Kalifa Oliver, Ph.D.'s Linkedin Analytics

My passion for transforming the workplace is based on my core belief that not only can leaders do better, but they have a responsibility to their teams to live up to their roles. As an 👩🏽‍💻 executive who has climbed the corporate ladder and gotten summarily kicked down, despite my belief that I had overcome the intrinsic biases derived from showing up as a Black female immigrant, I continue to believe that it is possible to transform the experiences of employees in any 🏢 industry. I’ve been in rooms where I was expected to be silent as I listened to leaders make subjective decisions that I knew would hurt both the organization and the employees. I have been in rooms where I felt like I had to shrink because I was an "other" or "only" in the room, which meant any power that I could bring through solutions left the room with me. And that was a heavy burden to bear. 𝗜 𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁. 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 meant saying the thing, and doing it scared, but it meant finding my voice and believing in my own power. And I did it scared and I leaned into my own 𝕒𝕦𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕚𝕔𝕚𝕥𝕪 and that was where I created ɪᴍᴘᴀᴄᴛ. I could begrudge the challenging people and adversities I have faced along the way, but I choose to remain focused on keeping my joy 💃🏽 and finding levity 🤭 in uncomfortable situations. This is what I call ꜱᴛᴇᴘᴘɪɴɢ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴍʏ ᴍᴀɪɴ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ ꜱᴇᴀꜱᴏɴ. This attitude is what I bring to every workplace, every speaking engagement, every encounter I move through. This mindset has afforded me many chances to influence organizational change, leadership dynamics, and to collect my business besties. Sometimes I forget to celebrate all that I have accomplished despite the roadblocks that were placed in my path along the way. Accomplishments like: ✅ Completing my Ph.D. in Industrial Organizational Psychology ✅ Obtaining a professional certification at the prestigious MIT ✅ Securing management and executive roles at global brands including Walmart, Wells Fargo, WPP, Stanley Black & Decker, and Ford ✅ Writing and publishing my first book, I Think I Love My Job! These successes were gratifying because they were not only about me, but they are tools 🛠️ in my toolbox that I could then use to truly make a difference in the lives of others✨. They equipped me to help others to continuously improve 📈 and make a lasting impact on the lives of so many people. 🥰 Do you want help with getting your teams to 🤗 embrace the 𝕀 𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕜 𝕀 𝕃𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕄𝕪 𝕁𝕠𝕓 mindset? Get in touch with me and have a KO experience!