Working Women Wednesday

Happy smiling woman with curly hair lounging on couch.

Women Working Wednesday is a trend that you will find on many social media platforms. It is a day we acknowledge women for making it happen in their respective industries. By Design Consulting is supporting this trend by featuring a different woman each Wednesday on our blog site.  

Last week we featured Taj Sudderth Founder and CEO of Mahaly Spa. This week’s feature is Donnay (DJ) Williams. DJ is a leader at a well-known company, a business owner, mother, and wife that exudes positive energy. When she walks into a room you can feel that positivity. She always wants the best for those around her and she wants everyone to WIN. I hope you enjoy getting to know a little more about DJ.


DJ’s Profile

Industry: Sales

Position: General Manager/Business Owner

Business Name: Winnergy, LLC

Location: Greensboro/High Point Area

Favorite Quote: “The only “L’s” we take are LESSONS!”


BDC: Hi DJ! Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me. I know you have been busy.

DW: No problem, I am happy to be able to support you


BDC: Great let’s jump right in. As you know I am doing this Working Women Wednesday series and I originally wanted to focus on women specifically in leadership roles, which is how I thought about you. So this interview is going to focus on your thoughts as it relates to leadership.

DW: Ok, I am ready.

BDC: DJ, tell the BDC readers a little bit about yourself. Be sure you include how you relax

DW: I am a mom and wife. I love being around people so I am someone who is definitely a people person. I love to see people win. I grew up with a large family who didn’t have much but we were rich in love. I grew up on the rough side so I try to provide a life for my children that I didn’t have. This is also one of the reasons I am big on who and what is in my environment.  I am big on having a peaceful, spiritual, structured, and solid environment. I am outgoing, love to travel, love to sing, and love music. I absolutely love the beach! My family and I are at the beach as frequently as we can get there. That is how I relax but I also enjoy reading and listening to music. These things force my spirit to calm down and relax. 

BDC: Yes ma’am you are at the beach all the time. I think you should invest in property at the beach. Even with COVID, you have been able to quarantine at the beach with your family at certain periods. How has COVID impacted your home and work life?

DW: COVID definitely helped me to become more disciplined. I immediately put myself in competition with myself. COVID gave me significantly more time that I was not going to waste. This time allowed me to work on myself professionally and spiritually. As it relates to my job I had to lead my staff in a new and different way as well as take on roles and responsibilities I had not had to do in the past to meet the demands of my company.

BDC: COVID has definitely impacted each person differently. I have heard from so many people that this has been an opportunity for them to expand their knowledge or start something new. I would like to transition to your work-life. What is the industry you work in and what is your current role?

DW: I definitely took advantage of the opportunities it offered. I currently work in sales as a General Manager. I lead a team of 18.

BDC: Sales is an industry that you are either great at or you are not. From what I know about you it is something that you have done great in this industry. A staff of 18 is a lot. How do you manage and lead such a large team?

DW: I am a people leader. I like to know people first which means I take the time to get to know my staff which allows me to determine how I lead them. I want to be someone they can come to and talk to and provide that space for them to be able to do that. I try to appreciate each staff member as a person first before I look at them as an employee. I think these things have really helped me manage my team.

BDC: I have seen videos of you and your staff so I would agree that you do care about your staff. In thinking about your team, what are the things that you look for in a new staff member?

DW: I am looking for career orientated individuals who are innovative and selfless. I want people who are looking to grow within the company and not looking to be here until they can get something else. We have several people who say in interviews I am here until I find something else. No hiring manager wants to hear that. I also look for individuals who like to see those around them grow and can contribute to the team’s growth. 

BDC: As a leader, there are many things that we face that can keep us up at night. What are things that keep you up at night?

DW: Meeting and exceeding my goals, if I am doing good in one area but off in other areas that will bother me. I want to ensure that I have a winning day and so does my staff, so at times I do worry about making sure that is being accomplished.

BDC: I think as leaders those are things that are common concerns among other leaders. If you had to think about the challenges you face in the workplace, what would you say they were?

DW: The first would be making sure that I am remaining authentic and transparent. I want to be open with my staff and not business-oriented all the time. I struggle with accepting that it is okay for the team to hear about what is going on with me and challenges I may face, whether personally or professionally. Of course there is always a cap. The second would be that the overall team relies on me a lot to get information out so much so that I can become the voice and face of concerns or issues, whether they apply to me or not. The challenge can be getting them to a place where they feel It's ok to stand up and stand out. Lastly, it would be remembering to take care of myself. I care about my people and ensuring that my boss has what is asked of me, to the point that I may not consider myself. There are times that I need to take a step back. This has grown with COVID for sure.


BDC: Those are some serious challenges but I want to focus on the last one, which is really about work-life balance. I believe that finding some type of balance in your life is so important and women tend to struggle with this the most. Considering that challenge, how do you manage work-life balance?

DW: By spending time with my family. As previously mentioned, the beach is one of my favorite places to go so being able to quarantine at the beach and watch the ocean while I work has been a way for me to distress. I do believe that work-life balance is heavily important especially in the black community. We always feel like we have to work, work, work but these days, work-life balance is a non-negotiable for me.

BDC: As women, we often struggle with work-life balance because we are trying to be everything for our family and our job. This is even more so when we are in leadership positions. Thinking about our challenges and the need to have work-life balance, what are barriers that you have faced as a woman in leadership and as a woman of color do you think there are a set of separate barriers?

DW: I have differing opinions as it relates to just being a woman in leadership versus being a woman of color in leadership. General barriers I think all women face are the constant feeling of feeling like we aren’t good enough, that our voices are not being heard, and that being a woman is some sort of handicap.  Now for women of color, I think we not only deal with those things but we also deal with other things such as everyone thinks that we speak from emotion, the way we express ourselves is mistaken for being emotional, we feel like we can’t let our hair down and be relaxed because our every move is being watched and critiqued, we have to be mindful of our voice and tone to ensure we don’t offend someone or what we say isn’t taken the right way, and we have to worry about our appearance at all times. We are often mentally, physically, and spiritually drained from having to “put on” for individuals who either don’t’ understand us or respect us enough to accept us for our differences in the workplace. I believe that women of color need an outlet in these companies to be able to voice their issues and concerns and not worry about what may happen because they voiced those concerns

BDC: There is so much I could say to respond to this topic. As a woman of color, I totally understand and agree with many of your points. If I think about my own struggles as a woman of color in leadership and the having to “put” on is absolutely draining. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is a passion topic/project for me and I think that all industries have work to do to provide a sense of inclusion and belonging to the different people they have working at their companies. Let me get off my soap box because I could stay here. Okay, we are moving towards the end of our interview and I have a few more questions. What advice would you give women trying to get into your field or leadership? What advice would you give a younger DJ?

DW: The advice I would give other women is to have super thick skin, sales is a tough and difficult field, it is not for the faint of heart. I would also recommend that they shadow as much as they can to learn the ins and outs of the job even if that means partnering up with someone and staying in touch with that person. Lastly, don’t give up no matter what, bring skills to the job, and have a business plan on top of your resume. Now, what would I tell little DJ? I would tell a younger me to be open to feedback good and bad regardless. Don’t be argumentative. Ask for feedback. Let someone hurt your feelings on purpose so you can take the opportunity to build a plan for improvement

BDC: Great advice. Anything else for our readers?

DW: I do want to mention my new business. I recently started Winnergy, LLC. What we do is take HS and college students who are uncertain about how to find their way into the workforce, actually find their way. I have a passion for helping young adults and minorities. I did not go beyond HS and with some college experience... I was able to build a great career but it took a few learning experiences and some guidance to get on the right track. I want to provide that same opportunity to others. Catch them early on. Other things we do include providing gently used business clothing to help our youth/young adults look presentable for interviews, proper interview etiquette, conduct mock interviews to build confidence. We walk through different interview processes to ensure they’re ready for those curve balls. Eventually, I would like to have an actual location that is similar to a business center where individuals can come in and have access to a computer, get career coaching, and more. We teach presentation skills, offer development plans and teach ways to build a network. We help small businesses generate business plans, digital docs and services to reach their customers digitally. Creating new ways to do business and communicate with customers, can be challenging and scary. We’re here to take that pain point away. I love who we are. For me...I simply want to help others win.

BDC: Oh it is time for a partnership! I think our companies have commonalities. Thank you again for taking the time out of our busy day to tell by BDC readers a little about you.

I hope you all enjoyed learning more about Mrs. Donnay Willaims. December 16th we will be highlighting our next woman, Ms. Tamera Gethers another woman in leadership in Corporate America. Our Working Women Wednesday blog series is moving to bi-weekly instead of weekly. Please share with a friend or if you are interested in being featured please contact us.

XOXO,

Keisha J.

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