We recently connected with Aleisha Johnson Cook and have shared our conversation below.
Aleisha, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard.
The mission statement for my company, AJC Business Solutions (AJC), is to empower our clients and support their growth and sustainability using a people-centered, data-driven, and process-oriented approach. As an Operations and Management consulting organization, it is important not only to provide solutions for my clients, but to ensure they are able to successfully implement and sustain improved performance results.
This story begins with a young black female straight out of her Global Supply Chain Management MBA program, moving to a big city for her first corporate job. I was excited yet oh so nervous. I chose this Fortune 100 Manufacturing Company because I felt it offered me the growth and exposure opportunities I was seeking. I knew from undergrad majoring in Business that I wanted to have a consulting business, but I also understood the importance of field experience in addition to degrees and certifications.
I jumped right into my role, sought additional opportunities for growth and exposure, and was identified as a high potential employee. I wasn’t aware of it at that time, but that designation opened the door for additional leadership and technical skills training, of which I eagerly took advantage. Fast forward 12 years, I have received extensive personal, professional, and technical training, had the opportunity to live in 3 additional states with progressive roles with each move, gained experience across multiple businesses and functional areas within the company, and managed successful multi-million-dollar initiatives. I still had a good bit of runway in front of me with the company, but I was ready to move back to Lafayette, La to be closer to my family.
I moved back home in November of 2019, ready to tackle the healthcare industry. I’m sure I don’t have to remind you what happened next … a few months later the world shut down! However, I took advantage of this unexpected downtime and focused on my consulting company, and in October of 2020 AJC Business Solutions was formed! With all the uncertainty going on in the world, I focused on what was within my control. I began networking with both those in the Healthcare industry as well as business owners and potential consulting clients. By the end of 2021, I had secured a role as a Supply Chain Services Manager with a local health system and had a better idea about the economic and business landscape in the region.
Throughout my 15+ years of experience, and honing my skills in Supply Chain, Project Management, and Lean Six Sigma methodologies, I studied the organizations in which I worked and volunteered to understand organizational behavior and its correlation to operational performance. The more organizations I was exposed to, I began to identify a common thread in organizations across industries, both for-profit and non-profit. The problems each organization experienced presented themselves differently, but the root cause generally centered around a lack of focus on the people involved in the process, i.e. skills gaps and communication failures. Statistics say that a third of projects fail due to poor communication and ~95% of strategic plans fail due to an ineffective monitoring and evaluation process or ineffective communication. I find these stats are right in line with my observations and experiences.
As I continued to build the business model for AJC, I kept three keys to success in the forefront: people, data, and processes. Any good consultant will use data to identify/confirm root causes and monitor results. They will also focus on the processes in place to identify improvement opportunities and may even help create standard operating procedures or an operational plan. However, my plan was to find an intersection between Project Management, Lean Six Sigma, and Instructional Design methodologies that offer clear benefits across all sectors, encompassing both for-profit and non-profit organizations. My goal was to identify how they best complement and enhance each other and leverage that to create and execute sustainable business solutions for my clients.
This unique blend of proven techniques sets AJC apart from other operations and management consulting companies by not only addressing the processes but also the knowledge and skills of the people executing and sustaining those processes. It is about partnership, collaboration, and capacity building. I have seen, and experienced firsthand, how investing in employees and providing them with the right tools, training, and support can significantly impact their output, job satisfaction, and even the bottom line.
AJC Business Solutions becomes part of the clients’ team, co-creating solutions, and equipping them with the necessary skills to enhance and maintain their operational performance. From Strategic Planning for a small or medium non-profit, to addressing operational issues of a large manufacturing company or healthcare system, this blend of techniques ensures a comprehensive and holistic approach to problem-solving, bridges gaps between strategy and operational execution, streamlines processes for greater efficiency, and fosters a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I am Aleisha Johnson Cook, Owner and Principal Consultant of AJC Business Solutions. I hold a Bachelor’s in Business Management, an MBA with concentrations in Global Supply Chain and Marketing, certifications as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and Project Management Professional, and have over 15 years of experience across sectors.
Throughout my career, I have gained extensive experience in leadership and operations, including logistics and supply chain management, operations and project management, strategic sourcing, data mining and analytics, process and continuing improvement, as well as operations and management consulting. I am adept at mapping systems and processes with a holistic understanding across business functions, while maintaining a human centric focus. I have a proven track record of identifying effective data driven business strategies and solutions and translating them into action plans that improve operational processes and results through the development of high performing teams. I also have experience with non-profit organizations, serving on multiple Boards of Directors with roles that include Chair of the Board and member of Executive Committees.
I am very passionate about personal and professional development, understanding its pivotal role in improving operational performance. This additional focus on team development enhances employees’ skills, fosters innovation, promotes adaptability, and increases engagement and satisfaction. By prioritizing the growth and development of a workforce or team, organizations can create a more productive, efficient, and successful operational environment.
If you have multiple revenue streams in your business, would you mind opening up about what those streams are and how they fit together?
AJC Business Solutions (AJC) currently has two streams of income, Consulting Services and Training Facilitation/Instruction. We are currently working on adding Coaching and Online Courses/Training as well. When AJC was formed, the main focus was around Consulting Services. However, as I started to build out my business model and investigate varying potential streams of income, I identified an opportunity to branch out to facilitate trainings around quality and process improvement (Lean Six Sigma), Project Management, and soft skills training, which I like to call Power Skills. I currently have contracts with both government and educational institutions for Training Facilitation, and I hope to grow to obtain direct contracts in the private sector. I also now offer some of these trainings as part of bundled consulting service packages. I am excited to continue delving into Instructional Design as I create online courses and training options focused on demystifying Lean Six Sigma and Project Management, focusing on how these methodologies can be applied across all sectors. Additionally, I anticipate going live with my Leadership Coaching services soon!
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
I love this question! My advice for anyone managing a team would be to focus on communication and collaboration to maintain high morale. Team members are more likely to be engaged when they feel informed and heard. Not only is this the right thing to do, per Gallup, a global engagement analytics and advisory firm, engaged teams lead to 14-18% higher productivity. This isn’t by chance, engaged team members are more collaborative, seek solutions to problems, are more adaptable to change, and generally go the extra mile. A leader who employs one-way communication styles and doesn’t recognize what the team members bring to the table will have difficulty managing and motivating the team.
What are some tips for good communication? Transparent and open two-way communication, clearly defined goals/roles/responsibilities, seek to understand versus being understood, timely, constructive, and actionable feedback, and correct use of varying communication methods (email/call/informal meeting/formal meeting) are a few characteristics of a high performing, high morale team.
What are some tips to create a collaborative team culture? Cultivate an environment where team members feel safe to express their opinions/ideas without fear of judgement or criticism, empower team members and delegate tasks based on their strengths and interests (as able), facilitate team building activities, encourage, recognize, and reward collaboration, and lead by example by seeking and acting on feedback from team members on areas of improvement.
Lastly, remember we are all human and we all make mistakes. Do not put yourself above the team you lead!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ajcbusinesssolutions.com
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/aleisha-johnson-cook-mba-hca-pmp®-cl6σbb-6ba5047
- Other: [email protected]