"I believe a business can thrive in 2023 and beyond by stepping outside of their comfort zone."
Latika Vines Tweet
ValiantCEO Magazine is thrilled to introduce Latika Vines, an 8x Author, Work-Life Balance Advocate & Educator, and CEO of Visionary Initiatives. Latika’s ultimate goal is to consult for top companies such as IBM, Google, and/or Apple as their Chief People Developer.
She is the host of “Real Talk: The Realities of Work & Life Balance Global Virtual Summit, Empowering the Working Mom Annual Breakfast,” and the Top 25 Rated Work-Life Balance podcast – The Latika Vines Show.
In this exclusive interview, Latika shares her insights on how to support and retain working moms in the workforce, what keeps employees happy, and her favorite book and its influence on her life.
Check out more interviews with entrepreneurs here.
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Table of Contents
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Latika Vines: Hi, I’m Latika Vines. I am a working mom of 4 girls, a wife, and a Workforce Developer, with the goal of consulting for IBM, Google, and/or Apple as their Chief People Developer.
I am an 8x Author, Work-Life Balance Advocate & Educator, CEO of Visionary Initiatives, and curator and host of Real Talk: The Realities of Work & Life Balance Global Virtual Summit; Empowering the Working Mom Annual Breakfast; and the Top 25 Rated Work-Life Balance podcast – The Latika Vines Show
If you were in an elevator with Warren Buffet, how would you describe your company, your services or products? What makes your company different from others? What is your company’s biggest strength?
Latika Vines: If I were in an elevator with Warren Buffet, I would tell him that my organization supports the retention of working moms across the world. I would explain that retaining working mothers is an organization’s best investment because we bring several skills to the table:
- Organization,
- Focus and productivity,
- Risk-taking,
- Leading multiple projects/programs,
- Build and nurture relationships, and
- Perseverance.
And, when an organization recognizes, supports, and makes room for working moms to show up in their best way, their bottom line benefits. And, as a working mom, I walk into an organization’s Human Resources or Learning & Development office with those strengths and capabilities to improve their working mom workforce through succession planning, talent management, and employee engagement.
Visionary Initiatives is different from other workforce development organizations because we bring both the personal and professional experience of being a working mom in the workforce, with the success rate of leading organizations to improved retention rates and increase engagement while creating career paths for working moms that align to their desires and an organization’s succession needs.
Quiet quitting, The Great Resignation, are an ongoing trend causing many businesses to struggle keeping talent engaged and motivated. Most are leaving because of their boss or their company culture. 82% of people feel unheard, undervalued and misunderstood in the workplace. In your experience, what keeps employees happy? And how are adapting to the current shift we see?
Latika Vines: Employees are happy when they are kept in the loop of what is going in within the organization.
For example, if an employee knows that their company didn’t meet financial goals, they would be less likely to expect a raise at the end of the quarter, and would work harder in the next quarter to meet the financial goals and receive a raise/bonus.
I also believe that if an employee is viewed as a risk-taker and their ideas are seriously taken into consideration and used, they will remain in their positions (be loyal to the company).
In my experience, employees are happy when they have managers who are leaders. A manager’s position/role is to manage the daily operations of a project, program, and/or task.
A leader’s role is to lead their employees from good to great. A leader mentors and supports their employees, and coaches them to be successful in the organization.
A leader inspires their employees and appreciates their employee’s efforts on a regular basis. Most employees are searching for leaders rather than supervisors or managers.
As a Career & Workforce Development Organization, I have been facilitating workshops teaching organizational leaders why it’s important to appreciate and listen to their employees and how they can do so.
I have also facilitated workshops to assist employees in managing their workload, communicating their needs with their supervisors, and being more engaged in their own career aspirations.
Here is a two fold question: What is the book that influenced you the most and how? Please share some life lessons you learned. Now what book have you gifted the most and why?
Latika Vines: The book that has influenced me the most is “The Mompowerment Guide to Work-Life Balance: Insights from Working Moms on Balancing Career and Family”, by Suzanne Brown. This book has influenced me the most because it encouraged me to create a work & life balance plan after having my fourth child.
As a working mom in Corporate America, it was hard trying to figure out how I was going to physically balance and manage 4 children, a career, a 4-hour commute, nurturing my relationship with my husband, and everything else on my plate. I fell into depression trying to figure it all out on my own.
But, when I came across this book, it inspired me to read about the many women around the world who were in the same place I was – stuck, struggling, and confused. But, they shared how they were able to overcome being stuck and how they gained the confidence to pursue what they needed in their life – work & life balance.
After reading the book, I created a work & life balance plan which I share with my working mom clients today; I also gained the clarity and confidence needed to pursue my career goals, no matter how many children I had. As I was growing my family, I received many comments from people who didn’t agree with the number of children I had and still show up to work.
People, particularly leaders, would mock me for having a large family and would even tell me that the workplace was not for women with multiple children. But, Suzanne Brown’s book inspired me to keep pressing for my goals and that’s exactly what I did.
The book that I have gifted the most is ’40 Days of Prayer for my Business: Think Big, Pray Hard, and Wait Expectantly.’ This book has been the encouragement, inspiration, and guide to preserving in my business, even if I don’t understand how things are going or if I’m not meeting my financial goals.
I have shared this book with business friends, networking groups, and those interested in being an entrepreneur.
Christopher Hitchens, an American journalist, is quoted as saying that “everyone has a book in them” Have you written a book? If so, please share with us details about it. If you haven’t, what book would you like to write and how would you like it to benefit the readers?
Latika Vines: Yes, I have been blessed to write 4 books and be a co-author of 4 books. The books that I have written and been included in share insights and strategies to help working moms and other women go after the Vision God has given them.
I share my personal struggles of being a working mom, passive career woman, and more, while also encouraging women to get unstuck so they can experience true prosperity and success, which God has said in His Word.
The titles of the books are:
- “Getting the Career You Want: A Self-Guided Career Planning Journal to assist you in Discovering the Career You Want and How to Achieve It“
- “I Fear Not, Because God Said So: 31-Day Devotion & Prayer Journal to Help Women Defeat Fear“
- “Enhance the Vision: The 90-Day Business Accountability Planner to Gain Clarity on Your Vision & Enhance It“
- “Working Moms Can Balance Work & Life: A Working Mom’s Quick Guide to Balance Work & Life“
- “Employee to Empire: 7 Foundational Steps to be a Dynamic and Fearless Business Owner“
- “Maximum Evolution: 7 Steps to Transform from Victim to Warrior“
- “Built an Empire“
- “Stuck is Not Your Story: I Overcame and am Victorious“
All books are available on Amazon or www.visionary-initiatives.com
2020, 2021, 2022 threw a lot of curve balls into businesses on a global scale. Based on the experience gleaned in the past years, how can businesses thrive in 2023? What lessons have you learned and what advice would you share?
Latika Vines: I believe a business can thrive in 2023 and beyond by stepping outside of their comfort zone. The past three years have forced us to pivot how we operate business and life; but, the first lesson it taught us was to do things in an uncomfortable manner. Rather than having our meetings and/or events in person, they had to be virtual.
Rather than having our 1,000-square-foot offices, we were forced to have virtual offices with documents in our internal drives, google drives, or One Drive. The past three years have taught us to step out of our comfort zone and pivot how we operate. Likewise, business owners must be willing to pivot and step outside of their comfort zones to survive and be successful in their industries.
Another thing I would share is that during the pandemic, more people went back to school to receive their degrees. As business owners, we have the opportunity to hire those individuals. They may not have the skills we need today, but after a year of working with you, they will have the top skills needed for your company to thrive. Give those individuals an opportunity to work with your company.
What does “success” in the year to come mean to you? It could be on a personal or business level, please share your vision.
Latika Vines: Success in 2023 means being able to rely on God in my business and personal life. It means trusting Him for every client, every invoice being paid, and for those clients to receive the prosperity and success God said in Joshua 1:8.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Latika Vines 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 Latika Vines or her company, you can do it through her – Linkedin Page
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