Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dr. Kelly Alicia Watson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Dr. Alicia, thanks for joining us today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?
My legacy consists of breaking generational curses while Changing Lives, and Changing Perspectives as it pertains to becoming an effective leader. My Legacy is all about Revolutionizing Leadership in the 21st century.
Effective leadership and learning how to lead have played a significant role in the success and failures of my life. It is my hope that my legacy is remembered by building leaders and teaching the art of how to lead which starts and stops with understanding the “You inside of You”. The ultimate goal is to inspire others to go beyond their self-interest and become a change agent in the community. Our gifts are never our own, it is meant to be shared so that others can heal and be inspired to want to help others. The more you can recognize who you are, the more you are willing to understand who you will not become. Loving yourself is critical. As a leader, it is important that you are not driven by your ego, but by a purpose. Titles and being entitled mean nothing but becoming a person of influence in a positive way is one of the key ingredients for creating social change. My success and survival are based on my disciple, my focus, my strategy, the mission, and the vision that comes from within, and not the position.
Dr. Kelly Alicia, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am Dr. Kelly Alicia Watson born in Baltimore, Maryland, within Park Heights. A 1,500-acre community, Park Heights comprised 12 smaller neighborhoods that together contain approximately 30,000 residents. It is bounded on the south by Druid Park Drive, on the west by Wabash Avenue, on the east by Greenspring Avenue, and on the north by Northern Parkway. It is one of the largest communities in Baltimore Maryland that embodies hip-hop culture & style, but it is largely poor in the lower part of park heights and has significant disadvantages because of various social, economic, racial, and political factors. The greatest part of being raised in the Park Heights community is the pride, charisma, and mental strength that you have to have just to be able to survive living in the community. We are known for our strength; our fearlessness and we believe that there is nothing we can not accomplish. Our power comes from what we believe.
I had a coach name Lillian Brown AKA “Tweet, Tweet”. She was one of the first individuals in my life that saved my life and taught me the importance of how to lead with a purpose. She did it with unconditional love and grace unapologetically. She was extremely firm and set high expectations for me even when I did not see them for myself. She told me that, I could do anything that I put my mind to if I believed in myself. Coach Brown instilled discipline and taught me the art of balance and humility, having respect for myself and others. She also taught me how to learn from what was lost, and how to take back what was stolen. “Unapologetically” Coach Brown finally told me to never give my power away, and that freedom is expensive. She reminded me that sometimes you have to allow disruptions to overcome opposition.
My Godmother, the late great Rev. Dr. Eleanor Louise Bryant, always told me at an early age “You Are a Gift from God”. She taught me that sometimes God does not always solve the problem for you, but will provide you with a path to get you to where you need to be. She taught me that “I AM GREATER THAN WHAT I HAVE BEEN TOLD”. She also taught me that whatever I do next, determines the rest of my life and to be intentional.
Dr. Watson’s parents are Alicia Bernadette Brooks and the late Rudolph Levi Watson. My father always told me that no matter how many people I want to help, I must take care of myself first and then go and change lives and make a difference. Alicia Bernadette Brooks reminded me to embrace independence, work smart, and create a network of positivity, remembering that when you evaluate people in your space you must eliminate liabilities. Both parents taught me through their own individual experiences that there will be times when I must walk alone unapologetic. I also learned from the mistakes that my parents made and became determined to break generational curses within the family dynamics.
Finally, my best friends E.V.G. taught me how to focus on what I can control and always know her place, find her place, stay in her place, and let her work speak for itself. The greater the pain, the greater the reward. V.A.F. taught me laughter, patience, grace, and that every storm will pass with God on my side. She stated that I must know God for myself She also reminded me to not break my system and to continue to walk in silence, and the sun will shine at the end of every tunnel.
I was put out of Northwestern Senior High School two months before graduation and was told I was a menace to society. My father the late Mr. Rudolph Levi Watson told the principal at Northwestern Senior High School to transfer me to another school where she does not have influence, and this will determine if she knows how to lead with a strategic purpose. My father indicated that I had too much influence at the current school and in order to determine if I was a true leader, it will be based on and dependent upon me graduating on time, but at another school. I was then transferred to Forest Park Senior High School where I was given a time limit to complete all assignments that I missed throughout the entire senior year in order to graduate. Although I had to walk alone, I realized at an early age, the “wilderness” was never meant for me to fail but it was designed for me to change my entire life and perspective on understanding the grit and grind of loving myself while creating a new normal. I believe authenticity comes from being humble and becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable. After graduating from high school on time, my Godmother, the late great Rev. Dr. Eleanor Louise Bryant & Dr. Marsha Clinkscale called in a favor that provided me acceptance into Florida Memorial University where I earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 1997.
After graduating, I returned home to Baltimore and started working with the family business. My uncle Bobby and aunt Joyce Clinton opened a group home, congregated living facility called “The Clinton Home for Children”, located in Baltimore, County Their mission was to provide a stable environment for at-risk children. Remedy and decrease the risk of continued abuse and neglect and provided an alternate plan of care for children when parents or caretakers were unable to provide proper and safe care for them. I began working as a residential coordinator, under my aunt and uncle’s strict leadership. I began to learn the importance of accountability, obedience, and service. After intense training, I became the Assistant Director of the organization and worked with stakeholders, and seized the opportunity for organizational excellence through innovation and creativity.
Prior to being accepted at Towson University, I was hired as a basketball coach from the same high school that put me out. I then led Northwestern Senior High school; an all-female team called the Northwestern “Wild Cats” to the championship finals. I was accepted and graduated from Towson University 2006 located in Towson, Maryland.
Any advice for managing a team?
Difference Between Leadership vs. Management. The role of management is to control a group or group of individuals in order to achieve a specified objective. Leadership is the ability of an individual to influence, motivate, and enable others to contribute to the organization’s success. Leaders create visions, managers create goals. Leaders are change agents; managers maintain their status. Leaders create relationships, managers create systems. In order to manage a team and maintain high morale you must be able to be transformative while becoming influential. Employees must be able to work in an environment that is cohesive, equitable, and inclusive. Micromanagement is a setup for failure.
Employee morale is significant because it is tied directly to such important things as employee engagement, job satisfaction, employee retention, and overall productivity. Organizations with high employee morale tend to have healthy cultures, engaged employees, and enviable employer brands. There are several ways to increase high morale.
1. Encourage ongoing one-on-ones. …
2. Give employees the tools to ask for feedback. …
3. Train your managers to become better coaches. …
4. Help your people develop–both personally and professionally. …
5. Show employees how much you appreciate them. …
6. Don’t forget to have fun and create an environment that is welcoming, open, and diverse while maintaining flexibility
7. Create a work-from-home plan. In today’s culture, working in the office is no longer needed in many cases. Providing a supportive network around work from home encourages the employee to work smarter while managing their day-to-day activities.
Michelle Obama Quotes
1. “You cannot take your freedoms for granted. Just like generations who have come before you, you have to do your part to preserve and protect those freedoms…you need to be preparing yourself to add your voice to our national conversation. You need to prepare yourself to be informed and engaged as a citizen, to serve and to lead, to stand up for our proud American values, and to honor them in your daily lives.”
2. “If we want maturity, we have to be mature. If we want a nation that feels hopeful, then we have to speak in hopeful terms…We have to model what we want.”—Interview with Oprah Winfrey in Dec. 2017
3. “I want our young people to know that they matter, that they belong. So, don’t be afraid, you hear me, young people? Don’t be afraid. Be focused. Be determined. Be hopeful. Be empowered. Empower yourself with a good education. Then get out there and use that education to build a country worthy of your boundless promise. Lead by example with hope; never fear.”
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
There are several books that guide and significantly impact my entrepreneurial thinking are New York Times Best Seller “LEAD FROM THE OUTSIDE”, by Stacey Abrams. There is a story in the book on page 7 that is titled, “I Know You Are, BUT What AM I”. This story is a replica of what my father did with me as it pertains to my experience with my father forcing the school to transfer me and put me in a place that is unfamiliar to determine if I will discover “Who I Am” without the noise and without the power that I created at the previous school. My mother Alicia Brooks did it the same exact way with Florida Memorial University. I went to college thinking and feeling incompetent because I had never seen black and brown educated peers that were smart and intelligent and knew how to speak professionally, I did not even know how to speak the language. At first, I was intimidated, and I would avoid speaking around them because half of the time I did not know what they were saying, nor did I understand the definitions of the words being pronounced. I also stereotyped a lot of my peers and thought that if they did not look like me or speak like me that they certainly could not be a friend of mines not realizing that although I had those insecurities, I always wondered, of all people, why was I chosen. But to me, I did not fit the criteria of being a college student in Miami, Florida. In my mind, I was there to make certain I had a place to stay for 4 years, but I did not know the rules and what to do to keep my housing on campus. So, for the first two semesters, I failed every class. I just knew that if I did not get out of Baltimore, I was headed for prison or death by default.
I called my mother and said okay, now I had an opportunity of college life and failed can I come home now? She replied, “No”. She then asked me “What is the reason that you want to come home? I replied, I failed every class, and I cannot relate to the students there. Here are a couple of leadership tips she provided me with, she told me to find the smartest person on campus and become their friend, take everything that I learned in the streets and apply it to get the schoolwork done, but first, you must learn the rules and then execute them. As mad as I was, I did exactly what she told me to do and never forgot it. She also told me to get a job. I was 17 years old and had no idea of what it looked like in the Park Heights Community to be around smart black and brown children. But the longer I stayed, the more intrigued I became to learn their language. I also discovered we were all similar in some way shape, or form and we all wanted the same thing, which was something better than what I was provided and what was it that I needed to do to “Make That Change”-Michael Jackson.
Stacey Abrams is a pioneer of leading unapologetic and recognizing that her voice matters. Her goal has always been for others to stretch themselves, to explore their potential even when they know you may not be the first or best. It is never about recognition but all about the work!!! Leadership is all about entrepreneurial thinking, it is about becoming a person of influence. At first, I had to learn about compliance, meeting specific tasks, learning the rules, submitting work within a timely manner, and learning to work as a team player and not work as if I were on an island all by myself. Management vs. Leadership is completely different, but you must learn how to manage what you have and keep what you have been blessed with. I realized that what significantly impacted my thinking was the ability to master “Me,” which is part of my destiny. Your Power comes from your Process.
The second book guided my entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy. Anthropology by, Jessica Buchanan, called “DESERTS TO MOUNTAINTOPS” which just released. On page 9, she talked about her being a young woman in a male-dominated work world, while constantly trying to prove herself, and being done with never being taken seriously. She also discussed an altercation with her supervisor on a field mission in South Sudan where her supervisor said, “You can’t blame someone for being stupid”. Because of what she had been told, she believed that she did not have a voice. There are many stories where women are treated unfairly in a male-dominated world. Part of revolutionizing leadership in the 21st century is all about encouraging entrepreneurs and the importance of creating your own voice to create social change. Working with teams to do extraordinary things must come with women recognizing they are smart and intelligent enough to do the work they are hired to do. It takes a team to execute a project, and everyone has a voice. The question remains, do I believe who I say I am, or do I believe what I have been told? It takes extraordinary power to realize that she is better than what she was told and the strength to fight through what she dealt with in her work environment. She paid a significant price being a woman but, ultimately won, with determination and resilience. Jessica Buchanan’s journey empowers women on all levels and that is what leading looks like.
In conclusion:
Leveraging more than two decades of excellence in Leadership, Dr. Watson has earned distinctions since 2008. She has provided executive coaching, motivational speaking, and advocacy, and partnered with the Baltimore city school system while working with companies to increase performance outcomes in city schools. Brokering services with companies such as BET, “The Rap-it-up” program, Macy’s, Medieval Times, TGI Fridays, Wells Fargo, L’ Occitane, Johns Hopkins, The Ronald McDonald House, Applebee’s, Rusty Scupper, Chick-fil-A, McDonald’s, the Baltimore Orioles, Optimum Fitness, The Restaurant Association and Curves Rock Fashion Weekend.
Dr. Watson gained a Doctorate in Philosophy as a noteworthy Psychologist specializing in Organizational Psychology from Walden University in 2021. In 2021, her research created the blueprint for Maryland’s future in leadership by Achieving Academic Equity and Excellence in Principal’s Leadership Style as A PREDICTOR OF SCHOOL CLIMATE IN URBAN HIGH SCHOOLS IN BALTIMORE. Dr. Watson is revolutionizing what leadership should look like in the 21st century. Outside of her primary career efforts, Dr. Watson hosts a podcast bringing top industry leaders, entrepreneurs, educators, and ordinary people to do extraordinary things. The show is called “The Change Lives, Change Perspectives Show”, and airs on Spotify and Anchor. The show modernizes leadership on a global level, the art of leading with a purpose. It aims to help listeners become better leaders, to go beyond their self-interest, and become a person of significant influence. Additionally, she is a valued member of the American Psychological Society, the American Psychological Association, and The Society for Industrial Organizational Psychology.
Well-qualified in her field, she holds certifications in the foundations of leadership, advanced leadership, and executive leadership from The National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS).
Within the coming years, Dr. Watson will continue to build a global leadership movement by building leaders and teaching the art of leadership by understanding the Ultimate You and teaching the world how the “You” in you can Change Lives, & Change Perspectives. Inspiring others to be the best transformational version of themselves while recreating a new normal. Her brand focuses on building leaders, which is the Ultimate Power of Success. Dr. Kelly Alicia Watson believes in leading with a profound purpose, teaching you how to walk into your purpose and execute unapologetically. She loves leading lives that she has never birthed.
Dr. Kelly A. Watson’s Philosophy-
Theoretically, everything is impossible until it is Done!!!
She has been Provoked to Purpose!!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: watsonkellyassoc
- Facebook: Kelly Watson (Ph D)
- Linkedin: Kelly Watson, Ph.d
- Twitter: @DrKellyWatson
Image Credits
Hair by: Abijar “Babe” at Solantra
Clothing: Alek Risimnic Couture, Carl Brisco-Trogdon
Make up: Tracy Lady_didit
Executive Assistant Armour Entertainment, Anthony Lee Cummings Jr.
Photography: Roy Cox