How to Set Big Goals And Break Through The Glass Ceiling
The following is a guest post by Danyel Surrency Jones. Her bio follows.
Will there ever be a day when women in business are recognized as just business leaders? Although this question is always a hot topic, I no longer care about pontificating on the answer. When I walk into a meeting or join a conference call, I no longer get anxious about what my male counterparts might be thinking about my intellect, my strategic agility, or my 5 inch heels. Or, if they think I should be at home with my 3 year old daughter or my unborn second child wrestling in my belly.
It’s not a secret I am a women; It’s not a secret I am pregnant; It’s not a secret that very few women sit at the table in the sports industry; It’s not a secret that my business partner is also my husband. After 22 months of being a Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of a start-up athletic training products company, there is only one secret I am confident will be revealed. And that is that I am authentically talented by the grace of God and my intellect deserves a seat at this table.
Change Your Mindset
As a women executive who embraces the diversity I bring to business and to the sports world, my goals aren’t focused on changing the stereotype of business as a “man’s world” so to speak. My goal is to help other professional women see the true barrier to breaking our glass ceiling lies within our own force. Our force is our mindset, our resilience and our grit.
I am compelled to help women understand they can be a Wife, Mother, Executive and Philanthropist. All without feeling guilty about wanting to take on more than one role in life. One of my favorite quotes is, “My balance is my imbalance.” My identity is not predicated on what society feels I should be. It is predicated on understanding my purpose and unleashing my talents. Then, I can fulfill my own happiness and create happiness in others.
“You Can Have it All” Isn’t a Cliche
I started my career immediately following undergraduate school. Soon after, I witnessed a woman on my team gain all the awards and accolades as the top producer in the company for medical device sales. She was single, with a beautiful German car and a nice condo right on the beach. Surprisingly, she was very unhappy. She desired to be a wife and a mother. But with her schedule and her strong take-charge personality, she felt she might have to give up something in order to fulfill these wishes.
I was then promoted by the only woman executive in the company, who became one of my mentors. I witnessed a Wife, Mother, and very intelligent business woman in the boardroom and on the golf course. And, I witnessed her get beaten by the “good ole boy” system. She lost her identify in corporate America. But as any strong women does, she rebuilt her identity as a very successful entrepreneur. Her life is a great example that a business woman can HAVE IT ALL.
Lead With Passion and Accountability
Developing my career in corporate America for the first 15 years exposed me to many different styles of leadership. Whether the leader was great or less impressive, I listened and learned. And then I developed my own leadership style. I realized that leadership is all about authentically creating opportunity for ideas and people to be moved by your passion, accountability and drive. Leadership is the needle that blends talented threads together to achieve something better than ordinary. Little did I know at the time, but corporate America was creating the foundation I needed to be an entrepreneur.
As an entrepreneur, my grind and grit has escalated to a level I didn’t know existed. Almost 2 years ago my husband and I had a vision to create POWERHANDZ Inc. Powerhandz is an athletic training products company that designs and manufactured skill development products for youth and professional athletes.
As the Chief Operating Officer, we are leveraging my leadership, sales & marketing and operation skills. We’re developing a global brand that will impact the performance of basketball, baseball, softball, and football and boxing/MMA athletes. We are also driving a socially conscious mission through our Power to Give Foundation. A percentage of profits from every product sold through POWERHANDZ funds the foundation. I currently serve as the President of the Board.
Know Your Purpose And Break Through The Glass Ceiling
As a Wife, Mother, Executive and Philanthropist, I am only able to fulfill these roles by understanding my purpose. I allow my faith to be the guiding principle as I execute. I know my journey won’t be easy but I want my life to be an example of what will happen when you break down your own barriers. I want to demonstrate the results of authentically living with purpose and confidently allowing all your gifts to shine. If I can inspire one-business woman not to choose anything less than having it all, my mission is accomplished.
Danyel Surrency Jones Bio
Danyel Surrency Jones has over 17 years of sales & marketing leadership experience. After developing her talents in a corporate environment she recently transitioned her strategic mindset to entrepreneurial ventures. As the Co- Founder & Chief Operating Officer of POWERHANDZ Inc., she has responsibilities for developing the business framework, overseeing all strategic and operational programs and driving the sales & marketing strategy. Since the launch of POWERHANDZ in July of 2014, the company has sold its products to youth and professional athletes in the NBA, NFL, MLB, WNBA and PGA in 55 countries.
Danyel earned her undergraduate degree in Healthcare Administration at the University of Central Florida and obtained her MBA in Healthcare Management from Florida International University while working fulltime. She also graduated from the Wharton School of Business Marketing Leadership Program. Danyel is a member of the National Association of Professional Women and a member of Twelve Days of Christmas, Inc. She currently resides in Dallas, Texas with her husband and business partner Darnell Jones and their daughter Hartley Rose.
