We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lakeasha Williams. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lakeasha below.

Lakeasha , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Innovation comes in all shapes, sizes and across all industries, so we’d love to hear about something you’ve done that you feel was particularly innovative.

I have utilized my passion for social justice, educational skillset, and love for children to lead a charge with changing the way we do school. My community mindset approach to school improvement positively impacted children and families in a marginalized urban area. My goal as an executive level coach is to provide leadership mentoring as needed and to connect school, business, and community leaders to provide equity of resources to all schools.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Being a teen mother motivated me to accelerate my success so that I could adequately provide for my child. I graduated high school a semester early. Determined to also finish college with two children at this time, I enrolled them both in the children’s program at Brooklyn College as well. It was important to me for my children to see me strive towards achieving my goals. Twenty years ago, I just wanted to teach. Teaching is a noble profession. But my principal at that time saw additional leadership qualities in me that she continued to cultivate. I never dreamed of being an award winning principal now executive level coach facilitating training for school, business, and community leaders. My lived experiences coupled with my professional experiences and college education enabled me to utilize the community resources to change the way we do school and close the access gap for children residing in marginalized communities. Transformational leadership is the greatest equalizer for our families, communities, and schools in the 21st century.

Viral school principal and social justice educational leader: I also have a new Amazon Best Seller book titled “Shine On Brown Girl”. The book is an empowering story to Black children everywhere to celebrate the skin their in daily because behind it lies a story of strength and perseverance. Black is fearless, Black is strong and Black is beautiful. I also share with my social media followers in a variety of ways why it’s so important to affirm all of our children and empower their dreams.

I’m also Amazon Best Seller co-author of, Still I Thrive. This anthropology focuses on the importance of perseverance and resiliency.

I am most proud of changing the narrative for black and brown children. As an Executive Level Leadership Coach I look forward to partnering with various leaders in education, business, and the community to continue this groundbreaking work. Transformative work yields the greatest returns in business and rewards for humanity.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Integrity The leader must lead by example and be the exemplar for the team. The leader must also be fair and consistent. Fair is when everyone gets what they need. Clear is kind. Stability is what helps any organization continue to thrive.

Growth Mindset
The leader must have an open mind and be willing to learn new things and grow. The leader must be a visionary and have an equity warrior spirit to always be solutions oriented.

Teamwork
The leader must see the greatness that resides in each member and utilize those talents to help achieve the company’s shared goals. The leader must also be willing to provide professional development to foster continued growth. People skills are a must.

Work Ethic
The leader must demonstrate a work life balance. Overall mental and emotional health is optimal for individual success. The organization will only gain from a wholistic approach.

These four tenants are optimal to maintain high morale in any organization.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I was able to effectively lead my team during the Covid 19 global pandemic. Schools shut down March 2019 and we had to pivot to remote learning overnight! I was not in the best of health, I was afraid, and I knew that my school community had some technology challenges. However, despite those factors I showed up for work and we did the impossible to prepare for remote learning in a record breaking 3 days! I provided technology professional development. We distributed technology devices to 75% of our student population. Additionally, I incorporated school wellness strategies as an integral part of our new normal during this pandemic.

Of course, I considered giving up! This was a new phenomenon for everyone and I was afraid too. My motivation was my children and my families. They showed up everyday for remote learning. They were looking to us to provide them with some stability and a level of normalcy. My desire to serve and help others is what sustains my drive. My parents were grateful and appreciative for the supports we provided for them during this time as well. This was enough to keep me going. As a community we even conducted a Thank you Essential Workers car parade to show our appreciation to the larger community. These are the moments of unity and humanity that I live for.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.brickhouseunlimited.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/principal_shineonlakeasha/
• Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/lakeasha-williams-019a7415
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/Lakewill611