"Leaders can be disruptive by creating a culture within the organization that pushes the envelope"
Barbara H. Smith Tweet
Barbara H. Smith Is known as the “Celebrity Speaker Trainer”. The author of “Speak, Coach, Train – Strategies to Discover Your Passion”, Barbara is an entrepreneur, speaker, trainer, actor, and business strategist. She earned an associate degree from ECPI University (1991), her bachelor’s degree from St. Leo University (1992), and her master’s degrees in information technology and management from Troy State University (2006). She uses her career experience and educational background in information technology (IT), to help those with a strong desire to win. However, don’t be fooled by her information technology background, “she’s a geek with a personality”.
Barbara founded BHS Consulting, LLC. in 2016. Her company offers customized corporate training programs. She currently serves the community as one of the moderators and trainers of the Black Business Expo USA, one of the largest black business showcases in the history of Black America in the world. One of her heart pulls is serving women and children. Her service includes work with the Natasha House, a transitional home for homeless women and their children.
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Thank you so much for giving us your time! Before we begin, could you introduce yourself to our readers and take us through what exactly your company does and what your vision is for its future?
Barbara H. Smith: My company is an executive coaching, training, and consulting company. We assess an organization’s training needs, draft training plans and execute training strategies unique to the organization’s needs. Our vision for the future is to host face-to-face and virtual training in Information Technology, IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Advocacy), and Communications training around the globe serving clients in every country on the planet.
NO child ever says I want to be a CEO/entrepreneur when I grow up. What did you want to be and how did you get where you are today?
Barbara H. Smith: I wanted to be an actress when I grew up. Entertaining audiences on stage. I got my dream, not as an actress necessarily although I’ve done some acting, I’m on stage in my own TV show and around the world as a global speaker.
Tell us something about yourself that others in your organization might be surprised to know.
Barbara H. Smith: I love being alone.
Many readers may wonder how to become an entrepreneur but what is an entrepreneur? How would you define it?
Barbara H. Smith: An entreprenuer is a risk taker. Calculated risk at times but sometimes not calculated because an entrepreneur will use their gut to calculate and if wrong, they accept the misstep, (NEVER a mistake), just a lesson learned.
What is the importance of having a supportive and inclusive culture?
Barbara H. Smith: The culture you create must be supportive and inclusive because both breed creativity. When the culture is inclusive, everyone in the organization is valued. When everyone in the organization feels they have worth, they are more apt to support the goals of the organization.
How can a leader be disruptive in the post covid world?
Barbara H. Smith: Leaders can be disruptive by creating a culture within the organization that pushes the envelope. Members of the team that are given the latitude to use creativity to address customer challenges are disruptive. Leaders actually listening and putting into practice the suggestions from customers, and team members from social pressures to familial pressures is disruptive.
If a 5-year-old asked you to describe your job, what would you tell them?
Barbara H. Smith: I help people talk to other people so that everybody can work together better.
Share with us one of the most difficult decisions you had to make for your company that benefited your employees or customers. What made this decision so difficult and what were the positive impacts?
Barbara H. Smith: The most difficult decision I had to make was to take all face-to-face training online. The positive impact was we had our best years ever during COVID.
Leaders are usually asked about their most useful qualities but let’s change things up a bit. What is your most useless talent?
Barbara H. Smith: My ability to make jewelry.
Thank you so much for your time but before we finish things off, we do have one more question. If you wrote a book about your life until today, what would the title be?
Barbara H. Smith: ‘It Was Meant to Be’
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Barbara H. Smith for taking the time to do this interview and share her knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Barbara H. Smith or her company, you can do it through her – Linkedin Page
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