Tiffani Slaughter

I really attribute my success to not giving up. When I first got my bachelor's degree, I expected doors to be wide open, but that didn't happen because people want your experience and that education at the same time. If I let it get to me, I probably wouldn't be where I'm at today. Knowing that as you're trying to do new things and move up to get that next position, if you just stop because you get a no, you'll never get anywhere in life. For me, it's about persevering, doing my best, and taking feedback without letting it get me down. That feedback somebody may give you in a role is what could make or break you. My first really big job was at Dell when I was young - I was not hitting my numbers, struggling in this big corporate call center for the first time ever. My boss pulled me aside and said, look, you need to do this, this, and this in order to succeed. Once she said that to me, I started hitting my numbers, getting into that excellence area, and being recognized for it every single month. That really shaped my future of working at any company.

The best career advice I've received is making sure to open your mouth and speak up. You could have an idea and somebody else could have an idea, and nobody's saying anything about this idea that could be so important for the company. Not staying quiet is the biggest thing I've ever learned, and it's really helped me be more successful and grow in my career. I also learned to not be afraid to shoot your shot for that next role inside of your company. I've had a lot of growth within companies that I've worked at, and it's because I just don't give up and I really work my way to the role that I want to be in. The sky's the limit if you work at it.

The weirdest thing to say, but it's sort of one of my mottos, is fake it till you make it. Don't let people see if you're doubting yourself, because you may be doubting yourself, but everybody else is looking at you and they see your success. As women, we tend to notice all the flaws and the errors and things like that. Every day, keep your head high and just keep going to that next challenge, and you're gonna be successful if you just don't give up.

I think the biggest challenge has been learning new things as you go, especially using AI. When I first had to start using AI and implementing that in my everyday work, it was challenging. It was something that I didn't know if I could get my head around. But now that I'm doing it and seeing the benefit, it's been at the utmost rewarding to know that I can do it and make it successful. Once you start using it, you realize it's helping you make things better. Getting on the bandwagon has been a good thing. In terms of opportunities, being able to identify when somebody is struggling in my call center and being able to help them get over that hurdle has been a learning thing for me. Getting that right fit to make sure that when an agent's having trouble knowing how to position a specific topic, figuring out how we should train it and position it so the whole team understands, and then being able to see them actually make it happen and see the results from that - that's been really rewarding.

Values for me are making sure that I am honest in everything that I do. I try to live that way, and if something doesn't feel right, you don't do it, in any aspect of anything. I make sure I am consistent in how I approach all things, whether it's doing a 5K even though I'm grumbling all the way to the end of it, or if I'm at work and I'm frustrated, knowing that you're frustrated in a moment but it will pass. Staying positive really keeps your mindset looking at the positive in everything versus going into that negative realm of anything.