it on the beach. 

[00:55:52] Ellington Brown: Oh, there you go. 

[00:55:54] Rita Burke: It's been absolutely delightful to chat with you. And if there's anything else you want to share with us at any point, don't hesitate to get in touch with us because we would love to have you back on SpeakUP! International.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. 

[00:56:09] Doris Jackson-Shazier: Thank you so much. I would be excited to come back if I could just end with 1 thing. If anyone wants to reach out to me, if you're looking for a leadership coaching, um, one on one, or for your teams or your company, or for a facilitator that comes in with a high dose of charisma and excitement and authenticity.

Please reach out to me on DorisJacksonShazier. com. Also on my website, I am in pre sales of my book, so everyone that orders before June 27th will receive an autographed copy of my book and then on June 27th, my book will be available on Amazon, Apple, Google, and Barnes and Noble. Um, but I'm excited about sharing my journey about motherhood with everyone.

And I'm really, really on a whole kick about how motherhood is leadership. And I want everybody to know that. 

[00:57:05] Ellington Brown: Thank you so much and the information that you gave about your schedule in terms of the book, your website, all of those things will be emphasize at the bottom of the summary of the podcast.

So when you see it, everybody else will see it that actually visit to hear your story and you'll get a link from us and that link you can do whatever you want with it. Just go crazy. We're not going to stop you. There'll be no, Hey, no one told you to do that. We're not, we want you to just. Go with God.

There we go. 

[00:57:51] Doris Jackson-Shazier: Amen. 

[00:57:53] Ellington Brown: Thank you for listening to , SpeakUP! International! If you wish to contact Ms. Doris Jackson-Shazier, please be prepared to submit your name, your email address, and the reason why you wish to contact Ms. Jackson-Shazier to http://dorisjacksonshazier.com Are you interested in the opportunity to be interviewed and have your cause promoted by SpeakUP! International? We invite you to connect to us by sending a message that includes your name, company or organization name, the valuable service you offer to your community and your email address to Info@speakuppodcast.ca. 

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