Her Story
About Dorice
I am a mother, a creator, an innovator, a friend, a sister, auntie - I am just the quintessential woman who understands how to juggle work, life, and then still makes sure that I'm mom to my two children. I like to work out, I like to read, love to travel, I like to play golf, I ride motorcycles, I love going to the gun range, so I pretty much do a lot of everything. I have been in human resources for 19 years, starting as an administrative assistant and growing to senior director. One of my proudest professional moments was when I stepped into an organization where they wanted to terminate an employee on my team. Instead of following through, I sat down and talked to her on day two to understand what was going on. I found that she was put into a role without training and was just having stuff dumped in her lap. She never heard when she did something right, only when she did something wrong. I was able to work with her and show her the ropes of human resources, and now she's an HR manager with a team of 8, making a positive impact on the organization. I also have an HR consulting business on the side, and right now I'm focused on mentoring my daughter, who is a recent graduate. I'm showing her how to run a business - she has a t-shirt line - and I'm having her help me with recruiting so she understands how to staff her organization.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Dorice
01What do you attribute your success to?
I'm gonna say my sisters. I say that because I'm the youngest of [siblings], and I am the first one who went to college and the first one who not only graduated from college but also got my master's degree. That's because my sisters were like, no, you're going to succeed. And they sacrificed a lot for me.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Come to the table with knowledge. I had a role where not only was I the only woman at the table, but I was also the only person of color. I was sitting in an organization and just not speaking up, and just being quiet, even when I knew things were wrong, or I'd raise my hand. My boss at the time pulled me aside and said, number one, if you want to be respected, you need to speak up. You don't have to hold your tongue. Number two, you're smart, and people won't know if you don't talk. From that moment on, about 15 years ago, it was just like, okay, I got this, and I've been able to be an impact in the room just because he pulled me aside and said that.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Confidence, and making sure that whenever you're doing something, you have the knowledge. Not only understand your job, but understand how human resources impacts the business and how it can impact the bottom line, whether it's through hiring, or training, or helping with organizational adjustments. Understand that HR plays a huge impact in an organization - not only do we help retain people, we also help recruit people and get that talent on the team, but we can also help the business grow just by being knowledgeable about what's going on around you and how your role can impact that bottom line.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think the biggest opportunity is how we sell the company to retain talent, and then also how we can ensure that AI is being effectively used in an organization as a tool and not a crutch. The challenge is that everybody's using AI now, and some people are using it as knowledge as opposed to an enhancement to their knowledge. We need to make sure that AI doesn't take over people's skill set and they forget what they know because they're relying on it. The flip side and one of the biggest wins we could have is AI helping us become smarter in our roles and making sure that what we put together is correct and that we've considered everything. If you utilize AI correctly, you can have one of the most perfect tools you've ever had in your entire career.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Honesty, integrity, being punctual is very important, and making sure you surround yourself with positivity.
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