Of Interest

PHENOMENAL WOMAN, THAT IS SHE

By Anissa Brown

It’s a question that stumps us all: “How would you describe yourself?”

If you ask motivational speaker and C-suite executive Scharrell Jackson, she’ll say overachiever. When we sat down to talk to her, however, another word came to mind: badass. Tough, uncompromising, formidable, excellent.

That sounds about right. On a candid trip down memory lane, we discovered that this dynamic woman with a dynamite aura went through many obstacles to become the woman she is today. Born on January 10 in Los Angeles to a teenage mother, Scharrell had a rough childhood. She heard the words that would shape her entire way of being, words no child should hear.

“I never wanted kids anyway,” said her mother. Combined with an absentee father who struggled with substance abuse, it pushed her to earn love by any means necessary. She would go above and beyond to gain that love and affection. “What I heard and believed was that I wasn’t good enough,” she says. She wasn’t always a confident person, but she always strived for more. An overachiever, if you will. ____

Always with a mind for money, Scharrell started saving up dimes for 45 RPM records — she loved music. She applied that critical thinking and drive in every facet of her life, from her high school job preparing financial statements to UCLA and its highly competitive Anderson MBA program. While taking 18 units in college, she held bookkeeping jobs for small business owners in property management and construction. And when she graduated at 21, she was already in management. She landed in professional

services, becoming controller of a small business valued at $3.5 million with fewer than 50 employees. Under her supervision, it became one of the top 20 firms in the nation, worth nearly $100 million. Not only was Scharrell good at managing money, she was good at making it, too. Today, she is the Chief Operating Officer of Lendistry, one of the top financial technology companies in the country. She took the job in the throes of COVID-19, a time when many companies suffered. Some are still struggling to recover. Fortunately, the pandemic impact on Lendistry has been beneficial and stimulated business.

One of her long-held beliefs is that during an economic downturn, a true leader needs to know how to capitalize. During times of uncertainty, most people are scared, but that’s when they need to take the greatest risk. In this space, Scharrell thrives, continually rethinking and coming up with new strategies and opportunities for improvement. ____

As a woman of color living in south Orange County, one has to imagine that breaking into a white- and male-dominated industry is a tough feat. Scharrell was not afraid to be honest.

“I don’t know how to be politically correct so I will just keep it 100,” she says. “When I walk into a room, I am already at a disadvantage because I am different. Not necessarily because I am Black and a woman, but because we don’t speak the same, we don’t process the same or use the same tone. Our language, background and our expectations are different. The magnitude of differences is major. People tried to coach me to believe what I do was not good enough and that I needed to be different or ‘code switch.’”

She recounts a story that changed her entire thought process as a leader. A fellow business executive, having observed Scharrell’s leadership style, advised her to share thoughts and critiques in a different way. They said her comments would be better received if she addressed the situation with a new approach. She was told to say three positive things to the person before saying something negative. She was taken aback. “I said, ‘No.’ I don’t have time. When you are in a crisis and war is coming, there is no time for that. When your house is on fire, you don’t have time to check in how people are feeling. You have to make those decisions as business leader.”

Scharrell gives credit to her amazing coaches and mentors who allowed her to see exactly what she was contributing and to recognize the value she held. Her advice to leaders in training? Find your own mentor or sponsor who can open your eyes to the things you can’t see. She also urges female leaders of color to go after what they want and make sure they are representing themselves in the highest and best light. As a businesswoman of color, she feels that, while there is positive representation of Black female leaders, there is still a lot of work to do and not enough sitting at the table.

“We all get afraid and what stops us from reaching our fullest potential is fear,” she says. “Let your fear have a voice, but don’t let it have a vote in how you move.” ____

At the end of the day, what makes Scharrell happy are her three wonderful children, a great relationship with her mother and a closeness to God.

She’s made it her mission to lead with purpose to make a positive difference in the lives of others. She is a mom, mother-in-law, friend, colleague, boss. Most importantly, she’s a leader in heels. So what’s next for Ms. Jackson? You can join her Nov. 18 for her next speaking engagement: “Leadership Requires a Tribe.” Sign up online and invite your own squad to listen as Scharrell discusses what it means for someone to have your back so you can begin to lead with impact. scharrelljackson.com | IG: @leadership.in.heels