Dr. LaTanya White is an inclusive scholar-practitioner working at the intersection of racial equity and entrepreneurship curriculum design. Her doctoral research produced an evidence-based, comprehensive approach to redesigning business development training programs to account for the lived experience and ancestral narrative of Black entrepreneurs.

Dr. White, a 2x author and TEDx speaker, is the Founder and Principal Consultant for Concept Creative Group (CCG), a firm providing end-to-end technical assistance expertise for Black entrepreneurs. CCG’s flagship program BRACE For Impact™ centers Belonging, Racial Access, Historical Context, and Racial Equity for Black entrepreneurs and the organizations that support them in their pursuit of economic justice and equality.

– Feedback: The most growth comes from receiving feedback. I am a firm believer in the idea that learning happens during the feedback loop. I feel that is important to keep feedback loops as short as possible, and even give immediate feedback when appropriate. For 71 Proof, I provide rapid-fire feedback on efficiency, inventory usage and guest interaction.

Those adjustments need to be made in real time because they impact the client and guest experience. The staff members that have worked several events with us now serve as the Event Point of Contact because they have a higher level of expertise due to the feedback they have received and grown from. 

– Communication: I became a better communicator when I became a better listener. Years ago, after being told that I was an aggressive listener- that I was only listening to make a counter argument, not listening to understand- I become much more aware of other aggressive listeners and was able to hear my old self in them.

Now, on a daily basis and in all the roles I serve as a manager and educator for, I deploy listening skills as the first means of communicating with anyone. Ensuring that the people on my team feel valued, respected and seen makes it easier for us to communicate with each other. 

– Decision-Making: Decision-making is much easier when the circumstance or situation is pitted against the bigger picture. Asking “How will this decision help us attain the larger goals?” is the most reliable vetting process I have used in 20+ of my professional career.

During the negotiation process with the Chinese manufacturer we have been working with at My Founders Dream, I was confident with our BATNA as it was based solely on the larger goal that we wanted to achieve. I made the decision to take our requests up to two levels above the representative we were working with because I know that you don’t get what you deserve. You get what you negotiate. 

– Delegation: Mike Micalowicz’s Clockwork helped me understand how to become better at delegating. For me, delegation is strictly tied to the Why of the organization. Aligning the task with the team member that is best equipped to complete it allows me as the leader and manager to operate with higher order thinking in the pursuit of the larger goal.

During the accreditation process, when I realized that the Excel spreadsheets I created didn’t have the power and flexibility of an SQL database, I delegated the task of creating a custom database to one of the 1.5 FTE staff I was responsible for managing. This freed up my time and mental capacity to work on other aspects of the application process. 

– Hiring: At the risk of being pedantic, I feel strongly that the hiring process should start with the Why of an organization. When this is woven into the fabric and culture of the organization, it should be nearly impenetrable by someone who doesn’t understand or doesn’t connect with the Why.

I failed to use this approach during the expansion phase of 71 Proof and our brand and bottom line suffered significantly because of it. That is lesson that I don’t have to learn again!

– Firing: For me, if you aren’t growing, you are dying. Complacency in organizations can spread like cancer and as a manager, keeping a finger on the pulse of the resources and the culture ensures that the spreading of complacency can be contained and eliminated.

This was the case with one of our 71 Proof bartenders. It is important that we create the kinds of experiences that help people connect with each other- but this isn’t just for the clients and guests but especially among the 71 Proof staff itself. When I was able to pinpoint that the root cause of the internal tension that was impacting the guest experience, I had to let that staff member go, even though she was among the first crop of bartenders that had been brought on 7 years prior.