Sherica Hymes graduated Cum Laude with a B.B.A. in H.R.

Management and holds an Executive M.B.A. in Leadership.

She is a 20+ year veteran with corporate expertise in Strategic Planning, Organizational & Leadership Development, Diversity Equity & Inclusion, Human Resources, Crisis Management, Process Optimization and Change Management.

Sherica and her team specialize in transforming cultures, developing people, increasing capacity, and using data to create innovative solutions that drive for results with execution excellence. The Polished team is known for helping leaders and organizations harness the power of their Human Capital through strategic alignment, development, engagement, and equity!

As a thought leader and Executive Coach, Sherica has been described as a woman that "expands humans”. As a professional and motivational speaker, Sherica captivates audiences with storytelling, infusing her unique wit and humor. She vividly paints pictures with words, often described as a "Dynamic and Motivational Force”, she inspires people into action!

As a native Memphian, Sherica is deeply engaged in her community. Through her philanthropic efforts, she has raised tens of thousands of dollars for non-profits while advocating for the most vulnerable in society. Through her Total Woman Summit platform, created exclusively for women, and with her partners' help, she has raised more than $100k for causes that support women and girls. Sherica currently serves on the Agape Executive Board of Directors as the Personnel Chair, The United Way, Women United as the Board Chair, and much more. In addition, she is the co-founder and Associate Dean of the Memphis Academy of Civic Engagement.

Sherica believes that we must live so that our impact is felt long after we have physically departed.

Life motto: Be seen serving and NOT serving to be seen! She is Gabriel's Mom, Jimmie & Mary's Daughter, Monica and Marcus’ Sister, an Aunt, a Friend, and Servant!

Polished Consulting, L.L.C. is certified as a Woman-Owned, Minority, Disadvantaged, Locally Owned and Small Business Enterprise.

 

KEYNOTES

  • Taking the responsibility of leading a group of people is a huge responsibility and no easy task. If you’ve ever asked yourself what it takes to become a leader, just look at activist Martin Luther King Jr., or American President Franklin Roosevelt.

    There are many ways to lead a group of people and since there is no set definition of leadership it can be defined in many ways. My question for you today is what if we could break the workforce hierarchy and allow all employees to lead out in their companies? What if that entry level employee had the same opportunity to lead out just as much as the Director or CEO? With Polished Consulting, we are strongly working to make this a reality for our clients.

    We plan to accomplish this in five steps. The first step is to encourage employees to dig deep to see if they have a desire to lead out. No matter their job title, give them a chance!

    The next step is to make your passion, purpose and organizational goals work together at work. Essentially, the key is to see if your personal and professional goals align with your job's mission statement and purpose. Once aligned, it can cause collective success for your organization.

    The third step is to craft a career plan that actually works. Really think and write down goals that you’d like to achieve at your job that match your professional goals.

    In essence, the fourth step is to lead with a servant mindset. Before you can lead, you have to follow. By engaging with your team and encouraging collaboration, this method can increase your company’s productivity and enable your employees to relate to their coworkers and managers.

    And lastly, learn to use your words tactfully to influence your employees to not only listen but follow your lead! Knowing how to articulate your goals and put them in action is very important. If you keep this track record up to par, your employees will gain your trust and your company’s productivity will noticeably increase.

    In summary, becoming a leader is not easy but it will definitely catalyze any businesses growth! By following these steps, we here at Polished Consulting will break the typical stigma associated with leaders and leadership. We hope you choose to book our keynote speaker to learn in more detail the methods we use to help organizations excel.

  • Welcome to our keynote that is designed for executives like you. This talk will take you through practical methods to increase your leadership abilities both big and small. Take notes and be sure to follow along!

    First, know your vision. In leadership, knowing your vision is necessary but using it to benefit a work team is even more effective. So using your words and writing down a game plan is key for your vision to become a reality.

    Secondly, know how to use your influence. Do your research and learn how to use social media to your advantage. Knowing how to interact with influencers while networking with public figures can get your organization the attention it needs. Remember a good marketing and PR team will always take you to the next level.

    Third, learn how to make quick yet strategic decisions. When you use your critical thinking skills, you’ll be able to deal with complex situations whether for positive or negative results. Overall, being able to make strategic decisions will help you handle issues and accept opportunities that will benefit your company.

    Fourth, challenges are a part of life. Thus, we want you to know how to adapt when thrown a curveball. When you take on a challenge headfirst, you’ll have to have a team backing you up with a “We-will-weather-the-storm” mindset. As humans, we do not like change but change is always necessary for success and a new beginning.The fifth point is to build a team worth fighting for. How do you do this? Well, encourage collaboration and hire more workers with diverse backgrounds. Also make sure you are allowing your employees to use their creativity to come up with new ideas for their projects.

    The sixth point is I’d like to emphasize leading with honesty. Once you master articulating your vision, start to stand for its truth. This builds your trust amongst your employees and creates a safe environment for growth both personally and professionally.

    Lastly, I’d like to end by saying your business has to have a growth mindset. Change is inevitable, but it’s up to us to use it for the positive or negative. You can accomplish this by keeping up with your industry’s trends while allowing your employees to continuously learn new things.

    If you follow these steps, you will be able to excel as a leader at your company and provide a lasting positive impact on your employees. This is the time to book our keynote and use us to transform your company from the bottom on up!