The traditional corporate mindset often pits happiness against productivity, suggesting leaders must choose between being liked or being effective. After 35 years in corporate America, including executive roles at major companies like State Farm, AIG, and USAA, Sheryl Raphael Whitaker is challenging this notion through her leadership development company, EdenAnthony Elite Talent Solutions, teaching executives that bold leadership and workplace happiness aren’t mutually exclusive.
Breaking From Corporate Roots
Growing up on Long Island with immigrant parents from Trinidad and Tobago, Sheryl learned early about working twice as hard to achieve her goals. Her journey through corporate America began unexpectedly at State Farm. “I went to State Farm thinking I was going to be there for maybe a year until I got my real job,” she shares. “I ended up being there 17 years.” During her time at State Farm, Sheryl made an unconventional career move – taking a significant demotion to transition from business leadership into learning and development. “Some people thought I was crazy,” she recalls. “I did have some supportive leaders along the way who were like, ‘No, this is what you want to do. Sometimes you’ve got to pull back that arrow in order to shoot forward.”
After State Farm, Sheryl’s corporate journey continued through various organizations, including a Warren Buffett company and AIG, before landing at USAA. There, she was responsible for enterprise learning while simultaneously leading the property and casualty learning team. However, a leadership change led to an unexpected departure. “It was a traumatic experience because I’ve always seen myself as a corporate person, never saw myself as an entrepreneur,” she explains. The transition wasn’t immediate. “It took me a good 6 months after separating from USAA for my heart and my head to get in alignment with what I really wanted to do,” Sheryl notes. “I really thought I was going to just go back into my next corporate executive role because that’s what I’ve always done.”
The Birth of Happy Leadership
Through EdenAnthony Elite Talent Solutions, named in tribute to her entrepreneurial father, Sheryl focuses on three main pillars: executive coaching, leadership development, and comprehensive strategic consultation. Her approach centers on what she calls “happy leadership.” “A lot of times people think that it’s one or the other – you can’t be a bold leader who is decisive and confident and results-driven while you’re being happy,” she explains. “But happiness is not that fluffy happiness. It’s not the Snoopy kind of happiness. We’re talking about leading from a place of psychological safety, emotional intelligence, and creating safe spaces.”
Driving Success With Human-Centered Leadership
Sheryl emphasizes that happiness in leadership directly affects business outcomes. “If you’re working with a leader who has got their stuff together and they are focusing on you as a person, as a human being, you’re going to run through walls for that person,” she states. “People quit managers. They don’t quit companies. Your manager shapes your day, good or bad.”
“As she develops The Happy Leader BLUprint, a proprietary program designed to help leaders embrace human-centered leadership, Sheryl reflects on her own journey: ‘There’s a whole other world beyond corporate. I thought I would deeply miss my team—and I do—but stepping into this new chapter has introduced me to incredible people. I’m connecting with other coaches, business owners, and leaders who are on this journey, and I’m learning and growing at the ripe young age of 59.'”
To learn more about Sheryl’s approach to leadership development and executive coaching, connect with her on LinkedIn or visit EdenAnthony Elite Talent Solutions’ website.
