Lakeasha Williams Of Brickhouse Unlimited: Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Turbulent Times
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
…Transformational Leadership- the leader must have an equity warrior mindset of making things happen no matter what.
As part of our series about the “Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Turbulent Times”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Lakeasha Williams.
Principal Lakeasha Williams, is a Brooklyn native who is enthusiastic about serving in communities that she loves. She is a social justice educational leader with over twenty years of experience as a paraprofessional, classroom teacher, staff developer, assistant principal, special education administrator, and principal coach. During her rookie year she earned the Patricia McGuirk “Principal of the Year Award.” Lakeasha’s lived experience coupled with her professional experience gave her the necessary tools to effectively lead during turbulent times and found her company, Brickhouse Unlimited.
Thank you so much for your time! I know that you are a very busy person. Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
Growing up as the firstborn child and grandchild I was a natural born leader. I also found myself always helping my younger siblings and cousins. As I grew up, I naturally gravitated towards teaching. However, I never thought about doing anything beyond teaching. My first principal, Dr. Janice Jacob, encouraged me to pursue additional leadership opportunities. She saw that I was able to advance my students, engage with my families, and support my colleagues extremely well. I took advantage of every opportunity to grow under her leadership. Subsequently, I am now a lead school improvement expert, author, as well as upcoming entrepreneur.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?
The funniest mistake I made as a new principal was scheduling a hair appointment during our character day parade. I had a “bad” hair day moment. My school community knows that I like to “shine” every day. But it was also important for me to show up for my children, my shining stars. Ultimately, I decided to purchase, a nice head wrap and wore it with a nice African print dress. I went to school representing an African Queen. It was a hit with the children!
I had several “take aways” such as be ready to improvise, show up no matter what, and always be willing to laugh at yourself. So even though I initially panicked, after relaxing and taking a deep breath, I was able to find a solution and make it a win- win situation for myself and the students.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
It’s extremely important that every executive leader continue to engage in mentorship. I am fortunate to have a mentor, Dennis McKesey, who continues to encourage me to grow beyond my comfort level. Becoming a new author to the amazon best seller, Shine On Brown Girl, is an example of his influence. I am grateful that he saw something special in me during a turbulent time period of my life. He stood by my side while others shunned me. His belief in me gives me the freedom and flexibility to make mistakes and stretch myself to reach even higher heights. His support during my administrative years is greatly attributed to me being a school improvement expert, best- selling author, and upcoming entrepreneur today. I am forever grateful for his impact on my life.
Extensive research suggests that “purpose driven businesses” are more successful in many areas. When your company started, what was its vision, what was its purpose?
My quest to improve schools led me to Brickhouse Unlimited. A company that was formed during the pandemic as an avenue to strengthen our communities, families, and schools. As a school improvement expert, I ensure that my school community has equitable resources and supportive services for children and families. As an Amazon best-selling author, I provide additional wellness opportunities for the community. As a real estate consultant, I’m developing the blueprint for creating generational wealth. My ultimate goal is to improve the overall quality of life for every community member. Hence, the purpose of Brickhouse Unlimited.
Thank you for all that. Let’s now turn to the main focus of our discussion. Can you share with our readers a story from your own experience about how you lead your team during uncertain or difficult times?
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.
Did you ever consider giving up? Where did you get the motivation to continue through your challenges? What sustains your drive?
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.
What would you say is the most critical role of a leader during challenging times?
The most critical role is for the leader to exude hope. As long as we have hope we have the ability to see beyond our present set of circumstances. We know that this too shall pass.
When the future seems so uncertain, what is the best way to boost morale? What can a leader do to inspire, motivate and engage their team?
A leader has to be honest about the situation. Provide appropriate action plans to effectively navigate the situation. The leader must also find ways to still celebrate their team.
What is the best way to communicate difficult news to one’s team and customers?
A leader must be able to have courageous conversations. If the news affects the entire organization, then hold townhalls to share the news. If it affects individuals speak directly to the necessary party. In both cases follow up with written documentation.
How can a leader make plans when the future is so unpredictable?
The chief function of a leader is to have vision. The ability to see beyond the present set of circumstances. It is imperative that a leader make plans for the future.
Is there a “number one principle” that can help guide a company through the ups and downs of turbulent times?
A number one principle is to maintain a sense of hope through it all.
Can you share 3 or 4 of the most common mistakes you have seen other businesses make during difficult times? What should one keep in mind to avoid that?
Common mistakes:
- Does not meet with the team to share information.
- The people on the “ground” are the last to know information yet are the most impacted.
- Emotionally unavailable or distant.
- No solid plans that’s applicable to the present situation or for the future.
To avoid those pitfalls a leader should do the exact opposite: meet with the team, information should be shared in a timely manner, be empathetic, have your short- and long-term action plans prepared.
Generating new business, increasing your profits, or at least maintaining your financial stability can be challenging during good times, even more so during turbulent times. Can you share some of the strategies you use to keep forging ahead and not lose growth traction during a difficult economy?
A leader has to consistently have fresh ideas on deck to pivot and create additional opportunities to grow the business. For example, although we could not meet in person during the pandemic, zoom provided a different delivery method of pertinent information. Therefore, we were able to continue to grow. Also conduct research to determine the needs of the consumers. Provide a mechanism to meet those needs. For my community food insecurity was a top priority. Subsequently, I found ways to partner with organizations to provide those services and be able to still connect with my school community.
Here is the primary question of our discussion. Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things a business leader should do to lead effectively during uncertain and turbulent times? Please share a story or an example for each.
These are the 5 Major Key Shifts that’s applicable for any business leader during uncertain and turbulent times.
- Transformational Leadership- the leader must have an equity warrior mindset of making things happen no matter what.
- Community Empowerment- there’s power in partnerships; seek support beyond your organization to meet and exceed your company goals.
- Leadership Teams- engage everyone on your team; I often times use the sports analogy- every member of the football team is a valuable player; everyone on your team has a vital role, that’s’ how teams win.
- Achievement Cycles- develop a progress monitoring system to track the company’s growth and make adjustments when necessary.
- Impactful Work Performance- the ability to supervise, give feedback, and grow the productivity of the employees.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My favorite quote is, “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth,” Muhammad Ali.
My life is a reflection of this quote. I am here to serve children, families, and the community in an attempt to make this world a better place for all of us.
How can our readers further follow your work?
Readers can go to my company’s website and gain access to all things related to Lakeasha Williams including my social media accounts.
Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!
Lakeasha Williams Of Brickhouse Unlimited: Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
