An Organization Is Nothing Without A GREAT Team

On September 7, 2014 at 4:00 p.m. the Fashion Umbrella Foundation had its first debriefing meeting on behalf of its annual fundraiser Baltimore Fashion Week.  The President/Executive Producer, Sharan Nixon, yup me, was extremely nervous to even host a debriefing meeting of any kind as it relates to the event, but I knew in order to continue to have a great production voices needed to be heard.

The meeting started with an agenda of course.  I mean who facilitates a meeting without an agenda? Not only did the meeting start on time it was very informative. 

Because I am not able to clone myself just yet, my team is always here to be my eyes and especially my ears.  I received a lot of feedback regarding this year's event, Baltimore Fashion Week, August 14-17, 2014, and some of it I was surprised by and some of it I was not..

The agenda discussed the following areas of production.  Since you were not there, I would like to share with you the agenda topics.  I have taken the liberty to list them below.

• Administrative Tasks                                                                
• Arrival Times                                                                            
• Photography
• Press/Media Protocol/Registration
  
• Logistics/Security
• Front of House Production
• Back of House Production                                                      
• Registration
• BeExposed Radio/Press Media Lounge
• Internship/ Volunteerism
• Designers Protocol/Registration
• Model Protocol/Registration
• Sponsorship 
• Hair / Make-Up Protocol/Registration
• Public Relation 
• Event Hosts 

Now, I know your mind is going crazy and you would have loved to have been a fly on the wall or maybe not.  One thing I love about my team, whether I want to hear it or not, they always keep it honest and REAL.  As the President/Executive Director of the Foundation, I could have said, "well we are doing it like this and this is how it is going to be."  I could have been the Miranda Priestly or the Dragon as they call me, but who wants to under mind those that are experts in their field and risk losing all that talent? Surely, not me.  So you know what I did, I sat there and took all the "Constructive RIPS" that came my way.  RIPS are when a person tells you what you don't want to hear or they READ you...hopefully some of you will get that by the time you finish this blog.   Some of the comments I did not want to hear and others I NEEDED to hear. Being a businesswoman you have to be able to hear and DIGEST what others have to say without getting your feelings involved.  Having that type of skill only creates growth and opens a larger pathway to any organization's ultimate goal - SUCCESS!!

My TEAM is the absolute "bees knees" and I will protect them to the end of time.  The team we have now will be here for the duration of the organization because I TRUST THEM.  The Word TRUST has not been an easy word for me to say or actually believe in since 2009, when intellectual property was compromised by someone that I trusted.  It feels good to have 16 people in my organization that are as committed to the cause as I am, but are not afraid to provide constructive critiques that are only provided for the betterment of the organization, NOT ME. 

From the team meeting several meetings will take place that are directly related to our upcoming events.  Keep in mind these meetings are not associated or to be confused with education sessions or seminars facilitated by the Foundation.

My intention for writing this blog was to try my best and keep you, my reader, and subscriber to my blog informed of what is going on with me and what is important in my life.

I am a woman that is not ashamed to tell it like it is, so in the closing of this blog post, I want you to know that I ABSOLUTELY LOVE, ADORE, AND TRUST MY TEAM.

Yours Always,

Sharan XOXO