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

Shinika, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

I think that success comes with understanding and aligning in your purpose. When you know your purpose and live life with intention then everything else falls into place. I believe that we each have gifts and talents that are unique to us as individuals, but you have to cultivate them. Your gifts align with your purpose. Our purpose directs our paths and allows us to do what we are good at while also making a difference for others. It is also about showing up as your authentic self and being confident in who you are. Your success is determined by your mindset and your willingness to put in the work to achieve your goals.

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

I’m Dr. Shinika McKiever, Chief Creative Officer of The McKiever Group Creative Company. My journey shows the power of the pivot and embracing Plan B. Last summer, I decided to take a risk on myself and took a leap of faith into full-time entrepreneurship to launch my creative consulting firm. The McKiever Group Creative Company merges my passions with my expertise. We offer creative and purpose driven solutions that help our clients strategically align passion and purpose to lead with confidence and clarity. Our work also stems from a lens of culturally inclusive leadership that considers the lived experiences of individuals.

Our expertise focuses on philanthropy, leadership, organizational development, entrepreneurship, and mindset. The McKiever Group Creative Company provides an array of services in talent development, organizational planning, entrepreneurial leadership for women, and leadership solutions. We also provide coaching, training, and facilitation services. Our clients love working with us because we use creative strategies and intention to solve complex problems. We are known for helping our clients to do what they love while doing what they are best at!

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

My journey to entrepreneurship was one of the biggest pivot moments I’ve had in my life. At the time, I was working in higher education fundraising and wasn’t necessarily passionate about the work I was doing. I was still committed to working a 9-5, just something that I enjoyed more than the role I was in. I knew that I wanted to transition into the learning and development space because I enjoyed coaching and training others. I applied for this great national opportunity on a whim, and I ended up becoming a finalist for the role. Although I didn’t get it, going after it gave me the confidence to apply for more senior leadership roles. I ended up getting a few different interviews, but nothing ended up coming through for me. I was having a conversation with my mentor, and she told me that maybe those roles were not coming through for me because that was not the path I was intended to take. After our conversation, I realized that she was right and that it was time for me to consider what working for myself looked like. I decided to stop applying for roles and set my plan to leave my full-time job into motion. It happened two months later, and I left in June 2022. The pivot was the best decision that I could have ever made for myself. I get to do work that is impactful and aligns with what I love to do. The pivot is where we often find our power.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

There’s this TED talk that’s cut into a shorter video called How to Start A Movement: Leadership Lessons from a Dancning Guy. I always refer to this video when teaching leadership because it is a great example of understanding the importance of your followers. A leader is only as good as their followers who believe in and buy into the leader’s vision. With the first follower, the leader is a lone nut. The followers are important and show that the mission is bigger than you as an individual. When you give people something they can believe in then they are going to support you and spread your message. This video is a great representation of that and how it only takes a few people to start a movement but someone has to have the coursge to show up authentically not caring what anyone else thinks.

Link to Video:

Contact Info:

• Website: www.themckievergroup.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drshinikamckiever/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrShinikaMcKiever/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shinikamckiever/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/shinikainspires
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1LY3L1t6ryNhk4AroTsX9w

Image Credits
Toni Shaw Photography