Theresa Joseph

I really want to say my family, because getting to this point was very difficult. When I started Delta, I started outside on the ramp, and I just knew that this was not the end-all, be-all for me. Talking to my mom, she has been a great support system when it comes to navigating the corporate world. She's in the corporate world, and she told me her struggles and her challenges that she had to get through. She's retired now, but even just listening to her, and my other family members that are also in the corporate world, their views and their experiences have really kind of molded me into how I do things with my team. My mom has been my biggest champion, and having my family's support, along with my mentors and my manager who believes in me and literally pushes me to be the best that I can be within the company to get me to where I actually want to be, has been invaluable. I lean on my team, my family, my support system, and we all have the same goal of just getting me to where I need to be.

The best career advice that I received is tunnel vision with your vision. Stay focused, stay on the course, do not let the outside noise distract what your goal is and what you're focused on. That has really helped me focus on the projects, not letting the office noise get into my head, the political stuff get into my head, but just focusing on what I really want to accomplish and just diving in on that. I make sure that I lean on my team, my family, my support system, and we all have the same goal of just getting me to where I need to be.

Stick to your plan. Whatever goal that you set for yourself, stick to it and make sure it's attainable. Don't be afraid to ask the questions that you may think are not smart enough, or you may think that people will judge you on, because it doesn't matter. You don't know without asking. Don't be afraid to lean on somebody, to have somebody to lean on, because it can be a difficult journey. But you also have to have somebody that's always going to be in your corner to give you the feedback, either good or bad, and show you how to navigate through that. Just have an open mind. Not your way is always going to be the right way. Take away other people's opinions, and it's okay if you're wrong. Own it, take accountability, and you will be great. This is actually what I tell my agents.

The challenge right now is we are working very hard on maintaining the relationship that we have with our partners in this political climate. Our sales teams are out there selling, letting them know that we are that company to trust in, that we execute what they want. The challenges are mostly political, and that definitely affects our network because we support a global network here at Delta. It's very tough to try to sell ourselves in this climate right now. But the opportunities are endless. We are in a creative space of trying to figure out integrating AI into our everyday work. There's opportunities when it comes to artificial intelligence, there's opportunities when it comes to facilitation, because we're going to need these people to actually teach this stuff to our agents. I'm actually in the process of getting my certification from IBM with AI, and that was by the guidance of another leader who encouraged me to do so. There are so many different opportunities when it comes to AI, facilitation, training, and just the manpower of just being able to help. I continue to be optimistic about what's ahead in the next coming years.

I would say servant leadership is one of the values that I have for myself, just being a great leader, having the empathy and just being a person that my agents can come and talk to when they just want to share something exciting. Another one is just being a valuable asset to the team. I'm big on empathy. I know I'm very busy, but empathy is a great value that I have, because I'm easy to talk to and there's a lot going on in the world today where people are just so self-consumed in what they have going on and not taking the time to actually listen to their neighbor or listen to their family member. I always try to provide that space where they can just be vulnerable in that moment. Just being a great team player is another huge thing for me, because sometimes we can't pick our families, but you can pick your friends and pick the things that align with what you have going on. So just being a great team player, despite what's going on, does go a long way. I've been part of the Caribbean and Floridian Association since I was young, and we've done amazing things within the Orlando Kissimmee area. I always have a connection to come back and talk with the kids and just see where they're at mentally, because this world is just so different than what we're all accustomed to. I'm trying to keep them sane and just making sure that it's really not as bad as they're making it seem.