Stay Committed! It will pay you, or at least pay you off!

Sharing is caring! But not without a good story. For the past two years, I have been spending a lot of shared time between Northern and Southern (SoCal) California. I have been very focused on transitioning and working with a few new clients that I picked up in the SoCal region. One major goal of mine was to connect with business owners in the City of Angeles. In the fall of last year, I attended the Los Angeles Business Expo and on my way out stopped by the SoCal Black Chamber of Commerce table. I engaged, we exchanged info, but the major push for them was membership quite naturally. I shared my interest in joining as I previously a member of the Black Chamber when I lived in Atlanta and it was promising. At this time, I didn’t know the scope pf the “chapter set up”, just familiar with the organization. Several months went by and I reached out to the “chapter president” that I met at the Expo. While, it seemed that was interested in me joining, we could not seem to connect for a meeting. I wanted to meet with her prior to joining because I wanted to understand her vision.

Fast forward…….those FB algorithms….whew! About a month ago I see the Southern California Black Chamber of Commerce pop up in my news feed. I respond… “Hey, thanks for sharing, I’ve trying to connect with…..”. They reply, “she is the President of the XX chapter”. I’m like… okay! Next….

A few days later, the responder above sends a note to my inbox. We converse by phone which turned into a 2 hour call. I was so impressed with her and what she was doing…..and it turns out that she is the chapter President for the area of town where I reside. Our conversation was so enlightening that I invited her to be the one of the Speakers for my Queens event on March 3. Even though she will be honored alongside, Karen Bass, the first black female Mayor of the City, the same evening; she did not hesitate to support Queens. After our conversation, she researched me, then called back to ask if I was interested in participating in a career fair this summer. Of course I said I would be honored. The following week, we had another meeting with several other participants, which turned out to a Mastermind session. (Oh and by the way… I joined her chapter after we talked).

Later, there was a request for my bio. Enthusiastically, she wanted to introduce me to the other Chamber members as no one else specialized in Human Resources. After the submission was posted online, we spoke again about an open seat on the Board for the Southern California Black Chamber of Commerce that she thought I would be perfect for. I absolutely understood and accepted the assignment! The following week, I joined a few members as we went to support the monthly mixer of the Pomona Chapter of the Chamber. We stopped for a bite to eat at a local Jamaican restaurant. The owner and I exchanged information after a conversation. The following day, the owner reached out to me to connect me to her Business Manager for HR Compliance services. Soon there will need to be a clone of me!

Moral of the story: The right opportunities will often present themselves. The question is will you be a position to received them? So many times we push to fit a square peg in a round hole…. when there is truly a perfect fit for the gifts we bring, all we have to do is be a willing vessel. There is an opportunity out there for you, that you are not even seeking. Stay committed, it will pay off! (Or at least pay you back) #HRComplianceCoach #StephanieCHarper