We were lucky to catch up with Kenya Griffin recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Kenya with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I believe my work ethics came from my father. Growing up my father always had two jobs and a few legal hustles on the side (fisherman and handyman). My father would work from sunup to sundown. Once I got into the workforce at the age of 16 years old. I found myself doing the same as I saw my father do. He was very meticulous about his work. He was a perfectionist. Those attributes spilt over into me. I take pride in my work. I want to ensure that anything that comes from my desk is in pristine condition. Whether it be an email or a document, an event that I organize or a flyer that I design. Everything that I do must be “Just so”.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I’m working full time for a nonprofit organization (Mr. and Ms. Mentoring, Inc.) who’s mission is to raise mental health awareness, empower, inspire, and impower community grow, by working with at risk youth and their families. I am the Program Coordinator/Human Resource. I have over 30 years of experience in working with at risk youth and their families. I love what I do. It brings me joy to see the change in the youth and in turn change in their whole family dynamics. I have also been working with the City of Daytona Beach parttime for 30 years. Currently, I am a cardio line dance, and chair fitness instructor, for the Parks and Recreation Department. Having a client come to me after a month telling me how much weight they have lost or how their blood pressure has improved is one of the joys of doing what I do.
Sounds like I have my plate full right. Well, I am also the President of Sherrie’s Suga Scrubs. My daughter is the CEO of Sherrie’s. Sherrie’s is a skin care product company. Producing high quality homemade sugar scrubs, bath soaps, whipped shae butters, lip balms, and more.
So that’s what I do for others. Here is what I am doing for myself. Yes, I have time to run my own business. God supplies me with the time and energy. My major focus is K’s Unlimited.
K’s Unlimited is the name of my own business. K’s Unlimited started with me creating beautiful fruit arrangements for weddings, baby showers, birthday parties and other events. However, God has given me so many talents that I had to incorporate my other gifts and skills. K’s Unlimited also provides handmade crafts, such as front door wreaths, money cakes and household decor, photography, printed materials such as memorial book markers, funeral programs, event programs, and etc. K’s Unlimited doesn’t stop there, we have been commissioned to paint bedrooms and build small backyard decks. We also make small trinkets like pictured keychains, pictured buttons, and pictured necklaces. We also, create logos for other companies. K’s Unlimited motto: If Kay can’t do it, it can’t be done.
K’s Unlimited is unique in Daytona Beach, FL as there is no company that does all the things that K’s Unlimited do. I’m excited about k’s Unlimited future. In the next year my goal for K’s Unlimited is to go national. Outsourcing work to certified businesses in all 50 states. Sort of like “Angie’s List”.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Wow, great question. I would say the first thing would be resilience: I never give up. No matter how hard things seem to be, I keep going and find the best solution for the situation. I always say, find the positive/silver lining in everything. The second thing would be, never stop learning. I continue to go to seminars, conferences, read books, articles, anything that will keep me learning more about my interests and about myself. Knowledge is the only thing that cannot be taken away from you.
The third thing would be to always be professional. Remaining professional in unprofessional environments and situations is always the best decision. You never know who is watching and falling into unprofessional practices will only taint your professional reputation.
I would advise others to always be kind: you never know who you will meet on the way up the professional ladder. have an open mind: there are some things that we might not agree with, however, always see both sides of everything in front of you, and always be eager to learn more than they had learn the day before.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
When I feel stressed or anxious about anything, there’s usually an underlying thought behind that thought that something I believe or a story I’m telling myself that reinforces my feelings. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a valid reason I’m feel overwhelmed, like having too much on my plate or not having enough time. But in order to move forward with a solution, I identify the underlying thought that’s reinforcing my stress.
I then look at the full picture. I know it’s normal to have negative thoughts sometimes. But when I do, I remember that those thoughts aren’t always the truth and there’s probably other parts to the story that I’m not considering. I step back and consider the full picture.
After looking at the full picture and realizing there are solutions, I move into action mode.
The actions I take depend on the particular situation. These are some of the things I do. I advise others to take a look at the situation that is causing them to feel overwhelmed and if these things work for them like they work for me then great.
When I am feeling overwhelmed at work I talk to my Director, Trust me, communication is key. Have a direct and open conversation with your superior and tell them the truth about your workload.
I was the one that never asked for help or delegated. I had to realize that people wanted to help me more than I knew. So, I started asking for help. It actually helped me build rapport with my staff.
People think that because you are very organized that you know how to prioritize. Not true at all. I am very organized, but I had to learn how to prioritize. Prioritizing is an excellent way to make sure you’re seizing the most important tasks first.
I then break those tasks up into smaller task. If you’re scared by a major task, try breaking it up into smaller tasks. Trust me it makes it feel easier. You’ll see that with each small task being completed, you’ll be coming closer to your goal of completing the major task.
Now this is one of the hardest for me, “saying no”. I had to learn how to start saying “no”: If you find yourself saying yes to too many tasks, it will surely make you feel overwhelmed. Therefore, if you are one like me, it is time to start saying no.
I of course learned how to set boundaries as I learned to say no. Learn how to set boundaries so that you can ensure that your work doesn’t infringe on your personal life. I had to realize that work-life balance was very important.
Lastly, I have to focus on one thing at a time. I love to multitask hoping to get more done in less time. But I learned early in my professional life, multitasking only wastes more time than it saves,
Contact Info:
- Instagram: ktg_diva
- Facebook: Kenya Tumer-Griffin
- Linkedin: Kenya Griffin
- Twitter: @KayGriff75
- Youtube: @KayGriff721
Image Credits
K’s Unlimited
