In this series of posts, we are asking Lakelanders to share what is inspiring them in the world of art and media. We hope sharing these recommendations will help you find your next great read or the perfect flick to add a little something extra to your week.
This week we are featuring Shelly Wilkes. Shelly is the team president of the Lakeland Magic, the Orlando Magic G League affiliate team. As team president, she is responsible for launching and overseeing the day-to-day business operations of the Lakeland Magic.
Prior to her current role, Shelly spent 13 seasons with the Orlando Magic starting out as a game-night staff member in the marketing department and eventually worked her way up to the senior director of live entertainment and production services in July 2015.
Shelly holds a bachelor’s degree in general business and master’s desgrees in in both business administration and sport business management from the University of Central Florida .
Shelly lives in Orlando with her husband, Dallas, and their daughter, Quinn.
Here’s what’s inspiring Shelly this week:
Quotes
“Positive teams commit to the mission and to each other. Instead of serving themselves, they serve one another. They care more about their effort, work, and teammates than they do about all the distractions vying for their attention. Because they care more, they do more, invest more, commit more, and accomplish more.”
The Power of a Positive Team by Jon Gordon
I have a great job that I look forward to each day. It makes it easy for me to try and set a positive example for my team. The G-League is a league designed around development and I think that carries over into all aspects of the organization not just the players. My goal is to invest in each member of my team as an employee and a person. The results are that it’s a great place to work with great people.
You will never have this day with your children again. Tomorrow they will be a little older than they were today. This day is a gift. Breathe and notice. Smell and touch them; study their faces and little feet and pay attention. Relish the charms of the present. Enjoy today, mama. It will be over before you know it.
Jen Hatmaker
I have a 20 month old daughter, Quinn. She’s now at the age where we can see her picking up on and imitating the things that we are doing. I try really hard to be intentional about spending time with her, showing her how much I love her, and making the most of each moment.
Political Activism
The idea of being moved by your values to the point of action is occurring at an inspiring rate. One of the ways I’ve seen this is in the political activism of women. More women are running for public office at the local, state, and national level than ever before. Regardless of your view on politics, having leadership in our government that looks more like the constituents it represents, will make all of our communities stronger.
Transparency Surrounding Mental Health
It has been inspiring to see professional athletes shine a light on something that has historically been taboo especially amongst males and minorities. In the NBA, DeMar DeRozan of the San Antonio Spurs and Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers have recently opened up about their struggles with depression. As DeMar mentions in the article below, you never know what another person is going through. I hope that their boldness helps to remove the stigma associated with seeking help for mental health issues and continue to push the conversation into the mainstream.
Serena Williams
After taking over a year off of tennis with a challenging pregnancy and near-death birth experience, Serena is back dominating the tennis world. As a mom, when I came back to work, I didn’t have to be in peak physical shape, and the fact that she is accomplishing what she is today is a true inspiration and shows why she is one of the greatest athletes of our generation.
Podcasts
I drive quite a bit and try to use that time to be as productive as possible. I’ve found a love for podcasts and two that I would highly recommend are:
How to Be Awesome at Your Job features different guests three times a week that discuss a range of topics from management to focus to negotiation. It’s packaged up at the end into some key takeaways that can help you be awesome at your job, regardless of what that job might be.
Skimm’d from the Couch invites powerful female leaders to discuss how they got started and their often bumpy road to success. It’s inspiring to hear their stories and encourages me to continue to be a trailblazer.