Her Story
About Tieria
I've been in the distribution industry for almost 10 years, and it's been a wonderful and very inspiring journey because I get to inspire others and support their development. In my role, I oversee the plant and manage day-to-day operations, making sure we make a profit each day. I analyze and eliminate risks, whether that means outsourcing for support or connecting with our customer for assistance. I manage transportation, ensuring we have the appropriate loads coming to the building and assigning trailers going out. I'm responsible for open communication with our customers to ensure their needs are being met and we're meeting expectations. A big part of my work is teaching, training, and coaching as part of leadership development. When new opportunities come about or when I start to notice a strength in an employee, I'll be in the coaching phase so I can do course correction and show them different avenues to take for different results. What I love most is that I'm able to help people and develop them. I'm a people person who loves to bring out the best in a person. I love having the ability and opportunity to recognize potential in other people, help them recognize their own potential, and help them live into it. Last year, I was part of a team that was number one in net profit for the whole entire year over the whole entire enterprise, which stands out as one of my most notable professional achievements.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Tieria
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute all of my success to my kids. Everything I do is to inspire my kids. I want to show them, one, that sometimes there's sacrifice, but two, I want to show them hard work, and I want them to see where hard work leads at the end. They're the reason I push myself and strive to be the best I can be in everything I do.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received, and the one that stands out the most, is that sometimes you have to make the decision quick and ask for forgiveness later. This advice has helped me be more decisive and take action when needed, rather than getting stuck in analysis paralysis.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Don't be afraid. Take that challenge, take the next step. Don't be afraid. Sometimes it looks challenging, but sometimes it just takes one time for you to sit and just analyze and understand what it really takes. I feel like a lot of times, some of the roles seem bigger than what we think we can handle, and it's not. So my advice is to not let fear hold you back from opportunities that might seem daunting at first.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I would say work-life balance. That has been an opportunity and a current opportunity that I've been working on. I find myself sometimes overdoing it. I used to think if I wasn't doing the job, then the job's not gonna get done. But I'm working on work-life balance, because that comes with being burnt out. And then when that happens, eventually you quit, or mistakes happen, you make wrong decisions. So work-life balance is a real opportunity for me right now.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity. Everything that you do, you should do it with good intent and integrity. You should always do the right thing, not because somebody's watching you. You should do it every time, regardless if they're watching you or not. And you should always just do it with integrity, good integrity. This value guides everything I do, both professionally and personally.
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