Meet Cedric Solice | Business owner in the area of leadership and organizational development

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cedric Solice and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cedric, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Originally, I just wanted to legitimize a platform that would allow me to continue to be a public speaker. I was being afforded local opportunities, and I really enjoyed operating in that space. It is where I feel most comfortable and most impactful. As I worked to investigate legitimizing a public speaking career, I started to think about what other benefits I could bring to people and organizations in conjunction with my passion for public speaking. People were seeking counsel on a number of subjects, particularly in the areas of life, leadership, and purpose, and I realized that I was able to provide helpful solutions. My operations and program management backgrounds allowed me to step in and provide auditing services to help people and organizations improve organizational functionality and efficiency. Putting all the pieces together I realized that I could create a multifaceted professional platform that would ultimately allow me to help more people in areas that I am passionate about as well as built to serve in through education and experience. This business gives me the opportunity to help people, which is the thing I absolutely love to do the most.  CLS Leadership Solutions LLC endeavors to challenge leaders to investigate their own leadership capacity through the exploration of a variety of subjects, thoughts, and methods with the ultimate goal of developing today’s leaders for tomorrow.  CLS Leadership Solutions LLC has grown to now provide individual and group leadership training, organizational culture assessment and enhancement services, consultation services, and professional speaking services for small groups to large organizations.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

If you are looking for a box of chocolates career story, look no further than mine! It has been a crazy and diverse journey that has spanned across three different and distinct career paths, culminating in the continued development of my company CLS Leadership Solutions LLC as a fourth career.  From a career in music and the marching arts, to coaching college women’s basketball, to corporate recruiting, CLS Leadership Solutions LLC is the result of a lifetime of experience in the application and instruction of leadership.  My work since 1998 has allowed me to develop under and apply a number of leadership philosophies and principles in a variety of professional spaces.  I have been charged on numerous occasions with the responsibility of developing leaders from high school aged students to seasoned adult professionals.  Exceptional leaders from the highest ranks of the military, professional sport coaches and executives, C-Suite executives, and business owners have utilized the services of CLS Leadership Solutions LLC to enhance their leadership vision, improve organizational culture and efficiency, and develop more resonate solutions-based leadership practices with a focus on a people first mindset.  Growing this company is a welcome challenge daily, but there is such a tremendous need for the services offered by CLS Leadership Solutions LLC that the challenge becomes a series of enthusiasms that propels the company forward through innovation and evolution.  The purpose has always been greater than the challenge, and because that has been the case my resolve has never diminished to serve people through leadership and organizational development.

The biggest lessons I have learned throughout my life and starting this company are the superpowers to success. Faith. Resilience. Passion. Purpose. Curiosity. Networking. Knowledge acquisition through deep study. A positive mindset. The golden rule. Toughness. Everything relates to everything. Perspective is more important than perception. Leadership matters. People matter more. Love matters the most. Service is the rent we pay to live on this earth, and it pays unforeseen dividends. It can always be worse. When it is the hardest is when you become the best.  Embrace the detractors. You will learn so much from them. They will help you grow the fastest. If you are liked by everyone, you may be doing something a bit wrong. Check your convictions and your compass and make sure you are staying true. Focus on your needs over your wants. Be flexible in your journey. Where you started is not where you will finish, but where you finish is exactly where you are supposed to be if you are open, decisive, focused, learned, flexible, and willing to do the work. Be willing to take risks. Without taking risks you will never know where you can go and how much you actually can achieve.  It is never over until God says it’s over, because He is the author of the story.

The motto of CLS Leadership Solutions LLC is, Leading Today for Tomorrow So Others May Excel. The sole focus of this company is to assist you in becoming the best and most authentic leader you can be so that all around you and those you lead may excel as a result of your leadership. I challenge you to assess your preconceived notions of leadership and ensure that you are operating in a manner that is conducive to the perpetual success, growth, and innovation that yourself, your people, and your organization deserve. This company is in place to remind people that leadership is important. It changes lives. How it changes lives is up to the leader. There will always be problems and challenges, but that also leaves room for solutions. CLS Leadership Solutions LLC can be the solution you need to take that leap forward in your leadership or organizational evolution and growth. This brand is based on decades of experience in being a solutions-based leader in action.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

I travel a lot, so this is a very interesting topic to me! Vibe is super important in an experience. I currently live in Houston, but I have not been here super long. I will give it my best shot!  Here is a good weekly schedule for Houston, TX!

Saturday
– Lunch at Rays BBQ Shack and dessert next door at Sugar Rush Too! Houston staples!
– Dinner at Gloria’s Mexican Restaurant. It turns into a dance club at 11:00 pm with live Spanish music. It is a GREAT time!

Sunday
– Wheeler Ave. Baptist Church (11:30 am service) cannot be beat! 100% success rate!
– Sunday Funday in Houston right after church! Downtown bar and restaurant hopping. It is a Houston thing!

Monday
– Breakfast/Lunch at First Watch
– The arts and gallery district. Houston has some amazing museums, and the arts scene is huge! Catch the HSO in concert.

Tuesday
– Gun range. You cannot come to Texas and not shoot off a couple of rounds! That would be very un-Texan!
– Cowboy hat and boot shopping. You cannot leave Texas without a solid pair of boots and a hat. Do not forget the buckle!
– Dinner at Patron Mexican Grill

Wednesday
– Catch a baseball or basketball game. Houston fans are huge fans of their teams! The arena and stadium are both downtown.
– Dinner at Salt Grass before or after.

Thursday
– Visit the NASA complex or go to a local vineyard/brewery. Both are all day types of events, and both are fun!
– Dinner at a wine bar restaurant that serves unbelievable food. It is one of the best restaurants in Houston. I just cannot remember the name.

Friday
– Rest up during the day.
– Early meal at Pappadeaux’s
– Hit the downtown club and bar scene. The energy is crazy down there!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

Wow! This is a tough one because so many people have contributed to this journey of mine. First and foremost, I have to give a shoutout to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He was and continues to be there for me when I did not know I needed Him the most. He opened doors that I could have never opened by myself, and created opportunities I could have never imagined from a very young age until now. I am humbled and thankful and grateful for His continued impact on and in my life.

My Mom. There was a moment back when I was about 16 years old where she pulled me aside and told me, “Do not EVER let anyone tell you that you cannot do something.” She said, “if you want to do it, figure out how to do it and do it, because you are capable and you can.” It was a statement that a person internally always knows, but to have it validated from someone who loves you unconditionally, beyond bounds, and without regard for self, that is life changing.

My coaches, band directors, and drum corps instructors and mentors. They afforded me opportunities when maybe I did not deserve them, that led to opportunities that brought me here to this moment. They saw things in me that I did not see in myself. I learned what discipline truly is through those experiences. I learned that you do not have to be the best naturally at something to earn the best in life if you are willing to work in an uncommon way. They all were a part of the physical and mental crucible moments in my life that shaped me into the man and leader that I am today. Coach Patrick Hughes, Don Jeans, Jack Elgin, Phil DiPold, Karen Watkins, Jay Watkins, Coach Mark DeBarros, Mark Curry, Darryl Pemberton, Kevin Mitchell, Todd Ryan, Coach Silvio Brutus, Dr. John Laverty, Dr. Bradley Ethington, Coach Quentin Hillsman, Derrick Oliver and so many other deserve recognition that I would spend many lifetimes trying to communicate properly. Each of these people and their respective organizations saved my life in some way, and I am thankful.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cedric-solice/

Image Credits
Michael Okoneiwski – SU Basketball Pictures (Department Photographer)
Betsey Mitchell – Boogie Band Picture
Rob Segaar – Company Logo Designer