The Excellence Mindset- Feat. Dr. Wynette Harewood

Confident. Brave. Tenacious. Risk-taker. Brilliant.

These are some words that I would use to describe Dr. Wynette Harewood. In the short time that I spent with her, I was blown away at the parts of her life that she shared. What stood out most was how much she exuded confidence and her desire to achieve excellence in all she does. I believe that a great deal of that spirit comes from knowing that she successfully overcame obstacles that attempted to derail her. A personal mantra that she carried with her during the tough times was,

‘this too shall pass'.

Most of us may be familiar with this saying as it represents a promise that no pain in life will last forever. In her life, there were a few instances where this philosophy was implemented, which will be further discussed in this blog. This article explores Dr. Harewood’s educational journey, career, and role as a mother and how she demonstrated perseverance during those times.

From a young age, the value of an education was instilled into Dr. Harewood by her parents. While at Holy Name Convent, there was a lot of uproar in society as the black power movement was prominent during that time. Being an individual who was resolved to be more than what society projected for her, she continued her educational journey at the University of the West Indies- Mona Campus, Jamaica. Initially, she was excited about this new chapter but when the reality of what she had signed up for had set in, panic took over. Nevertheless, she remained disciplined and with the support received from her mother, she successfully graduated. Later on, while teaching, she made a conscious decision to pursue her Diploma in Education. She never regretted doing that because it made her purpose clearer. Sometime after, she pursued her Masters and Doctorate in Business Administration at the University of the West Indies- St. Augustine Campus. Acquiring her Masters allowed for her to retool and gain more competence in the field of Management, specifically Human Resource Management, which she put to good use in her career. Then after some time, she did her Doctorate in Business Administration where she got the

opportunity to go to Seville - Spain to work with

her Supervisor in preparing her thesis. This was an adventure by itself. Being someone that always saw education as a major opportunity for enhancement and someone who always strived for excellence, it was important for her to go to the highest educational level. Of course, there were adversities along the way but in her words,

“I came this far… I have to go all the way.”

And this was the same mindset that she approached her career with.

Her motive for first going to University was to go into the working world on her terms. Mostly clerical jobs would be available if she went straight to work after 6th form and she was not intrigued by that at all. Upon returning from UWI, MONA, the education system in Trinidad was expanding. This created a need for teachers. So at 21 years old, she taught students at Barataria Senior Comprehensive who were like seven years her junior. Thereafter, she pursued her Diploma in Education as a means to improve upon her skillset. From that experience, she had what she described as a ‘Eureka moment’, which made it clear to her that she,

“did not want to continue teaching teenagers”.

So after about 9 years of teaching, she was resolved to utilize the skills she obtained in another way. Although she knew nothing about banking, by demonstrating confidence and determination, she successfully acquired the role of Training Officer at the National Commercial Bank (NCB), now known as First Citizens Bank (FCB). During her time in that role, she learned about other Human Resource practices. After about 6 years there, she went on to work for TELCO, now known as TSTT where she was responsible for the Management of Human Resource Management (HRM) practices. Then TELCO transitioned to TSTT, which brought about some downsizing and management being offered severance packages. Dr. Harewood stepped out bravely and took advantage of that offer and from that day she said she never worked a corporate job since. That opportunity was timely as her son was now entering secondary school and it allowed for her to place focus on that major milestone in her son’s life. She has since worked as an Independent Consultant and part-time Lecturer at Arthur Lok Jack Global School of Business. During her career, she has assisted thousands of individuals to better prepare them for working in the field of Human Resource Management (HRM).

Although she has taken up many roles in her life- Entrepreneur, Consultant, Trainer, Lecturer, Student, no role could compare to the one that was given to her by the universe- motherhood. That role brought with

it confusion, creativity and celebration. When her son was born, there was a period of uncertainty. There were moments where she doubted herself and her capabilities and times when she felt lonely. She experienced postpartum, anxiety and what life as a single parent was like. She mentioned that she would conjure up the strength that was deep within to go through these trying periods. The realization that she would now have to devote time to another human was the epiphany she needed to fully embrace motherhood. She mentioned that a familiar tune by Bill Withers ‘Just the Two of Us’ also brought her comfort at times. Being a parent also proved to be a balancing act as she was the sole provider for her household and also a student as she continued her studies up until her son was in university. She would do creative things like keep extra clothing in the car, take her son to classes with her and even gave up working in the corporate world altogether to cater to her son's needs at the time. She made decisions that benefitted both herself and her son and nothing brought her more joy than seeing all her efforts come to fruition. She described his graduation day as,

“one of the best days”

of her life. Her son is now a practicing Veterinarian and you can tell she is so proud of who he became. I think it’s not so much the profession that he chose but just knowing that they went through so much together- just the two of them- and they kept rising despite it all.

Dr. Harewood is the first mother that I have interviewed for the blog and I was just blown away at the pragmatic approach in which she showed love, not only to her son but to herself. There were times when she had to reevaluate her trajectory because her son's well-being also had to be factored in. She made a huge decision to leave the corporate world to be there for him during some of his most formative years. Later on, she made a decision to choose herself- pursuing her Doctorate, while indirectly knowing that

choice would benefit both of them. Her story also depicts someone that shattered the glass ceiling that was placed in her way because of her skin tone and gender. She lived through a time where people were rioting for equality and equity, which intensified her desire to map out her own life. Along the way she also helped so many persons with their journey as she was instrumental in providing them the necessary skillset to become better managers in their careers and achieve excellence. All in all, Dr. Harewood is an exceptional woman and a great mother. I love her very relatable journey, her constant display of persistence and her desire to excellently execute all her projects. Simply amazing! As always, I leave you with this question: How do you wish to be remembered?