Episode 3: “Slow Ya Roll”- Mardia Shands

This week's Leadership Tidbits with Coach Tee Wilson features the woman who wears many hats, the lovely Mardia Shands.

Mardia graced the show willing to dive into the different ins and outs of many of the workforces she’s been a part of thus far. Before we get to her leadership tidbits, here’s some information you should know about Mardia Shands. 

Mardia earned a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Cincinnati and a Master's degree in Labor and Employment Relations also from the University of Cincinnati. She currently holds the Senior Professional and Human Resources designation from the Human Resources Certification Institute and the Senior Certified Professional Certificate from the Society of Human Resources Management. Ms. Shands is the Executive Director for Partners for Competitive Workforce. The Partners for Competitive Workforce is a regional collaborative that leads the efforts to grow the skills of the workforce and create a talent pipeline to meet employers' needs for labor. 

Ms. Shands has more than 20 years of human resources and workforce development experience across multiple industries including manufacturing, health care, construction, and IT. Her career has spanned from multinational global corporations to small not-for-profits across North America and Africa. She has been recognized by the Cincinnati Business Courier as a 40 under 40 business leader and the YWCA of Greater Cincinnati as a Rising Star. Ms. Shands is the immediate past chair of the Workforce Investment Board of Butler, Warren, and Clermont counties where she was recognized as a regional expert on solving workforce development issues. She also serves on the board of directors for the YWCA of Dayton and Lifespan. 

As Ms. Shands began to share with us how she’s gone from field to field, she reminds all young leaders out there to “slow ya roll.” She states, “...young people and those moving through their career who are goal oriented, slow down. It's not going anywhere, it's going to be here, and give yourself time. What's for you is for you, so just slow your roll, you’ll be alright.”

Overall, here are some leadership tidbits to take away from Mardia Shands: This work is hard, find what you need to get through, be flexible and adaptable, know where you stand, and find a good coach and/or mentor.