Bonita Hodges

I attribute my success to a really good prayer life and the inspiration I get from my little brother, who is a professional opera singer. He's taught me that if you do what you love, you don't work a day in your life. Watching him go through challenges in his field and continue to be persistent and do what he loves has motivated me every day to be better and continue to be successful. He stands about 6'4" and is a deep baritone who has traveled the world, and he inspires me every week. Beyond the spiritual aspect, seeing him defy odds and pursue his passion with such dedication has shown me the power of persistence and doing what you love, which has been instrumental in my own journey.

The best career advice I've received is to do what you say you're going to do. Don't over-promise, do what you know you can do, be honest, and communicate well. That's the best way to really earn respect. We're all humans, we all go through things, and people understand it better than others. One of my mentors always tells me not to dim my light so that someone else can shine, but instead try to help the person who's not shining as bright as you shine brighter. My job is to help develop and make people better, not to tear people down. I was raised in a church and we were raised to serve and make everyone else around us better, not just ourselves. I carry that every day, personally and professionally, wherever I have to take it.

Thick skin is definitely something that we have to have, just because commercial construction is a man's world. Women are taking over and we do do everything so much better, but for so long, the man was in charge. You walk into the commercial world, and you might be the only woman in the room. Words might be said, and it's perfectly okay to just be okay with it or not be okay with it and stand up for yourself. But understand that we can always be professional. Never stop trying if you have an idea. Please keep going. If it's your idea, if it's something that can improve your way of life, your work, professionally, personally, anything, I would say go for it and do it. Don't let anything hold you back, especially yourself. Many times, we talk ourselves out of things because of self-doubt. Tell that self-doubt to go somewhere, because girls are bad. We were born to be bad.

The biggest challenge I faced in my career was when my mother passed, just finding the motivation to actually get up and go. That was definitely a huge challenge for me because she was my motivator. I talked to my mother every morning and she gave me a pep talk. Then I had to start doing it myself and for myself, so that was probably one of my largest challenges through my career, just being able to now encourage myself. As for opportunities, with the steps I'm taking and the things I'm trying to do, I would love to move into one of the higher leadership roles, whether it's into the district leadership or something to that area. That's an opportunity that comes with the role that I have. Every day is a learning experience, and I learn something new every day. I hope to continue to just learn something new every day.

Integrity is definitely one of the biggest values for me. Life happens, but we can have integrity and do the right thing, which is always important. My faith in God is huge in my life. I was raised to strive for perfection, even though I can't be perfect. One of my aunties always says we always walk in excellence, and I take that as a value to myself as well. I work for Sherwin-Williams, and one of the biggest things that Mr. William Sherwin said is if you're going to do something, you might as well do it right. I live by that as well. These values guide me in everything I do, both personally and professionally.