Aviance Morris, CBEP, CWPE-F

I attribute my success to three main qualities: integrity, resilience, and being solution-oriented. I've been blessed enough to have people around me who operate in the same capacity and want to see me win, because I promote that. I exuberate integrity. It's not something that is questionable. And so I've been lucky enough and blessed to be in those spaces where people operate within that same lens. And when they don't, they naturally fall off and self-select out, which is amazing. I've always been really resilient, and I think that's something that can't be taught easily. You either are or you're not. And that is more than likely something that I attribute to my upbringing. I come from a lineage of very strong women, and my father is as well. Just being resilient and being able to quickly pivot has attributed to my success. You recognize challenges and adversity, but you don't allow it to knock you down or oppress you or suppress you. You look at it as just a minor roadblock that you can either jump over or go around. It's just a minor deterrent. It's not forever. Lastly, being solution-oriented is one of my top qualities or characteristic traits. I'm always able to identify and understand problems or challenges, but I always come with a solution-oriented mindset. That goes hand-in-hand with me being resilient, because I don't take anything as the final say. I try to figure out a way for it to end positively and impact me in a positive manner.

The best career advice I've ever received came from a director in workforce development who told me, 'You know what you know.' That has stuck with me professionally and personally. No one can take my knowledge from me. I always have confidence. If there's something I'm unsure of, I always have a transferable skill set. I'll always have that sense of wonder and curiosity to figure it out, to consult with individuals or those subject matter experts who can assist me in figuring it out and learning it. She always said, 'Aviance, you know what you know,' and that has always stuck with me. I've never been in a room and felt less than, or inadequate, or felt like I didn't know something. I've always looked at it as an opportunity to learn and grow. And I'm thankful for her for that.

I would say remain curious. Don't lose that childlike sense of wonder that we had. When we become adults, we become jaded. Life experience can negate that curiosity, and that stagnates you. So always keep that wonder and curiosity, because that causes you to grow. It causes you to be dynamic. There are so many ways that we can grow within talent acquisition and within this space that you shouldn't stifle yourself. You shouldn't put yourself in a silo. Always wonder and be curious about what can I learn, how can I further contribute, what are ways that I can contribute even more, what are ways that I can enhance my skill set that maybe will cause me to further grow in a different space. But I still want to continue to grow. Always keep that wonder and that curiosity.

One of the biggest challenges in my field right now is that they're saying talent acquisition is becoming obsolete because of AI. But I'm looking at it as just a way to really show your value and constantly show yourself that you're a value added. AI is programmed by people, so I'm working to become a subject matter expert in that. I'm finding ways to show that I'm still a necessity to the organization, that I'm part of the tentacle. That's what I've been doing. I've been learning more about AI. I've been learning more about grant writing and grant proposals and how to secure grants, and also how to secure federal contracts. Things of that nature. I'm just making myself way more lucrative and more valuable and evolving.

Integrity is the most important value to me. I always do everything with the highest integrity. That is my non-negotiable. Your word is your word. Say what you mean, mean what you say, and do what you say you're gonna do. I always lead with integrity and transparency. Those are my values. Everything else I think we can work with. You know, as far as you're not understanding something, or performance issues, but when you lack integrity, that's something that can't be taught.