Marshawn Denny, Director of Operations at Him for Her, talks about her passion to empower women in the workplace and how the influence of mentors and other strong women in her life has shaped her career. She has been active in education, nonprofits, and startups and is currently with a nonprofit that aims to increase the representation of women on boards. She believes in leading with love and patience in difficult situations.

Key takeaways:

• How a supportive environment and maintaining a positive attitude helps to keep a balanced mindset.
• How establishing boundaries, communicating clearly and leading with love is essential for responding gracefully.
• How founders work with their organizations to pursue their visions and prevent burnout.
• How a powerful female network provide strength, support, and guidance to make confident decisions.
• How to effectively operate and scale up startups.

Chapters:

1. Navigating Career Transformations (00:00 - 06:08)
2. Organizing Success: Harnessing the Power of Operations to Help People (06:08 - 11:53)
3. Gaining Ownership and Non-Traditional Performance Tips from a Startup Operations Specialist (11:53 - 18:01)
4. Bridging the Network Gap: Tips and Tools for Incorporating Balance into Your Day and Getting More Women on Boards (18:01 - 23:31)
5. Leading with Love: Marshawn's Secret to Staying Grounded Through Change (23:32 - 28:25)

About the Guest:

Marshawn Denny is a seasoned business operator and entrepreneur born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. As a strategic business operator, she thrives in situations where she can make people and companies shine by helping them become more efficient, equitable, and impactful. She believes that people are a company's greatest asset and loves helping them find their purpose and excel in life.

In her experience, she has consistently built strong teams through hiring and promotions, providing professional development and training opportunities, and leading DEI Initiatives. Her unique ability to diagnose issues and work collaboratively to find solutions is one of her greatest professional strengths. She enjoys working with founders and business owners to create new systems and policies to enhance business productivity and employee retention.

She currently works as a Director of Operations at Him For Her, a social impact venture aimed at accelerating diversity on corporate boards. To bridge the network gap responsible for the sparsity of women in the boardroom, Him For Her engages business luminaries and partners with leading private equity and venture capital firms to connect the world’s most talented “Hers” to board service.

She also founded Outwork Basketball—a youth basketball non-profit committed to creating young leaders on the court and off—where she hired staff, built annual budgets, and designed fundraising plans.

Having positive role models inspired her to help the next generation find their purpose and excel in life; working to impact others, drives her. She has worked with some truly inspiring people—from young athletes to seasoned professionals—and has always loved playing an active role in shaping the world around me.

Links:

Connect with Tiffany: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanyntagle/

Visit The Change Agents: https://www.thechangeagents.co/

Connect with Marshawn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marshawndenny/

Visit Him For Her: ⁠https://www.himforher.org/about-us