In October, I attended a women’s seminar here in Houston led by Michele Thornton – a high-ranking media executive for Centric TV. Several dozen women attended the event and I guarantee that none of us left the same way we came.
Growing up in Oakland, California, Michele was a good student and natural athlete. But she lost her love for the game by her senior year of high school. Instead of attending college, she found herself in love with a professional basketball player.
As many of us have done, Michele was living life through someone else’s dreams and successes. Fortunately, that relationship came to an end. She enrolled in college and began to live differently.
At 30 years old, she finally received a college degree and began to take control of every aspect of her life. For the past three years, she has been the Senior Vice President of Media Sales for Centric, “The First Network Designed for Black Women.”
Her book, Stratechic: Life & Career Winning Strategies for Women, is a manual for taking the God-given trait we each possess and leverage it to begin our transformation into Stratechics!
Michele encourages us to be owners and not renters of our destiny. “Owners invest in their businesses and think long-term.”
Ladies, we have to go all-in and be deliberate about what we do. Create a playbook for your life!
The Stratechic Playbook, which was the basis of the seminar, was divided into four parts: Life Objectives, Time, Relationships, and Craft Your Story.
It’s important to create your own dream for your life. What are you trying to accomplish? How long is it going to take? Who are the people that can help you?
Michele says that relationships are critical to your success. Your goals should be measurable and set against a timeline.
During the seminar, we looked at the time we spend; time used effectively and time that is wasted. After mapping out my daily routine, I found pockets of time that I was using ineffectively. My “stratechically” revised day allowed more Me Time and less time being wasteful.
“A Stratechic understands that she walks, talks and dresses for the job or role that she wants, not the one she currently holds.”
Self-awareness is another critical key to your overall success. You have to be aware of what gets you off your game, as well as what motivates you. Michele suggests a vision board to help see your goals and dreams more clearly.
I had the opportunity to talk with Michele and get advice on networking in a more stratechic way. I felt as though I was making good connections with people at events, however, the follow-up was not quite successful. “Be intentional with your plan…” she told me. It’s really helped me to refocus.
Ladies, Michele Thornton reminds us to walk with integrity and uplift each other. We have to advise, advocate and sponsor other women. That is what being stratechic is all about.