At age 10 Lititia Myers-Gray had an experience that would change her life. She would consciously take her own fate in her hand even without understanding the enormity of such a decision on her future. An experience that would allow her future life trajectory to be one where she is always reaching for the next best thing; refusing to accept mediocrity and establishing her very own creed: “Daring herself to be Great”. At just thirty-six years old, Lititia Myers- Gray is the Managing Director of Guardsman Armoured Limited a distinguished member of the Guardsman Group of Companies.
Growing up and witnessing her hardworking grandmother and mother, a solid work ethic was woven into the very fibre of her being, she naturally knows nothing different. Working hard led her to where she is today and will continue to lead her as she looks to the future.
Lititia grew up with her grandmother in Garland District, a community in rural St James. At the age of six she joined her parents and was enrolled in Catherine Hall Primary. At the age of 10 Lititia sat the Common Entrance Exam for the first time in Grade 6 and failed. Passing this exam allowed students to transition to high school. It was a big deal. For the first time young Lititia felt what failure was like as she witnessed the family’s disappointment. She recalls watching her mother scouring the newspaper for a name she would never find. This was a very defining moment for her as she felt the enormous weight of hopes unmet descend on her. It was then that Lititia decided this was something she never wanted to again experience. She would no longer accommodate failure and for her, this meant a change in mindset.
With a new course of action and premise set firmly in her mind, Lititia’s life made a successful 180 degree about turn. Her parents, understanding what it would take to facilitate their daughter thriving, sacrificed and enrolled Lititia in a private school – Supreme Preparatory. It was a strict school but one that Lititia opened herself to willingly because of her newfound discipline and intention to focus on her studies. With the help and nurturing of the then principal and teachers (who riveted in her memory the importance of school work) and even with her involvement in extra-curricular activities (that undoubtedly would have contributed to her leadership prowess and no-nonsense approach to everything she undertakes) she was successful in her second sitting of the Common Entrance exam.
Lititia went on to Mount Alvernia High, where her leadership qualities surfaced. She never saw herself as an “A” student but more so B/C, but decidedly pushed herself and excelled academically and coupled with what seemed like a natural tendency towards leadership she thrived and gained a confidence which made her unstoppable. Throughout high school she held various leadership positions starting with grade captain in first form which followed her though to grade 11. She was also one of the students selected as a peer counsellor as well as captain of the track and field team. She shares that she always felt compelled to lead even though she considers herself to be introverted and shy.
After high school with the forward thinking of her mother who decided she would not go the route of her peers who went on to 6 th form or pre-university, she enrolled into Northern Caribbean University (NCU). This move gave Lititia a jump start.
Lititia completed her degree in 2004 and graduated from NCU armed and ready for the world of work. Her first real experience of the corporate world was as a Teller with the National Commercial Bank (NCB Jamaica Ltd) in St Ann’s Bay. For the first time at 21 she was on her own. This period helped to further build her confidence while experiencing other influences that would help shape the woman of strength that she is today and the fact that excellence was not an option but a must. Over the next 15 years Lititia honed her skills through the various management positions at a number of organizations including NCU, Xerox and Cable and Wireless Communications, at the time trading as Lime Jamaica Ltd.
Today, Lititia is Managing Director for Guardsman Armoured Limited, an Armoured Car Logistics and Cash Management company that provides End to End Cash Management Services to clients. These services include cash in transit, deposit processing, treasury management, cash storage, smart safes as well as ATM management services. Under her leadership Guardsman Armoured has responsibility of all offsite ATMs islandwide (over 600).
Guardsman Armoured is a 24 hour operation with 100 Armoured trucks. In addition to on-island cash logistics and processing, Guardsman Armoured also provides cash management and logistics services across the Caribbean and to the United States. Lititia believes that the organization is responsible for removing all risk and hassle of cash handling from clients, while using technology to add efficiency and value while reducing cost. Prior to her promotion to Managing Director, Guardsman Armoured experienced a significant financial setback when they lost 2 of their major clients and had to implement ways to remain a viable entity.
Lititia was General Manager at the time and was charged with returning the company to profitability via cutting costs so they would not fail. She had to restructure the Guardsman Armoured operation and being a woman who readily accepts challenges, she responded accordingly and led the team and organization through a transformation process. She strategically merged their business components to reduce cost while streamlining operations. The end result – the company returned to a position of profitability. Having succeeded, she then made it her mission to dominate by going after the lost business which she did successfully and was rewarded with a promotion to Managing Director (all of this within four years of moving from Cable and Wireless Communications to Guardsman Armoured). Now the outlook is continued growth, maintaining a path of relevance and staying ahead of the competitors through technological innovation infused with excellent service standards.
TBWM: Do you believe that all of this hard work that you are putting in today is because 10, 15, 20 years from now, God’s willing, you will get a chance to relax or are you just going because of some other desire?
Lititia: It is funny you ask because in the book I’m currently reading called “Grit” it speaks about talent vs. perseverance – and the psychologist who wrote the book – Angela Duckworth had researched how successful people get to where they are. Persons have asked me how I got to where I am and oftentimes, I am at a loss with no true explanation of how I have achieved these milestones back to back.
In reading this book I am able to articulate a better response – the book reads – the brightest persons are never the ones who persevere but it’s the ones that are literally looking to challenge themselves nonstop. There is also a section that reads “why were the highly accomplished so dogged in their pursuits, for most there was no realistic expectation of catching up to their ambitions, in their own eyes they were never good enough, they were the opposite of complacent and yet in a very real sense they were satisfied being unsatisfied. Each was chasing something of unparalleled interest and importance and it was the chase as much as the capture that was gratifying. Even if some of the things they had to do was boring, frustrating or painful they would never dream of giving up. Their passion was enduring… they knew in a deep way what it is that they wanted. They not only had determination, they had direction and it was a combination of passion and perseverance that made them high achievers and in a word, it is called grit.”
So that stood out to me and in a way it explained a lot. I am extremely happy about where I am today and the opportunities that I have in my current position but I never limit myself to a function, role, location or country. I look forward to achieving continued milestones. It is just who I am. I will never consider that I have arrived and therefore can discontinue my pursuits. I am always searching out ways to be better and move forward.
TBWM: Tell us about your definition of Success
Lititia: My husband asked me this when we just met, at that time it was being able to go to the supermarket and pick up what I wanted without worrying if I had enough money to buy it. I remember every day of the 5 years I was a single mother and it was hard to financially balance everything. And so, the minute I could go to the supermarket and pick out what I wanted without worry of the financial implications, I was in a place of success and that was the level of comfort I wanted at that time. Success for me is also about my son Alexander, and ensuring that he is equipped with the necessary tools to succeed. So success also includes being able to have the resources to place him in an institution that is very technologically oriented and has an atmosphere that facilitates forward thinking.
I find that critical thinking, and being forward thinkers and problem solvers are all challenges that our young people face today. As a parent, being able to place Alexander in an environment that facilitates developing these skills is success for me. I also think about my parents and how hard they worked. Recently I was able to plan a family vacation and I felt so comforted by the fact that I could afford to do that for my family. Thinking about the big picture of success, it is having the ability to shift positioning and thinking as I go along in ways that will help me and the people around me to be their best.
TBWM: Do you get overwhelmed and if so how do you deal with it?
Lititia: I do get overwhelmed and frequently so. I remedy this with time alone reading or meditating. I read for at least 30 minutes per day. I spend my mornings not talking to anyone and this may sound odd but thank God I have a husband who understands me. When I get up at 5:15am I do not speak, my son knows what he needs to do, and my husband knows what he needs to do. Because of the intensity of my days, mornings spent quietly is a decision I have made that allows me to relax mentally and not have to process any information or solve any problems. I also take advantage of long weekends which are usually booked well in advance to unwind and recharge together with my family. It’s a change of scenery and environment which helps to center me.
TBWM: Share with us some things you believe hold us back as women.
Lititia: I think one main thing is confidence and how we doubt ourselves. The imposter syndrome is something that is unique to women where we believe that we do not belong in certain places. It still happens to me today. I remember being in a meeting where I was the only female and I was looking around wondering – Should I be speaking? Should I be the one to make sure that the refreshments are ready? Even though I was the Managing Director. So, I believe that mentally our mindset is still in a place where we lack confidence and still buy into the stereotype of where we “supposedly” belong in society.
Another thing, I think Sheryl Sandberg said in her book “LEAN IN” is that we decide for ourselves before we get there (career wise) that we are not ready. How can you know you are not ready to be Managing Director, if you have never tried it? I speak with a lot of women who report to me and I will say to them “You can sit in this chair one day.” and their response is a “No”. They will never dream of it, they will never think it can happen. They shut it down before it becomes a possibility and what they should be saying instead is “If she can do it so can I”.
There is also a general bias against women (subconscious bias) that naturally we are supposed to be caring, nurturing and soft. The minute we become assertive and begin to speak in a firm tone, we are disliked and ostracized. Life then becomes like a double-edged sword and we are walking a tightrope because we do not know how to respond. Should I be soft or should I be tough? And this happens in relationships as well.
I struggled from a relationship perspective because I have always had a strong personality and that intimidates some men. As women we must master the art of tempering by showing a level of vulnerability which then becomes our strength. As women (leaders) we must manage how we are perceived, especially in a male dominated environment and that’s just the reality. If left unmanaged, it can lead to many other issues. Bottom-line is if people do not like you, then your job as a leader becomes much harder. We must find a way to lead with some amount of vulnerability and that will be the strength that we need to successfully maneuver our way.
TBWM: It is a hard but necessary balance indeed because you do not want to be taken advantage of. Share with us about one of your mentors and some takeaways that you incorporate in how you lead.
Lititia: I learned a lot from Gary Sinclair, former Managing Director for Cable and Wireless Jamaica. Ltd. Although he may not know because we have never discussed it. I admire him specifically for his technical leadership capabilities. I observed how he…Read more of Lititia’s story below…
