This Principal's Profile: Naima Spencer

Naima Spencer is an MBA-qualified analyst, strategic planner and project manager in the USA. Recently, she has also branched out into the coaching world as a Strategic Intervention Coach.

In this profile, Naima speaks of her experience of arriving as an immigrant in the USA from Morocco and of the courage and ambition that drove her to become educated and struggle her way out of working minimum wage jobs.

Openness and compassion are the hallmarks of her leadership style, which she credits to bringing out the best in people and cultivating diversity in workplaces.

How would people describe your leadership style?

Compassion is the key to being a great leader, in my opinion. I have always used compassion in dealing with people, whether on a personal or professional level, which has led me to inspire people to be more open, tolerant and accepting of others. While leading small, dynamic teams I found openness and compassion were the key elements to accepting the diversity that led to our success in many projects. I found that when we genuinely try to understand others, put ourselves in their positions and try to see things from their perspective, people always find a way to give more than what they’re paid for. 

Throughout your career, what was your biggest blind spot? How did you discover it and how did you work on it?

Patience! Being in a foreign country was very challenging at first: I was so eager to live the American dream that I couldn’t be patient with myself and the process. I wanted things to change fast and when it did not happen, I became frustrated and overwhelmed. I wanted my dreams to happen overnight and began to feel desperate and hopeless. I learned to allow things to take their own course and that everything happens in its own time. Life really is about the journey not the destination and as much as we love to think that we are in control, the only thing we have control over is our thoughts. 

How did you get to where you are now?  What has been your biggest professional challenge and how did you overcome it?

My journey in the US began in 1998. Moving to a foreign country alone and not speaking the language well was very challenging to say the least. I worked minimum wage jobs for eight years just to survive and convinced myself that it was the best I could do at the time but  eventually, I lost confidence in myself and in my abilities. I let every bad experience of the past predict the future and did not realise that I was the one setting the bar for what I can do and accomplish. I was limiting myself and blaming every negative event that took place on something or someone. 

A big shift began to take place in my life when I started taking responsibility for my actions. I decided to go back to school and pursue an MBA in biotech and healthcare, which was one of my dreams moving to the US. 

While still in school, I began a career in the pharmaceutical industry and later in government contracting. My career in pharma started off in a professional environment of highly-qualified doctors who we trained to participate in clinical trials. Having a training agenda to follow can be restrictive and prevent people from seeing other possibilities. This environment taught me to always keep an open mind and to develop the ability to genuinely listen to others and try and understand their opinion.  

Being a trainer also taught me how to be more tolerant and accepting of others who don’t live like me and don’t see things the way I see them. Getting closer to people from other cultures taught me to not judge based on appearances and to not make assumptions about who I come in close contact with. People who don’t necessarily look like us, live like us, or think like us are still humans and deserve to be given a chance to show who they truly are, instead of being judged based on their looks or where they come from.

What is the most rewarding part of your business?

Helping others change their lives for the better is the most rewarding feeling I’ve ever experienced. I read once that if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. I have been fortunate to find my purpose and go after it. 

What is your favourite quote or words of advice?

Looking back, I now realise that nothing is impossible when you truly decide to go after what you want. Making a decision to pursue your dreams is the first step to start the creation process, and having faith brings about the collaborating components to put you in the right path to achieve your goals. 

A quote I love is, “If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else!” by Booker T Washington. In my opinion, there’s something magical about helping others. Lending a hand to someone in need always brings more value into your life. 

What is the best example of leadership you have seen?

I have to say Mahatma Gandhi. Leading by example led him to inspire the entire world and make history.