Joelle Onyemobi- Williams

I attribute my success to God's faithfulness in my life and the passion that He has given me for people. Where I work, we do rehabilitation for people getting out of jail, and we give them jobs to help them get themselves back on their feet. I can attest that 9 out of 10 people have not been back to jail and have moved on to better their lives. Some still work with me, and others have gotten married and built better lives. They keep coming back to say, 'Ms. J, I just want to thank you, because if it was not for you, I would have probably been back in jail. You made sure that I stayed focused.' It's challenging, but I try to make my light be such that my staff can benefit from it more than myself. That's what keeps me going and brings me out of every situation that I'm in.

Failure is not an option. My boss kept telling me that I had such great talent and to never settle for less. That advice has stayed with me throughout my career and pushed me to keep growing, from going back to school for my bachelor's degree to now finishing my master's degree.

Stand for integrity. It works. You don't have to sell yourself short as a woman to reach the top. Stand for integrity in whatever you do. Just be honest, just be true to yourself, and it will fall into place. You don't need to compromise your values or integrity to succeed.

One of my biggest challenges right now is to remain calm and humble, because in every environment you're in, you're going to have people who are envious of what you have or where you're at. The company I work for is family-owned, and most of the family members feel entitled, but they don't take the opportunity to invest in themselves. When somebody from the outside invests in themselves and strives to the top, they feel like someone's coming to take what they think is theirs, which creates challenges. But you have to remain humble and strong, knowing what you're going after. You just have to stay focused and keep your eye on that prize. I'm a Christian, so I believe in prayer a lot and seeking God. I don't make a step or decision without consulting God first. If I don't hear from Him and He tells me it's okay, I'm not making that step. If He doesn't say go right, I'm not going right. I just keep my eyes where He tells me to keep them until He gives me instruction to move, and that is what always brings me out of every situation that I'm in.

Honesty and integrity are the most important values to me in both my work and personal life. I believe in being true to yourself and standing for integrity in whatever you do. These values guide everything I do, from how I work with my staff to the decisions I make in my career.