"I am a slightly chubby, unathletic woman who has never served a day in the military." That was the opening line of Lauren Wittenberg Weiner's 'TED TALK' just published by TEDxEustis. Then came the "but" in her story. Seconds after the self-deprecating description, she told the audience how that didn't stop her company, WWC Global, from landing the largest contract ever awarded to a woman owned business by the U.S. Special Operations Command Headquarters. How much? "$200 million over five years for the support of the military training and exercise program with Special Operators - Navy Seals, Green Berets, what they call door-kickers."
"I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am not what people expect to see when they hear 'former CEO of a very large military contracting firm," Lauren went on to say. In the insular world of Special Operations, in order to succeed, she had to find a way to get buy-in from the 'door-kickers' involved in the company's military contracts. During crucial conversations Lauren conveyed this to the Special Ops teams her company would be working with: "I'm very clearly NOT a door-kicker... I respect you and everything you've done, but I don't have to have done that (special ops) in order to do this ."
Congratulations to Lauren and our thanks to TEDxEustis for showcasing Lauren and her leadership story. Click here to see full TEDx Talk by Chamber Member Lauren Wittenberg Weiner.
Lauren is one of only 14 Floridians selected for the TEDx Talks filmed in front of a live audience in Eustis, Florida in February. Of the 14 speakers, two are members of the Tampa Bay Chamber!
