Based in Fort Worth, Texas, La Wanda Moorer began her career in Human Resources with Lockheed Martin in Sunnyvale, California. Early on, she served the organization and delivered business focused outcomes in several human resources (HR) roles spanning from individual contributor to leadership excellence. La Wanda Moorer departed California in 2008 for her first critical leadership role as an HR Manager in New Orleans, where she led transition strategy and people redeployment efforts due to the sunsetting of the external tank program.
Following more than a decade in various HR director and senior management positions, La Wanda Moorer joined Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Fort Worth, Texas, as director of HR, where she currently supports the Advanced Development Program (ADP) Line of Business. She leads and mentors a team of HR business partners, in addition to overseeing all HR strategies and human capital initiatives in support of her clients.
La Wanda Moorer holds an English degree from Santa Clara University. She continued her education at the Golden Gate University School of Law, earning a juris doctor with a specialization in employment law. She is a member of the State Bar of California. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, Peloton trainings, attending live sports and following several basketball teams, from the Golden State Warriors basketball to the Stanford women’s basketball program.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
My day starts with routines that support mental focus, health, and productivity. I am an avid Peloton user, so I start my mornings off with an hour to an hour and a half of classes geared towards cardio and strength to set the tone for the day. After exercise, shower and then move into conquering my workday as applicable or personal needs on days off. Every day, I write down a list of things I need or want to accomplish that day. It keeps me focused, structured, and provides the ability to see some positive results daily.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I leverage a multifaceted approach to bringing ideas to life. First, I start with research to better educate myself and leverage it for identification of common themes or findings. 2) Depending on the type of idea garnered from the research, I shared the idea with a few trusted friends for candid feedback. 3) After reflecting on feedback, I create a gap analysis on current and future state or break the idea into milestones as appropriate. 4) I pilot the idea with intention for feedback. 5) I end with flawlessly executing the idea through prioritization, accountability, or checking and adjusting as needed.
What’s one trend that excites you?
Mental well-being is one trend that excites me. It’s overdue, and it’s an opportunity for leadership. When we create environments where people can thrive, it will build stronger, more resilient and innovation organizations. On a personal level, I support my mental well-being through fitness, particularly leveraging Peloton. I appreciate that Peloton is multifaceted in that it is connected to fitness, community-driven workouts, and technology, and personal growth that can help transform well-being.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
Exercise is my one habit I can’t break.😊Overall, exercise fuels my productivity both physically and mentally. If I go consecutive days without exercising, I feel uncentered and unfocused. When I exercise, that is also my time to think, resulting in creativity and problem solving. Movement stimulates new neural connections and helps with idea generation. It also serves as a result, often helping me get unstuck. In short, exercise helps me be productive because it sharpens my mind, stabilizes my emotions, and strengthens my resilience, making it easier to stay focused, energized, and consistent in executing my daily responsibilities.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Dear younger me, trust your voice more than the doubts around you. Don’t shrink to make others comfortable and don’t mistake silence for strength. Protect your peace, invest in your well-being, and remember that asking for support is not weakness – it is wisdom. The trials you’ll face will feel heavy, but they’ll shape your resilience and sharpen your vision. And when life tries to silence you, rise. Every single time!
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you on?
Sometimes silence speaks louder than words! You must learn when to stay silent. It doesn’t mean you are shrinking to fit, which I am not a fan of. In a world obsessed with constant talking through various mechanisms (e.g. social media), people have the latitude to embellish, lie, and paint false narratives that can harm a person’s reputation. While there are avenues to respond or to get revenge, real strength often shows in restraint and quiet conviction. Karma has no end date!
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
I give my time and energy to things that give me joy. For me, that includes exercising, cooking, and singing. Anytime I am having a bad day or going through a hard time, I fall to one of these three things to change my mood and put me in a better headspace. I consider my three “go-to’s” stress relievers and energizers. I recommend everyone identify the things that give them joy!
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
When I feel overwhelmed or unfocused I often reflect on the “why” or, more specifically, what is causing me to feel that way. I write things down and list everything on my mind and then prioritize or bucket the items by 1) quick wins, 2) wins that may take a little time, and 3) wins that require additional support. This process gives me hope, and I truly can accomplish anything I put my mind to.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
Being my authentic self has advanced my career in ways that go beyond my skills and experience. My authenticity has enabled me to quickly build trust and credibility with leaders I support and employees I represent and advocate for. By consistently acting in alignment with my values, I am perceived as reliable and people are more likely to support, promote, and collaborate with me since they know I will be consistent and transparent. Plus, I am a huge believer in karma, so I treat people the way I want to be treated!
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
Early in my career, a lot of my assignments were project based, oftentime with tight deadlines. In one case, I was assigned to lead a cross-functional project that had tight deadlines. I did not realize the level of coordination needed on priority alignment and ultimately the project was riddled with completion delays. Thankfully, I worked for a leader who was great about providing feedback, which I received and took to heart.
As a result of the feedback, I completed a lesson-learned meeting with the team. I incorporated the feedback to subsequent projects that resulted in success. From this experience early on, I learned the importance of stakeholder alignment, planning, seeking feedback, and leveraging teammate’s strength to achieve the desired outcome.
What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?
Very few HR departments use data to understand the full employee experience and predict challenges before they become problems. To change the game on adding HR value to the business and preventing problems, I recommend a service that combines and provides an AI-driven sentiment and predictive analytics to ultimately enable creation of customized action plans for leaders to proactively increase and improve team performance and retention.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
ChatGPT, no doubt! I love the software because it is quick and easy in several ways. I use it the most for idea generation and problem solving. I leverage it to brainstorm project ideas, strategies, and for providing solutions on a personal and professional front. It has also saved me a lot of time and saved the day when I was in a time crunch. I encourage everyone to try it!
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
One of my favorite books of all time is The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. The messages in this book are impactful to daily life. It takes complex spiritual and psychological concepts and distils them into four simple actionable principles: 1) be impeccable with your word, 2) don’t take anything personally, 3) don’t make assumptions, and 4) always do your best. By internalizing and acting on these agreements, it creates clarity and values that I resonate with and live by. I live with personal freedom, clarity and integrity.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
I am not really a movie goer or series watcher because I love reality TV! 😊 If I can expand this question to focus on a movie I can watch on repeat, my response is Love & Basketball. I love the fact that it blends romance, sports, and real-life struggles in a manner that feels authentic, emotionally engaging, and culturally significant. It reminds me of my relationship with my husband. We met and married later in life. We also share the love of sports and competition and have supported each other through life struggles, whether losing parents or navigating professional roadblocks. My husband is truly my best friend, and I am so glad we get to be on this life journey together. This movie just reminds me on how blessed I am to have someone like him in my corner!
Key learnings
- Prioritizing mental well-being and self-care—such as through exercise and stress-relieving activities—maintains productivity and overall well-being.
- Authenticity, trust, and credibility—as well as learning from failures and incorporating feedback into future endeavors—are invaluable for building strong relationships and advancing one’s career.
- Identifying activities that bring joy and fulfillment and prioritizing time and energy accordingly fosters a positive and resilient mindset.
- Leveraging technology such as AI-driven sentiment and predictive analytics can improve business outcomes and increase employee engagement.
- Embrace a growth mindset, be open to learning and self-improvement, and cultivate a sense of personal freedom, clarity, and integrity in all aspects of life.