Diana White - Be prepared to walk away

       

This week Siebe Van Der Zee speaks with Diana White. Diana has a wealth of experience and eagerly shares her 10 lessons with Siebe. Dianna tells us why we should "never let work politics...influence out work ethics", why we should " Be prepared to walk away..." and that "everyone has something to learn and to teach".

About Diana White

Diana White has over 30 years in sales and retail experience, leading stores with revenues of over 10 million and a staff of 200. Consumer psychology, marketing, operations, and leadership are just a few of her skillsets. Diana’s career experience encompasses both the east and west coasts, starting with the management of several retail locations in NYC. Diana moved her family to Arizona in 2002. She has spent her years in Arizona working across the state, learning more about consumer buying patterns, and honing her sales skills. Seeing a need for startup and operations assistance within the local business community, Diana established D.E.W. Business Solutions, LLC, in 2014 to provide consulting to small businesses.

In 2017, Diana began working with a technology incubator in Northern Arizona. Diana held the title of Director of the Coconino County Small Business Development Center under the incubator and worked to develop programming for entrepreneurs. Along with developing curriculum content and facilitating small business workshops through Moonshot at NACET, in 2019, Diana was appointed as CEO of Chandler Innovations, a technology incubator funded by the City of Chandler, Arizona.

Diana obtained a Bachelor of Science in Small Business Administration from Northern Arizona University, holds a green belt in Lean Six Sigma, and is a certified Agile Scrum Master. She is committed to helping businesses and non-profits as well as the community at large. Diana has served on many boards, including the Boys and Girls Club and Habitat for Humanity. She is presently the Vice-Chair for Marketing Mission. This non-profit organization provides quality, professional marketing services to small non-profits. Diana also serves on the advisory board for Lancaster Leadership, a woman-owned and operated leadership academy. She currently splits her time between her residences in Gilbert and Flagstaff, Arizona, where she continues to lead Chandler Innovations and assist small businesses through her consulting firm.

 

Episode notes

Lesson 1: Be kind to everyone, you never know if they might be a potential customer…and there’s that Karma thing. 06m 03s.

Lesson 2: Never work harder than the person that works for you to keep THEIR job. 08m 47s.

Lesson 3: Don’t let work politics or bad influences dictate your work ethics. 10m 00s.

Lesson 4: If you’ve done your homework, listened attentively and you’re truly excited about something, don’t let others tell you not to try 14m 31s.

Lesson 5: Listen for comprehension and empathy 17m 11s.

Lesson 6: Base your ask on the value of the work not how you feel about your self-worth 21m 26s.

Lesson 7: Be prepared to walk away and be prepared that no one will try to stop you 23m 16s.

Lesson 8: for many positions great people skills and a willingness to learn are the real treasures to look for when hiring 29m 32s.

Lesson 9: Find someone who can show you how they were able to do what you wish to do 32m 25s.

Lesson 10: Everyone has something to learn. Everyone has something to teach 37m 07s.