Today we’d like to introduce you to Sonja Southerland.
Hi Sonja, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My path has certainly been unconventional. I was born and raised in Durham, North Carolina. My family raised me with very strong roots in the Christian community. I was raised a church girl. You can imagine the disappointment when, at the tender age of 16, I became pregnant. With all the odds against me, I decided I would not be a statistic. I leaned into the discomfort and found a path to success. By the age of 19, I was married. My now ex-husband and I pastored a church, opened two residential facilities for adolescents with moderate to severe mental illness, and owned a daycare center. All of this by the time I was 25. I didn’t see any reason to slow down. However, after a time, all of the rigor of owning a successful business and raising a family of my own began to take its’ toll on my children and our marriage. So, we decided to close the church, sell the business, and move to a place where no one knew our names.
In 2008, we drove to Summerville, South Carolina. During this move, I recreated myself and found a way to set roots in a new community. I knew I had always been drawn to the people side of our business, but I needed to figure out how that would appear in a new career path. The first two years in Charleston were difficult. I traveled back and forth to NC to ensure our affairs were in order and fully transitioned the group homes. So, it wasn’t easy to secure a new job with all of the back and forth. Finally, I was assigned a temp job with the Carolina Center for Occupational Health and began to do some contract work for Mr. Herbert Drayton. I didn’t know then, but he held the key to the next chapter of my professional journey. After working with him for about a year, the business could not support my salary. So, I left and went to MUSC for about 3 years. After some time, Herbert called me back and told me he had secured the contract for medical services at the Sheriff Al Canon Detention Center. This strategic partnership immediately grew the business from less than 10 employees to over 75. He asked me if I knew HR. My answer was a resounding Yes! In retrospect, I don’t know why I answered with such confidence, especially since I didn’t know anything about HR! But, in true Sonja fashion, I wasn’t going to back down from a challenge, and I believed in Herbert and the team’s work at CCOH. He believed me when I said I knew HR, so he hired me and asked me to return. Over the next year, I studied feverishly every night to learn the profession and started to build a community with other HR professionals. I knew that this was where I belonged. Even though there were challenges along the way, the work energized me and allowed me to stand in my unique brilliance. After only being in HR for 3 years, I passed the Human Resource Certification Institute’s Senior Professional in HR exam. I continued my journey at CCOH for about 6 years until I landed a Directorship role at a federally qualified healthcare center in Charleston.
After serving there for three years, I was recruited to the Head of HR role for a global medical device organization. My path is not conventional because most people don’t escalate their career to an executive level in less than 10 years. But, I must attribute this success to God and my ability to trust fully in the skills and gifts that He entrusted me with. In addition, my tenacity gave me the courage to step out into unfamiliar territory to maximize and continue to nurture what was already there. In 2017, I launched a full-service HR consulting firm – Innovate Human Capital Solutions. While I still work full-time, I am preparing to transition to Innovate fully. My next goal is to support small businesses in establishing the HR function and to help amplify workplace harmony amongst professionals in the work landscape.
Would it have been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There have been many challenges and obstacles along the way. The initial challenges came for me because although I was smart and had natural leadership abilities, I stepped out into a space where I had never been formally trained or had what some would consider the appropriate education. I earned my bachelor’s degree in 2017, but I have worked as an entrepreneur and senior leader in my organization for many years. My ambition drove me. However, it was challenging to figure things out as I went. Secondarily, I needed to understand and learn the power of mentorship early on in my career; my first encounter with a real mentor was with Herbert Drayton. He exposed me to professional organizations like SHRM and other local networking communities to expand my knowledge and give me access to new ways of thinking and understanding.
In my next role, a major challenge became operating at a high level as a black female leader and not feeling supported by other black women in the same space I was in. I was extremely excited about the opportunity to collaborate, share insight, continue developing, and, in addition, grow as a leader. Unfortunately, that environment was not conducive to that and became a very uncomfortable workplace. Many days, I left with my stomach in knots and dreading the notion of returning the following day. It was during that time that I learned the art of self-preservation. I learned that self-care is important, and even in professional settings, it is important to set appropriate boundaries and teach people how to treat you.
During this time, I encountered a teacher that I will forever be grateful for – Dr. Tom Gordon of TAGA Consulting. He taught me that my soul was not for sale, no matter who was placing the bid. Although tough, I stayed true to my convictions and could keep moving forward. Let me say that since that time, as I have continued my professional journey, I have connected and found community with an amazing tribe of women. I met my mentor and coach, Kenya Dunn, during that difficult time. She helped me give language to what I felt and helped me feel comfortable acknowledging that I was not ok. She began to coach me by helping me do the inner work of identifying my standards of excellence. This was a pivotal moment because it allowed me to realize that I was empowered to create the leadership legacy I wanted people who encountered me to experience. I did not have to duplicate poor examples of leadership; I could take my experiences and shape my path in a way that would make it easier for those I would lead in the future and ensure that they were also empowered to create their story and model of leadership.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Innovate Human Capital Solutions, LLC is a full-service HR Consulting firm established in 2017. We provide HR solutions for businesses and professionals. Our services are designed to assist organizations in maximizing their impact by allowing the greatest asset of any business – THE PEOPLE – to thrive in an engaging, healthy, and productive working environment. HR, for many, has become the employer’s consultant. IHCS has found great success in fostering positive relationships between employers and employees. Our approach helps entities realize (that) the delicate balancing act of engaging a team and supporting the business needs can create a synergy that drives exponential growth to the bottom line. No matter the size of your company, 1 employee or 500, the culture of “people first” will ultimately reward your business with results.” Since its inception, IHCS has served over 225 individuals and businesses. In this work, we have created career paths and development strategies for the working professional. In addition, we serviced businesses by designing the HR structure to include recruitment, payroll and benefits, compliance, workforce planning, learning and development, and employee relations. We currently offer a career readiness program for college juniors and seniors designed to teach business skills to ensure they are properly prepared for the transition from academia to the world of work. Stay tuned for more information regarding the HR Professional Collective – a community of HR professionals where we share best practices, create space to develop and share thought leadership, and create a space for networking specifically for HR professionals of color. In September 2023, IHCS hosted our first conference, “CultureCon – Creating Workplace Harmony.” We welcomed 100 attendees and had an amazing experience. This conference is designed to curate a space to foster the collaboration and partnership required for business leaders and professionals to co-exist in a work environment with a sense of harmony. The second annual conference – now branded as ICON will be held on September 19 and 20 in Summerville, SC, at the Lowcountry Conference Center.
We’d like to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you.
I don’t believe in luck. I believe in divine favor. I believe that God created me with a sacred purpose, and everything that has happened in my life has been to help navigate me toward the life He designed me to live. As a result, I embrace every opportunity, every win, and every failure with gratitude, knowing that all things are working together for my good. Even if I can’t see the good now, the lessons learned will catalyze my next level of success. I love Oprah Winfrey’s quote – “God can dream a bigger dream for you, for me, than you could ever dream for yourself.”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.innovatehcs.com/
- Instagram: @innovatehcsolutions
- Facebook: facebook.com/innovatehcsolutions
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/innovatehcsolutions/
- TikTok: @innovatehcsolutions
