We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tanisha Woods a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Tanisha, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
I am the eldest daughter of three and the first time I remember enacting my confidence was ensuring that my brother was protected. As the older sister I was always in the forefront of every situation. My father is a marine and, in our home, he and my mother raised us to understand the importance of family and being there for one another. As much as I know and believe that as we mature through our lives, we choose the type of person we will become; I know that the rich foundation received as an adolescent is the beginning of who we become.
Confidence and healthy self-esteem were realized in me before I knew what it was. I have always been the outspoken person in the room, the one who asked the questions others thought, but never asked. I have always been the person that greeted confrontation of issues with a welcome. I have always been a force when it comes to friends and family. I realized my ability to influence and persuade others to see a positive outlook and acknowledge the light in themselves.
Over my lifetime, I have made choices that have challenged me on levels that I never saw coming. As a Black girl at sixteen, I became a mother to a son. The greatest gift of all has been my innate ability to look a challenge in the face and overcome. My determination as a resilient Black girl at the time directed me toward successes the way I saw them for mine and my son’s life. It was important that I never lose my identity. Therefore, succumbing to the societal stereotypes were not an option. I graduated high school the year I was due to graduate, enrolled in the local university the same year, and those steps alone deepened my confidence and self-esteem.
My goals were filled with realizing every opportunity that was next for me to become the professional I knew I was meant to become. With every application, interview, and suit that I bought my confidence soared and naturally my self-esteem was in concert with that upward movement.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
At present, my career focus is centered around leadership and training development with a policy concentration. As the Chief of Operations in Senate District 48 I have the honor of serving with the elected Senator to provide legislative input, research, and constituent responses. Working in this capacity over the past several years has enhanced my scope and relationship with governmental policy, which involve skill building with other professionals, driving new concepts, as well as being a proponent of increasing opportunities to create model legislation and train new leaders in the process.
I am a Human Resource professional. I have a consulting business, Woods Premier, with this I provide leadership development training, small business HR development, and executive coaching, which in turn assists professionals with their professional development and interpersonal skills technique. This intersects perfectly with my roots in political science. I use these skills to incorporate networks, which build fundraising opportunities. In the industry that I work in, the art of relationship development is one of the cornerstones to achieving successful services. My experience working with the National Black Caucus of State Legislators as the Chair of their auxiliary organization, National Black Legislative Staff Leadership Council brings another aspect of fundraising, topic focus trainings, webinars, and annual conference workshops. As Chair, I am responsible for leading our meetings, developing annual goals, producing a budget, attending executive committee meetings across the states as well as keeping other staff engaged in the organizations mission.
Alongside my duties within senate district 48, I serve as president of a community political organization that cultivates relationships and promotes voter engagement, legislative analysis, get out the vote initiatives, and collaborative efforts between community organizations. We have sponsored spring summits, legislative panels, roundtables, and numerous other open forums to educate the people. Additionally, my membership in the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated has further leveraged my reach in the area of social and political connections. I am the State Connections and Social Justice Coordinator, and, in this role, I lead several chapter chairs in the development of our annual AKA Day at the capitol. This day is essential to Alpha Kappa Alpha Social Actions and Connections initiatives as we invite hundreds of members of this organization to the capitol to interact with legislators in their element. Listen to panels on topics that both negatively and positively affect our communities, conduct letter writing campaigns both state and congressional, and underscore pivotal measures that we can work in concert to get some key measures both passed funded.
With all of this, I am selective when working on campaigns for different elected positions within this state. I take pride in the consulting to help a prospective candidate choose to work outside the lines and look toward winning a campaign. The work that I do as a consummate professional is reflected in all of these things I have mentioned. My education includes a Bachelor of Science in Political Science, Master of Arts in Criminal Justice Administration and Management, and a Master of Science in Human Resource Management. This is a compilation of educational achievements that I had no idea would mesh into such an amazing fulfilling career path for me. I have truly compiled the needed education and experience required to build a lifelong network of lobbying efforts and civic engaging opportunities. If asked, I would say all of the components of everything that I do as a professional is a part of what brings me joy.
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?
Ambition, Determination, and Discipline/Stick-to-it-ness/follow-through.
I would advise a person early in their journey to always center their self-worth, relax and know that it is a journey worth exploring, we have but one life and without the experiences both good, not-so-good, and mediocre, our lives will not be as colorful as it is and has the potential to become. I would offer, journal every step of the way and list the pros and cons of each decision, employment opportunity, and relationship; then go back and read it once a year because this will keep a grounded look and remind the individual of their why.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
The most impactful thing my parents did for me was reinforce my worth, afford me opportunities to see who I am and be the person I am. They never took away my voice, afforded me the space to ask questions, and object when I did not agree with them. They nurtured my outspoken personality and allowed me to overcome mistakes with love, hugs, kindness, and guidance. Their parenting helped me become a disciplined adult in areas that weren’t present previously.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @motivatedtwoods
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tenaciousandpoetic
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanishawoods
- Other: tanisha@woodspremier.org
